This morning we awoke to 6 to 8 inches of light fresh powder. We didn't allow this to stop our momentum. With calm winds and overcast skies we decided on a carry for today. We cached a portion of our gear at 10,000 feet with the intention of lightening our load when we move to 11,000 feet.
We are now back at our camp at 7,800 feet hiding from the sun, rehydrating and relaxing. For the past two days we have seen many climbing teams from all over the world. This trip of a lifetime is well underway and the team is climbing strong. As the winds pick up here at Camp 1, we are headed out to tighten up our camp and build some wind walls. Cheers for the team.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
Our Five Day Climb June 16 - 20 led by RMI Guides Walter Hailes and Taylor Bickford reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The team delayed their departure from Camp Muir due to a few inches of new snow and cold temperatures overnight. Once they reached Ingraham Flats, 11,200', on their ascent they were enjoying sunshine and no winds. The cloud deck was below them as they continued their ascent. The teams reached the summit and will return to Camp Muir for their second and final night on the mountain. Tomorrow, they will descend to Paradise and return to Rainier BaseCamp.
thanks for the update!!! Glad to hear you made it and were wise to wait for a few extra degrees on the thermometer:) Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
His,
Eileen & Dave Conklin
There was still a big cloud cap on Denali this morning, but at 6AM the winds didn’t seem too bad. There were clouds in every other direction as well, but we were mostly looking up at the West Buttress as we ate breakfast and pondered a carry. It seemed worth a shot. We pulled the trigger and left camp just after 8 AM. It was colder this morning than it had been… not extremely cold, but colder than we’ve yet experienced on the trip. Our tracks -and anyone else’s- from yesterday were gone, so we had the added challenge of trail breaking in a few inches of new snow. Even so, we made steady progress upward. But the cloud cap made steady progress downward, so we were bound to come together. We were in murk and light but cold winds by the base of the fixed ropes. Which all made for a cold intro to climbing the steep, icy rope section. Thankfully, the winds were blowing from behind us and so we stepped into much needed calm at our destination, which was just perfectly in the lee and sheltered by the crest of the West Buttress. It was wonderful to hit our 16,200 ft target, but the clouds hid the grand views. We quickly cached supplies and geared up for a descent facing into the cool wind. A careful descent got us to 14,200 ft camp just as the sun came out there at 2:30 PM. The afternoon and evening were calm and easy with occasional snow showers. The storm is definitely easing, but of course they are predicting that another will follow. We’ll rest tomorrow in any case.
The Kilimanjaro Family Climb began the ascent today, climbing through the rainforest on Kilimanjaro's lower slopes to reach Machame Camp at 9,800'. Check out their video dispatch below.
RMI Guides Peter Whittaker & Seth Waterfall
Best Wishes on a SAFE and super climb! You will never forget this adventure & it brings back wonderful memories of January 2007, when my son & I made the climb. Soak up the sights, smells and sounds!!!
Today our team enjoyed a city tour of Moscow with our Guide Nina. She was a wealth of knowledge and we all learned a great deal. We visited of course Red Square, St. Basil's Cathedral and fortunately the subway of Moscow. At first I was a little skeptical. Mainly because I was expecting something like NYC and some dude in a snakeskin jacket and a funny hat saying, "that ain't a knife...this is a knife". However a nice jaunt underground displayed some spectacular artwork fit for a King and Queen. What a way to start a Mt. Elbrus adventure!
Thanks Nina!!
RMI Guide J.J. Justman
Hello from Everest Basecamp,
We arrived here at Base Camp on Wednesday (April 6th) at lunchtime to a camp that had been fully constructed on top of a glacial moraine. The staff of 10 Sherpas and porters had been working weeks to carve flat sites for sleeping tents, a dining tent, a communication tent, a storage tent, a cooking tent, two bathroom tents, and a shower tent for our group (we got to shower yesterday!). It was a ton of work, but the camp is awesome, and it is located in the best spot in all of Everest Base Camp. We have so many comforts of home, including solar lights on the walkways between tents (very cool), 40+ movies, solar chargers for every kind of gadget, a propane heater for the dining tent, etc. Each of us has our own sleeping tent, which provides much comfort and quiet (especially for Sara!).
Everest Base Camp sits on a glacier that is surrounded by the tallest mountains in the world. In a word, the place is incredible. Within a mile of where we are camped is Tibet (China), whose border is at the peak of a series of mountains to the north of us. In every direction is a massive peak, glacier packed, that is picturesque in beauty. I highly recommend a trek to Everest Base Camp to everyone. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It is also very clean. The camp has had a large clean up effort in recent years (and it shows), and all expeditions are now required to carry every last piece of garbage out with them.
