Rising to New Heights: Everest

Entering the Nepalese Himalayas from Kathmandu is like being teleported into a different world. Disembarking from our 13-passenger STOL (Short Takeoff/Landing) plane — the only kind that can land on Lukla’s 500-foot airstrip without crashing into the cliff towering over it — I found myself surrounded by a scenario that remains etched in my mind to this day.