Entries By elias de andres martos

Namaste from the village of Phakding! Our days on the trail have started, and we cover the first stage of our acclimatizing trek. After an uneventful flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, gateway to the Himalaya, we ironically walked the trail that makes the first day being downhill. It is definitely special to be back in the Khumbu, and while we've haven't seen yet any major peaks, the change of pace from city to mountain, feels good and helps build up the excitement for the mission we have ahead. Everyone is in great spirits, healthy and psyched about what we're discovering so far! Stay tuned for more tomorrow, and some pictures. The game is on! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Namaste from Kathmandu! RMI's 2018 Kyajo Ri and Ama Dablam Expedition has officially started. Everyone arrived yesterday on time, and we kicked off our trip with a nice dinner in Thamel, the central commercial district of the city. Today we spent the morning sightseeing and the rest of the day organizing and prepping for tomorrow's flight into the Khumbu, to start our trek uphill. Stay tuned for our adventure into the mountains to start! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team

Greetings from Kathmandu! We have officially finished our trip. We flew out of the Himalaya this morning, right on time as the skies above Lukla allowed airplanes to do their thing. Everyone is resting in the hotel now, getting ready for our trips back home. A trip where everyone one finishes together at the start point, with tired muscles but a backpack full of memories, is a successful trip. Now we'll tell the individual stories back home. Thanks for following our progress through this beautiful valley at the foothills of the roof of the earth! Pheri bhetaula! (Until next time, in Nepali) RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos

Good evening from Lukla! Our trek has come to an end. We descended the last two days from Khumjung to Lukla, under the best weather we could have for the long journey back towards our starting point, after closing the loop in Namche. While tired, it felt good to see the many trekkers on this section of the trail shared with the main Everest Base Camp route. Why? Because now we appreciate even more the solitude of the Gokyo Trek. The air became thicker, and the lodges warmer. We celebrated tonight at our tea house in Lukla with a good dinner and our support crew, who really helped us in making our journey not only more pleasant, but actually feasible. We're hoping to fly to Kathmandu tomorrow, weather permitting, and officially close our program. Shuva Rattri from the Himalaya! RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Good evening from Khumjung. We had a great day descending below the 4000m mark. We left Dole under a shy sunshine that soon got completely covered by the clouds and once more, that added to mysticism of the area. Descending in Nepal doesn't mean going down, but losing elevation after computing the ups and downs of the day. So, we climbed Mong La Pass, the windy birth place of Lama Thsen Thsen. For a minute, we could get a glimpse of Ama Dablam in the distance. She showed us its summit behind the foggy skies that forced the sporadic helicopter to fly underneath. We arrived to Khumjung in time for an early lunch. This town is a real Himalayan town, where tourism hasn't changed much in the way of living for the local families. With a population of 800, and the famous Sir Edmund Hilary School and Hospital, or the yak farm, it feels like the most acquainted town yet in the trip. Tomorrow we'll make another push downhill, with our minds starting to hope for good weather, so flights can again make it in-and-out of Lukla. Shuva Rattri. (Good night in Nepali) RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Namaste from Dole - We have started our descent down valley, from our highest point reached yesterday, and our highest night spent in the Himalaya, at Gokyo. By merging into "almost" the main route to Everest Base Camp, we have started to see more people, making us gain a greater sense of accomplishment. The whether has kept us cool, and while the misty afternoon clouds have let us get a glimpse of new summits, like the impressive Cholatse, they have now fully come down upon us, adding a great deal of mysticism to the Buddhist landscape. We'll be reporting from Khumjung tomorrow, as we continue to move downhill. RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos

Good evening from Gokyo. We crossed the apex of our journey, the Renjo La Pass and we made it to the highest village on the way to Cho Oyu, the 6th tallest mountain of the world. We definitely had to put a big fight, since the trail not only climbs to 17,700ft, but it does so on a challenging path, both up and down. Nonetheless, the views from the vantage point, are, in words of the team, "worth the trip". Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu, Gyachung Kang... were only some of the peaks that rewarded our tough climb. We're now headed to bed with full stomachs, eager to see the views from this side of the Khumbu for the remainder of the trip. RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Good evening from Lhungde. The team made it to the last human settlement of the Thame Valley before the Tibetan border. We also broke the 4,000 meter mark, and we're currently sleeping a few feet shy of the elevation of Mt. Rainier. The journey was pleasant and beautiful, as everything was more authentic the higher we went. Yaks substituted the cow hybrid "Chapke", the lodges turned into real Sherpa homes, and the landscape became more rugged. We're the only westerners here right now, and we sure hope that we don't get invaded tomorrow during our rest day. Stay tuned as soon we'll start our hike up Renjo Pass, the high point of our trip RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos

Tashi Delek! We arrived to Thame today, leaving behind the main path to the Everest route, and with it, the herds of other trekkers who seek the one objective mostly everyone is after when hiking around here; Everest Base Camp. Venturing straight towards Tibet is definitely interesting, as the landscape changes a bit, modified by the nature of the main trading route, that unfortunately is now closed by the Chinese. At any rate, we were happy to continue upwards after a day acclimatizing in Namche. We're doing well, enjoying the journey and pushing uphill! RMI Guide Elías deAndres Martos and Team

Hello! We're in Namche Bazaar, neurological centre of the Khumbu Region, and capital-of-trading village where Tibetan and Sherpa met with their nomadic goods to exchange. The journey here is steep, ornamented route that poses some challenges as we start venturing into the thinner air. But we managed it with ease. Today we had the opportunity to spot, for the first time and among the clouds, the silhouette of the 1st and 4th tallest mountains in the world. We're eager to continue to trek further in and higher up to see more! That's it for now. RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos