Maybe it’s just because I have climbed mountains that she even mattered to me, but as our small plane flew into Lukla, I looked for her. For the first two weeks of our trek, even as I labored in the high, thin air, I hoped to see her. She flirted with me; I caught glimpses of her, but mostly she hid.
We in the English-speaking world have given her a very unromantic, not-very-feminine name: we call her Mt. Everest. The Tibetans know her as Chomolungma, and to the Nepalis she is Sagarmatha.
As a photographer traveling for nearly a month in Nepal, I’m not saying my trip would have been a bust if I hadn’t seen and gotten a reasonably decent photograph of the highest mountain on our planet, but I certainly would have been a bit disappointed. I would have pouted for a week or two. Sagarmatha teased me with her occasional appearances. I wanted to see more of her.
Most of all, I wanted to see her in the light of the setting sun.
On the day we camped at the highest village of our trek, Gorak Shep (elevation 17, 100 feet,) two Nepali friends and I set out in the late afternoon to walk to the top of a nearby “hill,” Kala Pattar (18,200 feet) where there is a wonderful view of Sagarmatha. My plan was to be at the top of Kala Pattar at sunset, hoping for that sweet, warm, late light. As we hiked higher and higher, more and more of Sagarmatha came into view, peeking out from behind lesser summits. At the same time, clouds began to build, hiding my lady mountain.
But luck was with me that day. On the top of Kala Pattar, my friends and I dropped our packs and put on heavy down parkas. We waited, and we watched. The clouds cast a few dramatic, parting shadows, then retreated. The valley below us fell into darkness. The very highest peaks caught the light, and, finally, only Sagarmatha could be seen on the planet’s stage. She was alone in the last light of the day, and she was radiant.
My two friends and I watched in awe.
Several minutes passed. When the light flickered out on Sagarmatha, the three of us shouldered backpacks, switched on headlamps, and headed down toward our camp. We didn't talk much.
I believe we were all smitten.
