The Dhaulagiri team called the RMI Office this morning to check-in. Here is a summary of our conversation:
First and foremost, everyone is healthy and in good spirits. The weather forecast is calling for more of the same—gorgeous, clear mornings followed by afternoon snowstorms. They are refusing to let the plethora of new snow dampen their spirits. A new team has arrived at base camp and everyone is enjoying the new company. The team is getting ready to head to bed for the night. In the morning they will begin heading uphill to get into position for their summit attempt.
The team sends their love to everyone following along! They will keep us posted on their upward progress.
In Lukla, roughly eight thousand vertical feet below our Everest Basecamp home of the past three weeks, we were pretty comfortable. But just for one night. The team was awake by five am yesterday, eating by 5:30 and walking over to the airport check-in at six. We watched -partly in awe, partly in horror- as Twin Otters, Dorniers and A-Stars roared in and out of the compact one acre loading and unloading zone, pirouetting into place, revving engines, disgorging trekkers, cases of beer and heavy bags of rice at a frenetic pace. When summoned by frantic hand gestures, we shouldered our packs, walked out onto the tarmac and took over the seats in a Twin.
A few minutes later, we were in the air, over a few craggy passes and cruising toward Kathmandu. Upon landing, we were no-longer climbers, or even would-be climbers, we were happily transformed to overdressed tourists. As such we took off a few layers and began showering, shaving and eating eating eating.
Although we are still far from home, the program is finished. We continue to enjoy each other's company, we still rely on one another to make sense of the sad events and unexpected turns our trip has taken. The team is grateful that so many have followed our journey on the blog and offered up kind words and support.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Watching the Discovery Channel broadcast on the Avalanche. Thank you Dave, Mark & team!
Posted by: Susan on 5/4/2014 at 7:13 pm
Dave - We’ve been thinking about you guys every day for the past two weeks. Glad to hear everything is well with you. There will be many more days to climb. Stay safe.
Hello,
This is the Dhaulagiri Climbing Team and once again we wanted to apologize for the lack for the lack of communication, but as we said before we have been having a few problems with the satellite “sat” phone. But, right now we can send a dispatch.
We have been discovering the worst weather that we have ever witnessed. This Himalayan peak is pretty much keeping us working really, really hard. We are getting snow storms every day. The only time we have not had afternoon storms have been when we have all day storms! But, that hasn’t kept us from climbing. The last two days we have been working very hard being the only team on the mountain breaking trail to establish Camp 2. In the next few days we are going to be looking at the route between Camp 2 and Camp 3 which is one of the hardest parts of the climb. If that is a go we’ll have a summit bid.
Like I said, we have been receiving anywhere from a foot to two feet of snow every other afternoon and it has made our job hard. A couple of other teams have arrived, but they are not as ambitious to work up high yet. We are not going to quit until our plane leaves. We have a little bit less than 10 days here to make it happen. We have a really good weather forecast and will keep our fingers crossed that we are going to have a shot at it.
So if the sat phone keeps working for us we will keep you posted as much as we can. So please keep your fingers crossed for us. This is Dhaulagiri and we hope you all take care. We hope to communicate good news soon!
RMI Guide Elias deAndres Martos
Billy Nugent led the way out of Namche, down the big hill and into the valley of a thousand farms and small villages. We made it in six hours to a comfy tea house next to the airstrip in Lukla. The rain caught us for the last hour or so, but didn't actually bother anybody enough to make them put a raincoat on. We ate the afternoon away in our new low-altitude home. Mark Tucker made a surprise appearance for dinner, having finished up his duties at Basecamp today and figured out a way to heli-hike in minutes what had filled up three days for the rest of us. We are now poised for an early wake-up and some airport hustle that may or may not get us to Kathmandu by fixed-wing aircraft. All depends on the weather.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Nicole LoBiondo: I hope you have safe travels back home and I am so happy to hear that you and your team are safe! I’ll see you soon! Much love, Sammy
Posted by: Sam Borneman on 4/28/2014 at 8:25 pm
I hope you all have safe travels back home! I can’t wait to hear all about your adventure at Copper Canyon with a margarita! And of course the salad with the bacon, fish tacitos and the steak!!!! Love ya Nicole!
Today was a big walking day, up and down the hills of the Khumbu Valley from Pheriche to Namche. Right out of Pheriche, where we started hiking at 8 AM, we crossed the river, climbed a hill and turned into the inhabited portions of the Khumbu. We turned our backs on rocks and ice and walked down into rhododendrons, pine trees and villages. JJ led the way as we rolled through Shomare, Pangboche, Deboche, Thyangboche, and Phunky Tonga. We got hot enough to sweat a bit, which was a novelty, we passed a million trekkers and heard about a million helicopter laps as the B2's and B3's flew over us on their way back and forth to Everest Base. Finally, at midday, we got working our way up the giant dusty hill that would put us on level with Namche. It took us about six hours to reach Namche -still quite familiar to us since we spent three days acclimating in town on the way in. This time... no acclimatization needed... so fine to be below 12,000 ft for the first time in close to a month. The team enjoyed a fine evening at comfortable Camp De Base.
One more big day of hiking to go before Lukla International.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Nicole Lobiondo: Safe travels from Lukla to you all! Nicole H.
Posted by: Nicole Howard on 4/28/2014 at 6:27 am
Hey Spencer, So sorry you weren’t able to make it this time. You’ll be back under better circumstances and the summit will be that much more sweet. Safe journey home!
Uncle Matt
Our last night in base was made dramatic by a lightning storm rolling through. A few inches of snow fell thick and fast, making morning, bright, fresh and beautiful. At 11:15 AM we filed out of the ghost town that Mount Everest Basecamp has become. The climbing team, accompanied by Lam Babu, made good time in losing three and a half thousand feet to reach Pheriche in four hours and forty-five minutes. We each paid Everest's summit a couple of last longing looks during the march, but then paid more attention to the task at hand; walking an uneven, slippery mountain trail while dodging trekkers, yaks and porters. The gang stuck together wonderfully, demonstrating what a close knit and fit climbing team we've become. With each village on the descent, through Gorak Shep, Lobuche and Thukla, we each noticed the thicker and easier air. We coughed less and walked faster. All enjoyed seeing the baby yaks trying out their legs on our homestretch into Pheriche. Tonight, we are indoors again... safe, enjoying each other's company, and quite comfortable. We hope things are going well for Mark Tucker and the bulk of our Sherpa Team, back at EBC for a last couple of days to button things up properly.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
What a pitiful attitude Bob has!! Wishing your team a safe journey back home. That is very admirable for Mark to have stayed back with the Sherpa team! Again it says a lot about the quality of a team you all are!! God Bless each and everyone of you!!!!! Tammy
Posted by: Tammy Doppenberg on 4/26/2014 at 4:47 pm
Oh Spen,
Tuesday’s not gone. There’s a lifetime of Tuesdays left for you. That mountain is not going anywhere. You’re young and strong and we got your back. Love you, Weasel,
Momma
We began the day with hope that we might be getting closer to resuming climbing. Billy and JJ took the climbers hiking while Mark Tucker and I met with a number of other climb leaders and Sherpa sirdars. Those meetings convinced us that the right course was to give up on Mount Everest for Spring 2014. In future dispatches, we'll try to quantify the reasons for such a decision. But for now, suffice to say that the risks outweigh the possibility of success.
This week has been a roller coaster of emotion for many of us, from the horror that came with the avalanche of April 18, to the confusion that followed it regarding the right course to take for balancing respect for the dead, concern for team safety and summit ambitions. Following the accident, our list of serious obstacles to an Everest summit was always significant, but we believed it worthwhile to continue looking for some way forward. Our climbers, Sherpas, guides, and outfitters had put too much into the planning and execution of this trip to let go of the goal with less than our best effort. We've given that now.
We'll start heading for home soon.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI guides make great decisions. Dave, Billy, JJ. This is why I’ve climbed a number of summits with RMI—you literally are trusting them with your life to make good decisions.
While I’m sure this was an extremely difficult decision, I believe it was the right one. Sometimes you have to listen to what the mountain (and circumstances) are telling you.
Safe travels home.
Posted by: Dan on 4/25/2014 at 7:38 am
So sorry for the loss and for the tough situation it put you all. I’m glad you are safe and coming home. JJ—you’ll have many, many more climbs….
Posted by: Randy Christofferson on 4/25/2014 at 5:23 am
The skies were sunny with warm temperatures today at Everest Base Camp. Our climbers took a few short hikes around the lower glacier and then a bit of cards and board games to keep our minds busy. There is community gathering for a remembrance scheduled for tomorrow.
RMI Guide & Base Camp Manager Mark Tucker
Nicole Lobiondo: Hope you are okay during this tough time. My Dad and I took our Walk in Long Branch and drove by your house. All looks good! Mufasa must be a good guard cat if he is there! Thinking of you and the team and wishing you all positive thoughts for what lies ahead. XOXO, Nicole
Still at Everest Base. Still a very difficult situation for all involved.
JJ and Billy led the climbing team on a hike to Pumori Camp One today, where they enjoyed awesome views of Mount Everest (during our hike to the same point last week we had no views due to an ill-timed and swirling snowstorm). Mark Tucker and I attended a series of somewhat tense and serious meetings between team leaders, Sherpas, and the few government representatives present in camp. It is very difficult to say what will happen going forward but one cannot under emphasize the enormity of the tragedy to the Sherpa community. Each team, if it has not suffered death and loss directly, has lost relatives, close friends and neighbors to the icefall avalanche of April 18. In too many cases, survivors saw the friends perish before their eyes or else they dealt with the difficult aftermath of body recovery personally.
Our Sherpa partners love their jobs and love to climb, but nobody is climbing now and all are struggling to come to terms with how to proceed in a way that honors those lost and protects those left alive.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
My thoughts are with all affected by the tragedy. I can only imagine the impact it has had on you all personally. I have no doubt that you, JJ, and all the team members will make the right decision, whether that means retreating or pressing on to the summit, that most honors those lost and respects the memory and wishes of the Sherpa community. Stay strong and climb safe.
Hello, this is the Dhaulagiri climbing team on Sunday, the 20th. First of all we want to apologize for the lack of communication, but we're having serious problems with our SAT phone and charger and we are trying to solve that problem. We are also saddened by the news that arrived to base camp here of the tragedy on Everest. We want to send our condolences to the community of the Sherpa involved in this tragedy. Our progress here on the mountain continues. We have been able to reach almost Camp 2. We have been very unlucky with the weather. Until right now we have been the only team on the mountain, but we were able to make a carry to almost Camp 2 and spend a few nights at Camp 1. Right now the weather looks like it is favorable to us and we are hoping to take a few days of rest and make some more progress up high, hopefully getting to Camp 2 or 3 in the next week or so. Getting ready for a future summit push around the beginning of May. So we'll keep you posted on that and we hope everybody is doing well. We'll try to keep you posted as much as we can with the limited communications that we have here. Regards to all from Dhaulagiri Base Camp.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos calls in from Dhaulagiri Base Camp.
Good luck to the team and stay safe!
Posted by: Barbara Schwarz on 5/1/2014 at 11:27 am
May The Force be with you. Your strength, will, and wisdom make an awesome contender for Mother Nature. Power on.
Posted by: nsb on 4/30/2014 at 10:29 am
View All Comments