Entries By dave hahn

As hoped, we woke up a bit more refreshed and recharged at 13,200 ft Dhole.  We were already under puffy clouds as we began walking, but they weren’t very threatening.  Our trail took us further down yesterday’s steep sided valley.  The river far below was positively boiling and churning in its gorge as we passed down into trees (for the first time in nearly a week).  Finally, we had to climb out of the valley we’d been descending.  We gained 1200 feet in a short distance… which we each realized would have been a tough thing at 13,000 ft earlier in our trek.  This time we cruised, acclimated and conditioned to hiking every day.  At the top of our climb, we reached Mong La and sat outside sipping tea to enjoy views of Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Tawoche and Kangtega.  We moved on -with a few more ups and downs, to the beautiful village of Khumjung with its neat yak pens and potato fields.  We enjoyed a leisurely lunch and then walked through the grounds of the Hillary School as we headed for one last mountain  pass to Namche.  It felt easy as anything to come back into the luxury of the 11,300 ft Camp De Base Hotel for an afternoon and evening.  One more big day of walking remains. 

Best Regards,
 RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

We got a lot done today. Things started out crystal clear at 15,600 ft in Gokyo this morning. We started walking at our customary 8:00 am. At first we strolled along one glowing turquoise lake after another, then we got moving down steeper descents along a charging, churning river. It got really big when we reached the terminus of the Ngozumpa Glacier. The steep sided valley got bigger and bigger. We had “new” mountains to look at on all sides. Despite the rugged and confining valley, we’d occasionally come across hidden side valleys with vivid green yak pastures and a few tea houses. We took advantage of one of those houses to simply sit outside and sip tea for a relaxing 45 minutes. Then it was back to work, dropping altitude. We rolled into 13,200 ft Dhole and settled into the welcoming Alpine Lodge after about four hours travel. High altitude was wonderful and exciting…but none of us mind being a little lower. Eating is easier, sleeping is easier…almost everything is easier. The afternoon clouded up--again--and so it wasn’t hard to just take it easy after our big walk. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The team survived sleeping at 15,600 ft   In fact there were still smiles all around and everybody was into going for a hike.  It didn’t hurt that daybreak in Gokyo was beautiful… Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world, was just up the valley and glowing magically.  We headed toward it after breakfast.  We walked for three hours along the massive Ngozumpa Glacier to a place called Fifth Lake (by those of us unable to pronounce the local name).  There, from 16,500 ft, we had a few minutes of unimpeded views of Everest and Lhotse as well as the nearby and spectacular Gyangchungkang.   Then the clouds came in and we headed back toward our comfy digs in Gokyo.  We were back before the snow flurries flew.  The day was made more enjoyable by the fact that we saw a total of two other people in the giant valley we chose to explore.

We’ve got a final night in Gokyo now before we point downhill in the morning.

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Our big day began at about 5:45 AM… which was when the sun started hitting the high peaks.  There was a little more cloud -again- for the start of the day but it didn’t really seem like it would affect us.  We got walking at 7 AM in the cool shadows.  The trail turned uphill immediately and we got busy gaining altitude.  We enjoyed pretty much having it all to ourselves.  We took short breaks every hour or so.  There was great variety to the climb.  We reached an area of high alpine lakes and ultimately a grand stone staircase to the Renjo La -the pass at 17,800 ft.  We reached it at 12:30 after 4.5 hrs.  Everest was visible in the distance but there were lots of clouds about, meaning we just got some quick glimpses of Lhotse and Makalu and Cho Oyu.  It was a thrilling spot to be in and so we spent nearly a half hour enjoying it.  We made good progress down the other side, reaching Gokyo in just two more hours… at three PM.  Gokyo Lake was mesmerizing.  Quite large and quite turquoise in color.  It was wonderful to walk along the shore as a finish to the day.  And then we were in a comfortable tea house, sipping tea again. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Our easiest day, by far. We still got up with the sun and enjoyed our coffee…but then we tapered off.  Actually, we went for a fine stroll after breakfast.  North, toward Tibet and the Nangpa La -the ancient trade route. But we only went 90 minutes in that direction. Just enough to stretch our legs, enhance our acclimatization and count the yaks. The clouds came in early today and so we picked up the pace a bit for the walk back to our tea house. 

As planned, the rest of the day was just kicking back. We snacked, we read, we rehydrated, we knitted and we napped. Tomorrow is a big day, up and over the Renjo La. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Daybreak in Thame was stunning. Since it clouded up yesterday before we came into town, we didn’t get a chance to see our surroundings until today. There was a lot to see, as it turned out. Gigantic rock walls and hanging glaciers and fluted, delicate ridges. We managed to swallow our coffee while watching the light come up and we got walking by 8:00 am as usual. We worked our way up the Bhote Koshi River in a broad but steep sided valley. The walking was pretty easy for the early going but as the hours wore on thing got tougher due to altitude and steadier climbing. We stopped for tea along the way and rested, of course, but it all made for a good workout. Basically five hours of tracking up through rock walled yak pastures. We gained 2000 feet of vertical as the clouds did their usual thing, rolling in at midday. It was a relief to get in to Lungdhen (just over 14,300 ft) before the thick and cool fog took over. We’ll spend two nights here at the Kongde View Lodge for acclimatization.  

Best Regards, 
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

As comfortable as we were in Namche Bazaar, it was time to go higher.  We got our customary 8 AM start climbing up and out of town.  Initially the trail was quite steep, but then it leveled off as we began following the Bhote Koshi River.  We travelled in a thick pine forest with only occasional views of the great peaks surrounding us.  Following the pattern of the past few days, clouds began moving in by mid-morning.  A few hours walking brought us to Thamo, where we stopped for tea.  Another hour got us to a dramatic cable bridge crossing of the violent river. We pulled into 12,500ft Thame, a garden-like village of neat yak pens and potato fields at 1 PM.  It turns out we are lodged in Apa Sherpa’s tea house… and his home (before Utah).  Apa was the Everest record holder for many years, having climbed the mountain 21 times and he is a hero to many of us still.  The clouds closed in after our lunch and made it easy to nap away the afternoon (since staring up at the mountains was no longer an option).  It is a little colder as we gain altitude, but the dining/sitting room is plenty comfortable with a fire. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Technically, today was a rest day…

but we still got up early and went hiking.  It would have been hard not to get out of bed with a stunning sunrise lighting up Kwangde - the giant and jagged peak across the valley to our west.  We hiked up a steep hill (everything out of Namche is steep) to Syangboche and then traversed through yak pastures until we reached a tea house at 12,400 ft for our first views of Ama Dablam and Lhotse.  There were some clouds playing through the area that prevented our seeing Everest.  We sat outside, drank tea, and watched.  At one point we could see Everest’s South Summit, but the true summit never quite cleared for us.  We packed up and headed back down into Namche to rest and browse through the many shops for the afternoon. 

Tomorrow we’ll push a little higher in our move to Thame.

Best Regards

Dave

It was a crystal clear and bright morning in Phakding.  We started walking at 8AM along the charging, frothing, roaring river.  Before long we could see Thamserku towering 10,000 feet above us.  The rock and ice was in stark contrast to the lush farmland we walked through.  A couple of hours in, we reached the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park.  The team ate an early lunch at a tea house in Jorsalle before getting on with the big work of the day -climbing the Namche Hill.  It began with a walk across a very high cable bridge and then we set ourselves to walking slow and steady up switchbacks in a thick pine forest.  Things clouded up -predictably- as the day went on. We gained 2000 feet and finally turned the corner into Namche Bazaar at around 2PM.  We were relieved to pull into Camp De Base. Calling it a tea house doesn’t really do the place justice as it has become a fine hotel by any standard.  We rested and rehydrated for the afternoon and evening, getting used to life at 11,300 ft. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Things went a little smoother today.  Weather in Kathmandu was improved. There were still some clouds but no rain when we got to the airport at 6 AM.  In no time at all we were getting on board the AStar B3 helicopter bound for Lukla.  It was exciting and exhilarating to get up out of the Kathmandu Valley and to see the Himalayan peaks rising in a line to the North.  They were impossibly big and steep and beautiful with the first rays of the sun finding them.  We flew for about 45 minutes and caught a clear -but brief- glimpse of Mount Everest stabbing into the sky before we landed in the shadows down in Lukla. 

Our trek began with a good breakfast.  We set out walking at 9:30 and started downhill.  This part of the valley is all forest and farmland with a big violent river charging through the middle.  There was plenty to see as we followed our Sherpa guides, Dawa, Tenzing and Tsangdu.  Finally we crossed the river a little after noon and pulled into Phakding.  We lunched and then napped away the afternoon at 8600 ft of elevation.  By dinner time the tea house had filled with trekkers recounting their exciting first day on the trail. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn