I’m sat on a rock in the middle of the afternoon surrounded by 7,000m peaks, the snow covered mountain faces reflect the harsh light of the mid afternoon sun, causing me to squint as I peer up at them. The only sound is the noise of a milky turquoise stream meandering through the valley and the slight hiss of that bitter wind as it wraps around my head. One of the mountains is Chamlang with its 2,000m south face as glaciers hang precariously, just waiting to reveal the dark grey rock that it has sculptured since the last ice age.

Is it here that I’m at peace? If it is it would only ever be half at peace as half of me is missing, forever wrapped in her love. My shadow as I’m sat on the rock is rapidly lengthening and the suns heat decreases like someone has flipped a switch and the shivering reflex begins and my thoughts return to keeping warm and go and fetch my camera as that 2,000m face of Chamlang begins its transition from a harsh white, gradually softening to an orange glow and finally a dark featureless mass as dusk turns to darkness.