Entries By casey grom
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
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
Congratulations to our team of climbers on their climb today!
It wasn't easy, in fact far from it.
We started the day with a 10:30 pm wake up call that no one ever enjoys, but everyone made it to breakfast relatively quickly and seemed excited as the weather looked to be in our favor. We then hoped into our 4 wheeled vehicles and drove about 20 minutes to the start of the climb. The weather continued to improve as we made our way to the the start of the glacier where we put on our crampons and roped up for the rest of the climb. The initial part of the glacier was mostly bare ice which made for rather easy climbing and slowly increased in angle and crevasses. Everyone did a great job of taking care of themselves and stayed calm even though the terrain was challenging.
After several hours of climbing we reached the final headwall that looked to be too much, but with perseverance the team surmounted the last steep slope and made our way to the top of Antisana. All in all it took 9 hard hours to reach the summit where we enjoyed the views and took a few photos. The descent was no easy task either having to reverse the climb, but we all made it back safely in a couple of hours.
Everyone is in good spirits and maybe just a little tired ;)
Special thanks to Sally for the wonderful Sahale mixed nuts that were sent along, we enjoyed them!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy albeit tired crew
Luke and rest of team,
Success in Ecuador! Congratulations!
Jim
Posted by: Jim Hill on 2/13/2015 at 1:45 pm
Brad and Brian;
Simply Amazing…Safe journey home!!
Posted by: Bobbi on 2/13/2015 at 6:14 am
Hello everyone,
Tonight we are heading for the summit of Antisana! We arrived this morning to our camp and did a bunch more technical training. The site is like something out of the Lord of the Rings, with tall grasses, roaming horses, and thatch-roof structures all lit by the glaciers of Antisana.
Wish us luck as you head to bed because we will be waking up at that time to go climbing.
We'll let you know how it goes!
RMI Guide Ben Liken and the team
Meredith and Jeff
Congrats to you and your climb team. Wow wow!
Hugs R &. W
Posted by: Ron and Wendy J. on 2/13/2015 at 4:01 pm
Posted by: Ben Liken, Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hello again everyone,
The team is feeling good and well rested especially after a good nights sleep. Our stay in Papallacta was enjoyed by all even though it was short.
We have traveled back into the countryside to very near our next climbing objective Antisana. Originally we had planned on camping tonight, but due to the forecasted thunderstorms we opted to stay at a wonderful hacienda not far from the mountain. After getting so soaked on Cayambe we thought this would help keep us stay dry and set us up for a successful climb. So we spent the afternoon doing a little technical training and reviewing some of the skills we hope to put to use tomorrow on the glacier.
The valley we are staying in is famous for condors and we even managed to see several gliding not far above us. It was amazing to see these beautiful and elusive birds to say the least.
That's all for now.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
To my climbing buddy, Luke, and to rest of team: Even with rain, sounds like great experience and I’m jealous. Good luck with conditions on Antisana! Be safe.
Jim
Posted by: Jim hill on 2/10/2015 at 9:42 pm
Hey gang,
Being on the border of the Amazon Rainforest almost always keeps some clouds floating around Cayambe, but last night it brought more than just clouds. We awoke to a soaking mist that would have drenched the team within minutes of climbing. So we postponed for an hour and a half until there was a minor let up. Then we gathered our gear and started walking up hill in what can best be described as a "dry mist". For 45 minutes we had optimistic smiles as the moon was poking through the clouds and the team was moving strong. But at the first break the rains came and didn't let up. We pushed a bit further to 16,500 feet until the crew was soaked and the decision was clear to head down. To go higher would mean freezing our wet clothes and pushing the limits of a safe climb.
The descent went well and the whole team is now at Papallacta hot springs, happy and healthy. Everyone is turning their sights to more training and our next big climb......Antisana!
Stay tuned
RMI Guide Ben Liken and the Team
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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
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