Entries from Everest BC Trek

Greetings everyone, 

Today the team left behind the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu and have made our way to the beautiful and peaceful Khumbu valley. 

We had an early start to the day (5:30) so we could hopefully catch better weather for flight into the mountains. Thankfully it paid off as we were one of just a few flights that made it to Lukla before the clouds closed the flying routes. We flew via helicopters on the appropriately named “Everest Air”. 

The first day on the trail was pretty quiet and not busy at all, which was a pleasant surprise for all of us. There are no roads here, only a simple trail that leads all the way to Everest Base Camp, and it was mostly downhill today. 

Everyone is doing great and enjoying the fresh mountain air, incredible views, and the simplicity of hiking in the mountains. 

We have just finished dinner and are headed to bed after an enjoyable meal here at our tea house located in the funny sounding village called Phakding. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Base Camp Crew

Namaste!

The team finally has arrived after some very long and tiring flights. Everyone is doing well after a well deserved night of rest here at the peaceful and appropriately named Yak & Yeti Hotel. 

We started our day with lots of coffee and a nice big buffet breakfast, then had a team meeting to discuss all the gear and review the details of the adventure that we are about to head out on. After our meeting we headed out on a brief tour of Kathmandu where we visited the beautiful Monkey Temple, and the famous Boudhanath Stupa.

We also celebrated a special someone’s birthday today!!!

It's quite the culture shock visiting this busy city packed with nearly 4 million people. The streets are packed with people, motorcycles, and cars that honk endlessly. I'm sure everyone is looking forward to peace and quietness of the Khumbu where we head tomorrow.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Base Camp crew

This morning, we woke up early, had our last teahouse breakfast and headed for the helicopter pad.

It was a busy day at the airport since the weather was clear. We saw planes and helicopters land, take off and finally, it was our turn.

After a 45-minute flight, we landed safely in Kathmandu.

We got together for one last team dinner tonight. Reflecting on our nearly 3 weeks in Nepal and enjoying a delicious meal at Le Sherpa.

Some of us fly home in the early hours of the day tomorrow and the rest soon after.

What a trip! Thank you for following along and we can’t wait to see our friends and family to share more about this incredible adventure when we get home.

RMI Guides Jess Wedel, Sam Marjerison and Team.

Sunday, March 31, 2024 - 7:10 am PT

All evening and into the night the wind ripped through our high camp and with the wind, snow and snow and snow. I laid awake thinking about if we were even going to be able to leave our camp for a Lobuche summit attempt. Just after 1:00am, the winds seemed to settle but there was a fresh 4 inches of snow. It was beautiful but when you have a couple hours of walking on steep slabs of rock - fresh snow isn’t ideal. The Lobuche team left high camp at 2:30am and immediately what should have been some of the easiest climbing of the day proved remarkably difficult. We set fixed lines, and worked together to keep moving uphill. It took a lot of guts and a lot of perseverance to keep climbing. After nearly 5 hours, we made it to Crampon Point at 18,300 feet. It’s been a very dry winter here in the Himalayas and the glacier was in rugged condition. Up steep ice steps and even some rock/ice/mixed climbing thrown into a mountain and a route that’s usually much smoother. The weather held steady and we had the time to keep pushing and I’m happy to report we stood on top after over 9 hours of climbing. The views were remarkable all day - mountains beyond mountains and this one feels special because of the effort and heart of this team. Thankfully, that sun blasted those 4 inches of snow and we were able to make it down in about 3 hours and without any of the additional fixed lines we had to set in the early morning hours. We were welcomed in camp with warm soup and fried rice and we are all now tucked in bed for some well-earned rest. What an adventure! We’re all looking forward to heading to Pangboche tomorrow and dropping to below 16,000 feet for the first time in 6 days. Thick air, here we come!

RMI Guide Jess and the Lobuche climbing team 

Saturday, March 30, 2024 - 11:10 pm PT

Hi there! Conditions were tough on Lobuche today but I'm happy to report this team is tougher. We're standing on the summit now and will head down soon. Will share more about this epic day when we make back to high camp tonight!

