goin up mera...

from the upper hinku valley, mera dominates the skyline to the northeast... a really daunting mountain, from the perspective of size-

Mera peak is 6476m, compared w. the highest mtn in N. america- Denali, in AK, at 6194m, but is really easy from a technical perspective. Lhakpa and I took 2 days and 1 night on the mtn, choosing to limit the time camping above 5000m (and consequently staying a whole lot warmer!).

we stayed in the lil village visible at the bottom of this pic for 2 nights, khare, where these amazing eagles were soaring, just overhead...

us on the way up to the glacier, from khare...

this is the route up to high camp, basically a long walk on glacier, tough from an altitude perspective, otherworldly from a sensory one...

we walked along this saddle,

then spent one night at high camp, ~5700m, (i can't recommend the three season tent, actually) my guide was smart enough to sleep w/ his buddy down the hill in a proper expedition model...;-)

what it feels like to "wake up" (ya never really went to sleep)- at 200am, 5700m, really friggin cold, and jazzed on life!!

n' what the voices in my head sound like at this point....