Welcome to Everest base camp!  Today the team completed the final leg of the trek from Gorak Shep (5164m/16,942ft) to base camp (5364m/17,598ft).  Everest guide Stuart Robertson provides today’s update:

Hey folks!  Stuart here with Madison Mountaineering.  Just checking in with progress today.  I’m pleased to report the whole team is up at Everest base camp, the staging point for our climb ahead.  Beautiful day today.  We left Gorak Shep this morning and followed up the lateral moraine of the glacier.  Nice, easy day, got into base camp and quite a testament to Garrett and the Sherpa team and [guide] Conan [Bliss] about beautiful this place is (!), and luxurious.

 

The team’s all doing really well, we’re listening to Stevie Nicks at the moment, having some fun.  We just had a great dinner from Deepak, an Indian meal this evening, some cake for desert.  A little bit different from I was here last in the mid 1990’s.  Joyce [Azzam] is saying something in the background, but we are ignoring her because she did this cast yesterday.  So maybe Joyce can do it again in the future.  But again, everyone sends their love.  Thanks for tuning in.  Tomorrow’s going to be a little bit of an active rest day.  We’re just gonna walk around base camp, probably meet some friends, maybe visit HRA, the doctors at base camp, and breath some of that thinner air to continue the aclimitization.  Again, thanks alot for tuning in and bye for now!  (team shouting byes in the background)

Leaving Gorak Shep for base camp

At the top of Kala Patthar

View from Kala Patthar

First close up view of Everest approaching base camp

Today the Everest team enjoyed a beautiful hike to Lobuche (4935m/16,190ft) and were able to post a slew of amazing photos.  Here’s Garrett with the details:

Hey!  This is Garrett calling in for the Everest expedition.  We’re all up there in Lobuche at the Himalyian Hotel tea house. Everyone’s doing great and we had a beautiful day hiking up from Dingboche (4325m/14,190ft) – great panoramas of the surrounding mountains: Makalu, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Cholatse.  Just a fantastic day!  We are tucked in here at the Lobuche lodge waiting for dinner.  Tomorrow our plan is to head up to Gorak Shep and hike Kala Patthar.  So, all is good here on the hike to base camp.  We’ll check in soon!

Looking across at Ama Dablam, Dingboche in the foreground

Card game in Lobuche

Views from Lobuche

Yaks in Lobuche

Views from Lobuche

Garrett and the Arab team

Today the team received a blessing with the High Lama of the Khumbu Valley as they made their way from Debuche to Dingboche, as reported by expedition leader, Garrett Madison:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest expedition.  Today we trekked up from Debuche to Dingboche, stopping in the village of Pangboche for a blessing with the High Lama of the Khumbu Valley.  It was a very enjoyable, and sacred, special ceremony.  After that, we finished out today off here to Dingboche.  Everyone’s doing great!  Beautiful weather now, the rain’s past, it’s been sunny, warm and beautiful views of all the surrounding peaks.  We’re looking forward to an acclimatization hike tomorrow here in Dingboche and another night in this village before moving up to Lobuche the day after.  All’s well here in Nepal.  We’ll check in soon.  Thanks!

(photo:  Mona Shahab)

From Lukla, the Everest team has made their way up the valley, overnighting Phakding, and continuing on up the big hill to Namche Bazaar.  Expedition leader, Garrett Madison, provides this report:

Hello, this is Garrett calling in for the Everest expedition team!  Today is April 5th and we trekked up to the village of Namche Bazaar.  A beautiful day trekking up over the suspension bridges and the river gorge.  Got up to Namche, had a hot shower, and explored some of the village.  We just had a wonderful dinner and we are getting ready to head off to bed.  Everybody is doing great!  We had a beautiful day, not too hot, no rain, some nice mountain views, and everybody’s really happy to be here.  We’ll check in soon.  Thanks!

Bridge to Namche

Everest 2019 expedition leader, Garrett Madison, checks in with an update on Day 2 and the team heading to Ramechhap:

Hey!  This is Garrett calling in for the Mount Everest expedition team!  We had a great day in Kathmandu doing gear checks, going out to dinner, had a city tour today, did some final shopping and this afternoon we are leaving to drive from Kathmandu towards the town of Ramechhap (27.393889°, 86.061389°).  Tomorrow morning we are going to fly from there to Lukla (2850m).  The Kathmandu airport is undergoing some renovation repairs right now on the runway.  So domestic flights are a little bit jammed up.  From Ramechhap we should have a smooth flight up to Lukla.  We are looking forward to that tomorrow and getting started on our trek to base camp.  Everyone is doing great and the whole team is here and we are excited!  The weather is good.  We will check in again soon.  Thanks!