A nice 10 mile plus or minus hike from Chu Kung today. Not quite sure how there can be so much uphill on a descent, who built these trails anyway? Happy to be back here in Namche at the Campo de Base tea house. If you ever are in the area, this is the place to stay. Very friendly staff, comfortable rooms and Hot Hot showers!
We saw a couple of Everest teams on the way today. We had a nice chat with some old friends and made plans for future meetings at Basecamp. We will check out of the park in the morning and finalize our permits regarding the Island Peak climb. The infrastructure is a bit crude but it is so important to keep trying to have an eye on this truly amazing part of the world.
The sky was a bit hazy today but a nice temperature for the trek out. A few of the hillsides had a large number of rhododendron trees flowering, it is so nice to be back in the living zone of the Earth's dirt.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
...lol…I think the same people who named a peak an ISLAND built the uphill descending trails : ) The photo you posted tells you trail story well. That mountain in the background has got to be Mt. Everest…it’s gorgeous. Love your spot tracker maps. I need to find out what time it is in Nepal versus where I live in Southern California. Thank you for your updates…it’s so fun following all of you on your trek.
Yesterday we walked without any great difficulty from Lobuche to Everest Basecamp. Conditions were perfect, with sunshine, blue sky and no wind whatsoever. We stopped for a brief rest in Gorak Shep where we were all grateful for 3G cell coverage again (Lobuche is lacking in this respect which is why we took a couple of nights off from blogging). But we didn't linger for very long in Gorak Shep because by then we were just a short distance from our home for the next seven weeks and we were excited to finish the trek. We walked a bit more along the lateral moraine before dropping onto the actual Khumbu Glacier. By then, the only thing difficult about the travel (apart from being over 17,000 ft) was walking while looking up at a couple dozen hanging glaciers and giant peaks. We were into our basecamp by midday and eating a great lunch in our dining tent 30 minutes later. It was great to catch up with our Sherpa team and mind boggling to see the work they've accomplished in two weeks. Kumar is our incomparable chef once again, assisted by Raju, Jetta and Tikaram. Our expert team of Sherpa guides is of course led by Lam Babu who did such a great job accompanying us on the trek. In the meantime, Chhering, Kaji and Geljen were moving a lot of rock around to build camp. We just had to move into well built and anchored tents, which was pretty easy. We were excited to watch a big avalanche off the Lho La -the pass above us which is the border with Tibet. And we were happy to spend an easy afternoon and evening getting settled. The night went well, with all seeming to be adjusting well to the altitude. Morning in such a place was just as awe inspiring as you'd expect.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Lukla! Back to where we started after another long day hiking. We left Namche about an hour later than planned to get in some last minute shopping, I'm sure everyone can guess who prompted that decision.....
Lucky enough to have another beautiful day for hiking, we were happy to spend all day on the trail again (but actually)! Making our way down what we lovingly dubbed the 'Namche Hill' on the way up, we encountered way more yaks and porters than last week...due to the Saturday market tomorrow, that some of us are sad to be missing!
What goes down must come up....after a quick stop in Phakding for some lunch, we started back up our final hill to Lukla. Although the lower altitude certainly helped, after so much downhill the past few days I've got to say it was tough switching gears again! About two-thirds of the way up to Lukla, Lakpa's two adorable kids came and met us on the trail - what a wonderful surprise! Lakpa and his family then hosted us at their house for some tea once everyone caught their breath, which was another great surprise.
After showers and some dinner, we said many many thanks and gave many hugs to our wonderful porters and Sherpas (see picture!). Our trip certainly wouldn't have been the same without their hard work, and I know that their smiling faces put me in a good mood each and every day. We were so lucky to have them!
Everyone will be happy to know that a dance party just got started in Lukla! Hello and I love you to all my friends and family (Daddy, Dana, Haley, Scott & Bandit - Mommy is up on the dance floor. Uh oh!). --Allie
RMI Guide Casey Grom
So glad to see the team smiling and dancing in Lukla. Did Missy bring her birthday presents and use them at the dance party? Retail sales in Namche were at an all time high with members of team waki there. Cannot wait to hear all the gory details.
Posted by: Kathryn LeBey on 4/6/2013 at 5:20 am
Looks like the party was a lot of fun. I’m glad you had a chance to unwind and let loose. All of you, have safe journeys home!
Mark Tucker here, calling from Chukung. My third attempt coming outside here. The satellites have not been too nice to me tonight. Ch-ch-chilly. So we had an unbelievable day. Just everything was going at us. We gave a great shot going for the summit. We were a little bit shy. But we had an awesome time! That mountain is incredible. And we're all down safe and sound. A lot of our staff is going to go to the right and we are going left, headed to Namche tomorrow. It is cold out tonight. Everybody's happy and we're doing well. We'll check in again.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Mark and Team- Congrats on a good climb!! Summits are & aren’t everything!! Thanks for the good push! Mark thank you for a wonderful time for Liesl and Pete!!
