Today was our second rest day at Everest Base Camp, and the highlight was a powerful spiritual ceremony led by a lama from the Tengboche Monastery, about 15 miles away. I asked our expedition coordinator if the lama could bless the photos of each child we’re climbing for, and he gladly agreed, placing every child’s picture directly in front of his prayer book. Each and every child was seen and honored during the ceremony, which lasted about 90 minutes.
At the end, the lama tied a red string around my neck and placed a kata—a long white silk scarf traditionally given for good luck—around my shoulders, offering blessings for a long life.
After the puja, we celebrated with the Sherpas, dancing and marking each other’s faces with white flour as a symbol of safe journeys on the mountain.
In other news, a podcast I recorded while in Kathmandu—The Courageous Podcast with host Ryan Berman—was published today. You can listen to it here: The Courageous Podcast
I also connected with Ben Ayers, a writer for Outsideonline who will be arriving at Base Camp around the same time we return from our first rotation.
Finally, I spoke with Matt—he’s safely in Doha, Qatar, staying at the Hyatt near the airport before his early morning flight to Dulles airport.
