Shuksan Summit!

Climbing the summit pyramid on Mt. Shuksan

A perfect Shuksan summit with weather and conditions providing a beautiful climb as reported by climb leader, Garrett Madison:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Mt. Shuksan climb in the North Cascades. We had a wonderful summit day today on Mt. Shuksan. Steve and I left our high camp about 4 AM and climbed up the Sulphide Glacier in the dark, watched the sunrise over the North Cascades and illuminate the summit pyramid as we approached the base of it.

We got up to the base of the summit pyramid and started climbing the rock. It was about four pitches of rock scrambling up to the summit. Great view from the top of Mt. Shuksan over Mt. Baker, Baker Lake, and the North Cascades. A little bit of smoke to the south which actually accentuated the ridgelines between all of the peaks.

So, a wonderful day! We made it back down and a very, very successful climb. All’s well! Heading back home from Mt. Shuksan.

Smoke accentuating the North Cascades ridgelines

Smoke accentuating the North Cascades ridgelines

Climber on the rock pyramid of Mt. Shuksan

Climbing the rock pyramid of Mt. Shuksan

Joyful climbers on the summit of Mt. Shuksan

Steve M. and Garrett Madison on the summit of Mt. Shuksan

Garrett Madison on the summit of Mt. Shuksan

Garrett Madison enjoying the view from the summit of Mt. Shuksan

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates

– Instagram:

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High camp on Mt. Shuksan

Triumphant climber at Mt. Shuksan high camp

Under great conditions, expedition leader Garrett Madison calls in this audio dispatch from the slopes of Washington State’s Mount Shuksan:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Mt. Shuksan climb with Steve!  We are up here at high camp.  It is a beautiful day!  We just feel like we are spoiled rotten because the views are as-far-as-the-eye-can-see, there are no clouds, no smoke in the sky… Just a perfect evening temperature here as we have diner and get ready to go to bed early in preparation for an alpine start, pre-dawn start to our summit climb tomorrow.

Our plan is to climb the summit pyramid on Mt. Shuksan – some 5th class rock scrambling.  Then make our way all the way back down.

Having a good time up here, looking to the climb tomorrow!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates

– Instagram:

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Awesome Conditions on Mt. Baker

Garrett and Don on the summit of Mt. Baker!

We closed out August with a great one-on-one private climb with awesome conditions on Mt. Baker.

Mt. Baker is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 contiguous United States and the second most active volcano in the Cascade Range after Mt. Saint Helens.  Its location near the Canadain border and the Puget Sound of the Pacific Ocean combine to make it one of snowiest places on Earth – in 1999 it set the world record for recorded snowfall in a single season, a remarkable 29 m or 95 ft.!

This year’s snowfall and cooler than normal spring and summer have created excellent later climbing season conditions.  Over the weekend, Garrett led a private client on glacier travel and expedition camping skills reinforcement culminating in a perfect summit on this 3,286 m / 10,781 ft. jewel of the Pacific Northwest.

There is still time to book your Mt. Baker climb for this month of September while the awesome conditions continue!  Please contact our office to join a group climb or arrange your own private climb with one of our excellent guides that specialize in Cascade climbs.

For more inspiration, here’s Garrett’s recap of the weekend’s climb and stunning photos.  Enjoy!

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Mt. Baker climb!  We got back yesterday from Mt. Baker.  We climbed the Easton Glacier route and it was in fantastic shape.  Great snow conditions for this time of year, not too many crevasses, and really good weather we had on our summit day.  We had views of the North Cascades, of Mt. Rainier, and of the San Juan Islands.  So a fantastic time up on Mt. Baker, great shape for this time of year and looking forward to more Mt. Baker climbs in September!

Mt. Baker approach hike in

Mt. Baker approach hike in

Beautiful sunset on Mt. Baker

Beautiful sunset on Mt. Baker

View from high camp of the awesome conditions on Mt. Baker

Gorgeous view of Mt. Baker from high camp

View from the tent of a Mt. Baker sunset

View from the tent of a Mt. Baker sunset

Excellent Mt. Baker climbing conditions

Excellent Mt. Baker climbing conditions

Climbing above the clouds on awesome conditions of Mt. Baker's glaciated slopes

Climbing above the clouds on Mt. Baker’s glaciated slopes

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates

– Instagram:

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Fast, oh yeah!

Cheetah and cubs on the Serengeti

On the third day of their safari, our Kilimanjaro climbers caught sight of the world’s fastest land animal, the cheetah, capable of hitting a top speed of up to 80 miles per hour.  The game viewing has just been spectacular.  Drew reports:

@drewmaloney A mind blowing morning here in the Serengeti. We saw a male Cheetah kill a Gazelle and now a female Cheetah with her 4 cubs walk right next to our vehicle
Cheetah and cubs with giraffes on the horizon

Cheetah and cubs with giraffes on the horizon (📷: @drewmaloney)

Giraffe grazing on the trees

Giraffe grazing on the trees (📷: @drewmaloney)

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Elephants, Giraffes, and Flat Tires. Oh My!

