Entries By casey grom
Namaste Everyone
The team woke to beautifully clear skies again and views of Everest right out our dining room window. We’ve settled into our daily routine of getting up and packing our duffel bags before meeting in the dining room for breakfast and plenty of Starbucks coffee thanks to RMI sending it with us. After breakfast we step outside to get a better sense of the temperature before adjusting our layers for the hike. Once on the trail we do our best to maintain a steady pace, with stops every hour or so to stay hydrated and take in the views. There’s plenty of other hikers and yak trains headed in both directions to negotiate as well.
Today we hiked for a little over 5 hours including breaks and a light lunch to get to our next tea house in Pheriche, which sits at about 14,000'.
Everyone did great and enjoyed the stunning views of Ama Dablam, one of the most iconic peaks along the route to Base Camp.
RMI Guide Casey Grom & the crew
On The Map
It was another beautiful day here in the Khumbu Valley, and we had some nice views of Everest. Just above Namche you can see Everest far off in the distance, still about 20-30 miles away. You can also see the fourth highest mountain, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam, which is one of the Himalayan's most beautiful.
We hiked for about six hours today up and down, dropping all the way down to a river, which is a stunning turquoise, then climbed slowing up the hill before the famous Tengboche Monastery.
Traditionally we have gotten a blessing from a famous lama in Pangboche, but sadly that lama has moved on to a higher calling. So today we were able to request a private Puja with another lama at Tengboche and each received a blessing. The Puja is a Buddhist ceremony where the lama chants a Buddhist prayer and gives us a blessing to protect us from harm.
We've settled in to a nice and warm tea house called Rivendale that's full of trekkers from all over the world. Cribbage and good conversations have rounded out the evening and now it's time for a little rest.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the newly blessed crew
Dereesa, great pictures of the trek. Looks like everyone is having a great time! Suzanne
Posted by: Suzanne Diers on 3/20/2019 at 9:30 am
Hello again everyone back home.
It was another great day here in the Khumbu Valley, with the team waking up to bright beautifully clear skies, and mountains in every direction. We had a nice relaxing breakfast and decided to make the most of our scheduled rest day by hiking a little way to visit a Monastery in Thamo. It’s home to a kind group of female Buddhist Monks that are Tibetan refugees. They apparently escaped over the boarder which is only a few miles away and have made this home like the Sherpa community did some 500+ years ago. When we arrived the nuns were milling about and tending to their greenhouse that they use to grow their vegetables. We purchased a few prayer flags and prayer beads to help support them and then made our way back to Namche for lunch.
Then evening was spent exploring Namche and doing a little bargaining for a few gifts.
Finally we wrapped up the evening with another great meal here at our tea house.
All is well and everyone is doing great.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Way to go Dereesa! What a great epic adventure. Thanks for getting to share it, distantly, with you.
Posted by: Arch Lamb on 3/20/2019 at 11:10 am
What an amazing team, and beautiful experience. Special shout out to Dereesa!
Posted by: Davene Dietzler on 3/20/2019 at 6:38 am
Namaste everyone.
This morning we left our tea house in Phakding and headed up this stunning valley toward Namche Bazaar, which is the largest village in this famous valley. We hit the trail just after 8:00 along with quite a few other trekkers. Everyone did really well on the hike, and no one seemed to mind pausing often for the endless mules and Zopkeos (cross between a Yak and a cow) carrying loads headed up valley and basecamp as we made our up the trail. It was reasonably busy on the route with trekkers and climbers, but the traffic seem to flow pretty smoothly.
The team crossed a number of high suspension bridges without a problem, even with a light snow falling.
Overall it was a really enjoyable day as we climbed up to just over 11,200' where Namche sits.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and Base Camp crew
Way to go, Chad. You are finally fulfilling a lifetime dream. Looks like you are having fun with your new found friends. Rock on, buddy. Can’t wait to hear all about this fantastic venture.
Posted by: Warren Burgert on 3/22/2019 at 1:18 pm
Way to go Jayne and rob…watching you keeps us young !
Posted by: Ernie & Victoria on 3/19/2019 at 2:31 pm
Hello from the Khumbu Valley!
We started our day here pretty early, meeting in the hotel lobby at 5 a.m. After checking out of the hotel, it was a short ride to the domestic airport where we weighed all of our duffels and backpacks before getting tickets and slipping through a very laid back security check. Normally there’s a little bit of waiting before heading out to the plane, but today things moved along pretty quickly.
The flights to Lukla have a reputation of being a little intimidating and bumpy, but thankfully today’s flight was pretty smooth and uneventful. It’s about a 30 minute flight in a small 16-passenger Twin Otter with stunning views of the Himalayas. We landed on the small runway in Lukla that’s only about a quarter mile in length and has a slight uphill angle.
After we touched down, the plane was unloaded and our local Sherpa guides hired a few porters that will be carrying our duffels throughout the trek. We made a brief stop at a local tea house to have breakfast and get situated before hitting the trail.
We hiked for about four hours today with few stops to rest and to take in the beautiful scenery. We arrived at our camp for the night in a village called Phakding just in time for a well earned lunch. The team got settled, had naps, or explored a little before walking a short way to one of the many monasteries here in the Khumbu Valley. Luckily for us the monks were having a prayer session and allowed us to sit in while they chanted and blew their horns. It was very surreal and a wonderful way to start this adventure.
