RMI Expeditions Blog

Namaste!

If the past few weeks have been defined by purpose and altitude, today was defined by the sweet relief of coming down from both.

The trail from Pangboche to Namche is deceptive — one might assume a descent would be all downhill, but the Khumbu has a sense of humor. As the saying here goes, “sometimes up, sometimes down.” Legs went to autopilot, brains finally went offline, and the team moved smoothly through the mountains with something that felt a lot like ease.

Arriving at Namche on the back end of an expedition hits differently than arriving on the front — the altitude is kinder, the breathing comes easier, and the body quietly begins to recover.

We made a beeline for Eat Smart, a welcome break from teahouse fare: barbecue chicken sandwiches, wraps, and a freshly baked matcha cheesecake. The afternoon was spent wandering Namche’s vibrant streets — yak bells, hand-painted art, and prayer beads found their way into packs.

Tonight, there’s talk of moving our nightly card games to the Irish Pub or maybe the Dancing Yak. Or if some people’s dreams come true — both. Time will tell. We’ve spent weeks locked in on our goals. It’s nice to just… be here.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the team

Our McKinley Prep Course wrapped up a highly successful few days of training in the Edith Creek Basin. The team practiced sled pulling, camp craft, crevasse rescue, and a range of essential alpine skills they’ll rely on this upcoming season during their climb of the West Buttress of Mount McKinley.

A big thanks to experienced lead guides Mike King and Dan May for sharing their knowledge and helping the team sharpen their skills. With a mix of sunny skies and periods of low visibility, conditions provided a realistic preview of what life can be like on the slopes of McKinley—making the training both challenging and invaluable.

Hello from Pangboche.

I’m writing this from a tea house window watching snow fall on the valley below, which feels like the appropriate punctuation to a trip that has given us weather in every form except usually the one we actually wanted.

Until yesterday.

Yesterday, the mountains gave us a gift.

Summit day was the most sun we’ve seen this entire trip. No wind. Perfect snow conditions — more coverage on the upper mountain than our Sherpa guide team has seen in years, which turned the typical steep, slabby rock into a beautiful snow climb. We got extraordinarily lucky, and we knew it.

We left high camp just after 3:00 a.m., headlamps on, the dark enormous around us. Seven and a half hours later, the team stood on the summit of Lobuche.

What happened in between is harder to put into words.

Hard things are hard. I know — profound. A quote we’ve joked about but actually hits. There’s something that happens on a mountain at altitude, in the dark, with steep terrain above you and your legs already tired, where that simple truth becomes the whole truth. The technical sections near the top demanded everything. Every step deliberate, every breath rationed. And I’ll be honest: I did not stop talking. Probably to a degree that could be classified as unhinged. “You’ve got this.” “Dig deep.” “Keep moving.” “You’ve got this.” If any of my team is reading this — I’m only slightly sorry.

What I watched in return was something I don’t take for granted, no matter how many times I get to see it. People tapping into strength they didn’t know they had. Facing real fear — of heights, of the unknown, of their own limits — and stepping forward anyway. Tears behind glasses. Shaking legs that kept moving. At one point I looked up through the thin air and saw a climber moving through steep, challenging terrain with a power and grace that stopped me. Elegant and strong in exactly the moment it was hardest to be either.

That’s what this mountain asks for. That’s what this team gave.

By summit, every one of us was running on fumes — the kind of tired that lives in your bones and doesn’t apologize. The Khumbu cough we’d somehow dodged the entire trip? Consider it found. Turns out all it needed was one very long, very hard day at altitude to make its entrance. Worth it. Completely worth it.

We returned to high camp, celebrated, and slept the deep sleep of people who had earned it.

Today we descended to Pangboche, where it is snowing (of course it is) and where I am sitting warm and still and deeply grateful.

To the families reading this: your people were extraordinary. They showed up, they dug deep, and they stood on top of a very big mountain in the Himalayas. More heart and courage on this team than I’ve seen in a long time.

Everyone is safe, everyone is proud, and everyone is very ready for a hot shower.

And we’re very, very glad to be sleeping below 14,000ft for the first time in 8 days.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Lobuche team

Monday, March 30, 2026 - 3:30 am PT

The RMI Lobuche team reached the summit of Lobuche peak at 20,075' today with seven climbers and four Sherpa.  RMI Guide Jess Wedel reported a great summit day and by far the most sun they have had this trip. Everyone is tired after a hard effort, but doing well.

They have returned to High Camp to spend another night. Tomorrow they will descend to Pangboche.

Nice work team!

Photos courtesy: Guide Lopsang - High Altitude Dreams

Sunday, March 29, 2026 - 4:04 am PT

Big day today.

We made our move up to Lobuche High Camp — and the mountain wasted no time letting us know what we’re here for. 

The route climbs steep, loose rock that demands your full attention with every step. No crampons yet, just patience, footwork, and a little faith in your trekking poles. Our first real test before the climb, and the team passed it with flying colors.

High camp is something else. Settle into tents, pack our summit packs and we’re about to have an early dal bhat dinner. There’s more snow here than I’ve ever seen and that will make for a fun snow climb instead of the typical steep and slabby rock.

Cross your fingers the cloud we are in lifts! The forecast tomorrow looks like the most sun of the trip so let’s see. 

The mood tonight is that good kind of nervous. Excited chatter, quiet moments packing, a little bit of both happening in the same person at the same time. Summit day is close. We’re ready.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel

Saturday, March 28, 2026 - 11:50 pm PT

We made it.

After 10 days of walking, acclimatizing, laughing, and eating a truly impressive amount of dal bear, we set foot on the Khumbu Glacier and officially arrived at Everest Base Camp.

The place is equal parts humbling and chaotic. Bright expedition tents stretch across the moraine in every direction, prayer flags snap in the wind, and somewhere beneath our feet, a glacier is slowly doing its thing. The altitude — 5,364 meters or nearly 17,500 ft — makes itself known. Breathing is a gentle reminder that you’ve earned the view.

The team arrived strong. There were big smiles, a few quiet moments just staring up at the icefall, and many tears.

Our time at camp was full of rest, snow and even some warm showers (picture a yellow tent heated by the radiation of the sun and a big blue bucket of hot water).

On day 2, we turned our attention to training
 — ascenders, rappelling, and getting our glacier legs under us before we make a push on Lobuche. We set up circuits and worked through the systems, and the team did great. There is something about clipping into a rope on real ice that makes everything feel a little more real — in the best way.

Our base camp staff outdid themselves. Incredible food, warm dining tent, zero complaints from the peanut gallery. Our crew works so hard behind the scenes to make the expedition run, and our time at camp was a good reminder of just how much goes into it. Genuinely grateful.

We’re on our way to Lobuche high camp now, a quick stop at Lobuche (the village) for lunch before we begin the big climb.

RMI Guide Jess and the Lobuche team

RMI Guide Jess Wedel checked in a with a quick message to let us know that the team reach Everest Base Camp just before the snow began to fall.  

This morning I tried to hype the team up. Lobuche and Gorekshep are tough — extraordinarily cold, high altitude, the same food on repeat, frozen toilets. You start to miss home a little more than usual.

The team collectively rated my hype talk. 3/10, room for improvement. But they understood the assignment. We stayed positive, we acknowledged the suffering, and we remembered that we’re all in this together.

So we put on our boots, pulled our buffs up, and got walking. No feeling is final — just because today we feel the weight of it all a little more doesn’t mean tomorrow won’t bring something different. Everest Base Camp is right there. That’s how it goes out here.

To Gorekshep we walked, pulling over every few minutes for the hundreds of yaks returning from EBC. The Khumbu Glacier stretched out to our right, and above it, Nuptse — hanging seracs everywhere you look, black and white rock swirled together like a painting. And then, far in the distance: tiny yellow tents dotting a cold, grey landscape. Base camp.

