New audio update from TA on Pumori.

This is the text of TA’s audio message:

Hi this is TA calling in from North 27 degrees, 59 minutes, 40 seconds ; East 86 degrees, 50 minutes, 15 seconds, our second day at base camp here on Peak Freaks Mount Pumori expedition.

Today we had our Puja ceremony, the Lama came up from Pangboche to bless the mountain and our equipment and us as climbers.  I found it a very emotional ceremony as it was the same Lama that had come to do our Puja at Everest.  It’s a serious kind of affair, and really brings home what we are about to do.  With burning Juniper and chanting, the prayer flags looked absolutely beautiful against the mass of Pumori when the pole was raised and the prayer flags began to flutter in the wind.

After lunch we did a carry half way to our advanced base camp and marked the route with cairns to make it easier to find our way in the dark.  Tomorrow I guess we are going to try to do a carry all the way to ABC.  The good news is that our gear is on its way up.  It landed in Lukla yesterday so hopefully on Tuesday we will have warmer things since it has been unseasonably cold up here, its pretty chilly, I’m tucked into my sleeping bag again as I make this call.

I want to say a big hello to Patrick’s daughter Hunter and my niece Rayne, because I know they are both following along.  I’m hoping that my acclimatization catches up, I’ve been dealing with a little bit of a headache and I seem to have caught the team cold that we have been passing around.  We are all hoping that we pass it around early and get it done with so that it doesn’t interfere later in the climb.

That’s all the news for today, take good care and we will take to you tomorrow

TA