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"Tashi Dele" from Namche Bazaar! What a lucky team we are! Scheduled to fly yesterday into Lukla, the morning greeted us in Kathmandu with cloudy skies, grounding the little aircrafts that are meant to bring climbers and trekkers alike to the Khumbu. After a long hour of uncertainty, (and with the news that Lukla was also shutting down,) we relied on our trustworthy outfitter personnel at the airport; Sagar and Shangkar pulled some magic and about an hour and a half later, we were boarding... a helicopter! This safer vehicle under such conditions, provided us with awesome views of Everest and Nuptse as we approached Lukla above the clouds and we continued to give high fives in disbelief of what we were experiencing. Soon after we met our Sherpa Nawang and porters at Lukla, we headed for Phakding, where we'd spend our first night at a Sherpa lodge. Continuing today with astonishing views along the lower valleys, we proceeded towards Namche, from where we are writing now as we enjoy a cup of milk tea. The biggest excitement of the day was provided by the many hanging bridges, the last of which is a new addition to the trail since last season and sits some 300 feett above the river! As the mystique of the Buddhist populated land embraced us, we enjoyed the great hiking trails ornamented with centennial Mani stones and prayer flags. Upon arrival, we enjoyed a hardy dinner at "Camp de Base Lodge" and we're now ready for a well earned rest. Tomorrow we'll meander in Namche optimizing our acclimating process with hopes of taking some sunrise pictures over Ama Dablam, weather permitting. Best regards from Nepal, RMI Guide Elías de Andrés Martos

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Despite being a rest day, today has flown by for the group. We were able to sleep in a bit, but most were woken at 7:30 to the park helicopter hovering low over camp, picking up barrels in a sling to be flown off the mountain. We took a leisurely breakfast of burritos with fresh veggies, bacon, cheese, and eggs, and then headed to the medical building for our obligatory check-up. Everyone passed with flying colors. Then it was time for gear sorting for our carry to Camp 1 tomorrow. This often takes longer than expected as everyone hemmed and hawed over how much lunch food and other items to bring up. To this point, we have been spoiled with the mules carrying most of our kit. From here up though, anything we bring up, we will carry down. Sorting finished, everyone took a siesta, eating lunch, taking naps, playing cards, and reciting Chuck Norris jokes. Despite a forecast of clear weather for the foreseeable future, the clouds built this afternoon, and as we sit, it is snowing gently at Basecamp. We'll have more news tomorrow when we are back from our carry. Ciao. RMI Guides Mike King, Pete Van Deventer, Leon Davis, and the team

It was a little tough waking up at 1 AM, since we hadn't been able to get to bed terribly early, but coffee and bagels got us going. Just as we'd hoped, it had been a clear night and the glacial surface had frozen up good and hard. Conditions were ideal for tackling the lower glacier. This section can be problematic since it is normally heavily crevassed in late season, but we found that the recent snowfall and overnight freeze had combined to bridge things nicely. We set out around 4:30 AM and made steady progress, first dropping a few hundred feet to reach the main glacier and then turning North while working up small hills and inclines. The packs were heavy and despite the fact that the fully loaded sleds were sliding easily along, we were all pretty thankful for the short rest breaks each hour. It was good hard work, but we didn't have much in the way of glitches or problems. The last two hours of our push were conducted in bright sunshine with a great view of Denali's south face. The West Buttress stood out clearly in relief. We pulled into our intended camp at 7,800 ft at about 9:15 AM and got to work. In no time, we had tents, a kitchen, a dining area, a latrine and the start of several significant naps. It was a day for power lounging and for catching up on hydration. We rallied for a group dinner since Solveig Waterfall was serving up excellent burritos, but then the naps resumed. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Wow, after a couple hectic days in Talkeetna our crew finally completed packing all of the food, fuel, and assorted junk (but still expensive junk) that we'd need for our Denali expedition. We were greeted with fair skies and calm winds for our flight out to basecamp where after a hot meal we've settled in for the night. The crew is certainly eager and excited for the challenge and the hard work that lies ahead but is undoubtedly feeling slightly apprehensive. It's hard to imagine that one wouldn't be surrounded by such massive mountains on all sides. The weather tomorrow is calling for another sunny day and we plan to take full advantage by pushing a single carry out to the base of Ski Hill. More news to come as the situation develops... RMI Guides Billy Nugent, Gilbert Chase, Geoff Schellens, and the rest of the gang.