Enjoying the African Jeep Safari

The safari continues for our Kilimanjaro climbers.  This evening they rolled on into the mighty Serengeti.  Their words speak for themselves:

@drewmaloney I have been to Africa countless times and this is my first safari. I am blown away🤯 by the beauty and majesty of the amazing wildlife. Off to the Serengeti today for two nights literally sleeping amongst the lions in tents.

Viewing elephants while on safari

Viewing elephants while on safari (📸: @drewmaloney)

Beautiful safari viewing giraffes and other amazing wildlife

Beautiful safari viewing giraffes and other amazing wildlife (📸: @drewmaloney)

Lending a helping hand to fix a flat on the Serengeti

Lending a helping hand to fix a flat on the Serengeti (📸: @drewmaloney)

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates

– Instagram:

 

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Safari kicks off!

Loading up for the safari!

Still savoring their Kilimanjaro summit success, today our team of Drew and Jordan kicked off their Africa safari!  Leaving Arusha they were driven southwest to the Tarangire National Park for some game viewing.  Already they are enjoying some elephants and zebra frolicking.

Stay tuned for more safari updates at the team continues on to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the mighty Serengeti National Park.

Video:  Game viewing in Tarangire National Park, Tanazania

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Kilimanjaro Summit and Out!

Climbers on the summit of Kilimanjaro 06:00 Aug 15, 2020
Follow the team’s progress with our real-time tracking map

After the Kilimanjaro summit, this incredibly strong team hiked all the way down and out – what a big day!  Expedition leader, Garrett Madison calls in from Arusha with all the details:

Hello this is Garrett calling in for the Kilimanjaro dispatch.  We got back from the summit late last night after reaching the top at 06:00 am on August 15th.  It was a beautiful day, we had the mountain all to ourselves.  Stunning views over the Serengeti.  Myself, Drew, and his daughter Jordan made it to the top and back down, packed up our camp and just kept going!  We got all the way out to the [Mweka] gate and back to Arusha in time for a late dinner.

Tomorrow Drew and Jordan are heading off on safari.  It should be a beautiful time on the Serengeti and Ngorongoro game parks – good game viewing.

It’s been a wonderful Kilimanjaro expedition.  He are very happy that we got to work with our crew here in Tanzania of porters, cooks, guides, … and support their livelyhood here.  They’re just a wonderful group of guys and hopefully we will get to see them again very soon!

Sunrise on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro

Sunrise on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro

Beautiful African Sunrise

Beautiful African Sunrise

Happy climbers summit Kilimanjaro

Happy climbers summit Kilimanjaro

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates

– Instagram:

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Kosovo Camp

Kilimanjaro climbers jumping for joy!
Follow the team’s progress with our real-time tracking map

Earlier today, our Kilimanjaro team trekked the 2.7 miles below the southern face from Karanga Camp to our high camp on the Mweka Ridge:  Kosovo Camp (4870 m / 15,978 ft).

We like to pass by the popular, and often very crowded, Barafu Camp and take an extra hour of climbing up to Kosovo Camp.  This much quieter camp positions us for a slightly shorter summit day.  After an early dinner, the team will hit the sack early to get some much-needed rest to be ready for tomorrow’s early morning, alpine start of SUMMIT DAY!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates

– Instagram:

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Karanga Camp

Climbing the Barranco Breakfast Wall on KilimanjaroDrew Maloney
Follow the team’s progress with our real-time tracking map

En route to Karanga Camp, expedition leader Garrett Madison catches a pocket of cellular coverage and provides today’s audio expedition dispatch:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Kilimanjaro expedition team with Drew and Jordan.  Today’s day four and we left our camp at Barranco this morning and climbed up the Great Barranco Wall.  Just topped out!  Beautiful views above the clouds and we are heading to Karanga Camp for tonight.

Everyone’s doing well.  We’ve got the mountain all to ourselves.  It’s pretty nice being up here on Kilimanjaro.  We’ve had good weather and more good weather in the forecast.  So, hopefully in the couple of days, we’ll have clear skies for our summit day.

We will check-in soon!

Kili Climbing Confidence!

Kili Climbing Confidence! (photo: Drew Maloney)

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates

– Instagram:

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Lava Tower and Barranco Camp

Celebrating arrival at the Lava Tower on Kilimanjaro with headstands!
Follow the team’s progress with our real-time tracking map

Today our Kili team hiked up from Shria Camp to the Lava Tower at 4636 m / 15,210 ft.  The Lava Tower is a 300-foot high volcanic plug formation just below Kilimanjaro’s Western Breach that offers an amazing view for those that scramble their way to top.  So our team did and what a view.

After a nice lunch, they headed down among the giant Dendrosenecio kilimanjari to Barranco Camp’s 3981 m / 13,060 ft for the evening.

Tomorrow morning they will tackle the Barranco Breakfast Wall before crossing southeast to Karanga Camp.

Hiking from Shira Camp to the Lava Tower on Kilimanjaro

Hiking from Shira Camp to the Lava Tower on Kilimanjaro (photo: Drew Maloney)

The Western Breach and the Lava Tower of Kilimanjaro

The Western Breach and the Lava Tower of Kilimanjaro (photo: Drew Maloney)

Top of the Lava Tower on Kilimanjaro

Top of the Lava Tower on Kilimanjaro (photo: Drew Maloney)

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates

– Instagram:

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