June 21, 2011
Liberty Ridge & Carbon Glacier
IMG Guide Jeff Ward sent us some great photos from our successful Lib. Ridge climb last week. 100% on top – strong work team!
If you’d like to take a look at the photos, give us the “thumbs up” on facebook and enjoy!
Tye Chapman
June 20, 2011
Kili summits!
IMG guide Eric Remza reports that the team had good weather and conditions today for their ascent of Kilimanjaro, and they were able to make it to Uhuru Peak, the summit of Africa! They left Barafu at about midnight and summited shortly after dawn. They are now on their way down to Mweka Camp, and are doing well. We’ll expect to hear from them tomorrow when they reach the Hotel in Moshi for their celebration.
Eric
At Stella Point looking across at Uhuru Peak
June 18, 2011
IMG guide Eric Remza reports by sat phone from Karanga Camp (13,000 feet) that everyone is doing well and the weather has been staying good. Today the team enjoyed one of the most spectacular days of trekking on the trip, as they climbed over the Barrancco Wall and traversed below the famous glaciers on the south side of Kilimanjaro. Tomorrow the team will be heading up to the Barafu Camp, for their last night before the summit bid.
Eric Simonson
June 16, 2011
Busy day on The Mountain for IMG.
Mt. Rainier
Kautz
Erica Engle called in from the summit after her and her team made their way up the ice chute on the Kautz. They’re safely back at their high camp sacked out after a quick dinner.
Liberty Ridge
Jeff Ward called in from the summit after the hard part was over on Liberty Ridge. They’ll camp at The Flats tonight.
Disappointment Cleaver
And IMG Partner, Phil Ershler, tagged the top with his crew at 6:30 this morning via the DC.
Strong work by everybody – we’ll try to get some photos here soon.
Tye Chapman
June 15, 2011
Machame Camp with Mt. Meru in the background.
IMG guide Eric Remza reports from Machame Camp at about 10,000 feet on the slopes of Kilimanjaro that the team is all tucked in after dinner, and a good first day of the climb. The weather was good today and they took it nice and slow going up through the forest, and pulled into camp with everyone feeling good.
Now, there is a big full moon rising up Africa and they are waiting for the June 15 eclipse to begin (East Africa will have 100% lunar coverage!!).
Eric Simonson
June 14, 2011
All packed up and ready to go!
IMG guide Eric Remza reports by sat phone from Moshi that the June Kili team has all arrived on schedule. Sounds like the team had to take a longer routing, flying east over Saudi Arabia on the KLM flight from Amsterdam, to avoid the plume from the volcano in Eritrea! Everyone made it OK, though, and they are all set to start hiking tomorrow.
Today they had a group meeting after breakfast, then travelled into town to visit our friends at the Kilimanjaro Porter Assistance Project which we support. This afternoon they finished packing up the gear, and then weighed all the duffel bags (max weight for the porter loads is 30 pounds). After dinner at the hotel it’s off to bed and ready for the trail tomorrow!
Eric Simonson
June 13, 2011
“I have been fortunate enough to be involved in many exciting adventures. But when I look back over my life, I have little doubt that the most worthwhile things I have done have not been standing on the summits of mountains – great experiences though they were.  My most important projects have been the building and maintaining of schools and clinics for my good friends in the Himalayas. These are the things I will always remember.“ – Sir Edmund Hillary
After his ascent of Mt Everest, an elderly Sherpa friend told Edmund Hillary, “Our children lack education. They are not prepared for the future. What we need more than anything is a school in Khumjung.” So in 1961 Hillary established a small three-room school, which has now grown into the only high school in the Khumbu, with dorms for students from villages where schooling ends after 5th grade. The Khumjung school currently has 358 students and 18 teachers.  Graduates include IMG Nepal partner Ang Jangbu Sherpa. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary, the American Himalayan Foundation is helping to raise money to support this good work. You can help!
June 9, 2011
Despite the lack cell reception on the mountain, IMG Guide Mike Haft was able to sneak out a couple photos from their High Camp. If the weather holds and snow conditions permit they’ll climb tonight.
Tye Chapman
June 8, 2011
A beautiful sunrise.
With 18 guides and 36 climbers on 4 different routes it’s safe to say we’ve got the mountain covered right now.
Greg and his Emmons crew summitted via the Emmons yesterday and are making their way out today, Andy and his team on the Kautz are heading up to High Camp, Erica and her team left Camp Muir a couple hours ago and are en route to Ashford, Max Bunce and Co. will cross paths with the Erica’s team as they make their way to Camp Muir this morning and finally Mike Haft and Chris Meder along with their team are on Day 1 of our first Fuhrer Finger program this year.
Busy week.
Tye Chapman
June 6, 2011
Every year the NPS flies some much needed supplies to various locations on the mountain as well as flying some of the waste that gets collected at the different camps off the mountain. This year, in conjunction with the NPS, we flew up some propane, some boards we attach to ladders for occasional crevasse crossings and some replacement tents.
Tye Chapman
IMG Guide Greg Vernovage snapped this photo of the helicopter dropping some gear at Camp Schurman on the North side of the mountain.
