Entries By jess wedel

We made it to the summit of Lobuche!

With an alpine start, we headed up the mountain. The first half of the climb we ascended slabby rock, up and up we went. Climbing below a moonless sky with stars forever. Although the forecast had called for high winds, it was still and quiet.

Soon we crossed the ridge to what is normally crampon point near 18,400 feet but it’s been a very dry winter in the Himalayas so we continued on a rocky ridge to nearly 18,800ft where we finally dawned our crampons and got on the steep snow and ice. First light of day was just beginning to show the outline of the mountains around us and it was beautiful. The colors of the sky changed and soon the sun came up! After a lot more steep climbing up the face of Lobuche we reached the summit.

We’ve now descended to Pheriche where we reunited with our other two team members and plan to all walk out together over the next few days.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Lobuche team

Hi there!

We left base camp early this morning and made our way to Lobuche high camp. We said goodbye to everyone that made our stay so wonderful.

The trail was crowded with yaks and trekkers but we ducked and dodged and eventually made it back to Gorek shep and then on to Lobuche.

After a quick lunch, we headed uphill to Lobuche high camp! It was a windy day and the forecast looks like the wind will continue for the next few days. We plan to climb tonight and see if we can safely make it to the top and back down.

We’re headed to bed early to try to get some rest before an early wake up.

Two of our teammates that planned to just trek made it safely back to Pheriche where they will wait for us to get down from the climb.

Cross your fingers the wind dies down!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the team
 

Out here, we remember to marvel. It’s so easy to forget how incredible this planet is but when you wake up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night at 17,500 ft and you are surrounded by a world of stars you can’t help but be in awe. That’s what these last two days have been like. We are amazed at the power of the ice and the glaciers around us, we can’t get enough of the stars at night, and base camp — to see a whole city built of tents in such a harsh and unforgiving place is pretty incredible.

Today we got to walk to the lower Khumbu ice fall and do some ice climbing and training for Lobuche. We learned how to use our ascenders (safety first!), how to rappel and how to climb training for Lobuche. We learned how to use our ascenders (safety first!), how to rappel and how to climb steep ice and snow.

I’m so impressed with everyone on this team and so excited to see what Lobuche has to offer us these next few days.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the climbing team  

Thursday, March 27, 2025 - 6 pm PT

The whole team has made it to Everest Base Camp! A perfect day. There weren’t many people on the trail from Gorek shep and no huge yak trains so we made great time.  We stopped at the base camp rock (which is the entry point to camp) took some photos and then walked another 45 minutes to our camp. Everyone was surprised at the size of camp - it’s over a mile long! And it’s on the edge of the glacier so imagine lots of rock on top of ice. We settled in with an amazing meal and got a tour of our home for two nights - dining tent, sleeping tents, bathrooms and even a shower!
We spent the afternoon staring up at the Khumbu icefall, the glaciers surrounding us, taking warm showers and just enjoying this remarkable place.
Everyone is so strong and doing great even at 17,500ft!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Lobuche team

Another great day in the Himalayas!

We had another shorter day of trekking so everyone was SHOCKED last night when I told them breakfast would be at 8:00am instead of our usual 7:30am. Really changing things up over here!

We hit the trail around 8:30am to another sunny and clear day. Nuptse was shining on our right and Pumori towering above on our left. We soon made it to the rocky trail on the edge of the Khumbu glacier and got our first views of Everest Base Camp far off in the distance.

We pulled over for what we thought would be a normal yak train (we always move out of the way - one never faces down a yak) but soon realized it was the largest yak train to ever exist. 50 yaks? 100? Sooo many. This was confirmed by all our Sherpa guides who agreed they had never seen anything like it. We took the extra break and enjoyed taking 1484 more yak photos and videos but this time with Everest in the background.

Before we knew it we had made it to Gorek shep, our final stop before base camp and sitting just over 17,000ft. It’s a barren place and oddly sandy. We all noted that it looks like it’s out of Dune.

After lunch, with clear skies still above, we opted to go on a little hike for better views of Everest.  We had so much fun just strolling a little more uphill, taking photos and talking about all the mountains around us.

We are all doing well and so looking forward to base camp tomorrow!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Lobuche team

P.S. yesterday, Jangbu carried Diego but TODAY David carried Dawa so we’re all even. 

P.P.S. We likely won’t have service or wifi at basecamp so don’t be too worried if you don’t hear from your loved one for the next few days.

Namaste from Lobuche!

At the beginning of the trip I told the team that no trip would be complete unless we saw a baby yak and today we saw lots of BABY YAKS! Just as we were leaving Pheriche early this morning we got lucky and saw the cutest things in the whole world roaming the valley floor.

We then headed up across the toe of the Khumbu glacier where we stopped for honey ginger lemon tea and crackers in the village of Thukla. We took our time knowing today was a little shorter! After tea, we headed uphill (once again) to the climber’s memorial. It’s a beautiful area honoring climbers that we have lost in the mountains.

