RMI Expeditions Blog
Snow lightly pitter pattered against our tents. Every so often we tapped the sides of the tent to knock the snow down. We woke to a winter wonderland. As we boiled water for coffee you could hear sloughs of snow tumble down the mountain side. Mother nature had spoken. The mountain had spoken. We were not going to climb. Due to the amount of snow that had fallen and the terrain we were going to get on, we were concerned about the avalanche hazard. Today was not going to be our moment to climb. Instead we packed up our camp as the snow fell from the sky and more snow rumbled down the mountain. Our packs were heavy and the walking slippery with the new snow on slick grass and crumbly rock as we made our way back to Base Camp. Tomorrow we will enjoy our last day at our Base Camp. The following day we are looking at going up and over a col to a new valley for a few days before we begin our trek out. For now, we are all getting cozy in our sleeping bags, for there is a chilly crispness to the night air.
Sweet dreams,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith
Good evening from
Kyajo Ri Base!
We made our move from the village of Khumjung this morning uneventful. Beautiful day indeed witnessing some of the towering peaks nearby getting just a little smaller.
The beautiful meadow where we are is enclosed under steep granite walls, and while the views are short, they sure provide a sense of greatness above us.
My colleague, Sherpa guide Lopsang added to the mysticism of the night by burning some juniper as an offer to the God that might inhabit Kyajo Ri; with His blessings, we will go to sleep in hopes He grants us passage tomorrow into the higher grounds of Camp 1.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Moving day! The day we have been patiently waiting for has arrived. We packed up our things and made our way to high camp. After walking as the Nepalis say, bastary bastary (slowly slowly) we made it to our camp in three hours. The team did great, with everyone making it to camp. The air is rather chilly as snow flurries dance from the sky. Clouds have been building and descending on us all day. We are all cozy in our tents, melting snow for water, and getting ready for dinner. Tomorrow we will wake in the dark, but we will wait for the sun before we set out on our climb.
Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Hannah Smith
Namaste from Khumjung.
We are taking an extra day here, based on the wind forecast for the next few days. This way we don't find ourselves up high on
Kyajo Ri in a bad spot.
We did, regardless, go for a walk towards the pass that will take us tomorrow towards base camp; a nice way to spend the morning and continue to let the body work acclimatizing.
A local momo feast (local Nepali dumpling) near our lodge wrapped up the morning, and we chilled for the rest of the day.
Hopefully the excitement of the actual climb starts in a few hours!
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos
You do you muffin, you do you, is how I would describe today. We all enjoyed different activities to recharge our mind and body before we make our move uphill tomorrow. Two of us went scrambling on some not so quality rock, while others went up the rolling grass hills above Base Camp. Some enjoyed a relaxing day listening to music, reading books, making jewelry or braiding hair. This afternoon we all gathered to sort out a game plan for our climb on Sunday and for the handful of days after. We have to schedule for porters to come up and help us break down Base Camp before we head uphill. We are all rather excited for the coming days. We have been waiting for this moment to climb something for roughly two weeks, with one of those weeks spent at Base Camp. Tomorrow everyone will make their way to the High Camp at their leisure and settle in before we climb the next morning.
Talk to you all at high camp,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith
Namaste from Khumjung!
We are taking a rest day today in this beautiful village, with a true local feel and direct views of
Ama Dablam.
After arriving yesterday from Thame, we officially finished our trekking around Gokyo, and our minds are no set to climbing mode. We're spending the day chilling, prepacking, and reviewing a few things before heading up tomorrow towards Kyajo Ri.
Stay tuned for our progress up the first of our climbing objectives!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
We heard from our team members at high camp that the route has been fixed. They reported that that the route is a mixture of blue ice and snow. They have a fixed line all the way to the ridge. The ridge, however, is too dangerous to walk along due to poor snow quality. They are optimistic though that the team can make it onto the ridge and enjoy some beautiful views. We are all excited to get the chance to climb something. As for the rest of us today, we fixed our own rope in a gully outside of camp, that had some ice in it, to give the Nepali girls more practice before the real deal. They all did great, with one of them showing real potential in the mountains. Tomorrow we rest, to give our teammates that have been working so hard to put in a route, a well-deserved break. On Saturday the whole team will move up and try our hand.
All the best,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith
Another great day in the mountains! We reached for the second time the altitude of 5000 meters in our acclimatizing trek, going over
Renjo Pass. The views from the top of 4 of the 6 tallest mountains in the world, were astonishing and motivating. Descending to Thame was energizing as the air felt thicker.
We're now ready to switch gears, and start focusing on our first objective!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
After packing our packs, organizing our tents, and eating lunch, we were ready to head uphill. Unfortunately though, we have been stalled at Base Camp. Our team members at High Camp radioed down that they need more time and rope to fix the route. They said the route is a bit icy and not great snow, but they seem optimistic that we will be able to give it a whirl in a few days. Till then we will continuing hanging out at Base Camp, practicing more with the girls and going on hikes. It's a good thing it's so pretty here and one can easily occupy themselves.
Happy Halloween!
RMI Guide Hannah Smith
Good evening!
What a day we had... We trekked to the base of Cho Oyu, where the seldom expeditions that climb is south side set their Base Camp. Man we felt small! We also had the best views that any trekker can have of Everest and Lhotse together (without climbing any peak) from any trail in the Khumbu Region. But we had to work hard, as this was the team's first day above 5000m.
An uneventful return, and we were enjoying a nice dinner at our lodge by the shore of
Gokyo Lake. We're headed to bed, as another long day awaits tomorrow.
Stay tuned!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Thanks for the updates. Good luck this week.
Posted by: lisa maiser on 11/4/2018 at 10:28 am
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