EXPLORERS Kilimanjaro Expedition
February 7, 2008
Tour testimonial:
“Thank you for the time of my life! The entire trip was more than I could ever imagine. You and your crew did a fantastic job preparing us and I truly had an unbelievable experience. Abi was outstanding. She is a true professional, an outstanding leader – and a lot of fun! Thanks – and I’ll be keeping my eyes open for the next adventure.”
Joseph W. Kraft ’89 LAS
Note: Abi Harte was the climbers’ guide on the February 2008 “Kilimanjaro and Beyond” EXPLORERS expedition.
This remainder of this page is the webcast of our EXPLORERS Travel Kilimanjaro Climb that began on February 4, 2008.
The Climbers
The Guides
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Summit Day
Final Report from the Mountain
The Climbers:
Kilimanjaro Expedition January 2008
January 23, 2008
This page is dedicated to following the progress of our Kilimanjaro Climb that began on January 21, 2008.
Click here to see a few photos of our climbers, from the Photo Gallery drop down, choose Kilimanjaro January '08
The Climbers
The Guides
Day 1 Day 2
Day 3 Day 4
Success at the Summit!
Last Night on the Mountain
The Climbers:
Holly & Brian Foster
Eva & Hal McMillan
Staci & Jake Smith
Wendy Kirschner
Chad Troska
Heather Sussman
April Waller
The Guides:
Andy Nachman
Abi Harte
Mussa Kijua
Bruno Mkerenga
Godbless Swai
Saumu Burhani
Timba Kileo
Day 1, January 20, 2008 10:15 pm MT (8:15 am 1/21 in Moshi) Gear has been double checked, packed, and our climbers left their cushy hotel in the town of Moshi. After a few hours drive, they arrived the trailhead of the Rongai route, near the Kenyan border. A quick lunch stop and then they began their trek at 6,400'.
End of Day 1 Trek, January 21, 2008 10:00 am MT update (8 pm on the mountain) The Day 1 trek was short, just 3 hours. During their trek, our climbers saw a troop of black & white Colobus monkeys. After reaching Simba Camp (8,500'), our climbers enjoyed a hot dinner and hit the sack early under clear skies and a beautiful moon, in order to get a good night's sleep before a much longer day tomorrow.
End of Day 2 Trek, January 22, 2008 9:45 am MT update (7:45 pm on the mountain) The day started clear with incridible views of the snow capped Mt. Kilimanjaro. Throughout the day the weather was partly cloudy and starting to get chilly. Our climbers made very good time. After only 6.5 hours, they made it to Kikelewa Camp at 11,500'. All of our climbers are still feeling and eating very well.
Back in our September '07 climb, our climbers were followed up the mountain by wild fires. Today, on Day 2, our '08 climbers crossed through this burn.
End of Day 3 Trek, January 23, 2008 9:00 am MT update (7 pm on the mountain) The day was a shorter day and the weather was a bit rainy and foggy. All of our trekkers made it to the base of Mawenzi Peak, the jagged sister peak of Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s summit peak. They arrived at camp 3, Mawenzi Tarn (14,000') around midday.
End of Day 4 Trek, January 24, 2008 8:45 am MT update (6:45 pm on the mountain) All climbers have made it successfully to the high camp, Kibo Hut, at 15,000'. Everyone is in pretty good spirits although appetites are starting to wane. The weather during the day was mostly clear with some clouds moving in, in the afternoon. The moon was out as our climbers finished dinner and headed to their tents to get as much rest as they can before starting their midnight summit climb.
Success at the Summit! 8:28PM MT, January 24, 2008 the call came in, but not from Gilman's as I was expecting. The call came in from the SUMMIT! All of our climbers, 10 total, made it all the way to the top - UHURU! 6.5 hours from high camp to the summit and everyone was in excellent spirits - AMAZING! They reported that it's really cold and clear and they were on the roof of Africa to view the most spectacular sunrise of their lives. Congratulations to everyone, guests and guides!
The "Gut out" award goes to: climber Jake Smith! And to Jake, I can officially pass the trophy. For those who don't know who's posting these updates, it's Katy, Andy's wife and owner/operator of Northwest Voyageurs. Until now, I held the "gut out" record of 6 shall we say, stomach clearing episodes, on summit day. I have now passed the award to Jake who is up to 8.
