Pumori Climbing Expedition Dispatch
October 26, 2009 – Mount Pumori Climbing Expedition Update
The team has spent the last few days getting ready for some extended time on Mt. Pumori to go for the summit; if the weather, the climbers’ health, and the route conditions cooperate.
Jamie and his team are ready to move up,
perhaps for the summit push. Jamie
looked excited, strong and ready
to go this morning.
The climbing Sherpa have been up and down, hauling loads and putting in some camps that qualify as feats of climbing equipment engineering, as well as making progress on the route itself.
Day 15 brought Todd back to base camp after a few days of recovery in Pheriche. On Day 16, Sara also returned happily to base camp after a slow ascent from Pheriche. She’s acclimatizing much better the second time around, and has some tentative acclimatization hike plans for the next few days. Whether or not she’ll make it to the top of Mt Pumori will depend on how the next few days go. Her delayed acclimatization may have cost her a serious attempt on Pumori this time around, but she’s thrilled just to be back at base camp, and to take things one day at a time.
Day 17 has been an incredibly busy one here at Pumori Base Camp. The climbing Sherpa are headed up the mountain to push our fixed lines higher; and Jamie, Todd and Scott packed and headed out for Advanced Base Camp (ABC) this afternoon.
The current plan is to overnight tonight at ABC then head to Camp 1 for tomorrow night. From there, weather and the route conditions will dictate what comes next. Our weather and forecast have held so far, but yesterday afternoon we saw the first high cirrus clouds we’d seen in quite awhile, and early this morning cold, gusty winds picked up down here at base camp. By mid-day, the winds have continued and we’re still seeing some clouds up high. Nothing of great concern, but the climbers are anxious to make progress on the mountain while our weather holds.
Base camp is unusually quiet now, with just the cook staff, Ang Temba, Ang Tshering, Wally and Sara keeping the home fires burning – literally. For as long as our climbers are on the mountain, a small fire of juniper and incense will be lit on the Puja altar here at base camp each morning and evening.
We noticed a change in the sky overhead. The summit of Everest is showing clouds forming on the north side of the mountain and there have been signs of strong winds above us at the highest elevations.
Before Jamie, Todd and Scott go up the mountain to climb, they spend time at the Base Camp Chorten just as the Sherpas do. Here they are preparing the sacred juniper to burn as an offering for peace and good fortune.
Before the climbers take off, Ang Tshering throws rice three times as a blessing for the climbers
Here we go. Jamie and the team take off for Advance Base Camp in the early afternoon. With good luck and good weather they will be gone for a total of 5 days and nights
From here at Base Camp Ang Temba, Kami and the other team members watch their progress on the mountain above.
A big morning at base camp as the climbing team gets ready for what may be an extended stay on the mountain
Left: Ang Namgel, our climbing Sherpa, readies for today's trip to Camp 1; Right: The climbing Sherpa headed out this morning aiming for more work up high on Pumori
Todd and Jamie sorting gear for their planned extended stay on Pumori