RMI Expeditions Blog
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Namaste from Gokyo!
We have arrived to the namesake of our trip, a small Sherpa village a stone's throw from Tibet. We had been out of touch the last couple days, on our way up from Thame to Renjo Pass, where we felt the remoteness of our whereabouts. Those two days were filled with great sightings of yak karkas (farms) Kongmas (a high altitud bird endemic of the area), but most definitely, the high peaks that reign above the area. We culminated this morning with the climb up Renjo La Pass, which provided jaw dropping views of Everest, Lhotse and Makalu; we had to take a 1.5h break at its 5,400m of elevation to sink it all in... we just couldn't get enough! The feeling of the effort being so worth it took over the entire group.
We then descended towards the turquoise waters of Gokyo lake and made it into our lodge, where we'll be for the next two nights. Tired but happy, we're looking up valley towards another Himalayan giant, Cho Oyu, who's base camp we'll visit tomorrow. Now, it's time to enjoy some dud chai (milk tea).
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team.
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
And the magic started to happen... Namaste from Thame.
We've left the main Everest trail, and started to encounter less people, enjoy a more rustic path, and an overall more authentic Himalayan experience (not that up to Namche wasn't) But secluding ourselves to the Gokyo trek means enjoying a more authentic journey.
The day today was easy, but filled with senses stimulating opportunities; from the mist climbing towards us, to the juniper burning in the villages, or the mystic appearances of Buddhist prayer flags among the fog, the entire way presented multiple chances to amaze ourselves.
We climbed above tree line in order to visit the monastery upon arrival to Thame, a side half hour excursion with the excuse of taking pictures of the yaks that seemed to be grazing on the slopes. A pick up ball game with the young boy monks was a true highlight, and despite being at 13,000 feet, we managed to forget about breathing hard and just enjoyed the smiles.
We made it back to our lodge, owned by Ang Sherpa, who's climbed Everest "only" 21 times. An honor to be in such a humble home tonight. We're now awaiting our dinner, then it will be bed time and we'll prepare for an early start tomorrow.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Namaste from Namche,
We enjoyed a day in this neurological center that is Namche, old trading town, when the Sherpa from Tibet came to the southern slop of the Himalaya to commerce their goods.
In order to allow for acclimating, we took a good walk on the main trail of the Everest Base Camp route, to get astonishing views of the range, with Ama Dablam as the most imposing figure. A small museum with some Sherpa artifacts, as well as graphical descriptions of their traditions provided great education about this old mountain culture.
We ventured for lunch away from the tourists, and chose a local "Chia Pasal" where true locals eat their dahl bhat and momos (for a fraction of the price and double the smiles)
The afternoon was spent resting, and simply enjoying being in the heart of the biggest mountain range of the world.
Stay tuned for more.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Namaste from Namche Bazaar, a.k.a. "downtown Khumbu", as the Sherpa say.
Our second day on the trails delivered the best weather possible, which allowed for the first view of two Himalayan giants, Lhotse and Chomolongma in the distance, but also the towering Tamserku and Kushum Kangkaru, that overlooked our progress like patient sentinels.
Crossing the suspension bridges back and forth over the Dudh Koshi River, while taking turns with the caravans of Dzo Dzos (hybrid between yak and cow) added excitement to the steady elevation gaining of our legs.
Arriving in Namche was a surreal image, as people from all over the world merge here from the different circuits of this region. Our rewarding dinner is bringing us now close to bed, and we look forward to spending a day here tomorrow allowing our bodies to acclimate to the new altitude.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team
Tasidelek from Phakding! We flew to the famous Lukla airstrip this morning, and after uniting with our Sherpa guide and our porters, we had a quick breakfast and hit the trails. The majesty of the Himalayas quickly overwhelmed our senses, and despite the fact that low in the valley the crowds are somewhat sizeable before they disperse, we embraced what the cobbled trails started to offer out of the gates.
We're now about to have dinner and an early bed time to compensate for the early wake up today for the airplane ride. However, the slow pace of life in the Himalaya is setting in, and we love it.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team
Have a nice expedition!! Be safe.
Posted by: Louis-Philippe on 10/19/2017 at 7:03 am
Namaste from Kathmandu!
