Dudh Koshi river
Originating from the glacial melts of the Everest region, dudh koshi is one of the highest elevation rivers in the world.
the river is a constant companion as one treks up from lukla to everest base camp.
one of the several suspension bridges that traverses the dudh koshi river.
every crossing from and towards a space far removed.
A peaceful cottage by the river, at the foothills of the mountains
how we all wish for such fantastical things to be ours
the new hillary bridge
named after sir edmund hillary ( the first documented non-nepali to summit mt. Everest)
as we crossed this utilitarian landmark, we were greatly outweighed and embarrassingly outpaced by the porters who make the life in the region possible by carrying everything imaginable on their backs.
ama dablam
(6812 m/ 22349 ft)
Loosely translated Ama Dablam means "mother's necklace"
she is a mother protecting her child With her arm-like long ridges
and across her neck a glistening glacier for a necklace.
a very fine line between solitude and isolation
looking back at Machermo- one of the many small alpine communities that politely interrupted the otherwise pristine and desolate sagarmatha national park
gokyo ri summit (5357 m / 17575 ft)
an arduous trek by any measure but worth every bit of sweat and tears getting there. the turquoise of gokyo lakes 1, 2 & 3 capped off by a breathtaking view of what felt like the entire himalayan range. sagarmatha (everest), lhotse and makalu gracing the left half of the panoramic view.
gokyo lakes 1, 2 & 3
the village of gokyo nestled by lake 3. the gokyo lakes are the world's highest freshwater lake system comprising of 6 lakes.
Renjo la pass - the first of the three passes on the 3 pass route along the great himlayan trail
chola pass (5540 m / 17782 ft)
the trek continued on through and up the often times treacherous and very steep chola pass. but the perks of climbing something steep tend to be just a look behind.
as we descended down to the other side of Chola pass, the chola pass glacier greeted us in all its slippery glory. it was difficult to watch our steps with ama dablam distracting/ gracing us straight ahead.
heaven is an idea, this is a real place.
designation:
everest
elevation: 8848 m // 29029 ft
given names:
sagarmatha (nepali) - translation: sky's forehead
chomolongma (sherpa/tibetan)- translation: goddess mother of the mountains
as seen from the kala pathaar summit (5643 m / 18514 ft)
sagarmatha & nuptse, shrouded in clouds, bathed in the light of the setting sun.
this journey was not without pain and crippling doubt. there were days, everyday actually, that it seemed like i had made a grave mistake by even attempting this trek. there were several moments where my body and mind just broke down-unable to move an inch or take a restful breath. if not for my travel companions and the simple motivation of just catching up to where they were ahead of me, i would not have made it past day 1 of this trek.
this was something i thought impossible. the physical limitations, the fears and the apprehensions - all seemed insurmountable.
despite it all, i started by doing what was necessary
then what was possible
add in a lot of help and support from others
and suddenly i too had trekked all the way to Everest base camp.
