June 11, 2017
Today was another rest day here at 14,000' Camp. After a long brunch and some wall renovations, our team settled in for a little rest. By the afternoon, some visibility presented itself and our team geared up for a stroll to the "Edge of the World," a vantage point where you can peer nearly 7,000 feet down to the lower Kahiltna Glacier. It is a truly stunning view and a treat to see a little bit of this amazing Range after living in a snow globe for a few days. With any luck this week will offer us a few days of decent weather to venture higher. The team is ready and when it is safe to climb, we will be happy to do so.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
The rain was borderline torrential in Quito last night, but as we got closer to our acclimatization hike, it let up for us. We had a great hike today, topping out on Cerro Fuya Fuya at over 14,000 feet! The team again did a great job climbing up this mountain and making the most of our time up high. Tomorrow we will head to Otovalo and do a little exploration of the market town. Afterwards it's up to the Cayambe hut! So far so good down here.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Mark Tucker checking in from Tanzania we have had another beautiful day out here on Safari. The Ngorongoro Crater is spectacular showing itself off to the team. The Maasai just keep getting richer. We visited one of their bomas today and invested. The checked luggage that we are bringing home is going to be pretty filled up.
We are off the Tarangire National Park tomorrow and one more night at a tented camp out near Kikoti Rock. We will keep you posted on the adventures of the team.
It was a beautiful day of climbing on the West Ridge, nice temps and not a cloud in the sky. We are back at camp soaking our feet in the creek and enjoying a lazy afternoon.
The Mt. Baker - Easton Glacier August 3 - 5 team reached the summit of Mt. Baker today around 10 am. Along with training and preparing for this climb, this team is part of the American Lung Association Climb for Clean Air raising money for the cause. We are excited to report that all team members reached the summit today led by RMI Guides James Bealer, David Price and Abby Westling. They will return to camp on the mountain for a final night. Tomorrow they will walk out to the trail and conclude their program with a small celebration.
Walk a week or fly an hour? A very popular phrase with the bush pilots in Alaska. Here in Nepal, I will take the walk a week option.
If I were going to climb the tallest mountain in North America, "Denali", I would opt for the hour flight into the mountain, which drops you at about 8,000' to begin the ascent to 20,320 ft.
Here in the High Himalaya, with that hour flight they could drop us at Everest Base Camp, it sits around 17,300', you would be in a world of hurt, that is a bit too much of an altitude jump for 99.9% of all humans. So here I sit in a nice Tea house at 13,000', half way through my eight day trek to Base Camp. Kind of a long commute to work, but traffic has not been to bad. Yep another season of life on the Glacier for this Himalayan Veteran.
Excited for RMI 2015 Everest Expedition? I sure am.
No wonder RMI was voted #1 Outfitter,with the return of the finest Guides, for the climb and trek.
The reason I continue these wild adventures is the RMI solid commitment, time and again, to provide the best available resources and infrastructure.
The team is looking forward to sharing this Expedition with you as best we can over the next couple of months.
I wish you could be here. I know the challenges you will face in everyday life may not be as unusual as ours but in there own way just as impressive. Climb your own Everest. Get out when you can!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Special shout out to -
MOM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Love, Mark
Tuckie Wonder: glad to hear that you and the team are safe. Was due to volunteer at CIWEC in Pokhara later this year (we will see if that’s helpful or just another mouth to feed as the weeks unfold). Cheering for the enduring Nepalese spirit from afar for now. Travel safely, old pal. Cheers, Sara
Posted by: Sara Whitner on 5/6/2015 at 9:44 pm
Hi Mark-this is Philip-part of the BBC film crew for Everest ER in 2006/2007-has been way too long. My thoughts are with you all in Nepal and am glad to hear that you are safe. I also heard Dave is good too and I hope all your team. Thank goodness. We are all devastated with the crisis that has hit Nepal and will do what we can to help in some way. I just wanted to catch up with you again and wish you well and safe journey home. keep in touch and hopefully one day we can grab a beer or two together or go climb a mountain or something. All the best Philip
Posted by: Philip North-Coombes on 4/30/2015 at 1:41 am
We hit the trail early this morning, contouring along the hillsides of the gradually narrowing valley, occasionally crossing back and forth above the Dudh Kosi River on long suspension bridges. After a couple of hours of walking we hit the entrance to Sagamartha National Park, the park that encompasses the upper region of the Khumbu Valley, including Mt. Everest.
