The Earthquake / Avalanche aftermath…
Today we are scheduled to have our Puja – a ceremony where the Sherpa ask the mountain for safe passage, a blessing for each of us, and a blessing for the equipment that will keep us safe. One thing nice about the Puja is that the entire expedition team gets together – every member of the Alpenglow Expedition team – to pray and to celebrate the journey ahead. We were joined by a monk from the Rong pu Monastery just below base camp who lead the Puja. And despite what was taking place to our south, spirits were high and everyone seemed in a good mood.
About an hour after our Puja, during lunch, a strong aftershock hit. It felt to me every bit as strong as the first quake. More rock fall came off the mountain behind us. The spirits of the team – quite high after the Puja – immediately became much more somber.
The rest of the afternoon was filled with napping, blogging, and trying to get updates. We have heard that the borders to Nepal are closed unless it is related to relief efforts. Even if our Sherpa felt a strong need to get home, it would be an incredibly arduous journey to get back into Nepal and then into the Khumbu Valley back to their village. Using satellite phones and radios all our Sherpa were able to talk with families and loved ones in Phortse.
We are in a waiting pattern. Our thoughts are with the tens of thousands of impacted people in the Kathmandu region. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the climbers, Sherpa, and mountain workers that lost their lives on the south side Everest Base Camp. Our thoughts are with the climbers that are safe, but temporarily stranded above the Khumbu ice fall at Camps 1 & 2. I am fortunate that the climbing friends I know at south EBC are safe – friends in EBC as well as above the ice fall.
It is a stark reminder of precisely how little control one has over nature and the elements. The mountains always provide this reminder for me. And today, after being so close to such a massive and devastating natural disaster, I am truly grateful to be alive, to be able to call home and tell my loved ones that I love them, and be surrounded by such an amazing team of guides, climbers and Sherpa. I ask you to keep the people of Nepal in your thoughts and prayers as they struggle over the next days, months, and years, to overcome and rebuild.
