Epic Hikes of the World ( PDFDrive )

© Daniel Prudek | Shutterstock
summiting in the deep snows of Island Peak
“You feel like a fraud who could be escorted down the mountain for not
really belonging. But you do belong. You walked here”
© Yongyut Kumsri | Shutterstock
just in case you lose your bearings
And the rewards? People come to the Khumbu region of Nepal expecting to be
wowed by the mountains. But they leave just as overwhelmed by Sherpa culture.
There are no roads here, so walking the trails is what everyone does – trekkers,
builders carrying doors on their heads, gnarly Everest mountaineers, old men
ferrying crates of Coke, kids walking to school, grannies picking up yak dung to dry
for fuel…everyone. And above it all stands a constant circle of the highest
mountains on earth. Everest, the tall kid at the back of the class photo, looms at
the back.