Entries By casey grom

Hello from Everest Base Camp -

Frosty tents and a frosty camp greeted us in the morning.Mother nature's sparkles made everything glimmer. Hot drinks and pancakes started our day off as the sun warmed everything around us. Today was a well-deserved leisure day. Naps, reading, and a casual walk on to the glacier wrapped up our time at basecamp. It’s been a memorable experience for all one we will all look back on with smiles. With full bellies from another amazing dinner cooked by the talented cook staff, we have all crawled into our sleeping bags for one last sleep at Base Camp.

Good night, all,

RMI Guides Casey, Hannah, and Team

Namaste everyone!

Well, we did it! Everyone 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 3 hours to reach base camp or EBC as we call it, stopping along the way many times to take pictures and enjoy the grandiose views.

Once here, we were greeted with the best food, thus far, for lunch and several team members decided to enjoy hot showers 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 night’s rest after the day of 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 stunning to say the least.

Tomorrow the team will make some phone calls to loved ones back home to say hello. So, if you see a bizarre number on your phone appear, please answer. We are calling from our satellite modem since there isn’t WiFi or cell reception here.

That’s all for now!

Casey and Crew

Wake up, eat breakfast, hike, drink tea, order dinner, eat dinner, order breakfast, go to sleep, and repeat.

We hit the dusty trail once again, making our way closer and closer to Everest Basecamp. Yaks jingle jangled along the trail letting us know their presence so we could move aside and let them have the right-away. We weaved up and down, right, and left through the boulders in terrain that looks out of this world. We got our first views of the Khumbu glacier and then a great view of Everest. Our best views came on our hike up Kalapatar. Halfway up everyone got views of basecamp and the Khumbu icefall. The whole picture is coming together, and the mirage is disappearing. It’s hard to see where one mountain starts and another ends. Everyone is getting excited to arrive in basecamp, especially now that we have seen it from a far. Tomorrow is the day but for now we will all get a good night’s sleep after a sun-filled dusty day on the trail.

Till Basecamp,

Casey, Hannah, and team

All is well here on the trek!

Today we left Pheriche and hiked further up valley to Lobuche, we slowly made our way along the winding path that we share with other trekkers, porters heavily laden with loads bound for Base camp, and yaks who aren't as keen to share the trail. We made good time and enjoyed the astounding views before reaching camp for the night.

In the afternoon we were hoping to catch a glimpse of the Khumbu glacier, but sadly the clouds gathered and obscured our views. So we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

Everyone is currently relaxing in our tea house enjoying the warmth of a yak dung burning stove. There has been plenty of good conversation within our team and other trekkers on the same journey as us.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Namaste Everyone,

The team woke to beautifully clear skies again and views of Everest right out our dining room window. We’ve settled into our daily routine of getting up and packing our duffel bags before meeting in the dining room for breakfast and plenty of Starbucks thanks to RMI sending it with us. After breakfast we steep outside to get a better sense of the temperature before adjusting our layers for the hike. Once on the trail we do our best to maintain a steady pace, with stops every hour or so to stay hydrated and take in the views. There is plenty of other hikers and yak trains headed in both directions to negotiate as well.

Today we hiked for a little over five hours including breaks and a light lunch to get to our next tea house in Pheriche, which sits at about 14,000 ft.

Everyone did great and enjoyed the stunning views of Ama Dablam, one of the most iconic peaks along the route to Everest Base Camp.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Base Camp Crew

Good evening or shall I say good morning,

After 2 nights in Namche, it was time to leave and make our way further up the valley. A tasty breakfast, a last message sent, and quick sit on the toilet wrapped up our morning routine before hitting the trail. Today’s hike was once again more beautiful than pictures can capture. The trail carried us along the hillside bringing us to the view we have all been waiting for...Everest. Haze cloaked the mountains giving almost a mysterious look to them. Ama Dablam, Lhotse, and Everest all stood proud. Words and pictures can't describe how impressive they are...one must simply be here to experience it.

All day the mountains stood in view almost calling us further down trail. After a handful of hours walking the dusty trail, sharing it will yak and zyopkyo, we arrive at the Tengboche Monastery. Here we received a puja ceremony by one of the monks who prayed for our safe travels. Each one of us placed items to be blessed and recieved both a khata and a sungdi.

