they are the big gorilla on the north but I assume they have another monster team this year. Last year they had about 30 climbers!  Thomas Olson has a great picture he took as he headed towards the north side of Everest - the huge plume is a stark reminder of what lies ahead- take a look! It seems the trek to the north side is "interesting" this year with Rob and James witnessing some small arms fire between Maoists and Blair Falahey tells a story of an altercation with the Chinese Police "...i was then forced to stand there as a 18 yr old overweigh chinese policeman screamed at me for a few minutes" - for taking pictures! Blair is at Zhangmu, a bleak "town" on the board with Neal. It is curious that the big, modern white building you see from the Nepalese side is the only one of it's kind in the entire town since the rest are shanties on mud streets just like in Nepal. I guess "keeping up appearances" is important everywhere!

Back on the south side, more teams are trekking through the Khumbu on their way to BC. The Jagged Globe team is about half-way there with a stop at the Thyangboche Monastery as is Adventure Consultants and AAI. The Mountain Link team is also making good progress. They stopped in Pengboche for a ceremony with Lama Geishe. Paula and Fi did the same as do seemingly hundreds of climbers each year in the Khumbu. I have had two pujas with Lama Geishe.

Before you think this is some kind of ruse, let me tell you a little about the Lama. He is a large man - not physically but in spirit. You feel in awe when he enters a room. His simile is huge and his eyes are clear. He looks you straight in the eye as if he is looking into your soul. As he shakes your hand, you feel it. Not as in strength but as in spirits touching. He laughs easily and puts his arm around your shoulder with confidence and affection. His ceremonies or pujas take about an hour. You sit on a blanket covered bench while the Lama sits at the end of the room. This is his personal home which is ordinary for Sherpas, teahouse owners, farmers and ... Lamas. No pretense here.

His wife and daughter serve hot tea along with small cookies. Lama Geishe makes small talk and proudly shows pictures of climbers he has blessed on his wall behind him. There are few windows in the room so the sun does not come in. It is cold so he wears a thick crimson robe and perhaps another blanket. The climbers are comfortable in their down coats. Once he feels like he knows you he starts the ceremony by chanting prayers while swinging a brass container with smoking incense . He rings a brass cymbal and pours holy water into a container. Soon he takes a pinch of rice and throws into the air. After a while he asks for each climber's name. He repeats your name in a heavy accent while looking you in the eye. He writes something on a card and gives it to you along with a red string which he ties around your neck. He asks for you to open the card on the summit. Sometimes he prays for your safety, other times it is for the mountain Gods to be pleased, and sometimes it is for the mundane and ordinary such as keeping the mountain clean.

Actually it does not matter what he prays for, you feel his presence knowing that you experienced something special and that he will be thinking about all the climbers throughout the remainder of the season.

The IMG team is all settled in base camp and their trekkers have left. Will Cross has arrived in BC. Paul and Fi took their first steps on ladders. And it seems that the icefall doctors will take a few more days to get the route in to C1. So expect it to be kind of quiet until Tuesday of next week as the teams all arrive and get settled in at base camp on both sides. Then they will start moving higher.