RMI Expeditions Blog

Hello readers,

Sorry for the delay in dispatches. With some wonky internet and busy days it looks like we forgot Tuesday. So here is a recap of Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Tuesday we left Pheriche for Lobuche (the town). We woke to a new dusting of snow over the trail and mountains. The new coat made everything so white and fresh looking. The sun quickly started to melt the frozen earth as we made our way further uptrail. One teahouse stood between our two towns, so we stopped there for some tea and popcorn before we tackled a 700' vertical hill. On top of this hill is an emotional place, a climber's memorial. Many climber's names sit here. They came to climb the mountain but never made it back home. We all know how luckily we are to come out here and be among this beauty but also know this beauty has a wicked side and our ultimate goal is to make it home to our loved ones. It's a quick flattish walk to our next teahouse. It emerges from the rocks without warning. We rested for the afternoon before gathering for dinner and doing it all over again the next day. 

Today we picked up where we left off and left Lobuche for the last town before Everest Base Camp, Gorak Shep. There terrain takes on a different look as we get closer to the start of this valley. It's rocky and moon scape. Reminents of glaciers carving their paths. It's a relatively short distance vertically and horizontally to get to Gorak Shep. We make fast work of it and arrive for an early lunch. After lunch we do one more acclimatization hike up Kala Patar. On this hike we get amazing views of Everest and partial views of the ice fall. It is so beautiful and scary all at the same time. A scamper down as clouds roll in and a few snowflakes dance from the sky, wraps up our day. The team optimizes on a rest before dinner. It's cold and frosty up here when the sun disappears. Teams gather in the dining hall where the wood burning stove are but there is no wood to burn up here so instead dried Yak dung does the trick (and no it does not smell). After warming our bodies and filling our water bottles with hot water we lay down for one final rest in a teahouse before we hit Base Camp. 

Tomorrow is our day and Base Camp is our destination.

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team

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!

We woke to a little new snow on the ground today, but thankfully it was clear and sunny for our final hike to Lukla. There were endless loads headed for basecamp as always, because much of the needed supplies arrive via plane or from a few days away by mules and the only transport options are porters or pack animals. 

It was our third consecutive day of eight hours on the trail to cover the nearly 40 miles that took us nine days to ascend on the way in. The team is more than happy to finally be here! 

Also to note. The current FKT (fastest known time) to hike from Everest Base Camp to Lukla is currently held by one of RMI’s amazing guides, Jess Wedel. Somehow she ran this rugged trail in just under 11 hours. Just so happens that she’s back here to climb Mount Everest and raise funds for the prevention, early detection research and awareness to combat Ovarian cancer. 

If you’re interested in following her climb of Mount Everest, you can find her here at 

instagram.com  or anymountainsong.com

With a little luck we hope to be back in Kathmandu tomorrow morning!

Keep your fingers crossed for us. 
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

It's us again,

Today we said goodbye and safe travels to the other RMI team who trekked to Everet Basecamp. While we are focusing on acclimatization, they are eager to get to lower altitudes and more oxygen. To help with our acclimatization the team took off uphill outside our teahouse and went up Nangkartshang. The top sits at 16, 644' with half the team making the top and half the team hitting 15,000' before turning around to get some more rest. Everyone did great and is feeling well. Tomorrow we push higher to Lobuche. We are only a couple nights away from basecamp and several nights away from heading to our high camp on Lobuche peak. The days are flying by and blending together. Before you know it we will be the team heading downhill while Everest teams head uphill. The nights are cold, so we are all bundled in our sleeping bags getting warm and allowing our bodies to rest before another uphill filled day. 

So goodnight all,

Hannah, Abby, and Team

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 Readers,

We woke to a clear frosty day. The team made their way to the dining hall for various hot drinks to warm up the bodies before hitting the frozen trail. Once on the trail it didn't take long for the sun to begin to thaw the grown and us. Shortly I to our hike we came across about 15 Tahr roaming the hillside. You can't beat a wildlife sighting. Halfway to our new Teahouse we stopped in Pangboche to do a puja ceremony where the team got blessed for safe travels. Even though we do not practice their religion or understand all the intricacies in the ceremony, it's a moving experience and makes you want to learn more. A quick stop for tea fueled us to our final location, Pheriche. Here we will spend two nights acclimatizing. The other RMI teamed rolled in in the afternoon. It was fun to see the descending team and know that will be us in about a week. For now we will enjoy the scenery around us and let our bodies adjust to the new altitude. 

Goodnight all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team

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

Good evening trusty readers,

Today we left the comforts of Namche to make our way further up valley. We may not have had views yesterday but we more than made up for them today. The team enjoyed their first views of Everest along with Lhotse, Nuptse, and Ama Dablam. It turns out there is a lot of downhill while making our way uphill to basecamp.

The first half of the day we gradually descended towards the valley floor before we crossed a bridge to reascend everything we had lost and then some. We made quick work of the uphill even with the traffic jam of people and animals. After walking through the monastery at Tengboche we descended one more time to our best Teahouse.

Now we may have left Namche, but we sure didn't not leave any comfort. Our rooms had fluffy blankets and heated beds to sooth and relax our bodies. There is plenty of effort given getting to basecamp but so far we have not had give up much comfort. Another delicious dinner and some dessert has us happy and ready for bed. Tomorrow is another day on the trail with more beautiful views.

Goodnight, all,

RMI Guides Hannah Smith, Abby Westling, and Team

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 

Good evening/ good morning,

Today we had an active rest. A later breakfast allowed for a casual morning full of coffee and milk tea. We sipped on our hot drinks while the sun thawed out the town. Warmed by the sun we took off on a hike uphill to the Everest View Hotel. Unfortunately for us our view was clouds. Even with the lack of mountainous views, it was still pretty and beneficial to go on the hike. Our legs and lungs are getting stronger. In no time we will be at Everest Basecamp. Once back at our teahouse in Namche we all roamed the town for souvenirs and lattes. The lattes at Sherpa Barista taste like a cup of happiness. Tomorrow we will leave Namche for Deboche. One teahouse closer to Everest Basecamp. As for now we are going to enjoy our dinner together and our heated blankets (now that everyone knows about them hidden under the mattress). 

Goodnight on our side of the world,

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team