So that was it, we were done. We had made all three climbing attempts and crossed the Cho La, so we had nothing left but to return to Lukla, fly to Kathmandu and go home. We were sad, of course, but at the same time, we all felt exhausted and most of us were nursing a variety of illnesses, including the infamous Khumbu cough, impossible to escape due to the amount of dust in the air. Being able to rest and get better would certainly be welcome.

Our objective for the night was the Mong La ridge, which would put us only 2 hours away from Namche the next day but made for a long day. I was still very tired from my stint the previous day and though most of the walking was downhill, I struggled to keep up and didn't really enjoy the scenery of the lovely Gokyo valley. The day ended with an hour long ascension up a steep hill, something I could definitely have done without. It was also my twenty-fifth birthday.

The next morning saw us in Namche after a leisurely morning walk. We stopped there for a few hours, checking whether the bakeries were as good as we remembered (even better, as it turned out) and finally reached Munjo in the evening, back in the Dudh Kosi valley. The big mountains were left behind and everything was green again. The trip was almost over.

Mungo and Rachel, chatting on the way down from Gokyo.

The river coming from the Ngzoumba glacier speeds down the Gokyo valley.

View from Machermo on what I believe to be Kyajo Ri.

Taboche seen from the south.

Jo and Chyote headed down the Gokyo valley.

Kangtega (?) from the bottom of the Gokyo valley, with the Phortse ridge in the foreground.

Phortse and Ama Dablam from Mong La.

Early morning light on a stupa in Mong La.

Porters having a break in front of Kongde.

Ama Dablam and the trail above Namche.

Chris and Chongba above Namche, with Lhotse in the background.

Sacred engravings in Namche.

Malangphulang from Namche.

An unidentified mountain above the first trees we had seen in three weeks.

A porter on the steep hill leading to Namche.

Prayer flags on the first and highest suspension bridge above the Dudh Kosi.

The first suspension bridge, very high above the river.