Khumbu Dawn

The final stages of the approach to Everest Base Camp and the Khumbu Glacier involves an overnight camp at Lobuche, 4,900 metres (16,100 feet) - a place that was once the last and highest settlement in the Khumbu Valley. Sight of the peaks at the head of the Khumbu Valley - Pumori, Lingtrense and Khumbutse, at first light, is perhaps a classic and one of the most memorable views to be enjoyed on the entire journey, particularly at first light.

I captured this view from our campsite outside Lobuche and beside the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier just after dawn on a stunningly clear morning in early December. The prominent peak, fully illuminated, is Pumori, 7,161 metres (23,494 feet) with its neighbour Lingtrense just catching the first rays of morning sunlight.