27 MARCH, 2013 - FINALLY LUKLA

Last day of the trek!!

This will be our final trekking day terminating in Lukla with our flight scheduled for tomorrow back into Kathmandu.   What should be a 6 hour walk turns into 9 hours of torment for Cam.   He shows great strength and determination under such distress, insistently waving off a horse rescue.   Black Beauty, Sea Biscuit, War Horse … anything at this point would have been a relief though!    According to him:  his feet have become paralyzed and have turned to dust.  There is no ability to bend the toes.  The ankles have begun to swell.  It is something out of a congested heart failure clinic. The goraks now circle overhead looking for dinner!     The fabulous array of magnolia and rhododendron blossoms in the lower valleys of Phakding are entirely lost on him.   As dusk descends we finally and successfully drag our sorry states under the gate of Pasang Lhamu Memorial Gate.    This structure lauds the first Nepalese female climber who successfully summitted Mount Everest but perished on the climb down. We have made it full circle and are back safely.  Khumbu resort never looked so good!