To speak about the scenery, the remarkable beauty, and the incredible and overwhelming feelings of smallness in a giant world is easy when talking about our trip to EBC. To exhaust my vocabulary using hyperbole would be entirely appropriate when describing the physical experience of being in a place that very few people in this world ever get to see. While it was definitely a time that no one could ever forget for the "whats", the "wheres", and the "hows", what made this trip was the "who." Guides can simply bring you from one point to another with relative ease and efficiency. They can make sure that you are equipped and given adequate direction, but with Koru, Amrit, and Ram, there was a sense of togetherness, of oneness, and a shared experience that was felt throughout. I can have all of the pictures, all of the video; I can share stories, reminisce with the friends I went with, and attempt to describe all that I saw and felt with those who weren't there. What I can't do is describe the feeling of this shared experience, the oneness with those who had a love for the Himalayas, and the indisputable drive to personally shape the experience for each person. We all felt the power of where we were. I don't know how it was done, but Koru, Amrit, and Ram established an environment that all felt trust in each other, faith in our guides, and made it possible for all of us to truly have that experience of a lifetime. I no longer have a bucket list, I have an insatiable desire to do all of it.

| January 1970