Everest 2002 Expedition Report April 4th 2002, Lobuche

We’re in Lobuche at 16,000ft., one day away from base camp. We scrambled up a peak behind the lodge here this morning to 17,400ft. Everything is going really good. Our team is jazzed as we are getting closer to the mountain. We have been getting brief glimpses of Everest in the mornings; the afternoons have been cloudy until today which stayed clear. The weather has been cold, with light snow falling every day, but not enough to affect any plans yet.

Tomorrow we plan to move into our base camp. We are planning our main Puja, or blessing ceremony in a few days. This is an important event before anyone goes into the icefall. After we arrive in Base Camp we plan 3 days rest and acclimatization before going higher up. We also need the time to sort through 2 tons of gear and prepare loads for the upper mountain. There is a lot to get organized for the next few weeks.

I have just received word that the icefall has been fixed by the Sherpas. So looks like as soon as we arrive in BC and have the Puja we can have our first crack at the icefall--always exciting!

Scott Woolums Adventures International Inc.

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