All is well!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
The Everest Base Camp team finally has arrived after some very long and tiring flights. Everyone is doing well after a well deserved night of rest here at the peaceful and appropriately named Yak & Yeti Hotel.
We started our day with a nice big buffet breakfast, then had a team meeting to discuss all the gear and review the details of the adventure that we are about to head out on.
After our meeting we headed out on a brief tour of Kathmandu were we visited the beautiful Monkey Temple, and the famous Boudhanath Stupa.
It's quite the culture shock visiting this busy city packed with nearly 4 million people. The streets are packed with people, motorcycles, and cars that honk endlessly.
I'm sure everyone is looking forward to peace and quietness of the Khumbu where we head tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
Rob- thought I saw you in the restaurant picture with EBC crew. Have a great trip up the Khumbu. Sorry to miss you for Spain and Norway with Gabi. Namaste.
Posted by: Elsie Bemiss on 3/17/2019 at 8:52 pm
Congrats on making it to the destination, Eileen! You rock! :) Love you!
Posted by: AJ & Steph Mikloiche on 3/17/2019 at 12:17 pm
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Hello everyone.
We spent yesterday touring Tarangire National Park which is home to many elephants, in fact, it has more per square kilometer than any place on Earth and it didn’t disappoint. There was one point when there was around 150 elephants within just a few hundred feet of us.
There were plenty of other animals as usual, and we got close to a few big giraffes, which was pretty cool.
We ended our day at a remote and off grid camp within the National Park and surrounded by wildlife. The camp has screened in rooms that allow the night sounds and smells of Africa in.
It's been a memorable experience for everyone and great friendships forged. But finally it's time to return home to our families.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew!
Wow, what a great experience and memories made to last a life time!! Thanks again for sharing!
Posted by: Judy Koppinger on 2/1/2019 at 4:30 pm
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Jambo everyone,
Today we visited the famous Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is roughly 100 square miles and is known for its abundance of animals that call the crater home.
We hit the road early with hopes of catching a few of the big cats before the heat of the day.
There were many sightings today of hyenas, jackles, ostrich, and countless other birds. We didn’t manage to see too many Lions, but did get to see 3 Leopards while driving in and out of the crater, which was certainly a highlight.
We saw several Black Rhinos which have become very rare do to poaching, however, they were only viewable through binoculars.
We wrapped up the day with a visit to a Maasai village not far from the craters rim. The Maasai people are a semi-nomadic tribe that exist almost entirely off of their cattle. The team spent time asking questions and enjoyed being shown around their small and simple village.
We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the Plantation Lodge
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Today was our first day of safari and we visited the beautiful Lake Manyara. The lake is a brief stopping ground for many migratory animals and home to more than 300 different birds. The birds were nearly of every shape and color you could imagine.
Everyone enjoyed the day cruising around in our safari vehicles with cold beverages in hand while seeing the animals.
We manage to see a few wildebeest, zebras, Cape buffalo, lots of baboons, a few impalas, several elephants and even managed to get pretty close to a few lions. It was a nice introduction to the incredible diversity of wildlife that Africa has and the team is looking forward to seeing more tomorrow.
We wrapped up the evening with a wonderful meal at our new lodge, The Plantation Lodge. and even celebrated one of our teammates birthday with a cake and plenty of singing.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew
First - HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON!
What a Birthday Celebration. One we are sure you won’t forget!
A little easier cruising in a Safari vehicle then trekking the mountain?
Enjoy this leg of your incredible Honeymoon.
Love Meema and Dad xoxo
Posted by: Debbie & Sheldon on 1/29/2019 at 5:28 pm
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Yesterday we had a wonderful albeit long day climbing to the summit of Kilimanjaro.
The team woke at 11pm to thankfully clear skies after a very cloudy evening that had us wondering what lay ahead.
We had a quick midnight breakfast of porridge, tea and coffee before hitting the trail at midnight.
The weather turned out to be pretty nice with just a little bit of wind, but it was a little chillier than previous climbs. The climb took about 6 1/2 hours to reach the top, and thankfully the sun had risen shortly before reaching the top to help warm us and boost morale after climbing through the chilly night. Once there, we hugged each other, enjoyed the view and took plenty of pictures while we waited in line to get our photos of the sign that adorns the summit.
It was a true test of endurance for most of the crew, and I'm really proud of everyone. We descended back to high camp, had a quick lunch, repacked and continued further down the mountain to our final camp on the mountain, where we had dinner and then headed to bed for some well deserved sleep.
Today we woke at 6:30 feeling good, had breakfast, then enjoyed a goodbye song and dance from our gracious crew of porters, cooks, and local guides numbering 48. We finished the little celebration by handing out their well deserved tips and then hit the trail one last time.
It took a little over three hours to reach the park gate where the team had lunch then hopped aboard our awaiting bus for the ride back to the lodge.
Finally we are all safe and sound, and a little cleaner after an amazing seven-day journey up and down Kilimanjaro.
The team is currently relaxing and looking forward to Safari which starts tomorrow!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy Kilimanjaro crew
You guys are awesome!! Looks like a great time, I love the updates and photos!! Thank you
Posted by: Judy Koppinger on 1/30/2019 at 6:57 am
Hi Eileen,
Pictures look amazing. We’re so proud of you. Can’t wait to hear all about your adventure. Keep Climbing!! we love you - Mary and Charlotte
Posted by: mary Segesta on 3/21/2019 at 8:20 pm
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