Everyone arrived safely and timely to Kathmandu late last night. We had an easy day today just resting after the long hours of international flying, enjoying our welcome meal in the Thamel area, and wandering a bit in the busy streets of that area of town before the jet lag started to set in. We called it a day on the early side to allow the body to start adjusting with ease to the time change and in preparation for a busier day tomorrow. The upcoming day will be a a formal visit of the main historical monuments of Nepal's capital and packing for our flight into the mountains the following day. Stay tuned for the real start of our Gokyo adventure soon!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team
Hey Steve! Hope the hiking is going well. Enjoy the scenery and take lots of pictures to share! Looking forward to virtual tour when you return!
Posted by: Audrey on 10/23/2017 at 7:51 am
Namaste Marie-Sarah, François and all,
Wide open your eyes and enjoy these calm and zen places.
Posted by: Roger Brosseau on 10/20/2017 at 5:23 am
Posted by: Christina Dale, JT Schmitt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Hello from Tlachichuca,
We are all exhausted from a wonderfully successful summit day on Orizaba and are now enjoying the hospitality of Dr. Reyes in the beautiful town of Tlachichuca. We awoke at midnight this morning to clear skies above, and began our climb with cautious optimism. The weather held for us and we were treated with perfect conditions for our climb. The skies were clear and the snow was perfect for cramponing. With the sunrise we were treated with abounding views of the Mexican country side, including the towering vistas of Ixta and Malinche. We were ecstatic to have 100% of our team make it to the summit!
After descending the mountain and taking a long bumpy truck ride back to town we enjoyed hot showers and a delicious meal. It was a great day to top off an amazing week!
RMI Guide JT Schmitt
I had the privilege of climbing on the October 9 trip to the Mexico Volcanos with a great team led by RMI Guides Christina Dale and JT Schmidt. Thank you Christina and JT for your seamless leadership that inspired all the members of our team to 100% success on both Ixta and Orizaba. Thank you to the team members who worked so well together. Our team was perhaps more “mature” in age than most and relatively experienced. Christina and JT made this trip extraordinary in all ways, continuing to teach and add to our knowledge base.
This was truly one of the very best climbing experiences I have ever had and I will cherish the fond memories of our time together.
Lorenzo
Posted by: Autumn Zentz on 10/18/2017 at 9:33 am
Hey, this is Christina calling in with another wonderful summit from the Mexico's Volcanoes team. We have gotten yet again a hundred percent of our team to the summit. Everyone's feeling really well and super happy to be here, up on the top. We have a gorgeous blue sky day with very light winds, absolutely gorgeous new blanket of snow covering this mountain making it wonderful climbing. We are looking forward to heading back down to hot showers congratulations to the RMI Team.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
RMI Guide Christina Dale checks in from the summit of Pico de Orizaba.
On The Map
This is Christina with the RMI Volcano Mexico team, and we are currently eating tacos, chicken tacos, in a hut at 14,000 feet on the side of Pico de Orizaba. The weather is in and the peak above us has a new blanket of snow that reaches all the way down to our camp for the night. After our extreme weather on Ixta, we're hoping for calmer winds and clear skies. We'd even settle for clouds at this point. The two-hour jeep ride up here to our high camp today was the perfect illustration of our group this week. We found ourselves laughing at David's stories and turning to Rob for his pop culture references. Craig was there with his ever joyful spirit and always had M&M's to offer around. Lorenzo made sure everyone was comfortable and happy. Steve constantly amazes us with his strength inconsistency. Then there's Patty who rocks at everything she does and always enjoys a good laugh. Somehow this group was able to make a bumpy dirt road fun. JT and I feel so lucky to have spent this week with these wonderful people and climbing in the high mountains of Mexico. Orizaba tomorrow. Hope for good weather. Thank you.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
RMI Guide Christina Dale calls in from Pico de Orizaba High camp.
On The Map
Posted by: Christina Dale, JT Schmitt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Our team spent the rest day wandering around the beautiful streets and churches of Puebla today. We saw some beautiful churches, community parks, ceramic studios, and street musicians. Everyone feels tired after our Ixta climb but in great spirits to go climb Pico de Orizaba on Saturday. We all talked over a delicious dinner about what we learned climbing Ixta and are excited for the next challenge. We are enjoying our time in the mountains and towns of Mexico. Fingers crossed for clear sky's on Orizaba!
RMI Guide Christina Dale
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Such a studly pic of the peaks in the background and the raven in the foreground!
Better keep an eye on those lunches or those winged critters will get them for sure.
Have fun.
Art
Posted by: Art Muir on 10/26/2017 at 8:52 am
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