Wrapping It Up In The Ngorongoro Crater

September 30, 2015

Craig gave the day a big thumbs up with a spotting of the Rhino in the Ngorongoro Crater today. There is plenty to see on the last day of the Safari between the Olduvai Gorge and the Ngorongoro Crater with the highlight being a rhino!

: Rhinos in the Ngorongoro (Greg Vernovage)

: Masai Warriors in the Serengeti (Greg Vernovage)

: Flamingos in the Crater (Greg Vernovage)

Wrapping up the Safari and our September Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari at one of the Safari Lodges is the icing on the cake for this trip. A good hot shower and time to reflect on everything that was seen over the past two weeks of the trip.

We have one more trip to Kilimanjaro in 2015 and then full speed ahead for the 2016 schedule!

Greg Vernovage

Update From The Hinku Valley

September 29, 2015

: The view up the Hinku and the Pasang Lhamu trail (Eric Simonson)

: Into the forest (Eric Simonson)

: Dropping down from Pang Kongma La to Shibuche (Eric Simonson)

Great conversation with Eric Simonson on the trail. All is well as the team heads towards Mera Peak. The weather cleared up for them a bit yesterday and they could see up the Valley.

Eric said the â€œtrailâ€ is challenging. â€œThere just does not seem to be a ton of traffic on this route.â€

The team is doing great and when Eric checks in, we go through our communications the same way we do when I am on Everest. One of the questions we always ask each other is â€œWhere are you?â€ This is a particularly good question when the team is on a new trek. Ericâ€™s response for last nightâ€™s check in was â€œWe are at Ningsowâ€¦you will probably not find it on the map!â€

You can see the map from yesterdayâ€™s blog and see that the team is up valley from Shibuche on the Pasang Lhamu Trail. They sound like they are having a blast!

Greg Vernovage

Gorgeous Days On The Dolpo Trek

September 29, 2015

Adam and the Dolpo Team are enjoying the relatively low altitude for the night. Adam laughed and said â€œwe are all the way down to 15,000 feet.â€ They will have another day of â€œlower altitudeâ€ before heading back up and through the next pass.

: Dhandup, who is in charge of the painting restoration at the Monestary (Adam Angel)

: Painting in the Monastery in Saldang (Adam Angel)

Today on the trail, they visited the Monastery in Saldang and the Yuthok Norlung Dolpo Hospital. The paintings in the Monastery had recently been redone, taking 12 people 2 years. The detail in the paintings was noticeably more precise than others we had seen, and Adam asked Dhandup about this. He said that the painter who oversaw the project was Tenzin Norbu Lama. Tenzin is a well-known artist who Adam had contacted before his first trip to Dolpo. Adam wanted to see his work in Kathmandu.

Greg Vernovage

Great Days On The Serengeti

September 29, 2015

: Cheetah cub kicking it back (Greg Vernovage)

: Beautiful nights on the Serengeti (Dustin Balderach)

Craig checked in from the Serengeti today.Â An amazing amount of lions were seen along with close-ups of the cheetah and leopard.

One of the highlights of the day was watching a vulture try to take out a baby gazelle.Â The gazelle came out the winner!

With an evening thunderstorm, the team had a chance to relax and watch the lightning in the distance.Â A pretty good day if you ask me.

Greg Vernovage

Dolpo Continues To Impress

September 28, 2015

Harvest. (Adam Angel)

Todayâ€™s trek was short enough that the team planned a hot lunch at their destination, Saldang. Adam and the Team are staying on the grounds of Dhandup Lama where they are watching in awe as the seasonâ€™s barley is being threshed by teams of singing, dancing, smiling workers. Since everyone works until dark, their children (who were released from school midafternoon) visited, played, and practiced their English with the team for hours. A truly remarkable and pleasant afternoon.

Tomorrow, the team will trek over the Komas Pass (about 15,500 feet) and dropped down to Komas village (about 14,100 feet).

Greg Vernovage

Simo Checked In From Pangom

September 28, 2015

: Numbur Karyolung Tengkangpoche Kongde from Pangom (Eric Simonson)

: Loading the heli in Kathmandu (Eric Simonson)

: Map overview of the route.

: Mera route on Google Earth

IMG Partner Eric Simonson checked in last night from just above Pangom (9,000 feet) in the Hinku Valley. That’s right, IMG Himalayan Program Director Eric Simonson is in Nepal and looking forward to climbing Mera Peak in the next couple weeks. Mera Peak is a moderate climb by Himalayan standards (21,000ft / 6500m) but the route takes them up some big glaciers and any mountain that tall we take pretty seriously.

We are looking forward to visiting this valley, which is just to the east of the Khumbu Valley, in the future, so who better to send over to take a look at it than Eric.

Greg Vernovage

Bumpy But Beautiful In The Serengeti

September 28, 2015

: Bull Elephant. (Dustin Balderach)

: Lions. (Dustin Balderach)

Craig called in from the first camp in the Serengeti.Â â€œThe flight was a little bumpy coming in today but we are doing great!â€

The Team has already seen a ton of wildlife including a pride of about 30 lions and a few cheetahs.Â Tomorrow is the first full day of wildlife viewing.Â Packed with elephants, hippos, giraffes, wildebeests and those little warthogs that run around with their tails in the air.Â Just to name a few.

Greg Vernovage

Pass #2 on the Dolpo Trek

September 27, 2015

: The camp at the end of the Rainbow (Adam Angel)

: 16,755′ Sela (Adam Angel)

After a good rest at Shey Gompa, the Dolpo Team was ready to see where the next pass leads.Â Adam said it was another great day on the trail with perfect weather.Â The team has stopped for the night at Namgung Gompa which is in a canyon.

â€œSela was even more spectacular than Nangda La, and the dramatic skies continued with rainbows and puffy clouds over the distinctly Tibetan landscape. Many mediation caves were tucked into the cliffs above the monastery and we spent quite a bit of time pondering the easiest way to the cave entrances without the use of ropesâ€¦â€

Greg Vernovage

Kilimanjaro Team Ready to Celebrate

September 27, 2015

Kili from Moshi (Dustin Balderach)

Craig called from Moshi after celebrating the Kilimanjaro summit with the entire team at Mweka gate.

The tipping ceremony and summit certificate make for a great afternoon.Â Returning to Moshi and a good shower with a drink of their choice is a nice start to the evening.Â Time for the duffle shuffle and a welcome back dinner before hitting the road tomorrow morning for the Serengeti.

Time to enjoy some wildlife viewing!Â Great job team.

Greg Vernovage

Dolpo Trek Pauses At Shey Gompa

September 26, 2015

: Shey Gompa Camp (Adam Angel)

: Tenzing Chogle (Adam Angel)

: Goat! (Adam Angel)

: Shey Gompa (Adam Angel)

Adam checked in after what we call an active rest day.Â The team trekked for about 4 hours which was a little more than Adam had planned but the team is just soaking everything in and they want more!

Â Shey Gompa was established during the 11th century. The IMG camp on the Monastery grounds had great views of the Hubajung Khola and the Crystal Mountain.Â The rest day is for exploring the many gompas along parts of the Crystal Mountain Kora, and enjoying their first local goat.

Greg Vernovage