Entries By christina dale

A huge congratulations to this team for completing the Everest Base Camp Trek and Lobuche climb today.  This has been an amazing and challenging expedition.  We have seen the cutest red cheeked children, the world’s highest mountains, and some good looking chocolate cake slices.  We are fortunate to have embarked on this adventure and learned more about the world, one another, and ourselves. 

As we pulled into Lukla this evening, after many miles and long days, I realized how grateful I am for the positive energy of this team and the Nepali people who supported us along the way. We passed Zopkeos and porters with huge loads on their backs all working to make the trekker’s and climber’s experiences more enjoyable with coca cola, clean towels, and so much more. Sometimes people come to Nepal for the mountains, but the generosity and hospitality of the Nepali people is what everyone remembers.

RMI Guide Christina Dale

We are all getting tattoos of our favorite part of Nepal.  A large hairy yak, a momo, and the summit of Lobuche.  Forever, permanently inked on us.  April fools.

The truth is we had a huge day today and walked all the way from Lobuche to Namche.  44,800 steps said one phone.  A long day.  But now we are all fed and happy here in Namche Bazaar.
Tomorrow we will leave the mountain country and head down to the Dudh Kosi River crossing 11 suspension bridges on our way back to Lukla.

RMI Guide Christina Dale

Congratulations to the strong and determined team for reaching the summit of Lobuche this morning at 11:30am (Nepal Standard Time).  They earned every step to 20,000 feet in the Himalayas!

RMI Guide Christina Dale

We are perched high above the Khumbu Glacier watching the clouds roll by.  The hike to high camp was short but a challenging rocky scramble.  Unfortunately, some of our team had to make the hardest decision in mountaineering and head downhill today.  The health gods are not on our side this climb and a bad cough has hit us.  Making the right decision in the mountains is always the safe decision.  We are so proud as a team to have made it to Everest Basecamp together as one of the many highlights of the trip.  The rest of us have fingers crossed for good weather for our alpine start and climb tomorrow. 

RMI Guide Christina Dale

Hey, this is Christina Dale and team on Lobuche at high camp. We got up here today. Our Sherpas have set up a nice dining tent, a good cook set up and we are eating well. We did some training and we’re hoping to get a little break in the weather and give the climb a go in the morning. Wish us luck.

RMI Guide Christina Dale

Now that we’ve checked the big goal of Everest Basecamp our sights are set on climbing Lobuche.  It is a 20,000-foot peak which towers above the Khumbu valley.  Today we departed basecamp after a great breakfast of bacon and eggs,  a welcome change.  Basecamp accommodations are some of the nicest on the trail with hot showers and amazing food.  As we headed down the trail we were impressed with the number of supplies heading up.  We saw tables, an oven, and a large mattress all being carried on the backs of porters up to support the climbers.  Tomorrow we head to high camp on Lobuche and position ourselves for a summit! Think clear calm skies.

RMI Guide Christina Dale

High winds blew cold snow in our faces the entire three-hour trek to Gorak Shep today.  Buffs up, gortex layers on, and hands balled up in our gloves gave us some protection but it still leads to chapped cheeks and tired climbers.  We met up with the other RMI team, led by the famous Casey Grom, for some tea and jokes along the trail.  They are heading down to the land of hot showers and warm evenings as we head up to Everest Base Camp tomorrow.  Some of our team took the afternoon to rest and relax while others braved the winds and hiked up Kala Patar (18,500 feet). We had beautiful views of Nuptse and the Khumbu Glacier but Everest didn’t want to show its true height to us today.  Hopefully this wind slows and we have an easier trek into basecamp tomorrow.

RMI Guide Christina Dale

We woke up to a light blanket of white covering the yaks, high peaks, and trail.  Walking to Lobuche was peaceful and quiet with no wind and soft steps in snow.  It is nice to trek with one layer on and light gloves.  Chilly when we stop but perfect hiking temperatures.

We passed over Thok La today where there are carins,  rock piles, of memorials for climbers who have passed away in the Himalayas.  It is a peaceful spot with colorful prayer flags blowing in the wind.  Some of the climbers have plaques with poems or quotes reflecting their love for these mountains.  Now we are at Lobuche resting at 16,000 feet and visiting the world’s highest bakery.

The team is finding their stride well. Packing our duffel bags in the morning for the porters to take then helping themselves to our ample supply of French press Starbucks coffee (thanks RMI). Breakfast typically consists of eggs and toast or porridge.  Then we hit the trail and walk with water, layer, and photo breaks mixed in.  Lunch is at a tea house where we order soups, pizzas, or rice dishes.  Then a few more hours to our village for the evening.  It’s nice when the rhythms of the days start becoming easy to people and we fall into a relaxed mode of exploring these valleys. 

RMI Guide Christina Dale

We spent the day hiking up to 16,500 feet above Pheriche to the summit of Nagarjun.  For some of the team it was a personal record every step!  At the summit we had amazing views up valley to Lhotse, Makalu,and Peak 38.  We could also see Imja Lake which is a large body of water held back by an ice dam.  The fear is that one day the ice dam will melt or burst and a wall of water will flood all the downstream villages.  An excavator has been flown in to dig a spillway for the lake so it won’t release all at once.  Unfortunately,  the small excavator doesn’t seem to match the size of the huge ice wall holding the water back.  We hiked up in sunshine and light winds but on our descent clouds blew in and we made it back for hot soup as the snow started.

I had to use my forceful voice to keep this team going slowly as we climbed so no one would overextend themselves during our first visit to high altitude.  What was fun, was watching our strong team cruise downhill with confidence.  Now, with tired legs, we sip tea and prepare for a restful afternoon of naps and books.  What a life!

RMI Guide Christina Dale

We are finally using some of our warmer layers as we pull in to 14,000’ here in Pheriche.  The day went super smoothly with the team feeling strong, eating well, and chatting along the trail.  We made a morning tea stop in Pangboche to visit the oldest Monastery in the valley and see the yeti skull and hand.  We can’t wait to have a live yeti spotting hopefully high on the glaciers of Lobuche Peak.

RMI Guide Christina Dale