Early morning over a frozen Gokyo
View over the ex-glacier
Everest floating over all
It is 5:30am, the sub-zero air sears my lungs as we set off up the hill a short way around the frozen Gokyo lake. My body is screaming for more oxygen, but there is none to be had. I focus on finding equilibrium, balancing my breathing with the pace of climbing, sometimes losing concentration and ending up gasping like a fish out of water. I am using my climbing poles to spread the effort, enjoying the way they bite into the frozen snow. We stop for breaks often, our hearts beating like they are about to jump out of our ribcages. Each time we look around we see vaster vistas opening up, the distant snow laden peaks seeming to glow with inner light as the sunrise starts to reach them. Then magically we are high enough, and the big peaks are visible... Cho Oyo, Lhotse, Makalu, and high above them all Chomolungma, the earth and sky goddess, floating in a sea of clouds, majestic and terrifyingly beautiful. We make our way to the top, to be greeted by snow, incense burning on a small Buddhist shrine, and the best cup of tea ever, carried by our ever supportive Sherpa guides. We walk down as quicly as we can, amazed at how far down we have to go, how far we managed to go up.
The summit team
