Up to Everest - Alone at the top of the world

Amy was on her second night of Zero sleep, the clouds were packed in around the mountain and I was sure we were headed back to Pheriche without a view of Everest up close. We reluctantly packed our bags at 4 am, coughed down a little porridge and headed into the darkness without a lot of hope. We'd been lucky so far, but lack of sleep and clouds did not bode well.

As the sun began to rise, the clouds began to part. I started snapping photos.... Who knew how long this would last? Amy felt like garbage (mind you, this was the first indication of discomfort on her part, and she was in a rough place). We kept hiking, thinking the clouds would hunker down and we would turn around. The further we went, the more the clouds began to peel away. We were smiling more (through the lack of oxygen and headaches).

Amy taking a needed rest on the way to Gorak Shep. The clouds were nearly gone.


Celebratory photo under Pumori. We sure did not think the clouds would stay away...



Looks pretty easy... the slight incline to Kala Patar. "Objects in picture look easier than they appear."

First view of Nuptse: Snap a photo before it goes away.


The flats between Gorak Shep and Kala Patar summit.