Entries from Gokyo Trek

We saved the best for last.  The best weather at least.  While we’ve had clear mornings up high, we were aware that it was still cloudy down below for much of our trip.  Not today though.  It was clear from the start in Lukla today and the airplanes and helicopters took full advantage.  While we had coffee and breakfast in our last tea house, the aircraft were hustling in and out of the nearby strip.  We headed over at our appointed times and got on a helicopter for Kathmandu.  There was none of the usual stress about wondering if we could go or not.  We were gone.  The whole team was in Kathmandu by mid morning.  Then we did about what you’d expect… showers, naps, gear sorting and shopping.  We got together at the end of the day to trek through traffic for a final team dinner.  After dodging mules and yaks, the potholes and taxis of Kat were no problem for us.   Finally -at dinner- we could declare victory and acknowledge how thoroughly lucky we’d gotten.  Things had seemed pretty uncertain at the outset. We’ll start getting back to our own side of the globe in these next days. 

Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Saturday, October 12, 2024 - 

Another big day… done!  This one was hanging over our heads for a while, since we were familiar with the terrain on our way in. We knew we had to cover a full twelve miles with an uphill finish.  The team was certainly happy to start down from Namche on another fine-weather morning.  We had the trail pretty much to ourselves for going down the big hill.  We took a moment at the bottom to watch a bungy jumper bounce way down under an extremely high cable bridge.  Once we were working along the river, traffic on the trail picked up.  We stood fully ten minutes at one point to let about a hundred loaded mules go by.  But we also had plenty of stretches where it was just us, cruising along.  We had lunch while sitting outside in Phakding and then pressed on.  At 5:30 PM we rounded a last corner and found ourselves walking down Lukla’s main “street”   There were fist bumps all around.  Dinner was a bit of an event as our entire staff of Porters and Guides joined us for a celebration.  They presented a surprise cake and we made sure that they each received a generous gratuity from the team.  We were all genuinely impressed with the flawless “mechanics” of the trip, to say nothing of the kindness extended when we were cold, tired and hungry.  Our staff made the trip for us and tonight we tried to express our gratitude because tomorrow morning may be goodby time.  We hope to fly to Kathmandu. 

Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

PC: Dave Hahn

The day had its ups and downs. We left Dhole (at 13,250ft) just after breakfast and continued our trip down the magnificent gorge. There were waterfalls everywhere and we enjoyed being back among trees, shrubs, and grasses. After a little more than an hour, we had bottomed out below 12,000 ft and needed to start climbing again. The team are old hands at going uphill in the Himalaya by now, and so we cruised the switchbacks and crushed any and all competition. 

It was delightful to take tea sitting outside where we crested at 13,000 ft. Once again, we were looking directly out at Ama Dablam (to say nothing of Kangtega and Thamserku) just across the valley.  For a time, we were back in the “traffic” of tourists, porters, and yaks on the main route to and from Everest Basecamp, but we ventured into much quieter terrain by taking a turn up toward Khumjung, a beautiful village just over the hill from Namche. We ate lunch there, next to the famed Hillary School, and then walked a final hour in swirling clouds to reach Namche Bazaar once again. 

The gang is happy to be back in the lap of relative luxury. Camp De Base seems like the Ritz to us now. Showers and shopping were in order, along with comfortable beds. 

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Thursday, October 10, 2024 - 3:04 am PT

As much as we were enjoying the high life up in Gokyo, it was time to get lower.  We got walking at 8:30 this morning down past the series of magical lakes pinched between giant mountains and a giant glacier.  The end of the glacier brought a dramatic change in the scenery as we were then traversing a steep gorge with a charging and churning river below.  The trail was in great condition, though it was still a challenge to keep from tumbling off as one could get easily distracted staring at the six or eight 20,000 ft mountains surrounding us.  It wasn’t particularly busy on the trail but we were careful to give room to the hard working yaks when they came through loaded up with propane.  The weather followed what we’ve come to think of as the normal pattern: crystal clear to start and clouding up after noon.  We pulled into Dhole at around 1:40 PM after 8.2 miles, so the gang was definitely ready for lunch and a few hours of rest to complete the day.  The rest -way down here at 13,400- ought to be a little more restful than we’ve had in recent days. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 - 3:56 am PT

For sleeping at 15,700 ft last night, the team fared pretty well. All were present and conscious for breakfast… even smiling.  Some chose to actually rest on the rest day while others went for the more active program.  We set out after breakfast headed toward Cho Oyu, the world’s sixth highest mountain.  We didn’t mean to climb it.  There is a great view of the mountain from Gokyo, we walked toward it to stretch our legs and to see a few other big mountains.  Our route took us near “fourth lake” and “fifth lake” a few more in the magical chain of turquoise lakes along the enormous Ngozumpa Glacier.  After nearly four miles, we reached an excellent place to sit while gazing at Mt Everest, Gyangchungkang, Cho Oyu and a hundred other stunning peaks.  The team was reunited back at the Fitzroy in Gokyo by 2 PM, just in time for a meal and a nap. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Cho Oyu from Gokyo. PC: Dave Hahn

