RMI Expeditions Blog

Hello from Pheriche! 14,042 feet but who's counting. After a nice dinner, the team is tucked away for the night. Lot's of hiking in all directions today. Nice to have such great Sherpa support to be able to offer many options. A few new altitude records for the team. Another day of perfect weather, and trail conditions in great shape. We are now above tree line, but lots of bushes still keep us thinking we are where life forms can survive. It is a rather tough environment to be in, we welcome these islands of paradise called tea houses. Plan is to take a rest day here tomorrow. Some day hikes and a bit of training for my crew that will go with me to Island Peak in the not so distant future. The surrounding peaks of Taboche (21,309') and Cholatse (20,784') always impress. Crazy to think that the real big ones are up this valley and around the corner. Looking so forward to reuniting with those views. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

We were up at 4 AM in the Yak and Yeti Hotel and we were packing. By 5:30 the team was at the Kathmandu airport and ready for some "hurry up and wait". The wait wasn't so long though, on this morning, before we were riding a little shuttle to our plane while watching the sunrise. We boarded the twin prop Dornier and took off in cloudless but smoky skies. Once through the thick smog layer it was possible to see a row of giant and jagged peaks out the port side windows. After a quick 30 minutes, the plane was in a steep descent toward the tilted Tarmac of Lukla airstrip. The landing was fast, flawless and loud as the pitch of the props was reversed to brake the plane. Within just a few moments we were out of the hectic 9,200-feet airport and in the quiet comfort of a tea house. The 2013 RMI Everest Expedition took its first steps at around 8:30 as we set off in perfect weather. The team only needed one rest along the way as we traveled through small farms and villages. The rock walls of our valley soared above and we could see a handful of glacier covered sharp summits floating over everything. "Traffic" was light on the trails - we leap-frogged a couple of teams we happened to know for a while, but for the last hour or so we had things pretty much to ourselves and could enjoy the quiet of the forest and the turbulence of the river. Shortly after noon Dan, James, Mark, Seth and myself, along with our Sirdar Lam Babu, pulled into Jo's Garden in the northern suburbs of Phakding. We lunched, we napped, we ate again and now we are retiring to the rooms for the night, ready to complete the transition from airports and jet lagged city life to mountains and rivers and valleys and walking. Best, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Today we got a slightly earlier start to try and beat the heat on the steep climb up to Tengboche. Yes it gets hot here at times, especially if you are hiking up steep southern-facing slopes. Tengboche sits atop a small hill (by Himalayan standards) and is well known because of the Tengboche Monastery. Believed to have been built in the 13th century, it is home to about 45 Monks and Lamas. It doesn't take much imagination to know why they believe this place to be special, as the view from here is breathtaking. From this one spot you are not only surrounded by giant mountains you have a wonderful view of Everest and many other gigantic peaks. After getting settled in our tea house we quickly hiked back to the monastery and sat in during a prayer session. Sadly only one monk was there as the others were off visiting other monasteries and helping people throughout the valley. It was beautiful experience nonetheless! Everyone is still in good spirits and having a great time. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

On The Map

Hello Mark Tucker checking in from high in the Himalaya. I am outside of our tea house and it is quite the bright moon. Had some clouds roll in later in the day... It's pretty windy. Had great views of Everest and Nuptse. We are all tucked in with the hot water bottles and looking forward to a good night's rest. Part of the team made a little side venture over to get blessed by one of the holy Lamas of the valley. And they had an awesome time. So we are feeling very fortunate that he was available for that. And, we're looking good. We'll check in tomorrow. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

Hello again everyone. Today the team took an "active rest day", instead of just sitting around and relaxing we hit the trail for another adventure. First up was a visit to a seldom visited all women's monastery in the village of Thamo. It's about an hour and half from Namche and is a little of the beaten path. This monastery is home to 28 women mostly who have escaped prosecution from Tibet. Their ages range from 16 to 88 and they exist solely off of donations. A few of them came out to greet us and gave us a brief tour of the new monastery they are currently building. We stayed for about an hour, had some tea and either bought a few items or made donations to help with their cause. Next we made our way uphill to visit the first school established here by Sir Edmund Hillary in Khumjung. It sits between several small villages and has the most amazing views thus far. We could see Everest, Lhoste, Ama Dablam and countless others. We then headed back to our tea house in Namche where the team is resting and enjoying the hot showers. Everyone is doing great and looking forward to tomorrow. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

