I was coming off my second rough bout of food poisoning in 3 weeks, for which I desperately needed rest, rehydration and nutrient-rich food: all things that are in very short supply at 16,400′ / 5,000 m. People are generally aware of the objective difficulty of the distance to Everest Base Camp, and while many underestimate the elevation, I think the biggest risk to a successful Himalayan adventure is food poisoning and personal hygiene. You never know if the little old woman who just topped off the tea house furnace with more yak dung is going to go wash her hands before preparing your dal bhat and veggie momos.

Everything you see along the road to EBC was carried there by porters, mules and yaks: building materials (windows, cinderblocks, doors, sheet metal), all food (meat, vegetables), bottled drinks/beer, furniture, propane for cooking, everything. You’re not supposed to eat meat beyond Namche Bazar because it has presumably spent more than 3 days on someone’s back making the journey up to that point. The local Sherpa people cannot raise enough meat and produce to feed trekkers daily; all trekker food must be carried up. These porters are superhuman, many of them in flip flops. We even saw a guy in Wellington boots carrying a refrigerator on his back. Our guide told us that if someone offered them nice hiking boots, they would most likely sell them to provide for their families back home.

Taken from a viewpoint above the Sherpa village Dingboche, Khumbu Region, Nepal.

Getting the shot: My legs did most of the work on this one.

1/250 sec | ƒ/10 | ISO 125