Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Yesterday turned out to be a stormy one on Osorno. With hopes of possible clearing we set off from the hut in weather that felt more like winter in Hokkaido than spring on the volcanoes. After 1200’ of climbing, it became apparent that things would not be improving anytime soon. We skied down, and like clockwork, the skies began to clear. But it was just a Northern Patagonia sucker hole, and soon it was pounding snow once again. We had a nice evening on the lake in the beautiful town of Puerto Varas, a great place to wrap up a very successful trip with a fantastic crew. It’s a beautiful morning as I write this, with Osorno looking proud across the water. A good reason to come back..
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The storm arrived to the region as predicted yesterday and continues out our window here on the lower flanks of Volcan Osorno. We are sipping coffee by the fire in the comfort of our refugio after a chill day of travel to get here. Hard to say if tomorrow will be a summit day, but it looks pretty promising as a powder day!
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October 7, 2018
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Elevation: 4,383'
Greetings from Kathmandu!
We have officially finished our trip. We flew out of the Himalaya this morning, right on time as the skies above Lukla allowed airplanes to do their thing. Everyone is resting in the hotel now, getting ready for our trips back home.
A trip where everyone one finishes together at the start point, with tired muscles but a backpack full of memories, is a successful trip. Now we’ll tell the individual stories back home. Thanks for following our progress through this beautiful valley at the foothills of the roof of the earth!
Pheri bhetaula! (Until next time, in Nepali)
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Wanting to make the best of our closing weather window, I managed to convince our team to forego our rest day today and go for our third summit in three days, Villarrica. Our alpine start began with a three-hour drive, arriving at a socked-in trailhead. Was this a good idea? It didn’t seem like it until the early afternoon when we popped above the clouds. The mental fatigue of skinning in a whiteout gave way to nice views and general alpine enjoyment, even as the wind increased. We tagged the top, peered into the active crater, and 5,500 feet later were drinking beer in the parking lot. Tomorrow the storm arrives, and we rest.
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Good evening from Lukla!
Our trek has come to an end. We descended the last two days from Khumjung to Lukla, under the best weather we could have for the long journey back towards our starting point, after closing the loop in Namche.
While tired, it felt good to see the many trekkers on this section of the trail shared with the main Everest Base Camp route. Why? Because now we appreciate even more the solitude of the Gokyo Trek.
The air became thicker, and the lodges warmer. We celebrated tonight at our tea house in Lukla with a good dinner and our support crew, who really helped us in making our journey not only more pleasant, but actually feasible.
We’re hoping to fly to Kathmandu tomorrow, weather permitting, and officially close our program.
Shuva Rattri from the Himalaya!
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Today we returned to Lonquimay for redemption! Our team summited in perfect weather with views of eight volcanoes to the north and south. Skiing conditions off the top were perfection. Now we are getting ready for one of the most important events of this trip: Sergio’s famous asado.
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October 4, 2018
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Elevation: 12,400'
Good evening from Khumjung.
We had a great day descending below the 4000m mark. We left Dole under a shy sunshine that soon got completely covered by the clouds and once more, that added to mysticism of the area.
Descending in Nepal doesn’t mean going down, but losing elevation after computing the ups and downs of the day. So, we climbed Mong La Pass, the windy birth place of Lama Thsen Thsen. For a minute, we could get a glimpse of Ama Dablam in the distance. She showed us its summit behind the foggy skies that forced the sporadic helicopter to fly underneath.
We arrived to Khumjung in time for an early lunch. This town is a real Himalayan town, where tourism hasn’t changed much in the way of living for the local families. With a population of 800, and the famous Sir Edmund Hilary School and Hospital, or the yak farm, it feels like the most acquainted town yet in the trip.
Tomorrow we’ll make another push downhill, with our minds starting to hope for good weather, so flights can again make it in-and-out of Lukla.
Shuva Rattri. (Good night in Nepali)
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October 4, 2018
Posted by: Tyler Reid
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Chile Ski
Elevation: 10,253'
This morning we awoke to flapping tent fabric and snow blowing all over the place. Not what the forecast predicted. So we dragged our feet and sipped our coffee slowly. Our “alpine start” consisted of skinning out of camp at 10am. It was a battle with the wind for the first couple hours but things got better as we got higher. As the terrain steepened, we put our skis on our backs and cramponed up steep, styrofoam snow. Avoiding the evil ice patches was the name of the game, but as we got higher the permanent ice formations were unavoidable. The summit of Llaima is one of the worst optical illusions I’ve ever experienced, and today was no different. It just doesn’t get any closer, despite seeming close. On top we took some pictures and tripped out on the super young lava rock, some of which is less than 10 years old! The skiing was not good until a couple thousand feet lower - and then, it was really good. Another amazing day in Araucanía.
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Yesterday we had a great ski tour on Lonquimay, climbing above the clouds. We didn’t quite make the summit due to avalanche conditions that had formed overnight with steady wind loading on the face we were hoping to ski. But we might try again later in the week. For now we’re headed out the door for Llaima!
Stay tuned, and photos to come…
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October 3, 2018
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Elevation: 13,255'
Namaste from Dole -
We have started our descent down valley, from our highest point reached yesterday, and our highest night spent in the Himalaya, at Gokyo.
By merging into “almost” the main route to Everest Base Camp, we have started to see more people, making us gain a greater sense of accomplishment. The whether has kept us cool, and while the misty afternoon clouds have let us get a glimpse of new summits, like the impressive Cholatse, they have now fully come down upon us, adding a great deal of mysticism to the Buddhist landscape.
We’ll be reporting from Khumjung tomorrow, as we continue to move downhill.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos
