On the roof of the world

28th August 2006 - Everest Base Camp
The dark jagged silhouette of the Himalayas stood out amongst the grey pre dawn sky. It was
almost dark as we began this, the final stage of our journey to Everest Base Camp and as the warming rays of the sun bled into the ebbing darkness, the blue/black outline of the mountain range twinkled through hews of purple, red and brown merging them into an eairy back drop that separated us from and the morning sky. The wheat fields awakened too and burst into a speckled mix of browns, golds yellows and greens - all unfolding as from sleep and rubbing their eyes in salute of the new day. Tibetan farm houses with their distinctive triangular shaped windows and roof parapets decorated with tree branches (like Christmas trees) and covered in colourful prayer flags completed the picture as we ascended to our first stop - breakfast at 5,200 meters. Today was special. Today we would make it to the roof of the world.
As the daytime colours of the Himalayas melted back into shades of evening darkenss once again we arrived at the small gathering of mountaineering tents that comprise Everest Base Camp village. Our tent was spacious and warmed by an internal pot bellied stove and was strewn with carpet covered couches. There were thick Yak hair douvets, hot Jasmine tea and home made noodle and rice dishes. Everything we needed to see out the night. Next morning as the dawn once agan broke across the Tibetan sky, we saw it. Everest. Revealing herself in a sparkling shroud of fresh white snow. We popped two more altitude pills each and reached for the cameras.