Everest is hard, but saying goodbye is harder.

Of all sides of Everest - the south from Nepal, the north from Tibet, and the east, also from Tibet - it is the eastern approach via the Kama and Kangshung Valleys, which are the most stunning.

The history of Everest is rich, fascinating, and still much alive today. Meeting an elderly Tibetan woman at Rongbuk Monastery, Tibet, brought it front and center.

Everest came down off Everest. It became, in a climbing sense, just another mountain to be approached and attempted within the context of our past experience in the Rockies, Tetons, or on Mount Rainier. Not quite, really. But much of the battle lay inside. That battle was nearly won.