Entries from Expedition Dispatches

This morning, we woke up early, had our last teahouse breakfast and headed for the helicopter pad.

It was a busy day at the airport since the weather was clear. We saw planes and helicopters land, take off and finally, it was our turn.

After a 45-minute flight, we landed safely in Kathmandu.

We got together for one last team dinner tonight. Reflecting on our nearly 3 weeks in Nepal and enjoying a delicious meal at Le Sherpa.

Some of us fly home in the early hours of the day tomorrow and the rest soon after.

What a trip! Thank you for following along and we can’t wait to see our friends and family to share more about this incredible adventure when we get home.

RMI Guides Jess Wedel, Sam Marjerison and Team.

The highlight from our walk to Lukla today was the Rhododendron. On the way in, a few trees were blooming here and there but now, it is full on Spring. Almost every tree had buds or flowers in every shade of pink imaginable. It was a sight to see. At one point on the trail, I said “it’s so quiet and peaceful today” and one of our members said “not quiet, serene” and that was spot on. We passed many teams heading uphill but we also had hours to ourselves with birds chirping, the sound of the Dudh Kosi river flowing, and our little feet hitting the ground in a rhythm we are all so familiar with now.

It was a perfect day to reflect on the trip and to tuck away some of these sights and sounds and feelings of serenity somewhere deep in our minds to be able to recall when we need them as we head back home. We made it back to Lukla and tomorrow we fly to Kathmandu, but tonight we had a very special last dinner with our Sherpa guide team and our infinitely strong porter team. We thanked them for letting us be able to experience their country and their beautiful mountains. We would not have been able to do this trip without them.

With full hearts and tired feet,

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Lobuche Team

PC: Jess Wedel

Tashi Delek!

Last night we got to spend the night in a very special place - a traditional teahouse with views overlooking the oldest monastery in the Khumbu Valley - the Pangboche Monastery. We had a very quiet and serene night since we were the only team staying there. We woke up early, had our usual coffee, pancakes, some version of eggs (plain omelette? Veg omelette? Fried eggs? We like them all!) and got to walking.

April is one of the busiest months in the Khumbu Valley with Trekkers and Everest climbers all making their way to base camp. While we were one of the few teams walking downhill, we passed team after team after team heading up. A highlight of the morning was FINALLY seeing a baby yak. We’ve been keeping our eyes out and have seen some yak teens but today we got to see a full on baby fluff! We watched him stumble between his mama and another yak and even buck and get a little sassy from what we suppose was a bug or some other nuisance. The cutest.

After nearly five hours of walking, we arrived back in Namche. And boy, does it feel good. We’ve run into lots of friends and fellow climbers, we had a big lunch at Eat Smart (our favorite non-teahouse food of the trip!) and spent the afternoon enjoying the excited energy of this little city during the climbing season. We’re so happy to be back at Base de Camp Teahouse that has hot showers in the room and some pretty incredible views.

One more day of walking to Lukla tomorrow. It’s hard to believe this trip is nearing its end.

RMI Guides Jess and the Lobuche team

Good morning!

Today we made our way from Lobuche high camp down to Pangboche. On the quiet trail down from high camp we ran into a posse of “Nepali Chickens” these shy little animals are often heard but rarely seen. We stopped and took the time to watch them move through the valley.

We stopped for lunch in Pheriche and said goodbye to the fields of yaks as we headed down valley. We all got to walk our own pace, take in the views and reflect on an incredible trip. This is one of my favorites parts of walking back to Lukla - time to breath in the thick air and feel how incredibly special these mountains are.

We made it to upper Pangboche in the early afternoon and our tea house is located right behind the monastery with views looking out to Ama Dablam. We had an early dinner because we are all still tired from our Lobuche climb! Off to bed. Tomorrow we’ll head to Namche.

RMI Guides Jess, Sam and the Lobuche Crew
 

Sunday, March 31, 2024 - 7:10 am PT

All evening and into the night the wind ripped through our high camp and with the wind, snow and snow and snow. I laid awake thinking about if we were even going to be able to leave our camp for a Lobuche summit attempt. Just after 1:00am, the winds seemed to settle but there was a fresh 4 inches of snow. It was beautiful but when you have a couple hours of walking on steep slabs of rock - fresh snow isn’t ideal. The Lobuche team left high camp at 2:30am and immediately what should have been some of the easiest climbing of the day proved remarkably difficult. We set fixed lines, and worked together to keep moving uphill. It took a lot of guts and a lot of perseverance to keep climbing. After nearly 5 hours, we made it to Crampon Point at 18,300 feet. It’s been a very dry winter here in the Himalayas and the glacier was in rugged condition. Up steep ice steps and even some rock/ice/mixed climbing thrown into a mountain and a route that’s usually much smoother. The weather held steady and we had the time to keep pushing and I’m happy to report we stood on top after over 9 hours of climbing. The views were remarkable all day - mountains beyond mountains and this one feels special because of the effort and heart of this team. Thankfully, that sun blasted those 4 inches of snow and we were able to make it down in about 3 hours and without any of the additional fixed lines we had to set in the early morning hours. We were welcomed in camp with warm soup and fried rice and we are all now tucked in bed for some well-earned rest. What an adventure! We’re all looking forward to heading to Pangboche tomorrow and dropping to below 16,000 feet for the first time in 6 days. Thick air, here we come!

RMI Guide Jess and the Lobuche climbing team 

Saturday, March 30, 2024 - 11:10 pm PT

Hi there! Conditions were tough on Lobuche today but I'm happy to report this team is tougher. We're standing on the summit now and will head down soon. Will share more about this epic day when we make back to high camp tonight!

