July 9, 2012
Trail to Machame Camp (Ken Maclaurin)
Eben was able to get out a short email today from the Machame Camp at 10,000’ on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. Here were his ‘bullet points’:
I think this works.
Phil Ershler
July 8, 2012
Machame Gate (Ken Maclaurin)
Eben’s ready for round two. His second group for the season has arrived and with all gear in tow. Sunday was spent packing and touring Moshi. A visit to and an opportunity to support the Porter Assistance Program based in Moshi, some milk shakes and a bit of shopping were all in order.
Duffels are packed and day packs loaded with the essentials. They’ll be putting boots on the trail and heading to Machame Camp and will check in again from there. Hopefully, Eben will be able to get a photo of the gang headed our way. They’re off!!
Phil Ershler
July 8, 2012
Looking up to the top of the fixed ropes (Colin Anglin)
…It’s also a necessity at times while on an expedition. If you don’t have the ability to wait, it’s hard to be a good expedition climber. So, Greg and team are hanging. Lots of snow on Sunday with a good amount of wind. Forecast is still not for bluebird weather so more waiting may be in order. But that’s OK. The crew has lots of food and lots of fuel and they’re well “dug inâ€. We’ll let you know when they feel it’s time to take their shot.
Phil Ershler
July 8, 2012
IMG guide Dan Zokaites reports by sat phone that the team completed their third day in the forest, and that it was the toughest yet. They did 7.7 miles on the map in 9 hours of hiking, with 5000 ft gained and 2000 ft lost! At the end of the day they broke out of the forest and climbed onto the Plateau. Now that they are out of the forest the walking will get better, though it is still quite challenging terrain. The weather has been good, with no rain today. The Plateau is representative of karst topography, with many sink holes, caverns, and small streams along the way.  The local porters are doing a great job the team is looking forward to their first views of the Sudirman Range and Mt. Carstensz.
Eric Simonson
July 7, 2012
Denali 14000ft camp
Greg and team have been making steady and careful progress. They did the smart thing and took a rest day after their ‘back carry’. No reason to rush. And, an extra day/night at 14,000’ can only help with the acclimatization process. On the 6th, the crew did a carry up the fixed ropes which leads to the crest of the West Buttress and dumped the gear at 16,400’, at Washburn’s Thumb. Then, they beat cheeks back to their camp at 14K. The 7th is another rest day at 14K. Forecast isn’t ideal for the next few days, with a series of low pressure troughs approaching from the east. The good news is that 14K is the absolute best place to wait out the weather. The crew is right where they should be. The carry up the West Buttress has been made and the cache is in. Now, they wait, rest, hydrate and, when the mountain says go, they’ll head for high camp. Two days of reasonable weather could get them to the summit.
All’s good and they’re where they should be.
Phil Ershler
July 7, 2012
IMG guides Jason Edwards and Dan Zokaites report that the team and porters are heading into the jungle. The overland route to Carstensz will take 5 days and is very rugged hiking, so this will be a big challenge. Long days on the trail, tropical heat, mud, rickety bridges, wading streams…in the footsteps of Heinrich Harrer and his 1962 team. This is real adventure travel!
Eric Simonson
July 6, 2012
Eben Reckord reports that the team had another great day today with more game viewing on the Serengeti, then a drive to Ngorongoro Crater with a stop at Olduvai Gorge en route. Tonight they enjoyed a big bonfire on the rim of the Crater, and their Maasai camp helpers joined in for the fun. With a clear sky above, a moon rising to the east, and a magnificent view across a truly primeval piece of real estate, this is a great way to spend the last night in Africa!
Eric Simonson
July 5, 2012
IMG guide Jason Edwards reports on the sat phone that after a one day delay in Timika waiting for the flights, today the team successfully flew in to Sugapa. This is good news, and they are now on their way. They will be hiring their porters there, and then heading out into the jungle. Weather in the morning was OK, but in the afternoon it looks like rain!
Eric Simonson
July 5, 2012
Coming into Denali's14000ft Camp.
IMG Senior Guide, Greg Vernovage, checked in yesterday from 14,000’ on Denali. On Tuesday, the team made the move up to this camp which is the defector advanced base camp on Denali. It’s a big basin underneath the West Buttress and West Rib. Reasonably sheltered with lots of room to move around. The NPS has a seasonal ranger presence here.
Greg said weather at 11,000’, their previous camp, was a bit pissy. Clouds with some snow. Their move around Windy Corner was a tad windy but, again, this team did well and handled the big move without any real issues. The plan for yesterday was what we call a back carry. They moved down from 14K with empty backs and pick up things which were cached a couple of days ago. Extra food, more fuel and a handful of personal items generally makes up the cache. Usually takes about an hour to get down to the cache. It’ll be buried deep for protection from annoying ravens so they’ll do a bit of digging, distribute the stuff, load up and walk back to 14,000’. The day serves as an ‘active rest’ day. They got a little exercise but didn’t likely burn too much energy.
They’ll have at least 4 nights at 14K so they’ll make sure the camp is secure. Secure means good snow walls.
Greg reports that he’s got a strong crew and a crew who works well together. That’s nice. They wished all of us a Happy Fourth and I know from a fair amount of personal experience that 14,000’ is a pretty cool place to spend our country’s Independence Day.
Phil Ershler
July 5, 2012
Eben called on the sat phone to report that the team had a fantastic day on the Serengeti. They started out by seeing a rhinoceros at sunrise, not far from their camp.  Then, during their game drive, they saw a leopard in a tree with two kills, lots of lions, cheetahs, and zebras and a ton of other critters.
They will be back to their Serengeti camp again tonight, then tomorrow they go to a new camp on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. We’ll look forward to hearing from them, and seeing some more photos!
Eric Simonson
