Entries from Gokyo Trek
Good evening from Lukla!
Our trek has come to an end. We descended the last two days from Khumjung to Lukla, under the best weather we could have for the long journey back towards our starting point, after closing the loop in Namche.
While tired, it felt good to see the many trekkers on this section of the trail shared with the main Everest Base Camp route. Why? Because now we appreciate even more the solitude of the Gokyo Trek.
The air became thicker, and the lodges warmer. We celebrated tonight at our tea house in Lukla with a good dinner and our support crew, who really helped us in making our journey not only more pleasant, but actually feasible.
We're hoping to fly to Kathmandu tomorrow, weather permitting, and officially close our program.
Shuva Rattri from the Himalaya!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
October 4, 2018
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Elevation: 12,400'
Good evening from Khumjung.
We had a great day descending below the 4000m mark. We left Dole under a shy sunshine that soon got completely covered by the clouds and once more, that added to mysticism of the area.
Descending in Nepal doesn't mean going down, but losing elevation after computing the ups and downs of the day. So, we climbed Mong La Pass, the windy birth place of Lama Thsen Thsen. For a minute, we could get a glimpse of Ama Dablam in the distance. She showed us its summit behind the foggy skies that forced the sporadic helicopter to fly underneath.
We arrived to Khumjung in time for an early lunch. This town is a real Himalayan town, where tourism hasn't changed much in the way of living for the local families. With a population of 800, and the famous Sir Edmund Hilary School and Hospital, or the yak farm, it feels like the most acquainted town yet in the trip.
Tomorrow we'll make another push downhill, with our minds starting to hope for good weather, so flights can again make it in-and-out of Lukla.
Shuva Rattri. (Good night in Nepali)
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
October 3, 2018
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Elevation: 13,255'
Namaste from Dole -
We have started our descent down valley, from our highest point reached yesterday, and our highest night spent in the Himalaya, at Gokyo.
By merging into "almost" the main route to Everest Base Camp, we have started to see more people, making us gain a greater sense of accomplishment. The whether has kept us cool, and while the misty afternoon clouds have let us get a glimpse of new summits, like the impressive Cholatse, they have now fully come down upon us, adding a great deal of mysticism to the Buddhist landscape.
We'll be reporting from Khumjung tomorrow, as we continue to move downhill.
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andres Martos
October 2, 2018
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Elevation: 17,700'
Good evening from Gokyo. We crossed the apex of our journey, the Renjo La Pass and we made it to the highest village on the way to Cho Oyu, the 6th tallest mountain of the world. We definitely had to put a big fight, since the trail not only climbs to 17,700ft, but it does so on a challenging path, both up and down. Nonetheless, the views from the vantage point, are, in words of the team, "worth the trip". Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu, Gyachung Kang... were only some of the peaks that rewarded our tough climb.
We're now headed to bed with full stomachs, eager to see the views from this side of the Khumbu for the remainder of the trip.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
October 1, 2018
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Elevation: 14,330'
Good evening from Lhungde.
The team made it to the last human settlement of the Thame Valley before the Tibetan border. We also broke the 4,000 meter mark, and we're currently sleeping a few feet shy of the elevation of Mt. Rainier.
The journey was pleasant and beautiful, as everything was more authentic the higher we went. Yaks substituted the cow hybrid "Chapke", the lodges turned into real Sherpa homes, and the landscape became more rugged.
We're the only westerners here right now, and we sure hope that we don't get invaded tomorrow during our rest day.
Stay tuned as soon we'll start our hike up Renjo Pass, the high point of our trip
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
September 29, 2018
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Elevation: 12,530'
Tashi Delek!
We arrived to Thame today, leaving behind the main path to the Everest route, and with it, the herds of other trekkers who seek the one objective mostly everyone is after when hiking around here; Everest Base Camp.
Venturing straight towards Tibet is definitely interesting, as the landscape changes a bit, modified by the nature of the main trading route, that unfortunately is now closed by the Chinese. At any rate, we were happy to continue upwards after a day acclimatizing in Namche. We're doing well, enjoying the journey and pushing uphill!
RMI Guide ElÃas deAndres Martos and Team
September 26, 2018
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Elevation: 8,700'
Namaste from Phakding,
We made it in! But... what a day! The weather on the mountains grounded all airplanes, and after a six-hour wait, with the news that there were people backed up from previous days' weather delays, and with the bad forecast ahead, we decided to make a small sacrifice and hire a private helicopter, which can fly below the cloud deck, and safely fly to Lukla.
A little bit of a late start brought us to late lunch rather than breakfast at the 2800-meter high Himalayan village that serves as the start point to arguably the most famous trek on Earth. But, hey... we were in the Himalaya!
We then enjoyed a short late afternoon hike through the low villages of the Khumbu until our arrival to our lodge in Phakding.
The journey is on, and we're heading upwards!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
September 25, 2018
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Elevation: 4,383'
Greetings!
We officially started our visit with a mandatory tour of the city, and some of the sights that proclaimed Kathmandu a Word Heritage City by the UNESCO.
After a full morning of enriching our cultural perspective, we proceeded to another big meal all together, tasting new Nepali dishes over vivid discussions at the table. Like the day before, the jet lag kicked in, and the afternoon was spent relaxing and packing for the mountain flights.
Our next dispatch will be from the mountains!
Stay tuned for our progress uphill.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
September 24, 2018
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Gokyo Trek
Elevation: 4,383'
Namaste from Kathmandu,
Everyone arrived on time, bags made it no problem... and jet lag, as expected, kicked in early. We met at our hotel, Yak & Yeti, and headed out for lunch and coffee, as the first activity as a team. It was funny to see how we all were craving bed shortly after, as the massive time difference started to trigger a need for sleep at an awkward local time.
With not much else to report, we're scheduled to have a good day tomorrow of touring some of the city's historical landmarks, and of course, getting excited to start our mountainous journey.
That's all for now, the adventure begins!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Namaste!
We made it back to Kathmandu. Our descent from Khumjung went well, and we decided to expedite it, as the weather forecast looked not the most favorable, and wanted to have an extra day to secure flying out of the mountains without issues. Upon arrival to Lukla, the only storm of the entire trip developed, but we were lucky to get wet for only the last 30min of an almost 2 week hike... not bad! But we flew out yesterday, and were able to farewell the Himalaya from the air, as the skies were still relatively sunny by mid morning.
Tired but accomplished, we left the Khumbu with incredible images in the memory, miles in the legs and new friends in the hearts. Our Sherpa and porter crew made it possible for a great trip through this fantastic and mystic mountainous area of the world. All is good now in the city as we await for our flights back home tomorrow.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
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To Elias and Team,
Have and amazing adventure through the Himalayas. Eat some Dal Bhat and spin a prayer wheel for me!
-Christina
Posted by: Christina Dale on 9/26/2018 at 12:04 pm
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