February 16, 2017

We heard from IMG senior guide Emily Johnston over in Africa earlier. They just finished their second day of the safari on the Serengeti. It went something like this. Wake up in your luxurious ‘tent’ to see the sun rising over the Serengeti. (I use the term ‘tent’ loosely here as these tents have full beds and bathrooms.) Enjoy an incredible buffet breakfast before hopping in the Land Rovers to go spot some wildlife. About the time the wildlife is getting ready for their afternoon nap, head back to camp for a delicious hot lunch and a little nap of your own. Then, head back out in the afternoon to watch the wildlife stir back to life as the temps cool off. Cap it all off with a fabulous dinner and swap stories around the campfire while enjoying your Serengeti Beer. Finally, fall asleep to the sound of zebras snorting outside your tent. I’m not making this up, this is a very typical day on the Serengeti! Kind of hard to beat a day like this one. Tomorrow the team will head over to the Ngorongoro Crater for more incredible game viewing. This is one of the highlights of the safari for me. You are probably picking up by now that this whole safari-thing is a real workout… for the eyes that is! I can’t think of a better way to finish off the incredible experience they had on Kili than several days looking at elephants on the Serengeti. Just doesn’t get much more fun that this trip!

Dustin Balderach

February 14, 2017

We just received more good news from IMG guide Emily Johnston and her team over in Tanzania. They are all back at the hotel in Moshi now, clean and happy! They made short work of the hike out this morning and enjoyed lunch, showers, and clean clothes back at the hotel. They spent their afternoon relaxing and packing up for the safari. Right now, they are celebrating their climb over dinner and drinks. Sharing stories and talking about the safari. They have certainly earned it after their past week of climbing!

Tomorrow the fun continues, this time without much work! After breakfast they’ll head to the city of Arusha a couple hours away to catch their early afternoon flight to the Serengeti. Once the wheels of the plane touch down, the game-viewing will begin. Most people are surprised how quickly they are engulfed in the safari. One minute you are taking off from a city of 1 million people, 50 minutes later you are spotting wildlife out the window of the plane on the final approach. It amazes me every time. You know this crew is having a good time from all the smiles in the photos Emily just sent us. And I know the team will really enjoy the next 4 days and they have earned it! Congrats again Team!

Dustin Balderach

February 13, 2017

We heard from IMG senior guide Emily Johnston late last night and it was just the news we were hoping for. The entire team were standing on the summit of Kilimanjaro and feeling great! That is fantastic news and we’d like to congratulate everyone on making the summit. All the hard work has paid off for this team. Emily called in again just now to report the team had made it all the way down to Mweka Camp in good form. She said this team was super strong and fit and “styled it” today. Nice job team! They were getting ready to have a quick dinner and then crawl into the tents. They will sleep great tonight after that long day. Mweka Camp is at about 10,000 feet down in the forest. After spending several nights up higher, the thicker air and humidity here are a welcome feeling.

Tomorrow is an easy hike out and they will be back at the hotel in time for lunch! Then the team will shower, repack for the safari, and toast their hard work at the celebratory dinner tomorrow night! Congrats Team!

Dustin Balderach

February 12, 2017

The Kili team just rolled into Barafu High Camp, and IMG senior guide Emily Johnston checked in with us. Another good day hiking on Kili, and this team is in great shape. There is always an exciting buzz around this camp as you have finally reached the highest camp on the mountain and everyone will soon be making their summit push. The team enjoyed a shorter day today which is all part of the plan to prepare for the summit day tomorrow!  After pulling into high camp and getting their tents organized, the team had a hot lunch and finish up getting packed for the climb, followed by a few hours of afternoon snoozing.  They will have an early dinner tonight before they get horizontal again in the tents and try to get some sleep.   While it might be tough to sleep, it’s the time off your feet and on your back that counts. Then next thing you know its 11 pm and the alarm is waking you up. By midnight, you are off hiking into the night following a stream of headlamps slowly climbing up the mountain. It really is exciting.

The team is in for a long day; no way to sugar-coat it.  They will normally reach the summit shortly after sunrise, then spend a half hour or so on the summit, taking photos and taking in the views. Then it’s back down to Barafu high camp to pack up and have another hot lunch. Finally, they’ll descend a few more hours to the Mweka camp for the final night on the climb. A long but extremely rewarding day.

We wish the team luck and look forward to hearing from them late tonight or tomorrow morning!

Dustin Balderach