Nicki Branch Summits Denali

I haven’t posted an update on Nicki Branch in awhile, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been staying busy herself. Turns out, she just summitted Denali a week or so back, making that her third of the Seven Summits. Nicki’s website sums up her philosophy for climbing the Seven Summits in a nutshell: “Without a … Read more

New Seven Summits Record!

MountEverest.net is reporting that there is a new speed record for the Seven Summits. Irish climber Ian Mc Keever finished the Seven Summits in just 156 days, beating the previous record holder by more than a month. Ian completed his quest by topping out on Denali this past Saturday. Even more impressive, the article reports … Read more

Tanzanian Camping Safari: Day 5

The fifth, and final day, of my Tanzanian safari got off to an auspicious start. We were camped on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater the night before, and were up before dawn once more to begin our trip down into the crater. However, that morning we awoke to torrential down pours. The rain came … Read more

Tanzanian Camping Safari: Day 4

The fourth day of our safari didn’t start as early as the others. We had been up before dawn on each of the first three days, but on this day we slept a bit later, then got up, had breakfast and prepared to depart our campsite and the Serengeti altogether. After taking the tents down, … Read more

Tanzanian Camping Safari: Day 1

Finishing up on Kilimanjaro didn’t bring an end to my African adventure. In fact, I still had another week to go before I returned home, and hadn’t gotten my fill of Tanzania by a long shot. Coming down off the mountain, Colm and I were ready for a hot shower and a comfortable bed, which … Read more

Kili’s Glacier Healthier Than Thought?

There have been some dire predictions about the snows of Kilimanjaro and how soon they would disappear forever. Global warming has caused them to retreat in recent years, and some reports have said that they could be completely gone by as early as 2015. In stark contrast to these reports, a new US-Austrian joint team … Read more

Entering The Trek Zone!

Ok, so the title to this entry makes it sound like I’m going to a Star Trek convention. But what I’m really talkinga bout is this cool website called Trekkingvision which offers some some amazing suggestions for great treks all over the World. The site already has some great treks listed on six continents and … Read more

2007 Daypack Reviews

Long time readers of my blog probably have heard me mention my pension for buying new backpacks. I have five that are in semi-regular rotation already, and I’ve pretty much banned myself from going near the packs in REI when I visit the store these days. However, it came to my attention on Kilimanjaro that … Read more

Out of Africa!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I’m home, safe and sound, from Africa. I had a wonderful time and have a lot to share. I appreciate all the kind words and thoughts while I was away and I intend to crank things back up here soon once I get over the jetlag … Read more