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Isn’t she stunning?? - Mount Everest looks good too. CJ (in pink hat) and Mt Everest (black peak on left)

CJ and V, finally in the shadow of Mt Everest

The Nepalese call her “Sagarmatha”, or “One whose head is in the sky”. The Tibetans believe she is Chomolongma, one of the five goddesses of long life. The British named her after Colonel George Everest, who began a project to determine the heights of the peaks in the Himalayas.

She is irresistible to many mountaineers, such is the romance, mystery and aloofness that she emanates. I think the most fascinating stories are those of the first ever expeditions, sent by the British, to try to climb the highest mountain in the world. This was way back in the 1920s, and the plucky British climbed to over 8000m without oxygen, and dressed in the most unlikely gear - looking more like they were going hunting rather than climbing a mountain. No doubt the challenges they faced were far greater in those times without the super techonological climbing gear that modern expeditions possess. Mallory and Irvine were the first, and definitely not the last, mountaineers to give their lives to the mountain - they disappeared in mysterious circumstances not far from the summit in 1924.

She refused to show herself to us, maddeningly, while we climbed up some 3000m on our little pilgrimage to cast our eyes on her slopes. All the “viewpoints” along the way were blanketed by thick fog and cloud. Then, after nine days of climbing, the morning of our final climb  to the highest viewpoint dawned crystal clear with blue skies and not a single cloud. We raced up a steep hill to Kala Pattar, a viewpoint at 5545m - higher than the Thorung Pass that we clambered over during our previous trek - for magnificent views. At first we could only see the dramatic peak of Nuptse (North Peak), which is closer to us hence appears to be more impressive. As we climbed, we saw a small black summit appear behind Nuptse, and then more and more of this splendid mountain became visible.

Mt Everest is notorious for bad weather and terrible winds (Some Sherpas believe this is a sign that she should not be climbed), and this makes for the black appearance of the mountain - as a lot of snow is blown off the slopes.

From Kala Pattar the views were excellent - some people with great eyesight have claimed to be able to see mountaineers reaching the summit.