Entries from Kilimanjaro

Today we headed to Tarangire National Park known for its abundant elephants, and it didn’t disappoint. Not sure how many we saw, but it was quite a few, and we got pretty close once again. 

There were lots of giraffes, impalas, monkeys, ostriches, and many, many birds. Unfortunately we haven’t seen any more big cats, but we will head out early in the morning with hopes of seeing them in the cooler temperatures. 

We are spending our last night here in Tanzania at Nykani Tented Camp, which has beautiful tented rooms with screened windows to allow the sounds of the African bush in. So, if you have ever used or heard the term “Glamping”, this is an extreme version of that. 

Everyone is doing great and hoping to see a few more big cats on our way out of the park tomorrow morning. Then it will be back to our main lodge near Arusha for a brief stop before catching our flights home. 

Thanks for following, your loved ones will be home shortly 

RMI Guide Casey Grom, and an amazing crew!

Day 2 on Safari had us visiting the world famous Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is what remains of a once massive volcano that erupted. In the 2 million years since then, hundreds of animals have taken up residence and have created one of the best safari options in Africa.

We hit the road early with hopes of catching a few more animals before the heat sent them in search for shade. Not long after descending down into the crater we came upon several lions. There were hundreds of zebra, wildebeest, and Cape buffalo, gazelle’s and many sightings of hyenas, jackles, ostrich, and countless other birds.

One of the highlights was getting super close to a large male and female lion “on their honeymoon”.

We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the plantation lodge and are looking forward to what tomorrow may bring as we head to Tarangire National Park.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew

PC: Casey Grom

Today was our first day of safari for us and we headed east to visit Lake Manyara, which is know for its tree climbing lions and more than 400 different species of birds.

We had a nice day viewing the wildlife that hardly seemed to notice us, despite being only feet away at times.

We didn't manage to see any of those famous lions, but we had several very close encounters with elephants. Nothing dangerous, but they passed close enough that we could have almost touched them.

We did manage to see a few giraffe, hundreds of baboons, impalas and so many birds, and one highlight was seeing the Pearl Spotted Owl, which is about the size of a coffee cup. It was a pretty nice introduction to the incredible bio-diversity that Africa has, and everyone enjoyed the day riding around in our safari vehicles.

We wrapped up the evening here at the beautiful Plantation Lodge with a wonderful meal and great conversations. Check out our beautiful lodge!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari team.

PC: Casey Grom

What a climb we had! 

Yesterday’s climb took the team 8.5 hours to successfully stand on the “Roof of Africa”. 

After a few photos, phone calls, and just taking in the view, the team descended back down to our high camp where we were greeted by our staff with songs and a little dance. It brought smiles and a much needed boost after all the hard work. 

We then descended for about five more hours to reach our last camp on the mountain. Funny how 10,000' can feel so comfortable after such a big day.  

Our final day on the mountain! 

Today the team got up at 6 am refreshed after a much needed nights sleep, we had breakfast, then hit the trail one last time. It took about four hours to reach the park gate where the team had lunch and said our final goodbyes to our amazing crew of 51 that took such great care of us on the mountain. 

We finished the little celebration by handing out their well deserved tips and then hopped aboard our awaiting bus for the ride back to the lodge. 

Finally we are all safe and sound, cleaner, and smelling fresh after an exciting seven day journey up and down Kilimanjaro. 

Stayed tuned, Safari starts tomorrow!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

PC: Casey Grom

Hello everyone,

The team is back down from a safe and successful climb!!!

We have returned to high camp and will take a short break before heading to lower altitude. Tonight we spend our last night at Mweka camp which sits at 10,000ft. 

I will send a wrap up once we get back to town!!!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the summiteers

Saturday, September 14, 2024 - 4:46 am PT

Hello again everyone 

The team had a good nights rest last night and today was just a short three hour hike up to 15,000' to ou high camp. It has been full sun with amazing views most of this trip, and the equatorial sun at this elevation is quite intense, but thankfully there was a gentle breeze to keep temperatures enjoyable for hiking. 

The team has just wrapped up lunch and discussed in great detail the plan for tomorrow’s climb. Everyone knows what we’ll be wearing, what will be in the pack, as well as the schedule. 

Our game plan will be to wake at 10:30pm and have a quick breakfast at 11 pm, then hopefully hit the trail right before midnight, to hopefully avoid some of the traffic as it looks a bit busy here at camp. The team has been doing great thus far and I’m expecting us to reach the summit in 7 to 8 hours if things go according to plan. 

As per usual on a Casey climb, one lucky trivia winner will get a phone call from the summit of Kilimanjaro. 

So everyone back home please keep your phones handy and if you receive a call from a strange number please answer. We are 7+hrs ahead of the east coast time zone. 

If you receive a call it will be on Saturday late evening 

Wish us luck!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the summit bound crew

Friday, September 13, 2024 - 8:03 am PT

Hello again everyone,

We had a slower start today to allow the many porters get a jump start on the route and ever narrowing trail. 

Right out of camp we were faced with the only significant technical obstacle for this climb. This hurdle is the great Barranco Wall, which rises about 1,000' and looks as intimidating as it sounds. Thankfully there is a nice narrow trail that weaves its way up and through the wall and all the way to the top. Most of it feels more like steep hiking, but there are a few places that require the use of our hands to help us climb up. 

The team did a great job of moving steady and allowing a few porters through with their loads precariously balanced on their heads. Which was astonishing to see, especially at this altitude. 

After reaching the top we took a nice break and enjoyed the spectacular view of the upper mountain, since there was scarcely a cloud in the sky. The team continued our hike for a few more hours up and down through a few valleys before reaching camp. 

All in all, it took only about four hours for us to reach our next camp called Karanga, named for the big and beautiful valley which it overlooks. 

Spirits are high and there have been few complaints from this tough crew, even though it’s been more dry and dusty than we’d like!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili

Friday, September 13, 2024 - 2:38 am PT

Jambo everyone,

All is well in Tanzania. We’ve had great weather and the team is humming along really well.

We hit the trail just after 8 am and hiked for an hour before taking our usual 15 minute break, then back on the trail for another hour and so on. In total today we hiked for just over seven hours before reaching Barranco camp. Our gracious Kili porters have been working very hard and we arrived once again to a camp set up and ready for us.

Along the way we passed around the famous Lava Tower reaching just over 15,000' setting new altitude records for many. We also passed by many of the giant groundsels and towering Senecio trees that made us feel as if we were in some crazy Dr. Suess story.

The team is in good spirits and doing great.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew

PC: Casey Grom

Hello again everyone 

Today the team awoke to beautifully clear skies and views of Kilimanjaro looming above us. 

We started our day with fresh fruits, eggs, porridge and plenty of coffee, before setting off on our second day. 

The trail out of camp slowly ascends through the last remaining trees and makes its way along a rocky ridge that eventually climbs up onto the Shira Plateau. We hiked a little more that 4 hours and have ascended to just over 12,000' to reach our next camp. 

Everyone enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the views of the valleys below as we climbed steadily up Kili. 

We are currently relaxing in our camp enjoying good conversations and stories from team members. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew!

Tuesday, September 10, 2024 - 10:58 pm PT

Hello Everyone

The team awoke early today and left behind the comforts of our beautiful lodge and have headed to the mountain towards the start of the climb. We hit the road shortly before 8am we drove along the rural country side for a little less than 2 hours to reach the park entrance. Most of the area surrounding Kilimanjaro has been cultivated and primarily used for coffee production and for a variety of other agriculture needs, but there are still some areas that have been untouched and resemble more of a savannah that Tanzania is known for.

The base of Kilimanjaro is forested and resembles a jungle or cloud forest. Traditionally it supports a large part of the banana production for this area. 

Once at the gate we had all of our gear weighed and divided into 20kg loads for our porters to carry before hitting the trail. Once everything was in order we started our climb slowly and made our way up the winding trail. It wasn’t too busy which made for some pleasant hiking. It took a little over 5 hrs to reach our camp for the night which sits just shy of 10’000ft. 

The team just finished an amazing hot meal and are looking forward to a good night of sleep at our new home for the night. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew