Ed on Lhotse. Ed Viesturs on Broad Peak gazes out over Concordia, the confluence of the Baltoro and Goodwin-Austin Glaciers. Trekkers admire the aesthetic beauty of 6,812-meter Ama Dablam from a safe elevation of 4,500 meters. The symmetrical summit is one of the many spectacular views en route to 5,360-meter Everest base camp. A porter uses a primitive pack to carry a heavy load across a 30-meter cable suspension bridge.
Porters work at relatively low altitudes, ferrying loads to base camp.
The work of a Sherpa starts at base camp, and involves technical climbing to carry supplies high on the peak. A Nepalese man collects branches from a juniper tree to take back to his lower-altitude village. It is a Buddhist tradition to burn the fragrant leaves as a peace offering to the gods, asking them to protect climbers who dare to ascend the surrounding peaks. Each May, the jet stream moves north, granting climbers a brief opportunity to reach the summit. The winds are a powerful reminder that the will of nature not man decides when Everest can be climbed.