Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Friday, October 10, 2024 - 7:43 am PT

First light revealed that we were surrounded by stunning mountains… it had been cloudy when we entered Namche and turned in for the night, so this discovery was a surprise for some.  Today was our acclimatization/rest day and we made good use of it.  Shortly after breakfast we climbed the steep paths to the top of Namche Bazaar and headed for a spot from which the bigger mountains might be seen.  Sure enough, Everest was out, along with Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Thamserku.  It was a magnificent view.  We took it all in for a time and then got on with a short, steep hike up to Syangboche where we sat sipping tea in the glorious high altitude sun, looking in disbelief at impossibly big, steep and beautiful mountains in every direction.  By midday we were back down in Namche, eating lunch and planning out an easy afternoon of shopping, reading, napping and eating.  Tomorrow we’ll go higher. 

Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

It rained for a good chunk of the night, but things were not too bad when we got underway at 8:20 am this morning. It is always tough to leave Phakding with all the flowers in bloom. But we had a mission: enter Sagarmatha National Park and get up to Namche. Before we reached the park entrance, it began to rain on us, but it never got too bad. Just a little soggy. We took a deluxe lunch break in the village of Monjo, and things dried up a little while we were inside. Then we got busy with the big Namche hill. We have already gone uphill plenty in these two days, but the Namche Hill is different. About 2.5 hours of steady climbing. The team crushed it though and we were pulling into the amphitheater-like town of Namche at about 4:15. Now we are getting used to life at 11,400 ft -a task made far easier by the comfort of Camp De Base, our “tea house” for the next two nights. 
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

The day worked out spectacularly.  We had to get up pretty early, of course -we left the hotel at 4:30 AM- but the upside to that was there wasn’t much traffic. We were out to the airport in no time, and then it was a little crowded and busy pushing bags through x ray machines and working our way through various lines.  We had just a little bit of waiting and wondering whether the flight would go  -it isn’t uncommon for travel to Lukla to be snarled and delayed by weather- but then we got the call and headed out to our plane.  We filed into the Twin Otter and strapped in for liftoff at 7:45.  Before long the plane was up above the clouds and giant Himalayan peaks were marching past the port side windows.  We could pick out Mt Everest looming on the horizon. By 8:15 the pilots had us safely touching down on the tilted runway at Lukla.  It turned out that all of our baggage had made the flight as well (which doesn’t always happen). We were in business.  And we had earned some good coffee and breakfast.  We took a little time to eat and get organized and at 10:30 we set out walking.  Downhill at first, we’d landed at 9200 ft, but eventually we did a little climbing as well.  We were passing through small farms and villages and dodging porters and pack animals.  In just over three hours and about five miles, we pulled into Phakding and our comfortable Tea House on the Bhote Khosi river. 
This left us plenty of time to relax through the afternoon and evening.  Turns out that tomorrow is another big and important day in a beautiful place. 

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

PC: Dave Hahn

Tuesday, October 1, 2024 - 8:42 am PT

This was a busy and important day for our trekking team.  We started out with a discussion of our planned itinerary and strategies for success.  We then embarked upon a few hours of tourism.  Nraj took us to the scenic and significant “monkey temple” and to the giant Bodinath Stupa.  He explained how Buddhism and Hinduism exist side by side in Nepal and recited the long history of settlement and development of the Kathmandu valley.  He took us to a painting school where we learned how the iconic and exquisitely detailed mandala tankas are produced.  We were back to the hotel by mid afternoon and then got into full on preparation for trekking.  Equipment checks were performed and the final packing commenced.  The team ate an early dinner and then headed for the rooms early as well.  We intend to get up before dawn and be out at the airport, ready to fly at first light.  We’ll need good luck, weatherwise, to allow safe air travel through the biggest mountains on the planet.  But this seems like a lucky team. 

Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

September 30, 2024 - 7:52 am PT

Step one… get to Kathmandu.  Job done!  Our Gokyo Trek Team came together today, half a planet away from home.  As we were leaving home several days ago, Nepal was in the news for horrific monsoon flooding -news which we each monitored as we came through the airports on the way.  It was quite a pleasant surprise to have big, clear views of the Himalaya when we landed on a sunny, dry day in Kathmandu.   Obviously, we’ll hope that the monsoon continues to fade.  But the first order of business wasn’t fretting about the weather… it was getting a little rest and trying to adjust to all the time zone shifts.  We then had our initial team meeting in the lobby of the classic Yak and Yeti Hotel.  After a few introductions we ventured out into the crazy traffic of Kathmandu.  The seven of us managed to survive crossing ten minutes worth of wrong way traffic and torn up sidewalks to get to the tranquil rooftop Mezze restaurant for a relaxed dinner. 
Tomorrow we’ll get a little more into just how a trek through high mountains works, but for today -just getting here was plenty. 

Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Today we headed to Tarangire National Park known for its abundant elephants, and it didn’t disappoint. Not sure how many we saw, but it was quite a few, and we got pretty close once again. 

There were lots of giraffes, impalas, monkeys, ostriches, and many, many birds. Unfortunately we haven’t seen any more big cats, but we will head out early in the morning with hopes of seeing them in the cooler temperatures. 

We are spending our last night here in Tanzania at Nykani Tented Camp, which has beautiful tented rooms with screened windows to allow the sounds of the African bush in. So, if you have ever used or heard the term “Glamping”, this is an extreme version of that. 

Everyone is doing great and hoping to see a few more big cats on our way out of the park tomorrow morning. Then it will be back to our main lodge near Arusha for a brief stop before catching our flights home. 

Thanks for following, your loved ones will be home shortly 

RMI Guide Casey Grom, and an amazing crew!

Day 2 on Safari had us visiting the world famous Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is what remains of a once massive volcano that erupted. In the 2 million years since then, hundreds of animals have taken up residence and have created one of the best safari options in Africa.

We hit the road early with hopes of catching a few more animals before the heat sent them in search for shade. Not long after descending down into the crater we came upon several lions. There were hundreds of zebra, wildebeest, and Cape buffalo, gazelle’s and many sightings of hyenas, jackles, ostrich, and countless other birds.

One of the highlights was getting super close to a large male and female lion “on their honeymoon”.

We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the plantation lodge and are looking forward to what tomorrow may bring as we head to Tarangire National Park.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew

PC: Casey Grom

Today was our first day of safari for us and we headed east to visit Lake Manyara, which is know for its tree climbing lions and more than 400 different species of birds.

We had a nice day viewing the wildlife that hardly seemed to notice us, despite being only feet away at times.

We didn't manage to see any of those famous lions, but we had several very close encounters with elephants. Nothing dangerous, but they passed close enough that we could have almost touched them.

We did manage to see a few giraffe, hundreds of baboons, impalas and so many birds, and one highlight was seeing the Pearl Spotted Owl, which is about the size of a coffee cup. It was a pretty nice introduction to the incredible bio-diversity that Africa has, and everyone enjoyed the day riding around in our safari vehicles.

We wrapped up the evening here at the beautiful Plantation Lodge with a wonderful meal and great conversations. Check out our beautiful lodge!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari team.

PC: Casey Grom

What a climb we had! 

Yesterday’s climb took the team 8.5 hours to successfully stand on the “Roof of Africa”. 

After a few photos, phone calls, and just taking in the view, the team descended back down to our high camp where we were greeted by our staff with songs and a little dance. It brought smiles and a much needed boost after all the hard work. 

We then descended for about five more hours to reach our last camp on the mountain. Funny how 10,000' can feel so comfortable after such a big day.  

Our final day on the mountain! 

Today the team got up at 6 am refreshed after a much needed nights sleep, we had breakfast, then hit the trail one last time. It took about four hours to reach the park gate where the team had lunch and said our final goodbyes to our amazing crew of 51 that took such great care of us on the mountain. 

We finished the little celebration by handing out their well deserved tips and then hopped aboard our awaiting bus for the ride back to the lodge. 

Finally we are all safe and sound, cleaner, and smelling fresh after an exciting seven day journey up and down Kilimanjaro. 

Stayed tuned, Safari starts tomorrow!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

PC: Casey Grom

Hello everyone,

The team is back down from a safe and successful climb!!!

We have returned to high camp and will take a short break before heading to lower altitude. Tonight we spend our last night at Mweka camp which sits at 10,000ft. 

I will send a wrap up once we get back to town!!!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the summiteers