Dave Hahn (and RMI) put together a schedule that got our group from Kathmandu to Everest Base Camp in 10 days. This could have been done much faster (as fast as 5 or 6 days), but our goal for this expedition is not Base Camp. Our strategy (thus far) has been to go slow so that we remain healthy, and without the symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS). Since we arrived a couple of days ago, we have been resting, slowly acclimatizing our bodies to this altitude without headaches, coughs, queasiness, or other symptoms of AMS. So far, we all feel strong. What we wanted to avoid was having to descend to a lower altitude to deal with these issues. Going forward, we will be "climbing high and sleeping low" as well as working on our mountaineering skills. First and foremost will be working on the skills needed to climb the Khumbu Icefall, and we will go slowly so that we are fully acclimatized, and our skills are such that we can move rapidly through the icefall. I feel that we are in great hands.
Climbing with Dave Hahn is like playing basketball with Michael Jordan. As we walked up the valley Dave would be recognized by dozens and dozens of people. He patiently posed for countless photographs, and spent time with almost everyone who walked up to him. Some folks just shouted out "You Da Man!" to Dave as he walked by. One Sherpa guiding a climber down from Base Camp was shouting and fist pumping at Dave as he walked by (very funny). Yet, despite all this, Dave remains so very humble and takes so much time to patiently explain things to Sara and me. We have lots and lots of questions about gear and our climb, and he always breaks everything down into simple steps that are well thought out. The guy is incredible, and given that it is his 20th expedition to Everest and all of his many accomplishments and rescues, he is a legend (we have, however, instituted a $1 fine for Dave for everyone he knows - so far its up to $56).
Before coming over here to Nepal last year I really didn't give much thought to what a Sherpa does. I always just assumed that they were people who carried huge loads up the mountain. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Sherpa are a group of people that come from the mountainous region of Tibet, and because of this, are incredible high altitude athletes. But they also take great pride in their training. Our climbing Sherpa are trained in all sorts of high altitude skills, including medical care. Porters, on the other hand, don't go up the mountain, they carry many loads up to base camp and perform other duties in the camp. All of our climbing Sherpa on this trip have reached the summit of Everest, all multiple times. Truly amazing athletes and people, and never without smiles on their faces.
While Kathmandu is approximately 75% Hindu and 25% Buddhist, the high mountain region of Nepal is almost entirely Buddhist (a good portion of the porters come from other areas of Nepal, and are not Buddhist, but virtually all the Sherpa are Buddhist). Religion is extremely important to the people here, and every town and important location has Stupas, prayer flags, or carvings in stones that represent the importance of their religion in everything they do. No Sherpa will go on to any high mountain (including Everest) until a Puja ceremony is performed. Our Puja ceremony is slated to take place tomorrow, and our Sherpa have spent many hours building a site for this ceremony out of stones in our camp. Sara M. will report on this ceremony in our next update.
Historically, communication from Everest Base Camp has been though satellite phones. This year it was announced that 3G service would be available at Base Camp. But, this is not really the case, and our communication is not quite up to standards that we are used to. Because the cellular tower is solar powered, cell phone service works at Base Camp from the hours of about 9 am to 4 pm Nepal time, not the best time to call home to the United States. We have found that checking and sending emails still is problematic, and the most reliable way is still though (the very expensive) satellite phone.
So, that's it from Everest Base Camp. We spend our rest days trying to nap, playing cards, doing puzzles, and playing Yahtzee and Apples to Apples. Sara and I have a fighting chance against Dave and Jeff Martin in Yahtzee and Apples to Apples, but Dave is rumored to be a world class Scrabble and Chess player, so we are pretending that we don't like those games for now (the RMI game box is stocked with about a dozen games, so I think we can avoid Scrabble and Chess for at least a few weeks). Last night Sara introduced Dave to all sorts of music that he had never heard before, such as Miley Cyrus, the Jonus Brothers, and even Linkin Park and B.O.B. It was quite a learning experience for Dave and Jeff.
In the next few days Mark Tucker and Linden Mallory will be arriving at Base Camp, and we will be losing Jeff who will head home. We are excited to see Linden and Mark, but we will be sad to see Jeff leave.
Thank you again for following our blog.
Bill M.
I am following along and thinking about you guys every day! I love the map as well as the blogs! Know that many, many prayers are sent up on your behalf every day. What an amazing journey!!!
Posted by: Jan on 4/11/2011 at 10:40 am
Dear Bill and Sara, Can you please be a little more specific about exactly what the heck you all are eating up there? We would like details please. Any candy? All climbing food that you add water too? Do you have headaches? Sunburn? Are you drinking enough water? Have FUN! Love, archiegarylillisophieella
Posted by: Archie and all on 4/10/2011 at 12:15 pm
The other guests in the teahouse joined us in singing Mark a Happy Birthday last night when Ang Nuru brought out the chocolate cake. Blowing out the candles, Mark served us all delicious slices of cake, a nice treat before we turned in for the evening.
This morning again broke calm and clear, the shadows keeping the temperatures brisk until the sun climbed high enough to peek over the mountains surrounding mountains and reach the valley floor. Leaving Pheriche, we climbed up the gentle valley bottom, passing dozens of yaks grazing among the stunted bushes. Several yak trains came streaming down the trail, the yaks unburdened by their loads left at Base Camp and eager to descend to the better pastures around Pheriche.
