Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
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Poor conditions for flying continue to delay the start of our Antarctic expedition. Reports were that snow was in the forecast for Union Glacier. It is already a bit of a tricky proposition to land a large four engine jet transport on an ice runway in the interior of the continent, and so we put up no objections to our logistics company's plan to push back departure.
But of course, Punta Arenas, the jumping off point for our Vinson climb, is coincidentally the jumping off point for exploring the beauty of Patagonia. We rented some cars and left Punta at midday, driving up to Puerto Natales. The sky was pretty well choked with cloud, but we could still make out the foundations of great snowy mountains in the distance, across wide open and windswept prairies. A great many unidentified raptors and other beautiful birds were playing and hunting along the road. We saw no shortage of sheep. Tomorrow, our intention is to enter Torres Del Paine National Park to sight see and hike. We'll keep the main goal -to climb to Antarctica's highest point- firmly in our thoughts, but in the meantime we'll open our eyes to some of the beauty of South America.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
Our first Vinson climb of 2013 is not quite off the ground yet. The team successfully negotiated the airports of the world to assemble in Punta Arenas in the South end of Chile, and we've gone through several meetings, gear checks and briefings. We've shared a few great meals and some walks around town. We've packed our bags and weighed them and consigned them to our logistical partner in this endeavor, ALE, for loading onto the Ilyushin 76 jet transport. Normally, we'd be savoring a final night indoors before the journey to less comfortable regions of the Antarctic interior. But we've learned that stormy weather is hampering flight operations at Union Glacier. The needed supply flights are backed up a bit and we can't possibly get in within the next few days. We choose to greet this news in a positive light... It gives us the chance to be tourists in Patagonia for a few days. Stand by to see what we get up to.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 4,383'
Namaste from Kathmandu.
Yes, we are out of the mountains... the team has finished the trek!
The last couple of days of our descent have been really exciting dear friends. Upon our arrival into Namche Bazaar, we took a rest day to enjoy the magic that embraces one when in the Khumbu.
With the best weather one can imagine and with the image of the highest mountains of the world very vivid in our memories, we found ourselves having an incredible surprise: we'd take a helicopter tour around Everest! Story aside, it is worth mentioning how seeing from the air lines that wrote history in mountain climbing, like the Hornbein Couloir made our eyes "watery".
We'd finish our descent to Lukla and bask in thick air as the smell of the aviation fuel brought us to realize we were getting to the end of an incredible trek. We flew into Kathmandu this morning where we await our flights back home at the same time as we will be witnessing tomorrow the second democratic elections in this small Himalayan country. Nepali people are to elect a government to end a five-year period of an unstable care-taking government since the abolition of their monarchy... but this is a "summit" Nepal has to climb and we wish them luck.
That has been all from our trip. Thanks to all of you who followed our adventure through our RMI Blog, to our great Sherpa Nawang Dorjee, to our Nepali outfitter HAD and Sagar in particular and to the mountains for being there and providing such an experience and making us feel so small.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 12,325'
Namaste from Deboche.
We have just checked into our lodge after finishing our second day of our steady descent back down the Khumbu Valley. Yesterday we changed things up in the initial itinerary, crashing at Dingboche so we could have a closer view of Ama Dablam's north face. Besides the new views, we were also rewarded with a great night of sleep, having dropped nearly 1,000 meters from Everest Base Camp.
The descent today gave us more thicker air to breath as well as the so much needed higher temperature; we where certainly feeling the approaching winter in the high Himalayas.
We'll be checking in again from Namche... another handful of hundreds of feet lower!!!
Pics from the last few days... uploading now with better bandwidth!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
On The Map
Great photos you’ve been posting. Thanks!
Posted by: Deblan on 11/14/2013 at 11:02 pm
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 17,575'
Namaste from Gorak Shep.
Happy to post that the team's objective of taking time lapse pictures of the Milky Way spinning over and around the tallest mountain of the world has been accomplished!
Despite the frigid cold and with permission from the ever watching sentinels of Pumori and Nupse, we biouvaked last night at 5,400m on the side hills of Kala Patar. Looking right at the summit pyramid of Everest, we had the clearest evening one can imagine; a crisp sky would merge without interruptions with the sharp, silky white silhouette of the mountain ridges while being lit by a perfect moon.
Half way through the night, we'd experience once more why we westerners owe so much to the local people of the himalaya; our Sherpa Nawang would meet us bring up a 2l thermos of tea as we were experiencing the frost accumulating over our sleeping bags and camera equipment.
Today, with the memories of an spectacular night, we payed a visit to the Khumbu Glacier's morraine where the Base Camp for Everest is set during the climbing season.
We are now enjoying dinner at our lodge, with our minds set in our descent that starts tomorrow. Our first stop will be Dingboche to enjoy again astonishing views of the N. Face of Ama Dablam.
More updates to come in a couple of days from the thicker air villages of the Khumbu.