Love & Blessings to You ALL- M & G (Remember YMNTBP!!!!)
Back in Internet range today. We spent the last two days in Lobuche at a little over 16,000 ft. We had an easy day yesterday, taking a short but scenic walk along the moraine of the Khumbu Glacier and touring the Italian research pyramid a few minutes from Lobuche. Today we are moving to Everest Base Camp. It is a stunningly beautiful day as we sit at our halfway point in Gorak Shep.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Mark Tucker here at high camp of Island Peak. Hands are freezing but the rest of me is pretty good. We are situated a couple hundred feet below 18,000 feet. We got a bit to go but we're in good shape. Have the tents up. Actually have a small kitchen tent where our Nepali staff is making us some fresh momos. He has a rolling pin out, had the flour going, cooking up the vegetables. We're roughing it but its still reasonably comfortable. Having aghast. We've got peaks above, ice, rock every where. Ocean below, giant peaks peaking out of the clouds, and yes, a bit chilly. I'm sure we're going to be in for it tonight when it comes to the cold but lots of layers and keep moving should do the trick. So we're planning to start looking at the weather at 1 am, hopefully moving by 2ish and route sounds like it's in pretty good shape. So if things go right, we're going to get on top of this thing and make a call to y'all. We're going to error on the side of smart and conservative, not push too hard, but give it a gosh darn good effort.. So we're looking forward to it, all fired up and can't wait to report in again.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
RMI Guide Mark Tucker calls in from Island Peak High Camp.
Hello everyone back home. All is well here in the Khumbu!
After so much time together bonding the team has decided to stick together and finish this trek the same way we started, together. Island Peak will have to wait till next time!
We left Pheriche and hiked downhill passing what seemed like a endless line of trekkers, climbers, porters, and yaks loaded with gear for Everest. It was a beautiful but long day, and we have arrived in Namche after eight hours on our feet. Clear weather allowed us more amazing views and the chance for one more view of Everest before descending down to camp. The warm thicker air feels great and the team has just finished a nice dinner at our tea house "Camp De Base".
Tonight we are having the world championship of cribbage!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Ditto the comments above! Especially Sasha’s “enjoy the descent!” Really, enjoy it all- we were amazed at how different the landscape was on our way back to Lukla.
Congratulations on fighting the fight and making it to EBC! We look forward to hearing the stories…
Be safe!
xo
Dana Marie
Posted by: Dana Marie Buchanan on 4/5/2013 at 8:55 am
Elsie,
Hope you are well…can’t wait to hear the stories when you are home…sounds like an amazing trip.
Mark Tucker here calling from Island Peak Basecamp. Had a wonderful stay at the resort in Chukung. Great evening, kind fellowship with other climbers from around the world. The hike up here took about 3 hours, and did very well and greeted by a staff that we've had in place. They've been here for few days, great dining and kitchen area, wonderful food, tents already set up. What a lap of luxury we walked right into. We did a couple hikes today to keep the blood flowing. The team is doing very well. Planning tomorrow to finalize details, get some gear sorted, and then we're gonna ship up to High Camp and get ourselves ready for the summit push tomorrow in the late evening. So the deal is on, we're doing great, and we'll talk to you later.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
RMI Guide Mark Tucker calls in from Island Peak Basecamp.
The team left Basecamp today and descended all they way back to Pheriche at 14,000ft. We were excited to meet the Everest climbing team on their way up and wish them luck. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to the thicker air and warmer temps that lies below.
Well do our best to send some photos tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Mark Tucker here outside of our resort in Chukung. Rallying for our next wave of the program, the Island Peak climb. Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Nuptse. Wow! What a view. Let's call it Phase 1 is in the books and what a trip so far. The Island Peak team, we bid farewell to the trek group this morning, under yep, once again, beautiful blue skies. As a guide, you try your hardest to be the conduit between the mountain and the folks with a bit less experience usually. And it thrills me every time to see groups like these accept this new kind of challenge. Rainier Mountaineering does such a great job preparing its guides. They provide us with the training and support for the staff. The incredible institutional knowledge is passed down literally generations of professional guiding. It's just, it is the best there is out there and I'm so proud to be part of this great group of women and men. With that said, your training has led you to never take anything for granted, or let my guard down, in what can be in quite a hostile environment. There can be a surprise around any corner. And I just wanna send my congratulations to my trek team for a fantastic job they all did. Thanks for spending time with me out here in my office. And safe travels home to all you guys. And now, here come the climb team, and we are ready. Its [Island Peak] basecamp tomorrow, back into tent life. And I'm looking forward to it.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
...lol…I think the same people who named a peak an ISLAND built the uphill descending trails : ) The photo you posted tells you trail story well. That mountain in the background has got to be Mt. Everest…it’s gorgeous. Love your spot tracker maps. I need to find out what time it is in Nepal versus where I live in Southern California. Thank you for your updates…it’s so fun following all of you on your trek.
Posted by: Lynn Via on 4/7/2013 at 11:44 am
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