Into Gokyo

About an hour from Pangka, the trail climbs sharply up, past a cave at Nilibuk. Although the gradient isn't as steep as what we have experienced before, I find the going difficult. Every time I stop it gets a little more difficult to catch my breath. And stop we do, frequently. I sense Lakpa growing impatient with me but I stubbornly stick to the pace set by Chris. The path seems to have no end. At the precise point when I am actually considering turning back, we arrive at a steep staircase trail. Above lies Gokyo. I walk slowly up the steps, sticking to Chris' group. They are walking at their usual leisurely pace, but today there is no talking and banter. Lakpa expresses his disapproval by bounding up the trail, laughing, but I will not be provoked. I promise myself that one day I'll fly him down to Delhi and have a road crossing competition at ITO but today, I will take things slow. I keep my eyes on the trail and climb, one step at a time.
A large hand grasps my shoulder and a red beard appears over the brim of my hat. "Namaste, everything okay?" Redbeard, his eyes twinkling. We shake hands warmly. "We are going to Phortse today. Then maybe we'll go up again to Kala Pattar", he says. "You are almost there," he adds in his soft, kind voice, "the views are fabulous." We bid each other goodbye, standing on that narrow steep staircase leading up to Gokyo, with the Bhote Koshi to the right of us, plunging down to the valley below in the form of a twin waterfall. Then we go our separate ways. "Be careful", says Redbeard, over the roar of the water. I feel comforted after our encounter and the rest of the stretch is not so hard. In this alien world of dust and rock and thin air, he represents the familiar, although I still don't know his name.
At the end of the trail, is a simple bridge. The terrain is more or less flat, and a short walk brings me within sight of the first lake.