After the ceremony we made our way downhill to Deboche where we will spend the night. Heated blankets greet us on our beds. There will be no cold toes tonight. Tomorrow, we hit the trail again to our next destination. Day by day we get closer to basecamp.

For now, we head to bed as the rest of you begin your day. 

RMI Guides Casey, Hannah, and Team

Hello again everyone back home.

It was another enjoyable day here in the Khumbu Valley, the team woke up to bright beautifully clear skies, and mountains in every direction. We had a nice relaxing breakfast and then decided to visit a Monastery in Thamo. It’s home to female Buddhist Monks that are Tibetan refugees. They apparently escaped over the boarder which is only a few miles away and have made this home like the Sherpa community did some 500+ years ago. When we arrived the nuns were milling about and tending to their greenhouse that they use to grow their vegetables. We purchased a few prayer flags and prayer beads to help support them and then made our way back to Namche for lunch.

Then evening was spent exploring Namche and doing a little bargaining for a few gifts. 

All is well and everyone is doing great.

Casey and Crew

Greeting everyone,

When on trips like this a team develops routines. Our daily routine begins with copious amounts of tea and coffee. The favorite flavor thus far is anything lemon ginger. After our bodies were filled with our hot beverage of choice, we hit the trail. Before we got too far into the trail (all a few hundred feet) we stopped at a bakery. The apple strudel has been said to be the best a team member has had outsode Austria. Loaded up with goodies we begin our journey for the day. We followed crystal blue water as we made our way uphill. Long bouncy cable bridges zig zagged us across the river. The stretch of the trail should be called the trail of stairs since we climbed what seemed endless amounts of them. But with every step we took we went higher and got closer to the mountains. Halfway through the day we got our first glimpse of Everest...man is she beautiful. This sneak peek gives the team motivation to push uphill.

After sharing the trail with fellow hikers, mules and zyopkyo (half cow, half yak) we arrived in Namche. Colorful buildings and stone walkways greet us. Souvenirs outside the store front capture our eyes. Puppies scamper about. Namche has a majestic feel. Hotel camp de base welcomes us with more tea, snacks, and Wi-Fi. The team has earned them all. Naps and shopping occupied our afternoon before sitting down for dinner with not tea this time but hot cocoa. Tired eyes and bodies are welcomed by comfy beds as we settle down for the night.

Today has been a good day. Tomorrow brings more adventure and more pictures. 

Goodnight, all,

RMI Guides Casey, Hannah, and Team

Namaste! 

Greetings from Nepal!

The team has finally arrived after some incredibly long flights and a 12hr time change.We spent our first day get acquainted and discussing the necessities to our upcoming adventure.

We then headed out to visit a few famous temples here in Kathmandu. First up was the Swayambhunath, also known as the "Monkey Temple", that overlooks most of Kathmandu. Then we visited the massive Boudhanath Stupa, which is one of the largest in the world. We wrapped up the evening with getting all our gear packed and an amazing meal at a restaurant call “Le Sherpa”. 

Today the team left Kathmandu and flew to Lukla, our starting point to the trek. Thankfully it was a rather uneventful flight to one of the world’s most famous airports. After arriving had breakfast then waited at a tea house for all the porters to be chosen and then hit the trail. We hiked for about 3 hours to reach our first camp of the trip in a small village called Phakding. The weather was perfect, and everyone did great on the hike. 

Team is doing well and oh so happy to be in the mountains!

RMI Guides Casey, Hannah, and Team

Hello one last time.

Today was our last day here in Tanzania so we opted for a moderately leisure departure from the tranquil Plantation Lodge.

Our first stop was to a huge gift shop so everyone could bring back a few souvenirs.
By the looks of it, a few people back home are getting some nice gifts too.

We made a quick stop off at Lake Manyara National Park. Normally the safari sightings here are always exciting, but sadly that was not the case today. It’s been incredibly wet this year and most of the drivable roads have been either flooded or completely washed out.
It was expedited to say the least.

The team has returned to our original lodge and are packed up headed for the airport.
Your loved ones should be home soon!

Thanks for following,

RMI Guide Casey Grom & Crew