After pausing for tea and snacks, we tackled the big climb of the day - the 2,500' ascent up mountain side to reach the village of Namche Bazaar. The ascent is a series of switchbacks and long traverses through pine forest. Being south facing it is typically very hot and dusty but by the time we reached the climb, clouds were forming and kept the temperatures very comfortable. Everyone hiked well, making good time up the trail and by mid afternoon we rounded the corner and walked into Namche Bazaar.
Situated at 11,300' in a shallow drainage perched on the hillside, Namche is the center of trade and commerce for the upper portion of the Khumbu Valley. It's location at the convergence of several trade routes - some all the way to Tibet - and the fresh water springs in its heart made it a meeting grounds many centuries ago and it remains the largest town in the region today. The entire town is built in a series of horseshoe shaped terraces up the hillside. At over 11,000', it is easy to feel the altitude when just walking around. We walked through Namche's narrow streets to our teahouse and arrived just as the clouds began letting occasional snowflakes fall from the sky.
We are heading out on a day hike tomorrow to several villages nearby before returning for Namche for the evening. The group is in great spirits and more than eager to check out the offerings of Namche's many shops tomorrow afternoon when we return.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
I am with you guys every step in spirit. So exciting. I am planning to do this trek and climb in 2013. I did the Annapurna BC trek in 2011 and I did the fly-by of the Khumbu area. I love reading your dispatches. Trek-On!
Posted by: Dan on 3/18/2012 at 3:43 pm
Stay strong ladies! Glad to hear that everyone is healthy and doing well. Savor the experience!
We ended our pre-climb road trip today, cruising back to Punta Arenas from Puerto Natales. Things haven't progressed a great deal on the logistical front. We were invited around to a social gathering at the offices of ALE, where we met and mingled with the other passengers on our hoped-for flight. In addition to the climbing teams, there were several groups intent on going overland to the South Pole by various means. We were hosted by the friendly staff and directors of Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions. One of the directors, Mike Sharp, gave a brief talk and slideshow as to the weather outlook and the chances for flying in the next few days. There are possibilities.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Our Mt. Rainier Summit Climb led by Billy Nugent and Solveig Waterfall reached the crater rim at 6:59 a.m. this morning. The teams reported clear and windy skies and very cold temperatures. Billy and Solveig radioed at 8:15 a.m. that both teams started their descent back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
Hey Dave Hahn calling from Mount Everest. We're at Base Camp. Our Sherpa team, Lam Babu and the guys are rested at Camp 2 today. They hope that they are going to put in a carry of gear and supplies up the South Col tomorrow. Early tomorrow they will try to reach 8,000 meters. The climbing team, we're still taking it easy at Base Camp trying to keep our activity level up hiking, and visiting with friends and playing games. The weather forecast is still for a little bit higher winds to come in the next couple of days. There is not any effort at the moment between the climbing teams, the various climbing teams around us, to prioritize between going to the summit. That will come after those winds spike up and then we hope those higher winds leave the mountain and give us some better conditions. So it will probably all going to be happening after the middle of the month. A little bit of waiting time at Base Camp but not bad for us. Bye for now.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
I swear that is the rare specie of Ecuadorian houli in the red jacket.
Posted by: John Loschky on 2/12/2013 at 8:02 pm
Hurray! Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Caroline on 2/12/2013 at 4:39 pm
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