We are almost at the endpoint of our uphill climb. Of course this is a complete review of the experience and you can get my first impressions of the experience if you dig back into the archives (October). Hiking beyond Gorak Shep and proudly, yet slowly, lurching up the last mile up Kala Patthar, the excitement is mounting. Any other puns and cliches I missed, like saying “pinnacle of our journey”? But let’s hold that tension, and savor the anticipation for reaching the pinnacle of our journey. Let’s not get caught up in our fixation with reaching a single destination. There are so many fascinating tangents to our path, assuming we’re walking in a big circle, and it would be fascinating to just stop and look at the surroundings, to be mentally and physically present. Looking up we see the blue sky, a good sign that the clouds are biding time elsewhere, and generously sharing wide views of the landscape. Look left, right, and all about there are mountains, with unbelievably sharp edges, and unimaginably ancient ice packs.