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The Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Caleb Ladue were forced to turn around today above the top of Disappointment Cleaver due to route conditions. The teams will descend from Camp Muir and return to Paradise this morning.

Happy Independence Day! The Four Day Summit Climb July 1 - 4 teams reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today led by RMI Guide Billy Nugent. The teams enjoyed clear weather, light breeze and nice temperatures while they were on top this morning. They began their descent from the crater rim shortly after 7 am. The teams will return to Camp Muir to repack and then continue their descent to Paradise. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz led by Seth Waterfall also reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. After spending some time on top they began their descent to high camp where they will spend a final night on the mountain. Congratulations to today's summit climb teams!

Plenty of snow came down overnight and throughout the day. The team did a great job getting out in the night to dig out tents, despite the mean winds that made the morning a bit rough. By about 10 AM though, winds were lessening and we were able to have a group breakfast in the rebuilt POSH tent. Walking even a few steps out of camp, one was generally up to mid-thigh in the new snow... meaning we didn't walk out of camp much. We let it snow. We rested. We read. We chatted. We passed time and then we ate dinner. The eight o'clock weather forecast was eagerly anticipated and it actually gave some reason for optimism this time. We were told that the snows would fade this evening and that tomorrow (Monday) wouldn't be half bad. And that is good. We need a day that includes a bit of sun to settle the avalanche hazard surrounding us. As we came out from dinner and prepared camp for another night of storm, we were pleased to get a break. The sun appeared (briefly) and we were able to see the entire West Buttress and South Peak and even a splash of blue sky overhead. Perhaps it was the new snow covering everything or maybe it was because we hadn't had much scenery at all to look at lately, but we found the view to be breathtaking and brilliant. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

This is Linden checking in from the Basecamp of Island Peak. We are camped out at the base and had a nice walk in this morning with clear skies. Rolled into Basecamp about mid-afternoon and got settled right in as the weather blew in. Huffed and puffed for a couple of hours and now it’s clearing up. We actually have some clouds lower down in the valley that are snowing and the wind is bringing the snow up. It’s snowing right now but there are stars above us. Optimistic that it will clear out by morning. The team is doing well, definitely excited to be transitioning into the climb portion of the trek. Tomorrow we move to high camp and keeping our fingers crossed that the weather is going to hold so we can make a push for the summit the following day. We will check in tomorrow and let you know how everything goes. Take care. RMI Guide Linden Mallory

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I thought that some of our followers at home might enjoy an insider’s view of daily camp life. So, here it is:

The evening began with a six p.m. dinner of pasta lightly tossed in olive oil with sautéed bell peppers and onions and topped with grated Parmesan cheese. You could smell the delicious aroma circling the camp. After crawling into our tents, some of us watched videos, others read books, while Pops wrote poetry. Although we were tired and the weather was good for sleeping, we are each faced with a nightly dilemma - waking up with an urge to use a bathroom (which doesn’t exist above base camp).

The thoughts running through your head include: do I really need to get out of the warm comfort of my sleeping bag? Can’t I just go back to sleep and go later? It’s too cold outside! Will I disturb my tent mate? It takes too much energy. Where’s my toilet paper? Is my pee bottle already full?

These thoughts are on an endless repeat in your head until you finally give in and stumble out of the tent to take care of business.

With a sense of relief, you crawl back into your tent and kick yourself for wasting a half hour of sleep and not just getting up at the first urge. But the night continues with lots of twisting and turning as we try to find that perfect position until our arm or leg falls asleep - necessitating another turn. We still manage to get enough rest to climb upwards and onward.

