Self-portrait, Kala Patthar

I'm back in Namche Bazar after hiking around the Himalayas. I just had my first hot shower and cold (well, lukewarm) beer in about two weeks! Yippee! I am as sore and tired as I have been in a long, long time. But, oh, the things I've seen...

This is me yesterday on the summit of Kala Patthar. It's an ugly little lump in the midst of otherwise spectacular Himalayan peaks, and "only" 5,545 metres (18,192 ft) high. That's over two miles shorter (that's two miles straight up) than its most famous neighbor. But what this otherwise unremarkable mountain can boast is the best unobstructed view of Everest, seen here with a wispy cloud halo.



The peak just behind my head is Nuptse. In the bottom center is the Khumbu Glacier. To the left is the Khumbu Ice Falls. Just off-camera to the left is Everest Base Camp. Climbers go up the Ice Falls through the gap between Nuptse and Everest to the ridge in the center of the picture, then up to the summit on the other side.

I have now seen Everest from just about every angle except one: the summit. And I never will. Climbing little Kala Patthar was about as much as I could handle!

I'll be back in Kathmandu in two days. At some point thereafter I'll post more pix when I have a cheaper and quicker connection.