Puja Ceremony

[ NOTE from Kurt:  you may have read about the accident on Sunday at the same Lukla airport used by our team and nearly all climbers and trekkers in the Everest region.  We are thankful that no one from our team or staff was involved in the incident that tragically killed the first officer of the aircraft and two police officers on the ground and injured four others.  We send our prayers to all of them. ]

As the team settles into life at base camp, one of the first orders of business is the truly wonderful and deeply spiritual Puja Ceremony.  Typically a Lama priest will travel up the valley to base camp and conduct a half-day ceremony at the purposely built alter that the team’s Sherpa and support team have painstakingly constructed.  This ceremony is the essential step of prayer for safe passage for all that will be travelling on the mountain.  Expedition leader, Garrett Madison, provides this update of the team’s activities:

Hi, this is Garrett checking in for the Mount Everest climbing team.  We had a wonder Puja ceremony in base camp where a Buddhist  Lama came up.  And we asked the mountain for safe passage for all of our climbers and Sherpas.  Now we are heading out training in the Khumbu Ice Fall, practicing fixed line climbing techniques, repelling and ladder crossing.  Everybody’s doing good here in base camp.  We’ve got some sunshine today, so it’s a nice change from yesterday which was mostly cloudy.

 

We are looking forward to a few days of training here before getting ready to head up to the higher camps in about a week’s time,  All’s well here in base camp.  Thanks!

The Sun presents a good omen

MM team after puja ceremony