Entries By casey grom
It's snowing up here!
Today was a rest day here in Pheriche, and we went on a short acclimatization hike to 15,500' to take in the views. We set a new altitude record for some and even managed to see Island Peak down the neighboring valley.
The weather started clear once again but quickly turned to clouds and even began snowing a little bit right after we made it back and had lunch. At 3 pm the Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA), which is a very small and seasonal hospital had a talk on Acclimatizing which we sat in on.
We wrapped up the evening with another wonderful meal here at the Himalayan Lodge in Pheriche and a few more games of Cribbage.
All is well and everyone is feeling well and in good spirits.
RMI Guide CaseyGrom and crew
On The Map
Namaste everyone
We certainly feel blessed with the weather we've been having, as today was another beautiful day.
Our daily routine has been breakfast at 7:30 or 8 and hitting the trail generally no later than 9. Then we hike 30-40 minute intervals until lunch, then head back out until we reach camp. Today was a little different as we stopped off to visit Lama Geshe who lives in Pangboche. He is a very high ranking Lama and generally gives blessing to the climbers and Sherpas headed to Everest, most of whom won't climb without his blessing.
After our visit with the Lama we finished up our hike pulling into another village that sits along this ever winding path to Everest. Pheriche is where we are and where we will spend a few days to acclimatize as we have finally reached the 14,000 ft mark.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
It was another beautiful day here in the Khumbu Valley, and finally we had our first views of Mt. Everest. Just above Namche you can see Everest far off in the distance, but still about 20-30 miles away. We hiked for about 5 hours today and made a quick stop at the Tengboche Monastery where we sat in on another prayer session. Everyone is doing well
Keeping it short tonight as there's not much wifi or cell service. Everything is running off of a generator that's about to a shut off. Apparently a big snow storm this winter knocked out the hydroelectric power source.
We'll send more tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
On The Map
Tear it up!! You are doing something I always dreamed of doing.
Posted by: Phil Kostrzewski on 3/25/2015 at 8:07 pm
Hello again everyone back home.
It was another great day here in the Khumbu Valley, with the team waking up to bright beautiful clear skies, and mountains in every direction. We had a casual breakfast and decided to make the most of our scheduled rest day by hiking a little way to visit a Monastery in Tamo that is home to wonderful group of female Tibetan refugees. They apparently escaped over the border 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 in the monastery reading their Tibetan prayers and happily invited us in to listen. It was surreal to say the least and we all felt lucky to have been able to share the moment with them. After the prayer session 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 and we wrapped up the night with another great meal and the start of the Cribbage championships.
All is well and everyone is doing great.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Amazing, truly amazing! Prayers and God bless.
Posted by: Sherry Hartzler on 4/16/2015 at 8:35 am
What an awesome adventure for all of you! I could not be more proud of my brother-in-law, Tom.
Posted by: Karen on 3/30/2015 at 8:28 am
Greetings from Namche Bazaar!
Yesterday we left Kathmandu and had a rather enjoyable flight to Lukla. There was little turbulence and the sky was clear which allowed beautiful views on the Himalayas as well as a brief sighting of Everest. After arriving we waited at a tea house for all of the porters to be chosen and then hit the trail. We hiked for about 3 hours to reach our first camp of the trip in a small village called Phakding. The weather was perfect and everyone did great on the hike.
This morning we left the tea house and headed up this beautiful valley to the toward Namche Bazaar, which is the largest village in this famous valley. It was another nice day for hiking with mostly clear skies and just a gentle breeze to keep us cool. Everyone enjoyed the views and no one seemed to mind pausing often for the endless mules and yaks carrying loads. Crossing the the high suspension bridges was another thing, but everyone persevered.
We wrapped up the evening with a wonderful meal and a little lesson on cribbage. All is well and we are looking forward to tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Nice blog… EBC trek can be a good experience . It is one of the best trekking destination around the world.
Posted by: Everest Base Camp Trek on 6/3/2015 at 3:17 am
What an adventure! Thinking of you, Dr. Tom, and your Team. The photos and posts are wonderful. Have a great time, y’all! Wish I was with you!
