Our last day trekking in the mountains began with goodbyes to our friends at the Zamling Lodge in Namche. We headed down the knee-shredding Namche hill and then began ticking off the villages in the valley until we got back to Lukla. It took seven hours of slow tired walking, the last two in the rain of a thunderstorm, a forewarning of the coming monsoon season that will end climbing on Everest and other mountains in a couple of weeks. We hoped for clear weather in the morning because if it if too cloudy or windy no planes fly into “the world’s most dangerous airport.” Pilots flying into and out of Lukla depend entirely on visual flight. Visibility is paramount to safe travels and it’s not uncommon to spend several days waiting for clear weather.
