Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Posted by: Christina Dale
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche
Elevation: 12,200'
"This coffee makes me so happy!" Said our favorite Canadian climber as she sipped a freshly brewed cappuccino under the shadow of Ama Dablam. Our team is getting giddy with the views of Everest, Lotse, Kantega, and many more 8000 meter peaks all day. As we trek along the trail one step closer to these monsters mountains we can't help but smile.
Now we are up at 12,200 feet in Deboche and everyone is still feeling strong. I've been so impressed with our team and how well everyone takes care of themselves by eating well, drinking water, and pressure breathing. We even laugh a lot!
Tomorrow another big step up to Pheriche.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Posted by: Christina Dale
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche
A unique walk took us off the beaten path to Thamo Monastery where we listened to the nuns chant, ring bells, and blow long horns. They brought us a taste of their traditional Tibetan tea which is super salty and hard to drink more than a sip of, but we were honored guests.
Our group is so strong and doing great with the altitude and hiking. Everyone is full of energy and incredibly positive about the journeys ahead. Our local team of Sherpa are so kind and great culture and climbing guides. They have all climbed Everest, and two of them 7 times each. They love trekking as well as climbing and sharing their home valley with us. We feel lucky to get to know them and learn about their lives here the in the Khumbu. Thank you Nima, Lakpa, Lakpa, and Kami!
Tomorrow will bring a long day on the trail up to another Monastery and higher elevation. The team is doing so well that we know it will go smoothly.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Namaste Everyone
The team woke to beautifully clear skies again and views of Everest right out our dining room window. We’ve settled into our daily routine of getting up and packing our duffel bags before meeting in the dining room for breakfast and plenty of Starbucks coffee thanks to RMI sending it with us. After breakfast we step outside to get a better sense of the temperature before adjusting our layers for the hike. Once on the trail we do our best to maintain a steady pace, with stops every hour or so to stay hydrated and take in the views. There’s plenty of other hikers and yak trains headed in both directions to negotiate as well.
Today we hiked for a little over 5 hours including breaks and a light lunch to get to our next tea house in Pheriche, which sits at about 14,000'.
Everyone did great and enjoyed the stunning views of Ama Dablam, one of the most iconic peaks along the route to Base Camp.
RMI Guide Casey Grom & the crew
On The Map
Hi Eileen,
Pictures look amazing. We’re so proud of you. Can’t wait to hear all about your adventure. Keep Climbing!! we love you - Mary and Charlotte
Posted by: mary Segesta on 3/21/2019 at 8:20 pm
Posted by: Christina Dale
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche
Elevation: 11,300'
We are currently sitting in Namche Bazaar high in the Khumbu sipping on milk tea at the Nirvana Home Lodge. Happy to be here after a good day of crossing high bouncing suspension bridges and climbing up the Namche hill to arrive here at 11,200 feet. Everyone in the team is doing so well and climbing strong. Halfway up our hill climb for the day, the clouds parted and we got a view of Everest way up valley. Namche was the primary trading village for hundreds of years between the salt traders of Tibet and the spice traders from India. Now Namche is still a major hub for goods and people coming and going.
Tomorrow well take a rest day with a nice morning hike to stretch the legs and the afternoon to appreciate this town. Our lodge sits high on the edge of town with the best view of all the goings on. When the clouds clear the giant peak, Thamserku, towers above everything just out our windows.
Now off to eat some momos!
RMI Guide Christina Dale
It was another beautiful day here in the Khumbu Valley, and we had some nice views of Everest. Just above Namche you can see Everest far off in the distance, still about 20-30 miles away. You can also see the fourth highest mountain, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam, which is one of the Himalayan's most beautiful.
We hiked for about six hours today up and down, dropping all the way down to a river, which is a stunning turquoise, then climbed slowing up the hill before the famous Tengboche Monastery.
Traditionally we have gotten a blessing from a famous lama in Pangboche, but sadly that lama has moved on to a higher calling. So today we were able to request a private Puja with another lama at Tengboche and each received a blessing. The Puja is a Buddhist ceremony where the lama chants a Buddhist prayer and gives us a blessing to protect us from harm.
We've settled in to a nice and warm tea house called Rivendale that's full of trekkers from all over the world. Cribbage and good conversations have rounded out the evening and now it's time for a little rest.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the newly blessed crew
Dereesa, great pictures of the trek. Looks like everyone is having a great time! Suzanne
Posted by: Suzanne Diers on 3/20/2019 at 9:30 am
Posted by: Christina Dale
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche
The morning started with a 4:30 am departure to a chaotic airport where the security guards found a pocket knife in a pocket and just shrugged. When we got on the plattus porter plane the pilot used his sleeve to wipe the condensation from the windshield so he could see right before takeoff. We also learned halfway through the flight that there was one seat belt not connected to anything. But despite our laughter around the security, pilot, and plane, we had the smoothest flight and landing ever.
