This photo was taken at the summit of 17,500-foot Gokyo Ri in the Mt. Everest Region of the Himalayas in Nepal. Gokyo Ri, while much higher than any mountain in the US outside of Alaska is really just a small hill in the Himalayas. It is located above the third lake in the Gokyo Valley which lies directly to the west of the Khumbu Valley, the main drainage leading from the base of Mt. Everest’s south side. From the Gokyo Valley Mt. Everest is obscured from view by a high ridge of peaks running between the two valleys. However, those who make the additional effort to ascent Gokyo Ri are rewarded with a grand view over the intermediate peaks to the world’s highest peak beyond. At least they are when the summit of Gokyo Ri is not enveloped in thick clouds as it was when I arrived. Shivering in the cold wind and physically exhausted by the steep climb at such a high altitude I was disappointed not to see the vista I had been anticipating. However, it was still powerful knowing that I was standing on the brink of a great drop and that the large peaks of the Himalayas spread out beyond my feet. I could almost feel the gravitational pull of Mt. Everest’s huge mass out there in the fog.

Even without the view of the mountains, the strings of Tibetan prayer flags blowing in the swirling wind and fog and isolated from their surroundings created a powerful image in my mind. Despite cold and fatigue I set up my camera and took several shots. I think the one above best captures the sense of windy isolation I experienced on top of Gokyo Ri that day.

On the descent the fog thickened and it began to snow. For a while I lost the trail and veered off course before coming out below the clouds and making my way back to the village at dark.

Fortunately I was able to stay in Gokyo for a while longer. Two days later I made the climb again before dawn under clear skies. The sun rose directly behind Mt. Everest sending out rays of light across the valleys and peaks. The second photo is one I took that morning not far from where I had taken the one in the fog two days earlier.

Canon EOS 5D

28-135mm lens

First Image .6 sec @ f/36

Second Image 1/60 sec @ f/6.3 with fill flash

Gitzo Carbon Tripod

For most of my life I have been strongly attracted to mountains.  When I was nine years old my dad took me on my first climb of Mt. Thielsen in the Oregon Cascades.  Since then I have spent a lot of time looking at them, reading about them, climbing them and photographing them.  No mountains have captured my imagination more than the Himalayas where all of the highest peaks in the world are located.  For years I have read about the geology, geography, people, culture and exploration of the high Himalayas, particularly the area around Mt. Everest, like I was reading of a fictional land in a fantasy novel.  With vicarious anxiety I have experienced the feats of heroic survival and agonizing tragedy that have played out over the last 100 years on peaks reaching so high in to the atmosphere that humans can only survive there for short periods of time.  In 1999 I took part in a trek through the Himalayas to Mt. Kailas in Tibet, but our route took us far west of the highest peaks in Nepal and monsoon clouds prevented me from seeing the big summits even from a distance.

            In April and May of this year I finally visited the mountain range of my imagination when I had the opportunity to go on a solo photography expedition in to the heart of the Khumbu region and right up to the base of Mt. Everest itself.

            It turned out that my trip precisely coincided with a particularly difficult time in Nepal’s recent history.  I flew to Kathmandu, the capitol of Nepal, smack in the middle of several weeks of strikes and protests aimed at dethroning the King, who in the last few years had steadily been dismantling the democratic government, violating human rights, taking power of the military and generally making things difficult in an already struggling country.  He responded to peaceful protests with tear gas, rubber bullets, police beatings and enforced curfews.

            After a couple of days of avoiding burning tires and flying rocks and sympathizing with the troubled citizens of Kathmandu I was able to catch my flight to the mountains to begin my trek.  For two weeks I hiked six to twelve hours a day, soaking up the views, meeting the people and taking photographs.  I dined with a reincarnate lama, joked with school kids, joined Buddhist nuns conducting their daily prayers, helped an elderly woman fix her rock wall and watched Buddhist monks lead a funeral procession into the mountains for a high altitude cremation.   Strikes and weather kept me from meeting up with my friend Laurie Bagley before she departed for her attempt to climb the north side of Mt. Everest.   But it was exciting to monitor her progress and subsequent success via the Internet knowing that she was just a few miles away on the other side of the hill.

            Significantly humbled by my experiences in the mountains I returned to Kathmandu to find a completely changed Nepal.  The King had wisely relinquished most of his power and avoided exile or worse, opening the door for the restoration of the democratic government, a cause for widespread celebrating all over the country.  It was great to see people looking happy and optimistic about the future.  I hope to see great improvements in Nepal’s quality of life in the months ahead.

            The entire expedition was a mind-expanding journey, one that has even depended my connection with Nepal and the Himalayas.  I hope that the photos I brought back capture a slight portion of the experience.  You can view a collection of images from my trip HERE…

On June 18, 2005 my climbing partner, Brock Rowley, and I will be flying to Alaska for a climbing expedition on North America’s highest mountain, Denali.  At 20,320 feet above sea level, Denali is also the highest mountain close to the Artic Circle and is infamous for big glaciers, seriously cold temperatures and nasty weather.  Brock and I were members of a 1998 six-man expedition to Denali and reached the summit on that trip.  This time around it is just the two of us.  We have named our expedition Cheese Wizardry in anticipation of the creative ways we will fit cheese in to our diet during the three-week climb.  It also alludes to our climbing abilities (or lack there of).  We will attempt a route called the West Rib, but if it isn’t in good condition or if we are too chicken the plan is to shift over to the West Buttress Route, the most popular route on the mountain and the route we took in 1998.  There is a chance that we won’t even be able to reach the mountain at all.  Low snow pack and warm spring temperatures may close the Kahiltna Glacier to ski plane landing early this season.  Without air transportation to the glacier reaching Denali is extremely difficult.  If the climbing season ends early this year, plan B is to explore and climb in an area near Denali called the Ruth Gorge.  “The Ruth” is an amazing alpine environment with 4,000-foot granite walls.  It is often referred to as Yosemite Valley with glaciers.  Either way, a fantastic adventure is in the making with many opportunities for stunning photography.  Stay tuned for the story and photos later this summer.