Entries from Everest BC Trek
March 24, 2013
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 9,350'
Today the team left the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu and flew on a nearly perfect day into the Khumbu Valley. We landed at the famous and sometimes a little scary Lukla airstrip without any issues. It was a beautiful 45-minute flight into the Himalayas with amazing views of the mountains and even a glimpse of Mt. Everest itself.
We hiked for a few hours along the only trail that leads up to BC (Basecamp). There are no roads here, just a winding footpath that is busy with trekkers, climbers, porters, and yaks carrying loads for the Everest expeditions.
The team is currently relaxing at one of the many tea houses situated here in the lower Khumbu Valley. It's an incredibly beautiful and peaceful place to be, and I'm quite certain everyone is excited to be here.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
March 23, 2013
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 4,383'
Hello everyone!
After our really long flights (nearly two days) the team arrived yesterday and had a early dinner and then off to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep.
Today we had our official team meeting and discussed the adventure ahead. After our meeting we headed out into Kathmandu to explore a little before we head into the mountains. Our first stop was to the Swayambunath, aka the Monkey Temple. It's a beautiful temple that sits above most of the city with views in all directions and is incredibly important to the Buddhist population here in the city. Next we paid a visit to the Pashupatinath Temple which is where the Hindu's bring their dead for cremation, and it was very surreal to be present while this ceremony was taking place. We then made a quick stop at the Boudhanath Stupa which is the second largest Stupa in the world.
After our city tour the team made our way back to our hotel and finalized our packing and finished the day off with a nice meal at the Famous Rum Doodle where they have saved autographs from all the climbers and Everest summiteers over the years: Sir Edmund Hillary, Reinhold Messner and many others.
It was a pretty full day to say the least. Everyone is doing great and looking forward to getting into the mountains and stretching their legs.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Elsie,
Betts has been in touch with Charlotte getting the scoop on your big adventure!.. We are off to Florida for 5 days with our foreign exchange student. Just a slightly different adventure!!
Wishing you safe travels and beautiful views from your gang in Denver!!
Posted by: Mary Talbot on 3/24/2013 at 6:20 pm
Casey & Team -
Looks like some fun days ahead. Looking forward to following your journey.
-Larry Seaton
Posted by: Larry Seaton on 3/24/2013 at 12:22 pm
March 23, 2013
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 11,300'
We are here at Namche Bazaar, very comfortable and well fed. Campo de Base is the name of our tea house for the next two nights. Friendly staff, very tasty food and hot showers in the room. You have got to love that. We will be roughing it plenty in the near future so this bit of luxury will really help prepare us for the mission ahead. At over 11,000' this is the perfect place to spend some time to let the body adjust. Plans for tomorrow are hikes to local spots of interest and some old fashion relaxing. We have been going at it pretty hard since we landed in Nepal, a little chill day will do us all some good.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
L & P: What a good jaunt!! Looks a lot like our hills…grab it ...all the overwhelmingness! Drink in the Adventure!! Life is an Adventure, not an obligation!! Run!! ... & thanks again to Mark. We are with you every step of the way…savor ...
Much love M & G (YMNTBP)
Posted by: Gretchen & Mike on 3/23/2013 at 10:22 pm
Liesl and Pete…..and everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful, amazing time. I can’t wait to hear all about it when you get home!! Miss you!
Posted by: Lara on 3/23/2013 at 2:20 pm
Mark Tucker here with the Everest Base Camp Trek team. No, internet access at this point, so I thought I'd check in with the satellite phone. So we're just outside of the Sagarmatha National Park. We had a great night in Lukla. We took a little time this morning leaving as we organized the loads with our porters. We are set with all our gear that is needed while we continue our trek to Base Camp. We're by the Tenzing Norgay Airstrip, where the STOL-type aircraft, acronym for Short Take Off and Landing type planes. Years ago a famous local Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, with Sir Edmund Hillary supervising, spent a month revamping and lengthening the airstrip, but it is still quite a ride.
The team had a beautiful hike approaching the Dudh Kosi River. It was fantastic. Good views, perfect weather. We are all looking really fine. The team is all doing very well and couldn't be happier.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Mark - your posts are very much appreciated - thank you! It’s great to keep tabs on our girl, Susan :) Please pass on my positive thoughts and prayers for a fabulous adventure. Thanks again, Carol
Posted by: Carol Donovan on 3/23/2013 at 4:32 am
March 21, 2013
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 9,350'
You have to work with mother nature. Not a good idea to push into poor weather conditions with any small airplane. No fixed wing flights into Lukla today. Once I spent almost a month at the southern tip of Chile waiting for a weather window to fly into the interior of the Antarctic. Should not be the case here. Problem is, there has been a couple days of limited flights and we were scheduled for today but it did not happen. So let's go for another plan. Let's charter one of the finest helicopter's in the world, the infamous B3. It was, after all, the first ship to touchdown on the summit of Mount Everest. And for us, we just want to get to Lukla. We didn't get all the way there but ended up below Lukla as the weather started to be an issue as we flew in. No sooner than landing, lightning and three inches of hail in less than an hour turned the green fields white. Two charters were needed and the second group had to stop even shorter for about ten minutes before meeting up with us. It was a tough dance at the airport, but we had some good fortune to pull this off. It was an awesome flight. The team did great with the shift of service and a wonderful job climbing over 2,000 vertical feet to get here.... LUKLA!!!!