Speaking of business - choosing a place to poop.

At camp, we do have a designated poop tent; however, there are many things to consider. We are each issued a big plastic bag which we can use in the poop tent by putting it into a big plastic bucket or finding a private spot and squatting. The upside to the tent is having a seat and the privacy of a tent. The downside is trying to separate pee from poop.

The other option is walking away from camp and squatting over the bag. The downsides are missing the bag, your private spot isn’t so private, and the huffing and puffing that occurs during the search. The upsides are the beauty of nature, no smelly hot tent, and easier to separate the pee from the poo. That’s probably TMI but this is part of camp life.

 

This morning we were gently awoken by Dom’s door to door tent service with hot drinks. It was the coldest night so far and none of us were particularly interested in leaving the warm sanctuary of our sleeping bags. Making the tent service much appreciated.

As the sun rose, our tents began to warm and we mustered the courage to emerge and begin our day of relaxing, recovering, and acclimatizing. The day started with another amazing breakfast of hash browns scrambled with bacon, peppers, and onions. Cooking this type of breakfast is no easy feat with limited pans, scarce utensils, and camp stoves that burn like jet engines.

We ate seated on rocks arranged in a circle while wearing gloves, hats, parkas, and puffy pants, as the morning remained cold. One moment, we are putting on layers and the next, we are taking them off. It’s a constant rotation of clothing. Conversations around the circle included what it’s like to be a cowboy, crazy outhouse stories, and how delicious rocky mountain oysters can be when fried over a campfire.

During the day, we take short walks around camp, eat more food so we don’t have to carry it, nap during the heat of the day, listen to music, read books, enjoy a variety of conversations, and play cutthroat card games. This recharges our batteries as we prepare for a carry to our last camp at 19,600’ tomorrow.

 

Mary Beth Kempner, aka “the editor”

PS Don’t worry Floyd, I’ve only temporarily taken over your job as editor. You are the editor of my life!

PSS Angela - thanks for your encouragement.

PSSS Shout out to Hudson for taking on the role of editor tonight

Hello! I finally get another chance to get a word or two in. Today was a rest day and we tried to do just that. . . rest as much as we could. We did a short hike in the morning that took us to the ridge line above us. There we could see three of the 8,000 meter peaks: Makalu, Cho Oyo, and Lotse. We also saw our first glimpse of Island Peak. It looks very steep, high, and cold. Our hike took us to 14,500ft, which is higher than any peak in the continental United States. So, it was an exciting moment for us. Later in the day we attended an information session presented by the Himalayan rescue association on the effects of altitude on the body. Besides learning about AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema) and HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema), we learned about HAFE (High Altitude Flatulence Expulsion). The latter one is very real to us as John has been suffering from it for days. Actually, I have been doing the suffering since I have been walking behind him on the trail. John claims the food is to blame for his HAFE. So, I will share a bit about our eating experiences thus far. The tea-houses offer a similar menu for the most part. For lunch or dinner, the typical choices are some sort of rice (fried, steamed, or curry), some sort of noodles ( fried or with a tomato sauce), some sort of potatoes (boiled or fried), soup, or dal baht. Dal baht is a Nepalese meal of rice and a sort of lentil soup that is poured over the rice. It appears that the Sherpas traveling with us eat dal baht at every meal. Occasionally, the tea-house will have chicken. When that is the case, we order a special treat called chicken chile. It is a spicy chicken dish that is delicious. All of the food is very good, but the menu lacks diversity. The dessert is especially interesting and I have come to like it very much. They offer Snickers or Mars pie, which is just a deep fried Snickers or Mars (Milky Way) candy bar. Sometimes they also have a deep-fried Bounty (Mounds), which is my favorite. Mmmm, delicious. --Kim P.S. A big shout-out to Mrs. Hartman's 3-5 classroom.

On The Map