Entries By calvin jiricko

Seven and a half hours of good walking got us all the way up to Namche Bazaar.  Phakding was a wonderful place to spend the night.   The roar of the river made for perfect “white noise” and team members reported progress in dealing with jet lag. Despite the great night and a fine breakfast we were excited to get walking along the Dhudh Kosi and toward the high country.  The steep steep sides to the valley we were hiking in allowed tantalizing views of 20,000 ft snow covered summits to motivate us.  We crossed into the Sagarmatha National Park and made our way to the fabled Namche Hill.  We’d already done a fair bit of climbing when we crossed a high swinging bridge to set foot on the actual hill.  Then it was a pretty steady gain of 2000 vertical feet to get us into Namche.  We were able to sneak a brief view of the very top of Mt Everest off in the distance at one turn of the trail. 
The entire team did an excellent job on what turned out to be a hot day for climbing.  The comfort we found waiting at Camp de Base -our Namche home for the next two nights- seemed like the perfect reward.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Now we’re talking!  We made it into the mountains.  It wasn’t easy, the helicopter pilots in Nepal are working overtime these days and so it took longer than anticipated for our three loads of people and gear to get in.  But the weather was nice and the team was patient.  By 1 PM we were all in Lukla at 9300 ft.  After a little lunch we hit the trail.  A benefit of coming in “late” was that we virtually had the trail to ourselves.  We strolled along the ridiculously turbulent rapids of the Dhudh Kosi and ultimately crossed the river on a swinging cable bridge.  The team pulled into the Sunrise Garden Lodge in uptown Phakding just as the sun set.  Day one is in the books. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

We managed to assemble our entire trekking team in Kathmandu today.  Ten trekkers and two guides joined forces far from home to begin a new adventure in the Himalaya.  It was a busy day, to be sure.  We met after breakfast to do introductions and to go over strategies and priorities for our trek to Gokyo. Then we embarked on a Kathmandu city tour with a fearless driver and a very knowledgeable city guide, Nraj.  The team was amazed at the seemingly chaotic traffic patterns and the creative electrical circuitry hanging from each pole.  We started with a thorough tour of Bodinath -the largest Buddhist stupa in Kathmandu.  We visited a school of Thanka art and made a circuit (clockwise) of the great central dome.  We then survived a ride to the other side of town to visit the Monkey Temple, to see the critters and the fabulous view of the city from the hilltop perch.  As fascinating as the city is, it was considered important to get back to the Yak and Yeti hotel for packing and prepping for tomorrow’s early departure. We conducted equipment checks and talked over how to pack.  We rested and then got together for a last “big city” dinner.  We hope to fly first thing tomorrow. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Shuksan team led by RMI Guides Jackson Breen and Calvin Jiricko reached the summit via the Sulphide Glacier today. The photos show blue skies and lots of stoke!  They have a few more days of training on the mountain before they will descend.  They chose to summit today due to possible deteriorating weather.

Nice work team!

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise led by RMI Guide Calvin Jiricko concluded their week of training by standing on the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  The team spent several days on the lower slopes of Mt. Rainier with instruction and training, enjoying a wilderness experience and learning glacier travel skills. Yesterday the team bumped their gear to Camp Muir to launch for their summit attempt.  After enjoying some time in the crater their started their descent around 7 am.  The team will continue down to Paradise later this afternoon and conclude their program later today with a bit of celebration.

Nice work team!

The custom Four Day climb led by RMI guide Eric Frank made it to the summit this morning. They were leaving the crater around 7am on their descent back to Camp Muir. They will return to Ashford this afternoon. 

Great work everyone!

At 5:15 am the Four Day Climb led by RMI Guide Calvin Jiricko were standing on the summit of Mt. Rainer 14,410'! Calvin reported a beautiful day and a great climb. The team is on their descent in route to Camp Muir.

Congratulations Team! 

The Four-Day climb enjoyed summit success this morning, with 100% of the teams making it to the top! RMI guides Will Ambler and Jack Ritterson led them to the summit around 7am. They are currently on their descent back to Camp Muir and will return to Ashford this afternoon. 

Great work everyone!

RMI Guides Jackson Breen and Calvin Jiricko, climbing with the Four Day Climb team, reached the summit early this morning under clear skies and calm conditions. After spending some time enjoying the views from the top, they began their descent. A smoke layer remains settled around 12,500 feet. The team is currently making its way back to Camp Muir.

Congratulations Team!

We’re back at camp having successfully climbed the north ridge. We currently have our feet out in the sun and we’re listening to the namesake of the cascades: the sound of cool, running water.

- RMI Guide Tom Skoog