Yep – you guessed it – today we climbed again. Destination Gorak Shep (5164m, 16942ft). This was to be our highest overnight stop and we would spend two nights there. The trail ran alongside the Khumbu glacier, the world’s highest. It didn’t look much like a glacier to me as the ice was almost entirely covered in rocks with the occasional view of an icy lake.

The day started off bright and clear, but the cloud thickened and lowered as the day progressed. Totally unknown to us there was proper bad weather coming. Our guides were fully aware of this – and had been for some days. But their job was to evaluate the risk and get us all safely to and from Base Camp. Like the subjects of a spy thriller, we were only told things on a ‘need to know’ basis.

As we approached Gorak Shep a helicopter approached. About three trekkers were being evacuated – they seemed to be in good health and so we assumed they were better informed about the gathering storm than we were and were buying their way off the mountain. It would take us 4 days to descend to Lukla, they were paying through the nose to get there in 20 minutes.

No helicopter journey is wasted at this height. On the descent it would have the weight of three passengers, but on the way up their weight could be replaced by supplies to this highest of hotels. We were much amused therefore when the helicopter landed and the pilot ejected many boxes of pasta which were promptly blown across the valley. The trekkers hopped in and off they went.