2014 Everest expedition dispatches

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Hello everyone,

Just a really quick note to let you know that everyone arrived at Everest Base Camp today and the team is feeling very strong!!

Some of us spent the afternoon organizing our gear and getting settled into our personal tents that will be our homes for the next 6 weeks or so. Others assembled our solar power station and communications gear. Many thanks to our friends who pitched in and made this work more fun and easier.

Lunch and dinner were fantastic and we learned we have some talent in the kitchen! After dinner we enjoyed the award winning American Hustle. Now time for some rest.

Memorials

Yesterday we trekked up from Dingboche to Loboche and today we moved up to Gorak Shep, the last village before base camp located at 5,150m / 17,000 ft. Tonight we will enjoy the comforts of a soft bed and meals in a heated resort, err lodge.

Yesterday’s trek is one of my favorite segments of the entire Everest Base Camp trek. We traversed high above the valley and enjoyed incredible views. At one point we were able to view three of the world’s 8000m peaks: Lhotse, Cho Oyu, and Makalu. Stunning! The crux of that day was climbing the snout of the Khumbu glacier. At the top of the hill is a memorial area with many chortens memorializing many who lost their lives in surrounding mountains. It is a powerful place for reflection.

Today was a relatively short day of trekking, just 2.5 hours from Lobuche to Gorak Shep. The weather was a bit different today and we were fortunate to reach the lodge before the snow started to fly. The area received a very light dusting but the temperature remained quite cool all day. We have been enjoying a relaxing afternoon hanging out and getting caught up on our reading.

Tomorrow is the day we all have been dreaming of for months – base camp! It should only take us about 2.5 hours to get up there, just in time for lunch. Hopefully our state-of-the-art solar power and communications systems will allow us to maintain more frequent updates as we adjust to living at EBC!

Namaste!

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Lunch Break

Greetings from Dingboche (4410m)!

Sorry no post last two day. It is have been difficult to get Internet connectivity here in the Khumbu with so many people trying to update their Facebook status. 🙂

The weather has been fantastic, the trekking unparalleled, and the company delightful. Everyone is doing great and having a good time. Yesterday we trekked from Namche Baazar to Deboche and had the opportunity to spend time at the amazing Tengboche monastery, the spiritual center of the Khumbu. And, of course, enjoy some apple pie at the Everest Bakery. Yum!

Yesterday on our trek from Deboche to Dingboche, we were fortunate to have an audience with Lama Geshe. Lama Geshe is the highest holy man in the Khumbu and he bestowed a blessing on all of us for safe passage in the mountains. It was a very powerful.

We are now settled in at Dingboche and are having rest day where we will take an acclimatization hike and enjoy our time here before pressing on to Lobuche tomorrow.

Namaste!

Namche Morning

Beautiful blue skies above the incredible views from Namche Baazar this morning. The entire team enjoyed a another breakfast at the Hotel Tibet and have head out in many different directions for separate projects, including some viewpoint hiking, for our last acclimatization rest day here in Nachme. Tomorrow will we hit the trail and have a chance to visit the Tengboche monastery on our way to the Rivendell Lodge in Deboche.

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Garrett and Kurt arrived Nachme this morning.  They reunited with the climbing team for an excellent breakfast at the Hotel Tibet.

Everyone spent the day exploring and enjoying the comforts of Namche Baazar: the coffee shops, bakeries, pubs, and some shopping for very last minute items like personal solar panels.

Kurt ran some system checks on the satellite uplink terminal that will provide our internet connection at Everest base camp. All systems go.

Some new friends were also made which is perhaps the most joyful element of having adventures. Everyone is looking forward to the days ahead.

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The climbing team trekked up to Nachme yesterday where we will spend two nights.

Garrett and Kurt will arrive via MI-17 helicopter this morning as their fixed wing flight as cancelled yesterday due to cloud cover in pass leading to Lukla.

The whole team will be together today in Namche.

Craziness here at the Kathmandu airport! (situation normal). Among the things that you don’t see inside the waiting area at other international airports are monkeys and birds. They were too fast for a photo.

Craziness here at the Kathmandu airport:  Tribhuvan International! (situation normal). Among the things that you don’t see inside the waiting area at other international airports are monkeys and birds. They were too fast for a photo.

Getting ready to leave the comforts of the Yak & Yeti and head to the airport for our flight to Lukla and the start of our trekking!

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The last of our food & oxygen packing in Kathmandu (KTM)!