Entries from Kilimanjaro

Greetings from Tanzania.

All is well here in Tanzania and most of the team arrived late in the evening 2 days ago after some very long flights. It was a short and uneventful ride to our Lodge that is nestled in between Arusha and Moshi and not so far from the base of Kilimanjaro. The team spent the 1st day relaxing and getting adjusted to the nearly 12hr time change.

We had a leisurely morning today and had our first official meeting at 10am where we did a round of introductions and then discussed the program for the coming days ahead. We spent the remainder of the day getting our gear packed up, exploring the grounds of our Lodge, which is incredibly peaceful and has monkeys running around keeping us entertained.

We wrapped up the evening with a delicious meal and plenty of friendly conversations. Everyone is doing well and excited to hit the trail tomorrow and get a little bit of exercise.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew

Ok we didn’t get eaten by lions that last night in Tarangire National Park.  There were fresh overnight Hyena tracks in the dirt where we were loading up the Landcruisers though, so we’ll count it as a close one.  It was still dark when we ate breakfast at Nyikani Tent Camp and just beginning to get light when we drove away -on the prowl again for a final morning of wildlife viewing.  Our excellent naturalist guide/drivers Johnson and Chacha kept finding (and explaining) the good stuff, including a big python on an overhead branch, and “strangular“ fig trees taking over baobobs.  Safari couldn’t last forever though, so at 10:30 we left the park finally and began making our way back to Arusha.  We made a final stop for shopping, some culture and a picnic lunch before returning to the familiar Rivertrees for the afternoon.  By evening the team was going separate ways; some to Zanzibar, some to the Serengeti and several of us back into uncomfortable airplane seats.  We shared a fun and memorable adventure on the roof of Africa…more than making up for airline/airport tediousness. 
Thanks for following along. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Always tough to leave the Plantation Lodge in Karatu.  It is only made possible because we then get to move on over to Tarangire, home of the Elephants!   It is hotter and drier once we left the Ngorongoro highlands, but we had a thin cloud cover for much of the day, so the sun wasn’t oppressive.   Within minutes of entering the park today we were looking at a pair of lions.  A big male sitting regally beneath a shade tree and a female who seemed to have the hunting job for the day.  A few minutes later we began seeing the elephants.  Tarangire has a million big baobob trees, every one of which has been scraped by elephant tusks in search of moisture.  We saw family groups everywhere, with plenty of youngsters staying close to their moms.  As we got deeper into the park we saw giraffes and Cape buffalo (zebras and wildebeest barely rate a mention anymore, but we saw thousands of them) we saw antelopes of all shapes and sizes, from Dik Diks to Elands.  We just barely saw a leopard (a tail hanging down and a couple of paws as the cat lay sprawled over a branch within a thick canopy). And we just barely saw a cheetah -or cheetahs if you believe those that think there was another speckled thing behind that bush. 

It was a great day in a great big park.  And we look forward to one more morning of Safari.  But we are still in the park tonight, experiencing a “tent camp” out in the bush.  There is no fence separating us from the wild animals tonight.  If there is no dispatch tomorrow, you’ll know what happened.  

Best Regards, 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

PC: Dave Hahn
 

We may be just tourists now, but today we still got an “alpine start”.  It was still pitch dark as we were driving away from the lodge at 5:40 AM.  Our guides had recommended the early start for Ngorongoro Crater as a way to see better wildlife.  Most animals are a bit more lively in the cool mornings than in the hot afternoons.  The light came up as we were crawling toward the caldera rim in our landcruisers.  After a bumpy ride in the clouds along the rim, we made an important stop at a Maasai village.  We wanted to learn a little more about this colorful tribe (one of 128 in Tanzania) hanging on to their traditional ways in a rapidly changing world.  They greeted us with singing, then showed how they make fire without matches or lighters.  They took us into their Boma (village) and into their homes. We thanked them for taking the time to answer our many questions and then we headed for the “crater”   Immediately upon reaching the valley floor we began seeing bigger and bigger herds of buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and gazelles.  There were a few ostriches mixed in for variety.  Eventually we did a picnic breakfast -spitting distance from a flock of hippos.  By the time we followed up with a picnic lunch, we’d seen rhinos, lions and elephants.  There was a bonus encounter with a skittish cerval cat.  We climbed out of the caldera around 3 PM under still cloudy skies, but it was a pretty good day all around.  After a bunch more rough roads, we were back at the ultra-comfortable Plantation Lodge at 4:30. 
Tomorrow we’re bound for the land of elephants   -Tarangire. 
Best,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

PC: Dave Hahn

Yesterday we were a climbing team, today we are tourists.  But comfortable tourists.  We slept in real beds last night, on level ground, after hot showers and an excellent dinner.  We rolled out of Rivertrees at about 8 AM, heading west.  It took a few hours on two lane highways to reach Lake Manyara National Park.  We did plenty of people watching on the way and saw many cattle herds being shepherded from place to place on the way. 

We spent the afternoon cruising dirt roads through the forest looking for animals.  We saw elephants, a bushbuck, a monitor lizard, baboons and monkeys, impalas, and lion tracks.  There was a leopard… which turned out to be a bird’s nest upon closer inspection.  The lake levels are quite high, reducing animal habitat in the park for the time being, but we enjoyed what we did see.  Our guides, Chacha and Johnson were able to explain what we did see and taught us about the cultures and communities we passed through today. 

 At day’s end we headed up out of the great rift valley and moved toward the Ngorongoro highlands.  Near Karatu, we made our way to the fabulous Plantation Lodge.  It was a pleasure to stroll through lush gardens to luxurious rooms.  We explored the wine cellar and enjoyed a gourmet four course dinner. 

An early start is in order for tomorrow. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Today our group woke up in Mweka Camp after a long and well-needed night of sleep. We had our last breakfast courtesy of Barking Zebra, drank too much coffee, and then began our 4,000+ foot descent to Mweka gate.

On our way down, we experienced mud of all kinds. As we slowly navigated our way down, careful not to fall or twist an ankle, we watched deft porters sprint past us, Shania Twain blaring on their speakers.

At Mweka gate, we said our final goodbye to Kilimanjaro and took one last dirty group photo.

As we ate our final Kilimanjaro lunch, Angela/Breslin (Dave still can’t tell us apart) snuck away to feed watermelon to the rogue tortoises ambling around the grounds. Our amazing porters, who kept us well fed, housed, and alive for a week, sent us off with an a cappella dance party, which forced Jay to get his hands out of his pockets.

On the bus ride back to Usa River, we were able to see Kilimanjaro in all her glory, towering well above 19,000 feet. It was hard to imagine we were at the top 24 hours ago.

Per usual, Dave provided clear instructions about what would happen next and every one of us, especially Kaleb, incorrectly remembered the details. Somehow we all made it to dinner at the Rivertrees Country Inn in one piece, smelling better and ready for safari.

The last week on Kilimanjaro was truly memorable and our group stayed positive and laughing during the rare but difficult times. We debated the pros and cons of cutting a goat hotdog-style versus hamburger-style; reveled in Dave’s many colorful and fascinating stories (“chicks on feet!”); and competed for the final bags of lemongrass tea.

Tomorrow, our group will head out for a new adventure and we’ll say goodbye to one of our own, Walt, who definitely didn’t help the government plant microchips in our brains.

As Dave would say, “well hey guys, let’s go check out some dik-diks.”

Today was big in every way.  We woke at 11 last night and got climbing at midnight, as planned.  It was a beautiful night with a big moon and not much wind. There were plenty of other climbing teams on the move at the same time. It looked like a big Christmas parade with all the headlights.  Thomas, our lead guide, did a wonderful job weaving our team through the traffic on the route. 

It was progressively colder as we got higher and closer to dawn, so of course we were interested in keeping moving.  We took short rest breaks to add more clothing and to take in food and water.  It was still dark as we hit Stella Point on the crater rim a few minutes after 6 AM, but the sunrise was imminent. We enjoyed the victory lap along the rim over to Uhuru (the true summit) as morning broke.

The team hit Uhuru at 7:05 AM. We took pictures and gazed around in wonder from the continental high point. By 7:30 we were headed down.  About three hours later, we were back in Barafu being serenaded by our staff as they sang a few traditional Kilimanjaro songs. We repacked and ate a great lunch before taking on one of the bigger challenges of the day - dropping another 5,000 vertical feet to reach Mweka Camp.

It would be a rough hike on fresh legs, which ours were not. But by 5 PM, we'd all made it. Life is considerably easier way down here at 10K.Especially with the excellent dinner our team put together. Quality sleep is next.

Best Regards, Dave

Barafu. High Camp, 15,200 ft, poised for the summit push.  We are into some nice weather now.  It was calm and clear and not all that cold this morning at Karanga Camp.  After another of chef Tosha’s wonderful mountain breakfasts, we set out for high camp.  Naiman led the way today, taking us up broad and easy terrain for the first hour or so.  Above 14,000 ft the trail got a little more rocky and narrow in places but it wasn’t giving our seasoned team any real trouble.  We took a couple of long and lazy rest breaks today so that our staff of porters and camp builders could get out ahead.  Even so, we were walking into Barafu by 11 AM.  This gave plenty of time for resting and rehydrating and strategizing for tonight’s climb. 

It’ll be an early dinner and then early to bed for this team.  We hope to launch for the summit at midnight.  All systems are go. 
 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

We took on the Great Barranco Wall today. It was a wonderfully clear night and calm clear morning at Barranco Camp. We got all ready for some rock scrambling and set out behind Thomas - our lead guide - at 8 AM. Naturally, everyone else in Barranco Camp took off at the same time. Before long we were rubbing shoulders with an extremely diverse mix of climbers and porters as we reached for lava holds and footholds connecting the various ledges. Inevitably, there were some traffic jams and bottlenecks at the spicier features of the route. We were patient and eventually we were through the crowds and moving well.

Our staff beat us to the top of the wall and had a table set with tea and snacks when we topped out. Since Karanga Camp wasn’t so far away, we lingered at the top of the wall, people watching and mountain gazing.  We used the final hours of today’s journey to practice some efficient techniques for our hill climbing. By 2 PM we were eating lunch in another perfectly constructed camp - Karanga at 13,200 ft. We rested and ate our way through the afternoon. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

We were in clouds from daybreak at Shira Camp today. We could still see Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s central peak, from time to time but mostly we saw clouds and more clouds. It was not necessarily bad for walking though. We got on the trail just before 8 AM and walked up gently inclined slopes toward Kibo. The trail was much less steep than yesterday’s workout, but we still gained altitude steadily. By noon we’d reached our intended high point for the day, 15,200 ft at the base of the “Lava Tower” we were denied the big views as the clouds were particularly thick and a little cool there.  That did not stop us from enjoying a picnic lunch provided by our amazing kitchen staff.

We were certainly ready to get lower, so we followed Omar down the steep track leading to the Barranco Valley. Omar is one of our five local guides. Yesterday we followed Happyson and the day before that Godlove. It didn’t take the team long to go from the “Alpine Desert” vegetative zone to the Moorland. We came down into a garden of Giant Senecios and Lobelias. Dropping to 13,000 ft we rolled into Barranco Camp at about 2:30 PM. Eventually the clouds parted to reveal Kibo with its hanging glaciers and ice fields as well as the Great Barranco Wall -our challenge for tomorrow morning. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team