The team cannot stop smiling as we walk through gardens of bok choy, carrots,and onions. We pass large carve rocks called mani walls that read "o mani padme om" meaning the jewel in the lotus flower. We make way for donkeys and zopkeos (a yak and cow breed). We cross the Dhud Kosi river meaning "milk river" because it flows from the glaciers on Everest making it white. The sunshine and a glimpse of high snow capped peaks around us, kind of the perfect day on the trail.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Hi Team - Phew! Glad to hear the flight went smoothly! I was a little nervous when Bruce and Michael told me about the airport, and my curious self started down the deep and dark hole of the internet. Looking forward to tomorrow’s update!
Posted by: Katie F. on 3/20/2019 at 9:48 am
Hello again everyone back home.
It was another great day here in the Khumbu Valley, with the team waking up to bright beautifully clear skies, and mountains in every direction. We had a nice relaxing breakfast and decided to make the most of our scheduled rest day by hiking a little way to visit a Monastery in Thamo. It’s home to a kind group of female Buddhist Monks that are Tibetan refugees. They apparently escaped over the boarder which is only a few miles away and have made this home like the Sherpa community did some 500+ years ago. When we arrived the nuns were milling about and tending to their greenhouse that they use to grow their vegetables. We purchased a few prayer flags and prayer beads to help support them and then made our way back to Namche for lunch.
Then evening was spent exploring Namche and doing a little bargaining for a few gifts.
Finally we wrapped up the evening with another great meal here at our tea house.
All is well and everyone is doing great.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Way to go Dereesa! What a great epic adventure. Thanks for getting to share it, distantly, with you.
Posted by: Arch Lamb on 3/20/2019 at 11:10 am
What an amazing team, and beautiful experience. Special shout out to Dereesa!
Posted by: Davene Dietzler on 3/20/2019 at 6:38 am
Posted by: Christina Dale
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche
Elevation: 4,383'
Well, 80% of the team and 70% of the bags made it to Kathmandu, but never fear, it looks like we'll be together tomorrow. The airlines and connections just weren't cooperating but every trip has some tough spots and we just wanted to get ours out of the way early on.
The rest of us spent the day walking, sightseeing, eating baked goods, and resting. We did go for a great dinner of chicken tikka masala and naan in Thamel this evening where we got to know each other and start wrapping our heads around the adventures ahead and around us.
Tomorrow we'll do some sightseeing in Kathmandu, last minute errands, and a good gear check. Everyone is full of good positive energy and looking forward to spending the next two weeks together in the Khumbu.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Namaste everyone.
This morning we left our tea house in Phakding and headed up this stunning valley toward Namche Bazaar, which is the largest village in this famous valley. We hit the trail just after 8:00 along with quite a few other trekkers. Everyone did really well on the hike, and no one seemed to mind pausing often for the endless mules and Zopkeos (cross between a Yak and a cow) carrying loads headed up valley and basecamp as we made our up the trail. It was reasonably busy on the route with trekkers and climbers, but the traffic seem to flow pretty smoothly.
The team crossed a number of high suspension bridges without a problem, even with a light snow falling.
Overall it was a really enjoyable day as we climbed up to just over 11,200' where Namche sits.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and Base Camp crew
Way to go, Chad. You are finally fulfilling a lifetime dream. Looks like you are having fun with your new found friends. Rock on, buddy. Can’t wait to hear all about this fantastic venture.
Posted by: Warren Burgert on 3/22/2019 at 1:18 pm
Way to go Jayne and rob…watching you keeps us young !
Posted by: Ernie & Victoria on 3/19/2019 at 2:31 pm
Hello from the Khumbu Valley!
We started our day here pretty early, meeting in the hotel lobby at 5 a.m. After checking out of the hotel, it was a short ride to the domestic airport where we weighed all of our duffels and backpacks before getting tickets and slipping through a very laid back security check. Normally there’s a little bit of waiting before heading out to the plane, but today things moved along pretty quickly.
The flights to Lukla have a reputation of being a little intimidating and bumpy, but thankfully today’s flight was pretty smooth and uneventful. It’s about a 30 minute flight in a small 16-passenger Twin Otter with stunning views of the Himalayas. We landed on the small runway in Lukla that’s only about a quarter mile in length and has a slight uphill angle.
After we touched down, the plane was unloaded and our local Sherpa guides hired a few porters that will be carrying our duffels throughout the trek. We made a brief stop at a local tea house to have breakfast and get situated before hitting the trail.
We hiked for about four hours today with few stops to rest and to take in the beautiful scenery. We arrived at our camp for the night in a village called Phakding just in time for a well earned lunch. The team got settled, had naps, or explored a little before walking a short way to one of the many monasteries here in the Khumbu Valley. Luckily for us the monks were having a prayer session and allowed us to sit in while they chanted and blew their horns. It was very surreal and a wonderful way to start this adventure.
All is well!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
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To Michael and Bruce: Enjoying and sharing some of your photos with the hash group. Dr. Vahab liked your photo with the dog Michael
Posted by: Joyce Freedman on 3/24/2019 at 5:33 am
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