Tuesday, October 8, 2024 - 4:09 am PT

The stars and satellites were twinkling when we left Lungdhen at 5:25 AM. It appeared to be a perfect morning for our big climb.  The trail was steep and unrelenting, right off the bat, but the team was moving well.  By the first rest break we no longer needed headlamps and the jagged peaks were bathed in splendid sunlight.  After the initial hills, we walked through rolling and sandy hills amid alpine lakes.  We began to encounter the snow that fell while we were coming into Kathmandu a week ago.  It got a little deeper as we got on the steep rock switchbacks and ledges that led to the pass itself.  It was tricky going.  There was no room for slipping or tripping.  But our amazing guide team of Tenzing, Lakpa Tenzing, Santa and Rai were vigilant and enormously helpful. The team had certainly noticed the 17,600 ft of elevation when we hit the pass, but it was so magical to be standing there in bright sun with no wind and the whole world seemingly revealed, that the gang smiled through whatever pain they were feeling.  Right there in front of us were Everest, Lhotse and Makalu (the first, fourth and fifth highest mountains in the world.)  We ate, drank and took pictures. It was easy to just hang out, gazing at a thousand mountains and glaciers, but after about thirty minutes it was time to get busy with a safe descent.  We’d made the pass at about 11 AM and were headed down the other side by about 11:40.  The snowy path through steep rock demanded laser focus, but things got easier as we descended.  We pulled into Gokyo 9.5 hours after we’d begun the day, having covered 8.7 tough (but beautiful) miles.  Our guesthouse sits on the edge of a turquoise lake at nearly 15,700 ft.  The team was happy to find their rooms in the comfortable Fitzroy Lodge. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

PC: Dave Hahn

Monday, October 7, 2024 - 6:18 am PT

We put in nearly seven miles of walking on our rest day.  But it was restful.  Lungdhen sits on the edge of a big broad valley with steep peaks on either side.  It was another blue sky morning and we set out up valley.  There were just a handful of yak corrals and not many buildings in our valley.  We came across zero trekkers.  The valley is pretty quiet since the nearby Tibet border is closed to any passage.  We went to about 14,900 ft.  A bit farther than intended, but we kept seeing new and beautiful peaks.  Even so, we were back at our tea house by 12:30PM, just in time for lunch, some naps and some packing and preparing for the Renjo La tomorrow.  It will be a big day in terms of distance, altitude, cold and most especially views.  We are planning an early morning start, so the team is already in bed at 7 PM.

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

PC: Dave Hahn

Well, we have gone off the map. Or at least out of cell phone range, and the internet is not working up here at 14,250 ft in Lungdhen, so we are coming to you via satellite. The team was -once again- surprised to wake in Thame surrounded by beautiful mountains. The normal pattern, clouds in afternoon and an evening with crystal clear mornings will produce that kind of morning surprise. Today the peaks were extra stunning at first light.

We set off at about 8:20 up the broad valley, pointed north toward the Tibetan border. We had left the trees behind, so today there were just low shrubs and grasses, and a big roaring tumbling river (as usual). Without coming to any single big hill, we gained altitude steadily through our 6.5 miles.  We sat for tea a while in Maralung before taking on the final push up to the Kwangde View Lodge in Lungdhen. We did one of our typical eat and rest afternoons as the clouds came around outside. It is a little cooler up here, and we aren't so far from the snow now.

 We will explore a little tomorrow and stay a second night. That should offer our best chance at proper acclimatization before we try to get over the 17,600 ft Renjo La. 

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Saturday, October 5, 2024 - 2:56 am PT

It was another brilliant blue sky morning in Namche, and so it was easy to get up and get going… but leaving comfy Camp de Base is never all that easy.  We were excited to start up the Thame Valley.  There were many many nice people on the trail from Lukla to Namche and the vast majority of them were headed for Everest Basecamp.  We took some satisfaction this morning in going out of town the other way.  We walked in forest for roughly the first three miles and then began to break out of the trees to see perfectly manicured small farms along the way.  Of course we sat for tea in Thamo, comfortable outside even as some clouds began to gather.  Then it wasn’t too much further to Thame.  We began to see the destruction caused by the recent outburst flood (essentially, a month ago a natural dam failed up valley, sending a wall of water and rock down upon this beautiful village).  As usual with such things it is jarring to see some farms and tea houses completely untouched while neighboring properties are simply gone or in ruins.  We were welcomed at the Paradise Lodge in early afternoon, having gone just over six miles from Namche.  A big lunch put the team in the proper mood for resting through the afternoon and adjusting to the “new” altitude. 

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Friday, October 10, 2024 - 7:43 am PT

First light revealed that we were surrounded by stunning mountains… it had been cloudy when we entered Namche and turned in for the night, so this discovery was a surprise for some.  Today was our acclimatization/rest day and we made good use of it.  Shortly after breakfast we climbed the steep paths to the top of Namche Bazaar and headed for a spot from which the bigger mountains might be seen.  Sure enough, Everest was out, along with Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Thamserku.  It was a magnificent view.  We took it all in for a time and then got on with a short, steep hike up to Syangboche where we sat sipping tea in the glorious high altitude sun, looking in disbelief at impossibly big, steep and beautiful mountains in every direction.  By midday we were back down in Namche, eating lunch and planning out an easy afternoon of shopping, reading, napping and eating.  Tomorrow we’ll go higher. 

Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn