Tag Archive for: Africa

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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Shira Camp!

The view from Kilimanjaro's Shira Plateau
Follow the team’s progress with our real-time tracking map

Another beautiful day on the mountain with our team reaching Kilimanjaro‘s Shira Plateau at 3845 m / 12,615 ft.  The day’s hike covered about 3 miles while gaining nearly 3,000 ft. in elevation.  Heading out of Machame camp at 8:30 am, our speedy team pulled into Shira Camp just in time for lunch!

Tonight they are hoping to catch a glimpse of the Perseid meteor shower in the crystal-clear dark skies above their 12,615 ft perch.  And tomorrow they will ascend up to the Lava Tower at 4636 m / 15,210 ft before dropping back down through the giant Dendrosenecio kilimanjari to Barranco Camp’s 3981 m / 13,060 ft for the evening.

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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Hitting the Trail!

MM Team at Kilimanjaro's Machame Gate trailhead
Follow the team’s progress with our real-time tracking map

Our Kilimanjaro team hit the trail this morning and climbed their way over six miles through the Cultivation and Rainforest climate zones from the trailhead at the Machame Gate (1814 m / 5,950 ft) up 1,217 vertical meters or ~4,000 ft. into the Heather and Moorland climate zone of Machame Camp (3022 m / 9,915 ft).

We received one shot from the trailhead and it didn’t fail to capture the excitement of beginning the trek up the highest free-standing mountain in the world!

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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Team Arrives Arusha

Garrett and Kili climbers in Arusha

Our Kilimanjaro team has all arrived in Arusha, Tanzania and is stoked to begin the expedition.  Here’s team leader, Garrett Madison, with today’s dispatch:

Well, hello from Tanzania! This is Garrett calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Kilimanjaro expedition. Today is Sunday, August 9th, and we arrived over the last couple of days here in Tanzania.

It’s been an interesting experience traveling internationally from the United States, given the current situation in the world. But we’ve had smooth travels. We arrived with no problems. Everyone is healthy and rested up.

We went over to a hot springs today in Moshe and did some swimming around. Had a nice time there, and we’ve done our gear checks. We are looking forward to heading to the trailhead tomorrow morning to start our program. Tonight we are going to go out for a team dinner, get a little food here in town.

Everyone’s doing well, and we’re very excited to head up to Kilimanjaro and begin our expedition!

Kili climbers arrive Tanzania

Kili climbers arrive Tanzania

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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