I thought it was after our climb. We flew into Lhasa and came in through Tibet. Cho Oyu sits right on the border. Then we went down the valley to Kathmandu, Nepalgunj and Mahadrenagar, to go to Gogan where HLF was scheduled to install solar electric panels for irrigation, the school, and lamps for the homes.

That is where I met Nawang, a little boy who played a decripit piano in the school and was fascinated by the music I was composing at that time to document the Cho Oyu climb. I volunteered with HLF to spend an extra month working to help install electric solar panels. Learned a lot, wrote and produced music for HLF, and it paid for my climb. 26,906' World's sixth tallest mountain.

I prefer the Tibetan word for the mountain, Qowowulag.



Gogan on the mountain side

We had a clear view of Everest from the Cho Oyu summit.

I looked over at it for a long time thinking, "You know? That's possible." Felt the tug. But I would never do that. I don't like the kind of rich people who climb it now, and could not walk past a dying man without trying to help. No summit is worth making that kind of inhumane decision.
You know dead bodies are route markers on Everest?