Exit the Dragon

This is the Nangpa Glacier, looking northwest from the southeast moraine.

The Nangpa La itself hides behind the draw at the top of the cwm, where the dragon’s icy teeth are insignificantly small at this distance. Dzasampa – the last camp – is barely out of frame, to the left. The scattered remains of the the avalanche from two days ago are visible below the cleave in the glacier at the far right.

What this image cannot convey is the labyrinthine stupor induced by picking a path though the ever-shifting seracs while listening to their mocking creaking as they saunter downhill.