Last Night on the Mountain, January 25, 2008 9:45 am MT update (7:45 pm on the mountain) After their summit, our crew made it down to the Kibo Hut with plenty of time for a snack and rest before beginning the rest of their descent down the Marangu Route to Horombo Camp at 12,200'. With each step down our climbers are enjoying more oxygen and feeling better. The weather from the summit to Kibo Hut was great, but the rain set in on the walk to Horombo. They made excellent time again, and made it to Horombo by about 3:30. Again time to rest, eat, and they are now off to bed.
Today is the last of our reports as it's all downhill from here. Our crew will be down to the park gates by late afternoon tomorrow, sleeping soundly in their cushy hotel beds by tomorrow night (9am MT 1/26).
Thanks for following along - it's been great!
Congrats team!
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Owyhee River
January 1, 2008
Snow pack looking good for 2008! Last year the Owyhee river season was a bust...Very low snow pack! This years snow pack is off to a great! start...Call us today to book your spring rafting adventure on the remote & scenic Owyhee River, (800) 727-9977.
For more information about our Owyhee River Adventures, click here.
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Northwest Voyageurs Featured in Outdoors Northwest
March 15, 2007
excerpt written by Karen Kefauver
...Day 2: Salmon River
I was eager to raft the Salmon River, one of Idaho’s most popular whitewater destinations. Also known as the “River of No Return,” it is the longest free-flowing river in the country. The guide for our half-day excursion was Andy Nachman, owner of Northwest Voyageurs.
Perched literally on the bank of the Little Salmon River on Highway 95, Northwest Voyageurs offers its guests lodging as well as a variety of trips in the U.S and abroad ranging from mountain climbing to multisport. We set off in a van and drove parallel to the water, stopping occasionally for Andy to scout the rapids.
“These are Class III rapids for us today,” he noted. “Those are the most fun because you can hit the biggest things in the river and be fine if you follow the right lines.”
Wearing helmets and life jackets, we piled into the raft, which was equipped with oars for Andy to steer the boat. We set out on our excursion on the fast-flowing water. Andy knew the river like the back of his hand, skillfully steering us past holes and precarious spots in the river where a boat can easily capsize.
I screamed when we hit the first rapid but loved the jolt of excitement. On calmer waters, we coasted while Andy pointed out magpies, sheep and elk. We marveled at the steep granite walls on either side of us as Andy steered us to a beach and whipped up an impressive lunch buffet.
A half hour later we returned to the boat to finish our amazing adventure at the small historical town of Riggins (population 410), which is located just east of the famous Hells Canyon at the confluence of the Salmon River and the Little Salmon River in west Central Idaho.
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Notre Dame Alumni Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
September 23, 2007
On Sep. 22 at about 8am, all 14 of our clients achieved the highest peak in Africa. The climbing team was led by Andy, our Tanzanian guides Mussa, Bruno & Godbless and their local crew of guides and porters. The climbers, representing the Notre Dame Alumni Association, enjoyed fabulous weather throughout the trip and made friends (stateside and abroad) that will last a lifetime. Congratulations to all of our climbers! Photo coming soon, as soon as we can download it from our camera and post it!
For more information about our Kilimanjaro climbs, click here.
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Success on Kilimanjaro!
February 3, 2007
At 10:06am on Feb. 2, our team of 5 climbers and 5 guides summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. Everyone made it, returned safely and all are in good spirits. Congratulations to Jim, Walt, Timba, Katy and Andy on a successful climb!
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Steelhead are Coming!!!
August 23, 2007
With the arrival of some cooler weather and some much needed rain, summer is winding down and fall is on its way…and that means the steelhead are coming! It appears the fish will be arriving to the Salmon River earlier this year, with over 14,000 fish having already crossed Lower Granite Dam.
We expect this season to be an exceptional one, with fish counts 50% higher than last year and higher than the 10-Year average. To check out updated fish count numbers go to www.fpc.org. We expect the fishing to start getting good around September 15…so check back in with us in a few weeks and we’ll be starting to catch some fish!
Now is the time to get your driftboat steelhead fishing trip or Cast & Blast trip reserved. Some of our busy weekend dates are starting to fill up, as are some of our fishing and lodging packages in October and early November. We also offer multi-day fishing trips down the Lower Salmon for those of you looking to get away from civilization for a few days and do some fishing.
If you plan to do some fishing on your own, we invite you to join us at the Little Salmon Lodge for quiet and comfortable riverside accommodations just outside of Riggins.
Give us a call today at (800) 727-9977 to make your reservation, or you can book your trip online by clicking on “Make A Reservation”.
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