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andrés
On The Map
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 16,950'
Hello, this is the Everest Base Camp Trek. We are calling from Gorak Shep where we just arrived after a few days since our last post. We are in great shape. We have enjoyed very nice weather and steady pace coming up here where we will stay for the next two to three days. Trying to take some pictures and getting ready for the descent. So far all is good and we are enjoying our time up here. That's all for now.
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andrés-Martos
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andrés-Martos calls in from Gorak Shep.
On The Map
Your posts are great and appreciated. This is one trek I want to do,..and will do. Please keep the posts coming! Have fun and be safe!
Posted by: Deblan on 11/10/2013 at 7:57 pm
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 13,950'
Hello from the "Himalayan Hotel" at Pheriche!
Another incredible day in the Himalayas, dear friends... And we can certainly say now we are going to spend the first night at high altitude, having hiked above the 4,000m benchmark.
After a rather cold night in Pangboche, we were greeted by another cloudless sky, whose sun made us ditch our layers just a few minutes after the start. Headed towards Pheriche Pass, we enjoyed astonishing views of Kantega, Tamserku (two of the most radical 6,000m peaks in the Khumbu,) and of course Ama Dablam. Like on the previous days, the mystique of the landscape is only disturbed by the heavy downhill traffic that we encounter from time to time.
While we await our dinner and as I write this post, we're also getting ready to set up for another session of nocturnal time lapse pictures before the evasive crescent moon we have vanishes.
The plan tomorrow is to rest here, to continue to acclimate taking a short hike, to visit the Himalayan Rescue Hospital next door, and, of course, stay well nourished with the momos and tea that (among other things) make us look forward to every meal.
On a side note, we celebrated on the trails a rendezvous with fellow guide Lakpa Gelu and RMI office staff Bridget Schletty.
Regards to everyone,
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andres Martos
On The Map
Like - more photos.
Posted by: Mary on 11/7/2013 at 7:22 am
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 13,074'
Good evening from Pangboche.
It has been a couple of days since our last post, but electricity and internet have been unreliable above Namche. We arrived today to the village where the trail splits between the Ama Dablam and Everest Base Camps' trails. We came here after a short hike from Deboche, where we arrived yesterday after our rest day at Namche.
The clearing skies we have encountered as we have climbed higher have provided the first great opportunities for time lapse pictures of both sunrise and sunset over Ama and the Everest-Lotse-Nuptse group.
Our plan is to hike up to Pheriche tomorrow where we'll continue to acclimatize taking at least one rest day.
We are on schedule for full moon at Kala Patar. We see lots of down traffic as the season comes to a close but we continue up in pursue of the crisp skies of the early winter for the time lapse pictures we're after.
We'll try to report again from Pheriche. Best regards from the Himalaya!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
On The Map
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
"Tashi Dele" from Namche Bazaar!
What a lucky team we are! Scheduled to fly yesterday into Lukla, the morning greeted us in Kathmandu with cloudy skies, grounding the little aircrafts that are meant to bring climbers and trekkers alike to the Khumbu.
After a long hour of uncertainty, (and with the news that Lukla was also shutting down,) we relied on our trustworthy outfitter personnel at the airport; Sagar and Shangkar pulled some magic and about an hour and a half later, we were boarding... a helicopter! This safer vehicle under such conditions, provided us with awesome views of Everest and Nuptse as we approached Lukla above the clouds and we continued to give high fives in disbelief of what we were experiencing.
Soon after we met our Sherpa Nawang and porters at Lukla, we headed for Phakding, where we'd spend our first night at a Sherpa lodge. Continuing today with astonishing views along the lower valleys, we proceeded towards Namche, from where we are writing now as we enjoy a cup of milk tea.
The biggest excitement of the day was provided by the many hanging bridges, the last of which is a new addition to the trail since last season and sits some 300 feett above the river! As the mystique of the Buddhist populated land embraced us, we enjoyed the great hiking trails ornamented with centennial Mani stones and prayer flags.
Upon arrival, we enjoyed a hardy dinner at "Camp de Base Lodge" and we're now ready for a well earned rest. Tomorrow we'll meander in Namche optimizing our acclimating process with hopes of taking some sunrise pictures over Ama Dablam, weather permitting.
Best regards from Nepal,
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andrés Martos
On The Map
Can’t wait to see your sunrise shots!
Have a good trip!!!!!!
Posted by: Tammy Doppenberg on 11/3/2013 at 9:09 pm
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 11,300'
Hello from Namche. This is the Everest Base Camp Trek and we are calling after the second day on the trip. Everything is well. We will try to send more detailed updates tomorrow, even with some pictures as we were having some internet connection problems today. All is well and we will try to update you more tomorrow.
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andrés-Martos
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RMI Guide ElÃas de Andrés-Martos calls in from Namche Bazaar.
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Dave and Team -
Hi Guys! I will be following you on your journey to get an idea of what to expect when I arrive there in a couple of weeks.
-Larry Seaton
Posted by: Larry Seaton on 11/22/2013 at 6:52 pm
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