Posted by: Michael Fry on 3/24/2015 at 9:05 am
Hello everybody this is Casey Grom checking in from the Everest Base Camp Trek. Just want to let everyone know that everything is going great here in the Khumbu Valley. Today we got up early and checked out of our hotel and headed to the local airport and caught our 7:45 flight, that went relatively well. It was a smooth flight all the way to the Lukla airport. It was a clear day and we had beautiful views of the Himalaya as we headed into the valley. And then we had a brief glimpse of Mt. Everest right before we touched down. We spent the next couple hours just gradually making our way down the valley. We ended our day, here in Phakding and we are relaxing in the tea house, having dinner and just enjoying the surroundings. The team is doing great. We are looking forward to getting some wi-fi tomorrow where we will be able to send a few pictures to let you know what the trip is looking like so far. Everyone is doing great and we will check in again tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
RMI Guide Casey Grom checks in from Phakding.
On The Map
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Namaste everyone
The team has arrived after some very long and tiring flights. Everyone is doing well after a well deserved night of rest here at the tranquil Yak & Yeti Hotel.
Today we met for breakfast and a team meeting to discuss all the gear and the adventure that we are about to take. After our meeting we headed out on a tour of Kathmandu were we visited the beautiful Monkey Temple, the Boudhanath Stupa and a quick stop at the famous Durbar Square.
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 the peace and quietness of the Khumbu where we head tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Hello to ALL from Austin, Texas!!
Looks like it’s all going as planned.
Keep your eye on the sky high destination.
Be smart, be safe and enjoy the journey.
Posted by: Wheat and Kristin Belt on 3/29/2015 at 6:24 am
The Ecuador Seminar team, led by Casey Grom and Ben Liken reached the Cotopaxi summit this morning! Check out the photos Casey sent us this morning from their summit bid.
Congratulations team!
On The Map
Congrats Luke and rest of team. Look forward to hearing details. Damn I’m jealous.
Jim
Posted by: Jim hill on 2/15/2015 at 10:39 pm
Great accomplishment - all down safe and sound?
Posted by: sally on 2/15/2015 at 7:08 pm
Posted by: Casey Grom, Ben Liken
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Happy Valentine's Day Everyone,
We spent the day relaxing here at Hacienda Tambopaxi that sits just at the base of the beautiful volcano Cotopaxi. It's one of the highest active volcanoes in the world and we've been told that Cotopaxi is a pre-inca name meaning "neck of the moon". The area surrounding the volcano is mostly high plateau grasslands and is home to a thousands of wild horses, which we could easily see just outside of the hacienda.
The team is doing great and everyone is well rested and excited for our last big climb. We'll be waking up at 10pm and hopefully hitting the road shortly after breakfast and if all goes well, standing at 19,347ft above sea level right after sunrise.
We will check in tomorrow when we are safely back down.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Posted by: Casey Grom, Ben Liken
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Greetings from Tambopaxi Lodge,
Today we took a full day to rest our weary legs and heal our slightly sun burnt faces. After a breakfast with a view of Cotopaxi a few of team members went horseback riding while the rest of us drank coffee and swapped stories from our Antisana climb. The riders got all dressed up in Ecuadorean ponchos, cowboy hats, and alpaca chaps. We then wasted no time getting to our next activity...... A four course lunch. We did manage to get in some training in during the afternoon but were easily distracted by views of the mountain and galloping wild horses.
We look forward to a good night of sleep because tomorrow there will be no such luxury. Tomorrow we will be up and at 'em around 10 pm to ascend our final peak, Cotopaxi.
Everyone hear wishes their special someone at home a very happy Valentine's Day!
RMI Guide Ben Liken and Amigos
Congratulations to my Climbing buddies so proud of you have a safe trip home.
Posted by: Wanda Manderson on 2/14/2015 at 7:37 pm
Awesome pictures.
Posted by: Petrina on 3/27/2015 at 10:55 am
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