Khumbu Massif
In October 2017 I arrived for the first time in Nepal intent on hiking around the famous Khumbu region Everest route on the recommendation of a friend. After faffing around in Kathmandu for a few days sorting knockoff cold-weather gear, relevant permits and observing damage from the recent earthquake, it was time board a rickety old Twin Otter bound for the Himalayan mountain town of Lukla.
It was a smooth trip at first, I teamed up with an Israeli guy who I met straight off the plane. He was a little serious and really didn’t get my sense of humour, but was at least amicable company as we hiked up through the verdant valleys that steadily give way to barren glacial fields, hemmed in by the massive spires of rock that constitute the world’s tallest peaks.
Later, things were to go not-so-smoothly as my hiking partner began suffering with suspected altitude sickness and had to descend in the dead-of-night accompanied by helpful Sherpas, leaving me to go on alone. After a pretty bleak period of self-reflection definitely not aided by my own mild altitude sickness and the freezing cold nights, I managed to meet up with an awesome couple and decided to ditch the trek to Everest Base Camp in favour of going over to the Gokyo Lakes region.
Aside from a few days delay getting back to Kathmandu from Lukla due to weather (ending up chartering a helicopter for the first — and likely last — time in my life), it was all over and I lazed around my hotel for a few days being justifiably unproductive.
Initially I wasn’t overly thrilled with the photos I took from this trip — it’s only really 5 years later looking back that I thought to check if there was any potential lurking there. These are a few of the choice cuts, taken on a battered old Nikon D7100 with equally worn budget lenses, edited cinematically which I think definitely suits this region of the world.
They won’t win any prizes for sharpness or technical proficiency, but as a testament to what amounted to a pretty personal journey, I’m satisfied.
