Friday, April 3, 2009

Patience is a Virtue

3780m - We arrived in Khumjung yesterday afternoon. This is the village of Phurba Tashi, our #1 Sirdar or lead sherpa while high on Everest. Phurba has summited Everest 14 times and now has graciously welcomed us into his lodge named appropriately Friendship Lodge.

After settling in we played a game of catch, kick, and take away with Phurba's children and several other local children using the Nerf football I brought along. We soon discovered the advantage the children had over us living at ~13,000 feet as they ran circles around us. Definitely the highlight of my day.

Today several of us climbed the ridge overlooking Khumjung where Mother Nature granted us stunning views of the holy peak Ama Dablam (6856m to the right of me in the photo) and Lhotse (8516m) just behind me over my right shoulder. Soon enough we'll be climbing the Lhotse face on our way up to Everest's South Col. Unfortunately Mother Nature kept Sagarmatha out of view with a pillow of clouds (left center of picture). Truly a "patience is a virtue" type of day as my eyes will now have to wait a few more days to see Mt. Everest.

Tomorrow we leave for Tengboche at 3860m where we will stay overnight as well as visit the famous Tengboche Monastery (center of photo on lower ridge behind me). I hope to also post some additional photos to yesterday's dispatch (Nothing quite like Namache) as the photo I already posted was just a tease to several more I have been able to edit recently. So stay tuned and recheck the dispatch(es) when you can. Namaste from Khumjung!