Let the climb begin, may the force be with us.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Mark Tucker here in Nepal kicking off the RMI 2013 Mount Everest programs.
Our first wave of climbers are all here with bags intact. After a nice city tour and final preparations yesterday we have made our way to the Domestic airport. Right now we are at the boarding area and on standby due to a weather delay in Lukla, which is our flight destination. Not unusual for such a delay, so we will wait till weather conditions improve. A cup of tea and a book will hold us over for a while. No hurry. Looking forward to keeping you all up to date as best I can over the next couple of weeks / months / years.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
To All, especially Pete and Gerry… We’re pulling for you!!!
Posted by: mick on 3/25/2013 at 3:50 am
Mark, Many thanks for the wonderful photos and updates-we are there with you! Love to Liesl and Pete from their Durango family.
Posted by: Claudia and Jim on 3/23/2013 at 6:47 pm
April 10, 2012
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 9,350'
We had a beautiful hike down to Lukla today. Lots of greenery and local folk working away in the gardens that abound down here in the 10,000' region. The airport was shut down early this morning due to clouds but as we approached there were a few flights that went in the afternoon. John and Kim are set for the second flight tomorrow weather permitting. The commute from our lodging for the night to the entrance of the airport is about thirty feet, no excuse for missing the flight.
Kim here. . . wow, this has been quite an experience. It was an amazing adventure that I won't forget anytime soon. There were some hard days, some disappointing days, and some really wonderful days. Overall, it was definitely a worthwhile experience. Thanks to all for the comments and good wishes. I'd like to spend my last blog opportunity answering the questions posted yesterday and March 31st from Mrs. Hartman's and Mrs. Jerome's classrooms:
Q: How high are you? A: We were at different altitudes each day. Today we are back in Lukla where we started which is about 9,900ft. The highest we got was about 19,000ft. That was on Island Peak. Q: Did you summit? A: We did not make it to the summit. I am disappointed about that since I was the one who could not make it. The air was very cold and each time I tried to breathe deep, it hurt my lungs. So, I couldn't get enough air to have the energy I needed to keep going. The rest of the team decided to turn around with me. Q: How high is Island Peak? A: Island Peak is 20,300ft, so we still had a long way to go. Q: Have you used your ice ax and climbing harness? A: We did not use our ice axes or crampons on Island Peak because we didn't get high enough, but we did use them during our training session at Everest Base Camp. I'll try to include a photo from that for today. We did have our climbing harnesses on. Q: Which is higher, Island Peak or Everest Base Camp? A: Island Peak is higher than Everest Base Camp. Island Peak is about 20,300ft, Everest Base Camp is 17,575ft. Q: How are you feeling? A: I was feeling pretty sick up high. It is common for people to not feel good when they get that high because of the lack of air pressure and limited oxygen. I am feeling much better now that we are down low again. Q:How many tea houses have you been in? A: Too many to count. We stopped at one or two each day for lunch and afternoon tea. Then we stayed at one each night. Q: What was your favorite dish to eat? A: It depended on the day. Up high, the only thing that sounded good to eat was popcorn. So, I have been eating a lot of that. Down lower, we all like the chicken chilly (spicy chicken. . .spelled differently on every menu). We also liked to eat daal bhat with pappad and veggie curry. Tell Ranish that I like the curry fine, but I prefer it to be a little more spicy than they make it up here. I also forgot to mention the dumplings that are popular here called mo-mos. We had a lot of veggie mo-mos. Q: Are you staying warm? A: I was SO cold many days up there. It was the coldest I have ever been. . . especially while on Island Peak and at Everest Base Camp. I am warmer now that we are lower. Q: Are you having fun or do you wish you were home? A: Both. I have had lots of fun, but when I was cold and sick, I was wishing I was someplace else. I am still very glad that I went to Everest Base Camp, though. It was an amazing place. Q: Are yaks carrying your bags? A: No. Porters are carrying our bags. Those men are really strong. I am impressed by their strength and speed. Q: What is the name of the peak behind you in the photo from today (4/9/12)? A: We all looked at the photo and we think that was the side of Ama Dablam. We have seen so many peaks, it is hard to tell for sure.
Hopefully we will fly out to Kathmandu tomorrow and then to India for a few days after that. Again, thanks to all for your good wishes and your support. We have enjoyed reading your comments the few times we have had internet service.
