High above us the jet-stream winds blow a long trail of snow off Everest's summit. Golden sunlight spills down icy slopes and black, towering crags. The deep-throated roar of an avalanche cascading off Nuptse's shoulders batters us as we weave our way alongside the Khumbu glacier. We crawl like insignificant insects across this giant's playground of shattered boulders and jagged ice.
Air creeps through gaps in our clothing and freezes our skin. Our breath billows from overtaxed lungs as we push onwards and upwards.
It has been a long 10 days to get to this point. White-knuckled, we clutched our seats as our tiny charter plane wove its way through mountains, which seemed too near and ever ready to snatch our pathetic craft from the sky, before touching down at Lukla. The next few days consisted of easy hiking through beautifully forested valleys. Constantly crossing back and forth across the rivers on high suspension bridges, we laughed and joked and enjoyed the relaxed stops at the teahouses along the way.A MOST BEAUTIFUL TOWN
Then began the hard push to Namche Bazaar. The climb seemed never ending and, as we staggered on, we had to endure the light-hearted jibes from those returning from higher altitudes. They skipped down the steep slope, enjoying the strength and vitality they felt as they returned to oxygen-rich, low altitude after days of hiking up high.
As the mist crowded in around us, we passed a large Buddhist stupa and arrived at our destination.Perched on the edge of a towering abyss and held in the hands of a high mountain bowl, Namche Bazaar is one of the most beautiful towns in the world.
It was here that we got our first view of a distant Everest - a surprisingly emotional moment. Even some of the tougher guys among us could be seen to wipe their hands across their eyes and complain about the bright sunlight at high altitude.After Namche, the effects of the hard hiking and the altitude began to kick in. As it got colder and harder to breathe, so the mountains slipped off their forest coats and the bare rock and ice greeted us with scenes of spectacular majesty. The Himalayas are really huge and the 6,000m and 7,000m peaks around us bestrode the landscape like colossi.Yet, we were constantly reminded of the strength of the local Sherpa people who call this dramatic place home. They raced past us carrying massive loads and bantering without any sign of fatigue.
These people live close to these capricious peaks and are not oblivious to the risks. Prayer wheels, shrines and holy inscriptions dot the landscape. Particularly treacherous spots are draped in colourful prayer flags that seem to dance happily on the wind, masking the danger beneath. Then came the last day and the final push to base camp.
A DREAM REALISED
We leave Gorakshep early after a restless night in the thin air. Yesterday, we ascended the 5,600m Kala Patthar. This peak provided us with the best views of Everest and the entire Khumbu valley but it exhausted us, too. Now, barely recovered, we stumble, cold and lightheaded, across a devastated wasteland of glacial moraine.
At last, ahead of us, little blue and yellow tents appear scattered like fluorescent confetti amongst the ice and boulders of the glacier. Graffiti scrawled across a grey rock announces that we have reached base camp.Fists punch the air and exhausted smiles ghost across our faces. Lack of oxygen has slowed our brain function so that we stare in a detached manner at all around us. Colin unfurls a South African flag and we shuffle together for the obligatory photo that will hang on our walls back home, proclaiming our personal triumph...