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Namaste from Base Camp!
 Base
Camp weather showed its true colors yesterday! Our plans to
enter the Khumbu Ice Fall were halted by a snowstorm with
fierce winds that sprung up yesterday morning. We awoke at
4am to make our climb preparations, but by 4:15am, the clouds
had rolled in and it was difficult to see even the close peaks.
Snow began to fall and we decided to wait another day before
ascending the Ice Fall. We went back to sleep and woke for
bed tea around 7:30. There was a good 3-4 inches of fresh
snow blanketing Base Camp - obviously the right decision was
made!
Even though the sun came out later the wind continued to
howl and whip through base camp; higher on the mountain wind
speeds were surely close to 100mph. When snowfalls like this
happen, it can be very dangerous on the mountain. The picture
below of Gary Scott at base camp shows a huge avalanche in
the background. This particular avalanche probably
sent several thousand pounds of snow and rock tumbling down
the mountain, which was extremely loud and very scary.  Another
reminder why it is important to respect the weather up here
in the high Himalaya.
With the extra day of rest at BC, we decided to have Sherpa
language lessons. Although the primary language of Nepal is
Nepali, the climbing Sherpa and cooks in our camp speak their
own Sherpa language, in addition to Nepali and English! It
has become our goal to learn as much of this Sherpa language
as possible during the remainder of our time here. We have
even begun a Sherpa dictionary where we write the new words
and phrases we have learned. For all the schools following
this expedition, we'll be sharing new Sherpa words and phrases
in each dispatch. See how much Sherpa language you can learn:
As I said before, we didn't go to the ice fall because ka
gepsung (it was snowing). Also there was much lung
geno (wind coming). We wished there was lots of nima
sharsung (sunshine), but no luck! At night time we see
many karma (stars) in the nam (sky) and there
has been a full dawa (moon). Since we were unable to
climb today, we enjoyed some solja (tea) with homa
chendi (hot milk), ate some riggi (potatoes), listened
to lu (music) and learned lots of Sherpa words!
 Later
in the afternoon, our Liaison Officer arrived. His name is
Bijaya Narayan Manandhar. He is a good friend of ours and
has been to BC about eight times. He'll be here with us through
the remainder of the expedition. He is very excited to be
here and even sang a beautiful Nepali song for us. He has
a great voice!
Since we weren't able to climb yesterday, we ascended into
the Khumbu Ice Fall today to do some acclimatizing at Camps
1 and 2. All of the high altitude climbing Sherpas, as well
as Gary Scott and myself will spend about 4-5 days acclimatizing
at these high camps. Our skilled high altitude Sherpa will
establish Camp 3, so it will be ready for us after we have
a few rest days back at BC.
What is really exciting is that the message of Team
Everest '03 is reaching new heights every day. Soon it will
be at the top of the world! On that note, we send many thanks
and good wishes to all the amazing and dedicated folks at
the  Coalition
of Texans with Disabilities who have helped make this
expedition the greatest on the mountain! And to all the Team
Everest '03 supporters, we thank you for your continued encouragement,
positive thoughts and financial support. It is never too late
to make your contribution
to promoting the abilities of people with disabilities! Take
the time to forward this groundbreaking story to friends,
family and colleagues today!
With many thanks and good wishes,
Gary Guller
info@teameverest03.org
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