By late morning we finished the climb up to Thukla Pass where the trail climbs from the valley floor up the terminal morraine of the Khumbu Glacier - the giant pile of debris several thousand feet tall that was pushed forward by the Khumbu Glacier as it descended from the higher peaks above. The pass, not a true saddle but a shoulder we pass over that gives access to the shallow valley that runs along the side of the glacier, is also where dozens and dozens of chortens and memorials have been erected over the years for climbers, Sherpa and Western alike, who have lost their lives in the peaks above. Standing among the chortens and streaming prayer flags while gazing out at the surrounding peaks above is a sobering yet spectacular sight and we all took a moment to ourselves to sit there and appreciate it.
Continuing on from Thokla Pass we ascended a shallow valley that sits between the mountains to the west and the lateral morraine of the Khumbu Glacier - the debris pushed along by the sides of the Glacier. We reached our teahouse in Lobuche by early afternoon and withdrew from the chilly breeze and harsh sun of these altitudes, sitting in the dining room and gazing out at the peaks across the valley. Lobuche is quite rustic compared to the villages below, formerly a summer grazing area for yaks and now also home to a few teahouses for trekkers and climbers. At over 16,000' it is also very high and we spent the afternoon relaxing in the teahouse, sipping tea, reading, and giving our bodies time to adjust to the new elevations.
The team continues to do well, we are all having a great time and excited to be so close to Everest Base Camp. Tomorrow we will move to Gorak Shep, the final village before BC and if the weather is good make an afternoon climb to Kala Patar, an overlook at over 18,000' that give us views over BC and to Everest.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Yesterday's afternoon clouds cleared overnight and it was a warm, beautiful morning here in the Khumbu. Leaving our teahouse in Phakding we wound our way up the valley, traversing above the raging Dudh Kosi on steep hillsides that descend thousands of feet from the peaks above. Wherever the terrain offers a break small terraces have been carved into the hillsides and with spring arriving here in the lower Khumbu the fields of wheat and vegetables are starting to sprout while along the trail the cherry, magnolia, and rhododendron trees are in full bloom. We walked through the fields and villages, crossing back and forth from one side of the valley to the other on swaying suspension bridges that stretch above the milky blue water below, and soaking in the spring bloom along the way.
By midday we officially entered into Sagarmatha National Park, the park that bears Everest's Nepali name. Just past the Park entrance the trail emerges from the villages and green fields of the lower Khumbu and begins to climb to Namche Bazaar. A strong breeze was blowing up the valley when we crossed the suspension bridge at the base of the climb and the hundreds of prayer flags and white kata scarves stretched along it flapped in the wind, distracting us from the void in between the slats at our feet that stretched between us and the river hundreds of feet below.
The hill up to Namche is the first big climb of the trip, gaining over 2,000' from the valley floor to where Namche sits. In a series of switchbacks and long traverses we made our way upwards, staying well clear of the trains of dzopkyos - yak/cow hybrids favored at these lower elevations - that came barreling down the hill without much concern for those in their path. It was a healthy climb but felt good to put our heads down and climb for a bit.
Despite the spring temperatures lower in the valley a glance around the mountains above revealed fresh snow and as we arrived into Namche light flurries of snow blew in, at times blowing uphill as the flakes were buffeted by the swirling winds at the confluence of the two valleys. With tired legs we retreated to the teahouse, content to watch the low hanging clouds play amongst the peaks across the valley.
It has been a great day of walking and the team is settling into trail life well. We are spending the weekend in Namche, visiting the Saturday morning market tomorrow and exploring some of the surrounding villages as we acclimatize before going higher.
-RMI Guide Linden Mallory
I am enjoying your posts. This sounds like a great adventure and I wish I was there. Say hello and give my best to Tim McLaughlin. Have a blast!
Rory
Posted by: Rory Robertson on 3/26/2011 at 6:55 pm
Linden,
enjoying following your progress on the blog…you write well…a nice tribute to Holderness (even if you never took English from me!!) Be safe and have fun…R
The Four-Day climb of Mt. Rainier led by RMI guides, Dominic Cifelli and Sam Hoffman, were turned around this morning due to thunder and lightning. The team is currently on their descent and will celebrate their hard work at Basecamp in Ashford before team members head their seperate ways.
Our early flights (heli) back to Kathmandu were nearly seamless, the team was on the ground here by 8:30 am. Hot showers and changing into cotton clothes was first on the list followed shortly by some amazing pizza for lunch!
Then the team spilt up and some of us went for massages and other explored and shopped their way back to the hotel.
We finished the night off with more outstanding food from ‘Le Sherpa’ and some great stories and hilarious moments from our adventure.
It has been a wonderful time with a great team and it will be sad to say goodbye, but we are all looking forward to getting back home to our loved ones.
thanks for the update!!! Glad to hear you made it and were wise to wait for a few extra degrees on the thermometer:) Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
His,
Eileen & Dave Conklin
Posted by: eileen conklin on 6/19/2023 at 5:54 pm
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