Lying in a tent in Everest Base Camp, you can hear the ever-moving glacier beneath you crack and pop. Minor avalanches fall with a rumble and a rush on the surrounding mountains, their plumes of snow invisible in the darkness. These are the sounds of night at the edge of the Khumbu Icefall. By early morning, the mountains have a blue-black glow. The half moon is sharply luminous overhead, but the stars have been extinguished. Men stir. Stoves are pumped, primed, and begin their whoosh and whir to heat morning tea. Another day of setting camps, supporting climbers, and reaching for the summit begins.
