am back from Annapurna Basecamp, where i saw what i wanted to see, learnt what i wanted to know, and brought back more than what i expected to carry.
my recent read of The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev came full circle when i saw where he rests now at the foot of Annapurna, remembered by many. as i had my moment of silence before his resting place, i read his quote carved on the stone:
“Mountains are not Stadiums where I satisfy my ambitions to achieve,
they are cathedrals where I practise my religion.”
although i have a different take on mountains and mountaineering, i cannot help but admire this man’s passion which saw him through life – and death.
With the team, Esther went on to climb and summit mountains in far-flung corners of the world, including Mt Aylmer (2,699m) in New Zealand; Mera Peak (6,476m) in Nepal; Er Feng (5,276m) in China; Mustagh Ata (7,546m) in Central Asia, and Mt Everest (8,850m) in Nepal.