On The Map

The RMI 2013 Everest Expedition has now officially started! Dave arrived late last night along with the last of our baggage. We are now set to head out from Kathmandu. We had our first full team meal this morning at breakfast and after that we had an interview with Elizabeth Hawley. Miss Hawley is a fixture for Everest climbers. She has maintained a very thorough database of all ascents of the mountain ever since the first ascent of the mountain in 1953. It was a treat hearing her stories of climbers past and present. Now in her 90s she is still sharp as a tack and is absolutely interested in all of the expeditions on the mountain. After that we spent the rest of the day packing for the trek into base camp. If all goes well we will fly into Lukla tomorrow and trek to the village of Phakding. We're all fired up to get that started. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

On The Map

I'm calling this the unofficial start to the 2013 RMI Mt. Everest Expedition. It can't be official yet because we are still waiting for Dave Hahn to arrive in Kathmandu after being delayed en route. The rest of us have all arrived over the last two days and are doing great. We got together for dinner tonight in the district of Thamel, a crazy-maze of restaurants, shops, bars and hotels. Tomorrow we'll spend the day picking up last minute items and getting packed for the trek into Everest Base Camp. We're all looking forward to getting started! RMI Guide Seth Waterfall

On The Map

It was another beautiful day here in the Khumbu with clear skies and astounding views. Our day started with breakfast at 7:30 with eggs, toast, porridge, jam and plenty of fresh coffee (thanks Tucker). We hit the trail just after 8 and made our way up the valley crossing numerous hanging bridges covered with prayer flags. Tea houses lined the trail almost the entire way making it easy to stop for a rest, eat and snap a few photos. We made good time even while sharing the trail with other Trekkers and the countless yaks carrying loads in both directions. Along the way we were treated to a nice view of the far off Mt Everest (still about 25 miles away). There was one big hill to climb before reaching Namche Bazaare where we'll spend a few nights in order to properly acclimatize. Everyone is doing great and currently are out exploring Namche (population of a few thousand) which is the heart of the Khumbu and Sherpa people. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

On The Map

We had a wonderful climb today. As we left Namche Bazaar and headed up the trai,l the summit of Mt. Everest came into view. It would not be a good day to make a summit attempt as the plume blowing off the summit reached out for a mile or so and is an indicator that winds on the summit are likely in the 100 mph range. But it sure does make for a nice photo. We stopped for lunch by the river and then, with full bellies, headed up the infamous Tengboche Hill. The team did a great job and in a couple of hours we reached the Tengboche Monastery and were greeted by one of the elder monks. After our visit, we made a quick descent to the fairy tail land of Deboche where we will spend the night. The team is doing well, a few minor physical discomforts, but to be expected. The tea house staff is firing up the dining room stove with dried Yak dung, hey what ever provides a bit of heat, bring it on. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

Fit to Climb: Week 8 Schedule

DAY	WORKOUT	TOTAL TIME	DIFFICULTY
1	Rainier Dozen / Easy Hiking ( 30 min)	42 min.	Medium
2	Rainier Dozen / High Intensity Stair Interval Training (60 min)	72 min.	Very Hard
3	Rainier Dozen / Rest	12 min.	Recovery
4	Strength Circuit Training x 4	54 min.	Hard
5	Rainier Dozen / Rest	12 min.	Recovery
6	Fitness Test	60 min.	Medium
7	Rainier Dozen / Hike (4 hrs, 15lbs of pack weight)	252 min.	Medium
	Total	8 hrs 24 mins

BRIEFING You’re approaching the halfway mark of the Fit To Climb conditioning program. A question I often ask myself is, “If I had to do the climb today, how would it go?” I like to think that once I reach the halfway point, I could give it a strong attempt and with good conditions and the stars aligned, I’d probably make the summit and back. This is the mindset that goes with the next few weeks. You still have a ways to go in order to arrive at the start of the climb in great shape, but you should feel confident that you are already more prepared than most on summit day. To quantify that feeling of preparedness, you’ll perform the fitness test again this week. You should see big gains over your results from week 4 due to the volume of intense training you have done since then and the fitness test is a way to measure that progress. For the hike, we’ll increase the length to 4 hours but keep the same pack weight of about 15 pounds. Everything else will stay the same this week. DESCRIPTIONS OF WORKOUTS Day 1: Rainier Dozen + Easy Hiking (30 Minutes) Today’s hike is a recovery workout and you can always substitute it with a different activity, such as running, biking or swimming. The important thing is to move at a moderate pace for 30 to 45 minutes. The pace can be conversational, and you do not need to be dripping with sweat at the end of the workout. Day 2: Rainier Dozen + Stair Interval Training (60 Minutes) After the Rainier Dozen, warm up for about 10 minutes, and then climb up and down a set of stairs, at a consistent pace, for about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool down with some stretching. You don’t need to carry a pack on your stair interval training, the focus in this workout is on speed and intensity. Day 3: Rainier Dozen / Rest Begin your day with the Rainier Dozen. Feel free to take another 30 to 60 minutes of light exercise if you feel like it (a brisk walk is a great option). If you feel tired, today is a good opportunity be good to take a complete rest day instead. Listen to your body. Day 4: Strength Circuit Training x 4 Repeat the strength circuit training workout introduced in Week 3. After warming up, perform four sets of the following exercises: • Steam Engine • Push Up • Three Quarter Squat • Russian Twists • Lunge • Steam Engine Laying down • Mountain Climber • 8 Point Bodybuilder Spend 40 seconds performing the exercises, and take 20 seconds between exercises to rest and rotate. Take a full minute of rest between each set. Take a full minute of rest between each set. Take ten minutes to cool down by stretching after you’re done. Day 5: Rainier Dozen / Rest Begin your day with the Rainier Dozen. Feel free to take another 30 to 60 minutes of light exercise if you feel like it (a brisk walk is a great option). If you feel tired, today is a good opportunity be good to take a complete rest day instead. Listen to your body. Day 6: Fitness Test (1 Hour) After a good ten-minute warm-up followed by the Rainier Dozen, first complete the timed run for a distance of one mile (or your original timed run distance from the first test) at an intense pace. Record your time and then rest for five minutes. Following the timed run, perform the strength test as follows: count the number of perfect repetitions you can complete in 2 minutes for each exercise. Write down your scores for each test. • Push-ups: 2 minutes, followed by 3 minutes of rest • Steam Engines on Back: 2 minutes, followed by 3 minutes of rest • 3/4 Squats: 2 minutes, followed by 3 minutes of rest • 20-yard Shuttle Run: Set up your shuttle run course with some cones or water bottles. If you aren’t sure of measurement use 25 normal paces as a guide. Run back and forth between your markers for 2 minutes, counting each loop as one. Day 7: 4 Hour Hike This week you’ll increase the hike duration by about an hour, and approximately 2 miles. If you are hiking on steep terrain, this could add another 700 to 1000 feet in elevation. Adding an hour may seem like a small increment, but you are going from a medium length hike to a fairly substantial effort. SUMMARY Congratulations on reaching the halfway point of your training program! Take the time to review your performance in the fitness test and compare them to the results from your first fitness test during Week 4 of the Fit to Climb Program. The value of recording your results in the fitness test is to show quantifiable measurement. These results may show progress (faster timed run and more number of strength test repetitions) which means that you are getting stronger and the program is working for you. If your numbers are the same or have slipped a little, it tells us that we need to re-focus and take look at specific areas of your fitness that are not yet improving. Armed with that knowledge, talk to a local fitness expert or trainer about what you may need to work on in order to improve. Lastly, don't forget to take the time to celebrate your achievements on your dedication and progress over the past 8 weeks! - John Colver Have a question? See the Fit To Climb FAQ for explanations of specific exercises and general pointers to help you through the Fit To Climb Program. John Colver is a longtime climber, former mountain guide, and certified personal trainer with the American Council of Exercise. Colver introduced outdoor fitness classes to athletic clubs throughout the greater Puget Sound region before creating his adventX brand. Currently, adventX leads training programs in Seattle and Colver presents clinics on outdoor fitness at companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, the American Lung Association, and REI. Colver lives in Seattle, and is working on his second book, Fit to Climb - a 16 week Mount Rainier Fitness Program.