“Namaste!” a Sherpa carrying the weight of the world on his back in the form of booze, cleaning goods, and boxes of Snickers, Coke, and juice, all in a woven basket, enthusiastically called as I passed him on the trail. No roads connect the towns along the Everest Base Camp (EBC) trail, thus everything - and I mean everything, like drywall, two-by-fours, and propane tanks – is carried up by Sherpas, donkeys and yaks. The Sherpas, carrying baskets on their backs that can literally weigh over 250 lbs, walk step by slow step, their exhaustion sometimes very apparent, never fail to greet you with all the extra energy they can muster. And why not? We were surrounded by the beauty of the Himalayas. How can you not scream out in joy? “Namaste” is more than a
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