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From RMI Guide Sam Marjerison & The Everest Base Camp Team

We woke up to clear skies this morning and new snow on the ground here in Pheriche. After enjoying a lovely breakfast filled with coffee and lots of Tibetan bread, we had a restful day in the sun which was greatly appreciated. 

Some of us spent the day reading and walking through the town of Pheriche, others caught up on sleep. 

Jess and the Lobuche team reached the summit at around 12pm and reported tough conditions. They are back at high camp and resting before they meet up with the rest of the team in Pheriche tomorrow. We will report back tomorrow when we are all one big group headed downhill. 

RMI Guides Sam, Jess and Crew 

Back safe and sound in Kathmandu!

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 following.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy Base Camp crew

Namaste everyone,

We are still bopping along here in the Khumbu. The team left Pheriche at 8am in beautifully clear skies and made our way back down valley to the lovely, humid and what felt like warm Namche bazaar.

It was a lot of downhill, uphill, downhill, uphill and even a little side hilling to get here. But the team was rewarded with hot showers and dinner at the best restaurant in town, called Eat Smart!

Full bellies and tired legs have us all headed to bed early.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Hello again everyone,

All is still well here in the Khumbu as the team members made our way back to Pheriche. It was a busy day on the trail with climbers, Trekkers, yaks, and porters all bound uphill to basecamp. We slowly made our way through the maze of traffic and enjoyed a few last good views of Everest. 

Pretty amazing how thick the air here at 14,000' feels compared to 17,500'. Spirits are high even with slightly tired legs after an eight hour day! 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Hello family and friends back home! 

It was a chilly night here at 17,500’. But that was to be expected! Everyone had hot water bottles to keep them warm. We woke to crystal clear skies and a beautiful view. The sun doesn’t get to camp until about 8:30 so we lingered in the tents before meeting for breakfast. Then we lounged in chairs soaking up the warmth of the sunshine enjoying the views up the Khumbu icefall while sipping coffee! Sounds tough, I know! 

Then I took the team for a short hike into the very beginning the icefall, but still more than a mile from any real danger. Where we talked about the route and took some pictures and then made our way back to camp to an awaiting lunch. The afternoon was spent relaxing around camp and hanging out in our well stocked dinning tent! 

Headed down valley tomorrow!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Puffy Pants Crew 

Namaste everyone!

Well we did it! The team has successfully made it to Everest Base Camp on a beautiful day. We had a relaxing start to allow the day temperatures to rise enough so that the hike would be pleasant. The team hiked for almost three hours to reach Base Camp or EBC as we call it, stopping along the way many times to take pictures and just enjoy the stunning views. 

Once here, we were greeted with some of the best food thus far for lunch and then all team members enjoyed a well deserved hot shower while it was still warm and sunny. Although the temperature wasn’t high, the intensity of the sun at this altitude made it feel quite warm to us. 

Everyone is doing great and looking forward to a good nights rest after all the days trekking to get here. We are sleeping on the Khumbu glacier in a campsite chopped out of the ice. Our camp is surrounded by mountains and glaciers in nearly all directions. It’s incredibly breathtaking to say the least.

That’s all for now! 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Hello Everyone 

It's incredibly beautiful, peaceful, and the mountains are grandiose. We've been very comfortable hiking each day in the sunny weather, then bundling up in our warm sleeping bags each night as the temperature drops. 

Dinner is often around 7 and the menu is pretty much the same at every tea house with plenty of soups, simple pasta, rice, potatoes, and typical Nepalese Dal Bat.  

After dinner we relax and have a brief review of the day ahead and then it's off to bed. 

The team hiked up Kala Patar this afternoon to get a better view of Everest which didn’t disappoint!

Spirits are high as we push closer to basecamp and if the weather cooperates, we should arrive tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll be able to get updates out, but in the off chance we can’t, the team will be at Everest Base camp for two nights. 

There’s no cell service or WiFi most likely. 

That's all for now

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew