Into the Icefall!

Just back today from our first foray into the Khumbu Icefall. Always an
interesting experience confronting ladders across large cravasses and steep
ice sections. The team did super well today moving up to the famous
"popcorn" section of the icefall. Huge multi-ton blocks of ice that can
resemble huge popcorn chunks! Our goal today was some more acclimatization
and experience moving quickly through the icefall. Everything went well, so
we are ready to move up to Camp 1 tomorrow morning early, then onto Camp 2
after a couple nights at C1. Everyone is feeling good, moving well and ready
to go! We are almost exactly on schedule. Today the sherpas moved 14 loads
up and were back in Base Camp around 10am, amazing. We will have a little
less ability for communications while in Camp 1 and should have ok comms
when we are in Camp 2. SO look for more reports in a couple days when we
move into Camp 2 for the first time this year! Still the route is not fixed
above Camp 2 so we are right on schedule for when that happens. Showers,
sunshine and great food by one of the best cooks in the Khumbu- Serki
Sherpa!

Yesterday we shared a very good "Puja" or blessing ceremony with our Sherpa
Team. A very powerful and necessary event before venturing onto Sagarmatha,
the Sherpa name for Mt. Everest. This is a fun event that takes about half a
day where several lama's bless the sherpas, us and our equipment before we
actually start our climb.

Scott Woolums reporting from Everest Base Camp