Entries from Expedition Dispatches
What a nice day for the team. Really the first time to catch our breath and that is not an easy task here at 11,000ft. After the whirlwind tour of Kathmandu, a flight into the mountains, and a big hike yesterday, what a nice option to take it easy today. We still cut a swath through
Namche Bazaar, invested in the local economy and even stretched our legs a bit. Recharging our physical and gadgetry batteries was the focus of the day.
One highlight was a trip to the local museum. It had three viewing areas: one being a typical Sherpa home with all the furnishings, another of Sherpa history and culture, and a room full of
Everest history, fantastic photos and early expedition gear.
The team has been behaving well and enjoying all the support of our local outfitter, High Altitude Dreams, and the fantastic staff here at our Tea house in Namche, Camp de Base. We all feel so lucky to spend this time with these wonderful people.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
The 2014
RMI Expeditions Mount Everest climb has begun. Slowly. The seven climbers and three
RMI guides made their separate ways around the globe- from Canada, from Poland, and from all corners of the United States, to convene in Kathmandu and get the party started. All made it on schedule and with their luggage... a small miracle. The team fought off jet lag long enough to accomplish a few important preliminary tasks. With the help of Sagar -our Nepal agent, and Lam Babu, our Sirdar, we gathered at the Nepal Ministry of Tourism to receive our climbing permit and a short orientation slideshow from the ministers. They emphasized how important it was to bring trash off the mountain and to treat others with respect. They wished us luck and shook our hands.
Back at our comfy hotel, the venerable Yak and Yeti, we sat down together for a "welcome dinner" and discussed briefly our plan for getting down to business tomorrow morning when folks have rested and recovered sufficiently.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Hello everyone.
We had a wonderful day again here in Nepal. We started with our usual breakfast and coffee at 8:00 and hit the trail around 9:00. Since it's been rather cold here this spring, we haven't wanted to start hiking too early. The team was very fortunate to spot a rare Musk Deer and even saw a few mountain Tarr, which is a type of Himalayan mountain goat.
We made our way to Pangboche where we visited the highest ranking Lama in the Khumbu and received a blessing for safe passage. We continued along the trail passing by the iconic Ama Dablam and slowly came into
Pheriche.
The team is doing great and enjoying the amazing scenery every step of the way.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
The team had a very nice rest after our last night in Kathmandu. The city was a hoot, but back here in the high country is tough to beat.
All business today. After a nice breakfast of French toast, guess we should call it Nepali toast, we started ascending to
Namche Bazaar. A little overcast made for pleasant travel. We are now officially in Sagamartha National Park, which encompasses
Mount Everest. We climbed more than 2,000 feet in great style and are now resting comfortably at a tea house in Namche Bazaar. Located at over 11,000 feet makes for a planned extra day here for rest and adjusting to these altitudes. So important to not ascend too quickly. The A team is consuming a lot of great food, but that is a good thing. Remember you can't run a bulldozer on a pint of diesel!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
After an early start this morning from the hotel in Kathmandu, the team boarded a plane to Lukla. Then the trek began. We met our Sherpa team and began our trek to Everest Base Camp with a hike along the Dudh Kosi River to Phakding. The weather was very nice for hiking today. Now, we are checked in at our first tea house of the trip. We are excited to have stretched our legs a bit and arrived in the mountains.
We will check in tomorrow from Namche Bazarre.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Namaste! (traditional Nepalese greeting)
Today the team left Namche Bazarre and headed further up the Khumbu Valley headed for
Everest Base Camp. Shortly after leaving we were greeted with our first view of Everest itself, far off in the distance but clearly standing above all else. We slowly made our way along the trail stopping for pictures and breaks and eventually made our way up to the Tengboche Monastery. We arrived shortly before the monks prayer session and were delighted to sit in and listen to the monks chant, which was quite spiritual for all. We then casually made our way down to our new tea house for the evening where we are currently warming ourselves by the wood burning stove.
All is well!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Jackpot! Feeling like Mr. T with his A Team. My amazing team and all our gear arrived in Kathmandu. All our boxes are checked, i.e. orientation meeting, equipment check, city tour and it is pouring rain in
Kathmandu. Despite the rain, we had way too much fun experiencing the culture today in the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu. We took many photos along our journey through the city and are getting to know each other a long the way.
Now that we feel ready to embark on our next part of our expedition, we'll sign off for the night and go find some pizza in town for dinner.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Greetings from Namche once again.
Today we were greeted with a fresh blanket of snow in town, but only a few inches. We had planned on doing a little hiking to try and catch a glimpse of
Everest, but the new snow and cloud cover kept us close to home. So we spent the day drinking coffee, telling stories and doing a little shopping in town. It almost felt like Christmas to be honest!
Everyone is doing great and happily enjoyed the relaxing day here.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
P.S.
I'd like to wish my dad a special Happy Birthday! Wish I could throw a snowball at you pops! I love you.
We woke to beautiful, clear skies today and enjoyed the early morning warmth after a slightly chilly night. First up for the day was an all important breakfast with pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns, cereal and last but not least COFFEE. A special thanks to
Jeff Martin for preparing a wonderful travel kit with plenty of it.
We hit the trail a little before 9am and slowly made our way passing dozens of tea houses, trekkers, and porters. We crossed several suspension bridges decorated with prayer flags that sit high above the valley floor with amazing views in all directions. After a few hours hiking we arrived at the big hill that leads up to the famous
Namche Bazaar, which is the center of the Khumbu Valley. The team did a great job and before too long we all arrived in Namche just in time for a late lunch and before the snowflakes started to fall from the sky. We spent the remainder of the evening exploring this small town and napping as we continue to adjust to the new time zone and altitude.
Everyone is in good spirits and looking forward to our rest day tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Hello from the Khumbu everyone!
Today we caught our early flights from Kathmandu and safely arrived at the famous
Lukla airport on what was one of the smoothest flights I've ever had. Luckily for us there were no clouds in sight which allowed us an easy and very scenic flight into the heart of the Himalayas. Once in Lukla we relaxed and had breakfast at one of the tea houses while our bags were sorted and readied for our porters.
We hit the trail just after 8 am and hiked casually along the trail taking in the clean fresh mountain air and all the beautiful sights of the surrounding peaks. We hiked for just over three hours stopping along the way to snap photos and enjoy the scenery of the lush green forest with towering snow capped mountains overhead.
The team is comfortably settled in to another tea house here in a village called Phakding that sits on the edge of a beautiful blue river.
All is well and everyone is delighted to be here.
RMI Guide
Casey Grom and Crew
On The Map
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Have fun Elizabeth! Thinking of you..
Following the blog everyday!
Anahita
Posted by: anahita tamboli on 3/26/2014 at 11:57 am
Elizabeth and Nancy (and Team)~
Looks like a fantastic trip and memories of a lifetime being made….ENJOY!!
Posted by: Jane Ramos on 3/26/2014 at 11:08 am
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