The photograph was taken in December 2014 at Cho La Pass — a mountain pass located 5,420 meters above sea level in the Khumbu region of northeastern Nepal. It connects the village of Dzongla (4,830 meters) to the east and the village of Thagnak (4,700 meters) to the west.

The trip to Nepal lasted about 40 days. The first part was spent in the capital, Kathmandu, and farther west in Bandipur and Pokhara. For the second half, we had planned a circular trek (without a guide, navigation instruments, or porters) in the Himalayas of northeastern Nepal — specifically in the Khumbu region, the Nepalese side of Everest.

We started from Lukla, having reached it by a 14-seat Tara Air aircraft flying from Kathmandu (the most daring thing we did on that expedition…).

We hiked for 16 days, covering about 200 kilometers with over 15,000 meters of cumulative elevation gain. It was a very demanding route that brought us immense fatigue, but also deep self-awareness and satisfaction. Endless ascents, passes above 5,000 meters, breathtaking scenery, and villages nestled in the middle of nowhere — inhabited by the tireless Sherpa people (together with the Mongols of the steppe, the toughest people I have ever met).

One of the hardest days was the ascent to Cho La Pass. We were crawling our way up, and when we finally reached the highest point at 5,400 meters, we put on every layer we had in our backpacks and enjoyed the view while sipping water. That’s when we saw, from the other side, a lone figure dressed in black slowly making their way toward us.

He was the hiker in the photograph.

Later, we greeted each other at the top. He began descending the path we had just climbed, while for us, an endless downhill stretch awaited in the opposite direction…