Entries By dave hahn

Sure enough, our last night in Lukla was memorable.  Our guides and porters gave us a wonderful sendoff.  And today dawned crystal clear for the first time in perhaps a week.  Great weather for flying. It took most of the morning to get three helicopter loads of people and gear from the mountains to the big city but we did it.  Thankfully it was all smooth and uneventful… just great views of a million terraces and mountains and waterfalls and eventually roads and buildings and city streets.  In no time we were back to comfy hotel rooms with plenty of hot water for showers.  The team did one more hike… over to Thamel -the tourist sector- for a final dinner celebration.  The urban walking was at least as challenging as the rugged trails we took along the Dhud Khosi.  The team earned a victory dinner, for sure. 
Still a few travel days and many thousand miles before individuals are home, but we have come to the end of the program and the scattering of an excellent team. Thank you for following.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

It rained good and hard in Phakding last night and when we hit the trail this morning it was still mighty cloudy. We could just barely catch glimpses of new snow coating the hills above.  Our walk wasn’t too difficult, just a few good hills to scale -which gave our seasoned crew no trouble whatsoever.  The challenge was again dodging trains of loaded mules charging up valley with supplies for the tea houses. 
We did put on raincoats and pack covers at one point but the rain didn’t really set in until we’d reached our comfortable tea house in Lukla.  Our hope is that the weather will clear enough for our flights back to Kathmandu tomorrow.  In any case we are having dinner with our local guides Tenzing, Dawa, Kala, Jangbu and Surya along with our nine porters. We hope to thank them properly for getting us safely up and down in the big mountains while smiling all the way. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Today was cloudy, even drizzly and raining at times, but not altogether unpleasant.  We came down the big hill out of Namche and crossed the ultra high swinging bridge.  Back down to the crazy Dhud Khosi frothing and splashing and turning 90 degrees every fifty feet.  Before too long we exited the National Park and had some tea in Monjo.  A few more hours of walking, a half dozen more swinging bridges and dodging about a hundred load-bearing mule teams and we were back in Phakding.  We’re enjoying the low life down here at 8600 ft. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The “low” altitude in Khumjung meant a good night’s sleep for our team.  Marissa and Harrison had a quick breakfast before beginning their big commute back to work in Pennsylvania. A helicopter plopped down in a neighboring potato field to whisk them away -just as had been planned weeks beforehand.  This was despite an extra helping of cloud and fog working into the valley. 
For the remainder of the team, it was an easy day of walking up through quiet Khunde and then over the pass toward Namche.  The clouds and trees combined to make it feel like a stroll in a garden.  We came down then into the bustling Sherpa capital and made our way to Camp de Base, our Namche headquarters.  The team took it easy for the afternoon, sampling cafe faire, getting hair done, shopping and hanging in an Irish bar.  Some read and rested and played bananagrams. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

It was our third night up high in Lungdhen -the team was thriving.  Even so, it was time to get lower again.  We left in clean, clear, cool air this morning. The walking was pretty easy and we seemed to be making good time.  We were back to Thame by midday but we’d set our sights on Thamo -across the river- for our lunch stop.  We were again impressed by the crazy turbulence of the river squeezed between rock walls under our big swinging cable bridge. By the time we sat for lunch, the clouds and mist were taking over but we still sat comfortably outside.  After lunch we took a left turn for Khumjung, climbing a big hill full of rock stairs in the mist.  At about the top of the hill, 30 min from our intended tea house, we had to put on the rain gear for the first time of the trip.  We rolled in around 5 PM to comfort, a yak dung fire, and dry clean rooms.  We’d put in nearly nine hours on the trail and ended up at 12,600 ft when it was all said and done.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

It was an alpine start for our team today.  We set out walking by headlight in the cool 5AM mountain air.  The goal was to reach the 16,000 ft lakes below the Renjo La.  Short of being able to go through the pass, we wanted to at least see the high ground.  And we did.  Some steady climbing brought us up into the snow just as sunrise came on.  We found a set of mysterious tracks in the snow.  Possibly leopard, possibly dog.  Ultimately we sat in the sun at 16k, eating snacks, drinking water and mugging for pictures.  We put on our yak track boot chains and descended carefully down the slippery path back toward our adopted home in Lungdhen, reaching it around 11:30 in a still sunny morning. 
We had a great lunch and dried our boots outside until the clouds came over.  Some went for an afternoon snooze, some were treated to an impromptu concert in the dining room as Harrison sang and played guitar.  The afternoon card games got going at about the same time that the yak dung fire got lit in the iron stove in the center of the room. 
This will be our last night up high, we’ll start our gradual descent tomorrow. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

This was to be a rest day at Lungdhen.  And mostly it was.  Most of the team walked a few miles north toward the Nangpa La  -the pass into Tibet.  They reported no people but a number of good yaks.  A couple of us went up to scout out the Renjo La -the 17,600 ft pass separating us from Gokyo -our intended next village.  We found too much snow left over from the recent cyclone.  We were able to get to the pass on our reconnaissance but it just wouldn’t be suitable for a bigger group with porters carrying loads.  We’ll come up with an alternate itinerary on this side of the pass.  Plenty still to see.  The day turned cloudy fairly early on today, we hope that is just a blip and not another system moving in.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

All agreed that it was a beautiful day to be walking in the Himalaya.  As expected, it was a little cooler waking up in Thame but the sun came around and made everything cheerful and warm.  We walked north toward Tibet for about six hours along a charging, churning, frothing glacial river.  We finally got high enough to see real live yaks and marveled at the labor that had gone into their stone corals and pens.  It was a day spent above tree line and the morning sun was intense.  That gave way to dramatic clouds by afternoon.  They only seemed to exaggerate the height and steepness of the peaks towering on all sides.  Our own path today was just a steady and gradual gain to 14,300 ft.  Relatively easy walking compared to yesterday’s ups and downs.  The snowline from the recent cyclone that hit Nepal is just a few hundred feet above us now. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Another day, another high, beautiful valley.  We came up from Namche to Thame, passing about 500 waterfalls and getting first views of another dozen 22,000 foot mountains. 
It was a pleasure to walk out of Namche in the opposite direction of most tourists and trekkers. We’ve been alongside wonderful people, but today it was just great to be by ourselves on the path less traveled.  We got our last chance (for a while at least) to walk in the shade of trees as we passed through lush pine forests.  We crossed another high cable bridge over the angriest of rivers just before reaching Thame.  It took about five hours, with a nice stop for tea, but then we rolled in to Paradise -our tea house at 12,600 ft.  The walls of this valley are the kind that hurt your neck to look at… but they are pretty good for the soul. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

We called it a rest day, but there wasn’t much rest. It was the perfect morning for acclimatizing though, and so we hiked to the top of town for a grand view of Mt Everest and Lhotse and Ama Dablam, to say nothing of Tawoche and Thamserku and Kwangde.  We went a bit higher to around 12,600 ft for tea in a relaxing yard in the strong sunshine.  Then it was down to Namche to rest.  But still nobody actually rested.  It was too much fun strolling the “streets” of Namche and shopping. 

Tomorrow it is back to work, we’ll be moving on.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn