Frank threw his backpack over his shoulders and joined Sangye for the two-day hike that followed the silt-clouded waters of the Dudh Koshi River down the steps of the Himalayan highlands. Upon reaching the vale, they would turn west and hike uphill to the village of Nunthala, which nestled on the terraced, verdant hillside in the middle of the wide Solukhumbu swath.
Walking under the leafy Himalayan maple and flowering Tibetan cherry, they fell silent for the next three hours as the river burbled beside them, until at last the trail rose toward the settlement of Monjo. Frank shimmied his backpack higher on his shoulders as he picked his way up the long earthen stair and thought about the looks he’d be getting from Dawa’s family, who would have uncomfortable questions. Questions he had no