The clouds rolled in (predictably), and after lunch we decided to skip the hike up to Kala Patthar. Better to stay dry, stay warm, and save all we have for the bigger goals ahead.

This afternoon we’re buried in every layer of down we brought. Cards are shuffling next to me as I write this. Tonight: Word Salad — acting out words and matching them, at 17,000 feet, with brains running on less oxygen than they’re used to. It’s going to be beautifully chaotic.

We cannot wait to reach base camp tomorrow. Two nights there, some ice and glacier training on the Khumbu — it’s always a highlight.

Fair warning: there’s a good chance we’ll lose wifi and cell service for the two nights at base camp. If the dispatches go quiet, don’t worry — and if you haven’t heard from your person, that’s why. We’re good.

Here’s to keeping the dream alive and embracing the suck — a motto that’s earning its keep out here.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the team

Hello there!

Sunshine all day long today. We needed that.

We started the morning walking through a valley of female yaks (called naks) and their babies. The cutest little things.

We took it nice and slow, making our way to the moraine of the Khumbu Glacier and crossing over into Thukla for a tea break.

The highlight came after the climb up to Thukla Pass: the climbers’ memorial, draped in prayer flags and tributes to those lost in the mountains. We took our time there. It’s a special place and the weather and views were nearly perfect.

On the way up the hill I heard “Lookin’ good, Pancake!” and then “Feelin’ good, Cajun!” I’ll let you all guess which team members have acquired those trail names. The point is — the camaraderie is high. Whether it’s trolling each other by putting rocks in (or on) backpacks, taking ridiculous selfies on phones left unattended, or hollering words of encouragement as we waltz along the trail — we’re having the best time and laughing nonstop, even if it means spending the next 30 seconds after catching our breath.

Lobuche — the mountain — made her first real impression last night, framed perfectly in our teahouse window. After the climber’s memorial, we could even see the steep rocky route to high camp. A little intimidating but we’re stoked.

Everyone arrived to Lobuche, the village (confusing, we know), in good form. We were greeted with french fries, RaRa soup, and a long afternoon of rest.

Tonight we sleep at 16,200 feet. And by sleep I mean toss, turn, wake up for some deep breaths — but honestly? Good enough counts up here.

All is well.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the team

Rest day in Pheriche. Or so the team thought.

We woke up to more fresh snow and a ceiling of clouds so thick it felt like the mountain was telling us to go back to bed. We kept drifting to the windows during breakfast, watching, waiting — and then, right on cue, a sliver of blue. That was all we needed.

We headed uphill on an acclimatization hike, which sounds gentle until you are climbing up a steep, snow-covered slope at 14,000 feet in the cold. The snow made every step a small negotiation. We used it as a chance to run through some walking technique refreshers — footwork and movement that becomes essential when the terrain gets serious. We even invented the rest step jitterbug (full credit to Brian, who may or may not have a future in choreography).

We pushed up to 15,300 feet before the clouds started rebuilding and we made the call to head down. The views on the way — snow-draped valleys, moving clouds reshaping the peaks every few minutes — were, as we say every single day, genuinely stunning.

Back in Pheriche, we ate lunch in the sun room and lounged like lizards soaking up every degree of warmth. Cards were played. Snacks were consumed. And then came the highlight of the day.

We visited the doctors at the Himalayan Rescue Association clinic just as they were arriving for the season — two physicians who are basically Everest Base Camp royalty (headed up in a week to work at EBC all season). They give altitude talks every day during peak season, and we were their very first group of the year. Lucky us. The talk was excellent and a good reminder of why we’re taking this acclimatization business seriously.

The evening wound down the right way: hot chocolate, mint tea, dinner, and a team that’s sleeping at 14,000 feet and handling it well. Everyone is feeling the altitude (that’s normal, that’s expected) but the group is strong and in good spirits.

Next stop: Lobuche.

— RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the team

P.S. Jen says Happy Birthday Gord!