Pumori Climbing Expedition Dispatch
October 18, 2009 – On Our Way to Pumori Base Camp
Jamie Clarke and his team hit the trail from Pheriche at 14,000ft on Saturday. Pheriche is a two-night stop on the journey to Pumori Base Camp because it is at a critical location for acclimatization. Our destination on Saturday was the village of Lobuche at 16,100ft. It was another glorious clear day as we set off, with the 20,000ft peak of Lobuche ahead of us.
Charlie and Mike looked strong and solid as we set off for higher elevations
Jamie Clarke leading the team
Sara always with a smile
On Saturday we stopped for lunch at Thukla, 15,100 feet. Above us, the terminal moraine of the Khumbu glacier stood. We knew that once we ascended this we would be in the "real world" of mountaineering - with Pumori and Everest Base Camps just ahead
Yaks along the trail reminded us that supplying an expedition base camp is not an easy task
The field of memorials for fallen Sherpas and Western climbers in the high mountains above us, gave the team pause. There was beauty all around us and the spirits of the mountaineering pioneers were in the air