We continued to follow the moraine of the Khumbu glacier up to Lobuche village. On the way, we had amazing views of Lobuche the mountain and got to see the route we will take to high camp and the summit in just a few days.

We’ve had so many laughs along the way and today was no different. One of my favorite moments was when I looked up and Jangbu, one of our Sherpa guides, was carrying Diego on his back. They’ll do anything to help us out!

Jess and the Lobuche team

Monday, March 24, 2025 - 6:02 pm PT

Hello to all our friends and family!

Today we had a rest day in Pheriche but it wasn’t your typical rest day because we still went to over 16,500ft!

I challenged our team to help acclimate by taking a more active rest day. So we woke up early, had a quick breakfast and headed uphill to a peak behind Pheriche called Nangkartshang.

The weather has been a little unsettled with clouds, wind and snow so we said we’d just climb until it didn’t make sense but we got so lucky! Clear skies and insane views greeted us the whole way as we ascended from 14,000ft to over 16,000ft.

I prepped the team before the final rocky summit block, “it’s always windy and cold on top so we won’t stay long and make sure to add all your warm layers” but when we got up there it was so still with no wind at all and the sun beaming down on us. What a treat! We took our time, took lots of photos, and breathed in that thin air.

After stressing our bodies just enough, we headed back down. But let me say, this crew took the spirit of the Himalayan tahr with them and SAILED DOWNHILL. I could barely keep up and we were back in Pheriche in time for lunch.

After lunch, we all rested, read books and relaxed in the warm sun.

A near perfect rest day in Pheriche! Everyone is doing so well.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Lobuche team

Tashi Delek!

We made it to Pheriche and we’re officially in the Khumbu valley. That feels good to say.

We had such a special day with a stop at the Pangboche Monastery - it’s one of the oldest monasteries in the region and was founded in the early 16th century.

We were lucky enough to receive a blessing from the llama (Tibetan word for monk) and we all agreed it was a really memorable experience. Sitting on the floor surrounded by intricate woodwork, murals painted centuries ago as the llama chanted and made offerings for our safe passage in these mountains. Pangboche and the monastery is a haven of ancient wisdom and natural beauty with Ama Dablam beaming in the background.

After we received our katas (traditional white scarves) conveying wishes for a safe journey from the Llama, we said goodbye to Pangboche and made our way to Pheriche. Ama Dablam and the big mountains shining all around us the whole way.

We’re at 14,000 feet now and we’re feeling the altitude a little bit as our bodies are working hard to acclimate. Good news for us is we have 2 nights here to help that process!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Lobuche team

P.S. how could I forget? We also got our first views of Lobuche. Ooooo, she’s looking so pretty!

What a day! What a day!

We seem to have settled into the trail life, finally leaving the jet lag and nerves surrounding what to expect on the trip behind and walking with ease.

We climbed to the top of Namche this morning and traversed along a winding trail. Patchy clouds stuck around from a little snow last night but we still had some beautiful mountain views.

Nawang, one of our Sherpa guides, spotted two Himalayan tahr - a type of mountain goat - below the trail today. What a lucky sight! We all would have walked right past them even though we were keeping our eyes out.

The clouds got more dense as we left our lunch break for the big hill climb to Tengboche. Soon after, it started snowing. It was a peaceful and quiet snow and we mostly climbed in silence just taking it all in.

We made it to the top of the hill and the ancient Tengboche monastery. It was so special to be there and spend some time learning about the sacred site.

Soon we found ourselves descending to Rivendell — our teahouse for the night. While the snow continued outside, we stayed cozy in the dining room playing Farkle and Bananagrams! Some of us kept track of our score on our phones and some of us *cough cough David* kept track using almonds and pistachios. I guess the almond method worked because he beat us all.

The snow continues outside our windows but we’re all tucked in under sleeping bags and ample warm blankets.

Sweet dreams from the Himalayas!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Lobuche team

The goal for today was to take care of ourselves and do what we needed to do to be ready to go higher tomorrow.

We had a couple options for the day but we all chose to take a short hike to the top of Namche to see views of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam! We stood in the sun, talked about the routes and conditions on the mountains (it’s been a very low snow year so they all look a little barren) and then headed into the museum next door to learn more about the Himalayas and the people who live here.

We spent the afternoon exploring the shops and cafes around Namche Bazaar and having lunch at Eat Smart (think yummy sandwiches, fresh juices and warm soups). Some of us got pampered with a $7 hairwash and blowout - who would guess we’d have these amenities over 11,000 feet in the middle of the Himalayas?

With full bellies and clean hair, we headed back to our teahouse just in time for an afternoon snack of tea, yak cheese and crackers.

Ah, the life of a rest day in Namche. We lived it up! And are ready to keep heading uphill tomorrow.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Lobuche team