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From RMI Guide Sam Marjerison & The Everest Base Camp Team

We woke up to clear skies this morning and new snow on the ground here in Pheriche. After enjoying a lovely breakfast filled with coffee and lots of Tibetan bread, we had a restful day in the sun which was greatly appreciated. 

Some of us spent the day reading and walking through the town of Pheriche, others caught up on sleep. 

Jess and the Lobuche team reached the summit at around 12pm and reported tough conditions. They are back at high camp and resting before they meet up with the rest of the team in Pheriche tomorrow. We will report back tomorrow when we are all one big group headed downhill. 

RMI Guides Sam, Jess and Crew 

We woke up this morning, packed our bags and said goodbye to our home on the glacier. One last delicious breakfast to fuel some of us for our climb and some of us for our descent.

With big hugs and big thank yous to our base camp staff we took off. The Lobuche climbers headed downhill back through Gorekshep, to Lobuche village and then broke off the trail and headed up to Lobuche High Camp where we’re ready to make a run for the summit tomorrow.

We said goodbye to Sam and the trekking team as they continued downhill to Pheriche. Sam reports everyone is doing well and enjoying the thicker air.

 We’re excited to climb Lobuche but boy are we missing being together as a team.

RMI Guides Jess, Sam and crew

Hello!

Today we spent a full day at Everest Base Camp. How cool is that!

After coffee and a big ‘ol breakfast everyone that wanted was able to take a hot shower. The sun was blasting and it was such a treat. The Lobuche climbing team met together to talk about our plan for the next few days while everyone else relaxed and took in the views. Before we knew it, it was lunch time! 

Right after lunch we all headed into the lower Khumbu Icefall where the climbing team got to practice ascending and rappelling on the ice. Everyone did awesome and we are even more excited about the climb. We all headed back to camp to pack and prepare for our base camp departure before dinner. 

Tomorrow, we will go our separate ways. The trekkers will head downhill and fly to Kathmandu, the Lobuche climbers will head to high camp. But tonight we cheered with one last cup of hot tea to this incredible adventure, the warmth of the Sherpa people inviting us into their lives and mountains, and to 12 strangers becoming new companions. 

We are sending lots of love to our friends and family at home and can't wait to share more with you all soon.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel, Sam Marjerison, and the base camp team.

Namaste everyone!

We did it! Everyone successfully made it to Everest Base Camp on our most beautiful day yet! We started this morning once the sun hit the trail and walked for about three hours - taking in the incredible views, the warmth from the sun and stopping for photos every chance we could get. It’s no secret we haven’t had perfect weather this trip but it’s shifting and today it was extraordinary. Sunshine, no clouds, views for days as we looked up at Everest, Nuptse and Pumori. We weaved in and out on the edge of the Khumbu Glacier and eventually arrived at our incredible base camp.

We had a delicious lunch of warm soup followed by a huge plate of food. We settled into our tents after lunch. The tent platforms are chopped into the ice and rock. It’s a pretty amazing sight. We are SO close to the edge of the lower Khumbu icefall we can touch it. This afternoon, we took in the views, felt the intensity of the sun heat up our tents and just took a few hours to enjoy all the effort it took to get here. Our camp is surrounded by mountains and glaciers everywhere you look and it all feels like a dream. We are about to eat a hearty dinner and everyone is looking forward to some sound sleep before we get to spend tomorrow exploring the area around us a little more.

There’s no wifi or service here at base camp so don’t be worried if you don’t hear from loved ones until we make it back down the valley. Everyone is doing well.

RMI Guides Jess, Sam and the Everest Base Camp crew

We made it to Gorekshep — our last stop until Base Camp. Wahoo!!

We started the day with some affirmations sent from home (shout out to Heather! We are LOVING all the little surprises) and decided our motto for the day was “Be Happy. Shine bright. Dream big.”

After days on the trail and as our bodies are working hard to adapt to these altitudes, little reminders to keep a positive attitude and hold fast to our dreams is so important. We walked slow and steady today focusing on each breath. Deep breath in, out, pressure breath, pressure breath, deep breath and repeat. After all this time at high altitude we have learned how much this helps as we go into thinner air. This team is STRONG and after a few hours we made it to Gorekshep.

We warmed up with lemon ginger honey tea and RaRa soup before some of us ventured to the top of Kala Patthar, a climb just outside of Gorekshep, reaching over 18,500 feet. The rest of us stayed warm in the teahouse dining room while playing cards and telling stories. The daily afternoon clouds moved in but the Kala Patthar crew still got some epic Everest views.

We’re off to sleep and can’t wait for what tomorrow holds!

RMI Guides Jess, Sam and team

All is well on the trek!

Today we left Pheriche and hiked further up the valley to Lobuche. One highlight of the day was crossing the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. A moraine is a mass of rocks and sediment carried down by a glacier. Some of the white rock we walked across is millions of years old! 

The second highlight of today was stopping at the Climber’s Memorial at the top of Thukla Pass. It’s a humbling place to be with over 100 memorials of climbers who have lost their lives in the mountains. With the misty clouds moving through and the many prayers flags surrounding the memorial stones, it was surreal. After leaving the memorial, we carried on a gentle trail leading us to Lobuche at nearly 16,200 feet.

We were greeted with warm tea and veg fried potatoes for a late lunch. We also got to share a masala tea with our porters and Sherpa guides. We could not do this trip without them and it was a special day for us all to get to sit down together. We spent the afternoon resting and enjoying good conversation with our team. All while cuddled up next to the warm stove and in our puffy pants! It’s a chilly night in Lobuche but we’re all happy to be here and be healthy.

RMI Guides Jess, Sam and the base camp crew