Mountain puja on Khumbu glacier 6/3/2022 10:52:55 AM

We got our last blessing on Khumbu glacier. Puja was slightly different from previous ones and nature added its own effects to the event; a serac on a nearby mountain wall came grumbling down making impressive sound. It was very impressive.

The puja itself proceeded familiar pattern, but with additional festivity like dancing, refreshments and most of all, happy spirits. The end of the puja was more social, a mix of several languages buzzing over the glacier. Other Finns, Tomi, Mikko and Joni, attended puja and after that we exchanged experiences.  

Soon our attention was caught by a mix-breed dog, which ran towards the base camp followed by its owner. My understanding did not quite comprehend how the dog had made its way over all crevasses. It felt also improbable that the owner would have carried sizeable dog at 5 400 m.  

Apa Sherpa was there and nice coincidence was that our partner Suunto is also Apa Sherpa’s partner. We decided to take a picture of three of us. The contrast was interesting; first timers and a man who is on his 20th climb to Mt. Everest.  

Next camp’s equipments are packed and tomorrow we will have an early wake-up call at 4 am. We should be arriving to camp 1 by 9 am. The camp lies at 6 100 m and it will be our first night there. Next blog update can be expected on Wed evening or Thu morning.

Mika Pitkämäki