Dispatch 4 - First days at Base Camp:
April 12th
Click pictures for larger image
It’s great to be at base camp!! The sherpas that came
up here ahead of 
us
did an amazing job of turning a rock encrusted corner of glacier
into home. The first order of business here at Base Camp was
the Puja ceremony. The description of the ceremony that follows
is by no means authoritative and is based solely on my experience.
This is a Buddhist ceremony performed by a lama (an educated
Buddhist monk) asking for the mountain's permission to be
climbed. The centerpiece of the ceremony is a stone altar
built by the sherpas and adorned with various offerings of
butter, milk, cakes, sweets, and a variety of beverages. Key
pieces of climbing equipment (harnesses, crampons, and ice
axes) are also placed around the altar to be blessed during
the ceremony. It starts out with 
about
a half an hour of chanting in Tibetan. A plate of rice
is passed around and participants in the ceremony throw rice
toward the mountain at key moments. Eventually the puja pole,
a large wooden pole with the American and Nepal flags and
several strands of prayer flags, is raised. The prayer flags
are strung up over all parts of our camp. At this point the
fun begins - tsampa (barley flour) is smeared on all of the
participant’s
hair and faces. This is a gesture by the smearer to the smearee
of a wish that the smearee grow old so that his hair and bear
are grey - the color of the tsampa.
With
the Puja under our belt, we were then able to officially start
climbing Mt. Everest. The next day a group of western climbers
(including Mr. Tanguay) ventured into the lower part of the
Khumbu icefall. We wanted to get a feel for the climbing (including
ladder crossing) and to give our bodies a chance to acclimatize
to the altitude at Base Camp (light exercise helps acclimatization).
The climbing was fun but not too scary. The ladder crossings
definitely keep your attention, particularly when you lash
two ladders together and cross a large crevasse. In full climbing
gear with crampons on, crossing a shakey ladder over seemingly
bottomless crevasse can be a bit unnerving initially. Once
you have done a few you forget about the crevasse and just
get across as quickly as possible. With fixed ropes
along the route even if you fall someone will pull you out,
however it is better not to fall since you risk injury. The
ladder practice is a good way to begin focusing on the serious
climbing yet to come. See
why we need ladders in the Icefall.
The
sherpas went up to Camp 1 yesterday and established the camp.
They started carrying loads to Camp 2 today and it should
be set to inhabit by the middle of next week. I'll go up to
Camp 1 probably on Monday and spend 2 nights there then
on to Camp 2 for two nights. Hopefully that will work out
- I'm trying to only make 3 trips above Base Camp to minimize
my trips through the Khumbu Icefall since it is the most dangerous
part of the climb.
The numbers . . .
14 ladders between Base Camp and Camp One
21 other climbing teams at Everest Base camp
110 sherpa loads are planned to be carried from Base Camp to Camp Two
Day by Day . . .
6 April - Participated in Puja ceremony and organized base camp.
7 April - Climbed 800 feet above Base Camp in the Khumbu Icefall to 18,300 ft - crossed 3 ladder bridges.
8 April - Tested oxygen equipment and educated climbing
team members about its use.
9 April - Rest day
Photo Captions
Raising Puja Pole
At the end of the ceremony the sherpas
raise a pole with the Nepali and American flags attached along
with many strands of prayer flags that will hang over our
camp.
Puja
A llama and a few of our sherpas chanting in Tibetan
at the beginning of the Puja ceremony.
Ladder
Mr. Tanguay crossing a double span ladder (two ladder
sections lashed together).
Climbing Team
Our climbing team - 15 climbing sherpas and
12 western climbers.
