New audio update from TA on Pumori.

This is the text of TA’s audio message:

Hi this is TA calling in from Pumori base camp.  I’m just back from another TA walk, I went over to Pumori base camp on the other route, part of the way to camp one on that route.  It was a very reflective walk, on the way I past above where I built the inuksuk for Michael Smith in 2007, and thought a lot about Michaels sprit and wondered how his family was coping with their lose.  As I walked along several avalanches careened down the ice gullies of Nupse as I contoured around the rock strewn hills.  I followed along the Khumbu glacier almost all the way to Everest base camp, about 500 feet above where you would traditionally walk  

Our team two came back down from advanced base camp warn and haggard the memories of their epic decent last night in the first hours of darkness where sharp as the sharpest knife.  The passage of time had yet to dull its edge.  Even with just two days time my intimate experience of the climb to camp one has eased.  It sounds as though the next time we make the climb to camp one will be on our summit push.  I’m not sure if I will get a summit push on the mountain, as the mountain is playing a little hard to get with the route.  The Sherpa’s had to place camp one right at the top of the ridge and they have had two solid days of chopping to level four tent platforms for the rest of us.  Tomorrow they will begin to fix lines to camp two.

I always knew there was a possibility that I would run out of time given that I need to leave the mountain 5 days earlier then my teammates to get back to North America in time for my 3M teaching fellowship retreat.  It’s not a done deal yet but time is quickly passing by, given the late start due to the plane crash.  As I walked today I realized that I would be sad to miss a chance to try for the summit, but I’ve had a good expedition filled with good learning and I will be reflecting on that for quite some time.

I didn’t feel that great on my walk today and marveled at how some days I feel so strong and healthy and other day’s nausea and fatigue reign.  Perhaps the antibiotics are wreaking havoc with my belly; in any case I walked slowly and enjoyed immersing myself in the peaks that surrounded me.  Occasionally I looked down and marveled at how simple footsteps can wear a tread and many footprints can wear a path.  At tea time today we talked about how Himalayan peaks require patience, the ability to sit and wait, the ability to sit and acclimatize, to wait for the route.  So at the moment Pumori is teaching me much about patience and impermanence.  

I will keep you posted as to how it goes over the next few days.  It sounds as though I need to leave base camp on either the 26th or 27th  to have a reasonable walk down in order to get a plane out of Lukla, to catch my plane in Kathmandu on the 31st.  In the mean time the Sherpa’s are working very hard trying to get the route in place for me, and for the rest of the team.  So that summit bids can happen and the mountain can get cleaned before the yaks come on November 1st for the rest of the team.

We are cold, here at base camp these days.  Been pretty chilly here last night it probably got down to -12 or -15 and all of our warmest things now are of course up the mountain at advanced base camp so we huddle around the heater in the mess tents.  The last two days have been wonderfully sunny and we have enjoyed watching the action on climber TV.  As people on team one get some rest and some start to get a little bit of restlessness, I’m sure people with be off to Kalla Pattar or Everest base camp tomorrow.

I’ve been thinking a little bit about John Dewey and about experience.  He has some wonderful words about experience: “Some experiences are educative and some are miseducative.”  I’ve been pondering if some experiences can be educative in the short run and miseducative in the long run, or miseducative in the short run and educative in the long run.

So ill leave you with that, take care and I will talk to you tomorrow.

TA

As TA climb Mount Pumori she is attempting to raise one dollar per metre of the mountain ($7161) for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.  TA is climbing Pumori in honour of her mother Denise, a breast cancer survivor and 100% of the money raised goes to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.  If you have given already, thank you and please tell your friends and family to give also.  We need your support. 

Click here https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/startup.aspx?eventid=21241 to donate online and click http://www.taloeffler.com here for a downloadable donation form.