John here: It's been a while since I made an update. Too long to try to recap the last few days. Like Kim, this has been an experience of a lifetime for me. The Nepalese people are so genuinely warm and welcoming and the scenery is unmatched by anything I have ever experienced. Kim mentioned that we didn't summit Island Peak. While that is a disappointment for all of us, Kim and I did reach a new high. Along the way I learned a lot about myself, my abilities and what's really important. There will be other peaks in our future and we'll both be better prepared to face them.
We hiked out from Namche Bazar today. It was bittersweet. While it meant this part of our journey was coming to an end, it also meant we had hot showers and clean clothes to look forward to. We also have all the wonderful experiences and memories that we worked so hard over the last few weeks to create. Thanks to Tuck we've also met tons of folks along the way, all who added to the texture of the experience.
Thank you to all of you who followed our journey, we look forward to sharing our experiences and pictures with you when we get back. Pop some corn - we have LOTS of pictures.
Namaste.
On The Map
April 9, 2012
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 11,300'
Hello,
We are back in the big city of Namche Bazaar. What a great shower! The feet are a bit tired but here in Namche life is sweet. In fact we just finished our lunch at the bakery topped off with some apple strudel.
What a whirl wind it has been since we left Everest Base Camp. Seems to me that once you get above 15,000' time goes by a bit quicker. We had a grand time at Base Camp. So fun to show the team my office for the weeks to come. We had great training at the base of the Khumbu Ice Fall, such a historic setting and perfect location for technical ice climbing training and team dynamics for the Island Peak climb.
Our travel from one amazing valley to another went without a hitch, once in the Imja Khola Valley with views of Island Peak, the excitement level rose. The storm we had to deal with at Island Peak Base camp was felt throughout the region. Although the conditions on the route were less than perfect, the night we went for the summit was pretty nice. The moon was so bright I didn't need my headlight till we were higher up into the tight rocky area. It is such a unique experience to climb at heights like these in the middle of the night surrounded by bitter cold, working hard and breathing hard with every step. Why do I call this fun? Tough to express what a special time we had looking out at the high Himalaya watching the sunrise at over 19,000'. With so much earth below but amazed at how much still loomed above was hard to take in.
It's been a long march in the last three days to get here. We were just ahead of the big seasonal traveler push up to Everest on the way in, but now it is peak time for large groups. It's been fun to see lots of old friends going up to Everest Base Camp.
After all these miles with no feet problems, my toes go out to Jeremy Foust and the crew at Whittaker Mountaineering for the fantastic job they did fitting me with a great pair of Asolo trekking boots and LaSpotiva climbing boots. Thanks so much.
It's not over yet. We are off to Lukla tomorrow and flights for John and Kim the day after.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Mark Tucker checks in after Island Peak Climb.
On The Map
Hi Mark,
It was fun to read your blog and to see the photos you took on your way to summit Island Peak. The photo of the tent almost buried in snow at Island Peak base camp was amazing.
Looking forward to your Mt. Everest blog and photos.
Best wishes,
Your neighbor, Vicki
Posted by: Vicki on 4/9/2012 at 3:43 pm
Hello! Did you climb to the top of Island Peak? What is the mountain behind you in the picture from today? Glad you are doing well!! We miss you! -Mrs. Hartman’s class
Posted by: Mrs. Hartman's class on 4/9/2012 at 9:48 am
April 7, 2012
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 15,514'
RMI Guide Mark Tucker left a message, which was too garbled to transcribe. We did hear that the team is doing well and back in Chukung.
On The Map
April 6, 2012
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 16,685'
Hey Mark Tucker here checking in from Island Peak Base Camp. Well, know sooner than us signing off from the dispatch yesterday that it started to snow and pretty much continued throughout the night. Had a pretty good blanket when we woke up. You know.... was enough so that our move up to high camp was probably not the best idea. So we stuck around down here... Now I'm looking down..... So we did a little hike up towards Camp 1 just to kinda get a feel for it and the conditions so we're all ready for that. Now we're packing and adjusting and fidgeting with gear all day today. Resting, eating... a little bit earlier than normal because being down at Base Camp so we are going to start looking at the weather around midnight. Just finished a nice dinner and we're going to crawl in the bag. Start resting and hopefully get a few hours of shuteye. We don't really need to sleep for this event, we just need to rest. We've got a bunch of batteries stored up so we are looking good... We'll check in with you guys progress in the near future.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
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Mark Tucker checks in from Island Peak Base Camp.
Elsie,
betts has been in touch with Charlotte and getting the scoop on your adventure.
Safe travels, hope the weather is good and can’t wait to hear all about it!!,
love,
Mary and Betts
Posted by: Mary Talbot on 3/25/2013 at 7:11 pm
Love seeing the photos…what an incredible experience! Everyone sends their love..Lissie, pick a nice rock for your collection! Love you, Nano
Mom, hope you are having a wonderful time on your Himalayan adventure!
-char, Jeb, Will, Eli
Posted by: Nancy Cole on 3/25/2013 at 2:35 pm
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