The next morning, we climbed steeply to Kala Patar from Gorek Shek. Because of the altitude and because I was not feeling well, this was the most difficult hike I have ever done. I had to climb at a ridiculously slow pace. Finally, I reached the top which consisted of a knoll of boulders at an elevation of 18,192 feet, on the west side of the Everest Basin, covered with prayer flags. From there, there were mountains in all directions. Most spectacularly, among its sister mountains, we could see the south face of Everest in all its glory, under deep, deep blue skies. On top, I thanked Badri, our Sirdar for getting me to the high point of the trek. The Sirdar is the second in command who is charged with looking after the logistics and clients. Badri told me, “People get to the top with this,” he pointed to his head, “and this,” pointing to his heart. After celebrating on the top, we hiked down quickly and steeply back to Gorek Shek. After lunch, we hiked back to Labuche, a mostly level trail, and spent the night there in the lodge. By this point, most of the trekkers had some combination of colds, stomach distress, or mild symptoms of altitude sickness. Everyone looked forward to the 2,600 foot descent scheduled for the next day.