Description: Lhotse gets a bad rap, if you ask me.
First, it is one of the more mis-guessed peaks in the Himalayas. It looks majestic and like what you think Mt. Everest should be. Couple that with the fact that they are neighbors, BUT…it has the misfortune of being the first of the two peaks you will see when trekking in the Khumbu region of Nepal.
This leads almost all trekkers to ask, “Is that Everest?”
Cue the sadden faces when those trekkers are told by their guide that no, that beautifully sculpted peak is not the highest in the world (it is ‘only’ the third highest). It is Lhotse. “Oh. Will we see it soon?” is the response as trekkers pass right over this beautiful set of ridges and sheer cliffs.
It’s passed right over! I sometimes wish it were set further away, like Cho Oyu, another monumentally exquisite Himalayan peak, so it was better revered.
Alas, it will be forever, through our lifetime at least, second fiddle.
But if you do make it to the Himalayas, and if you do ask your guide that very same question, take a moment to revere Lhotse when it is pointed out to you. Take in its grandeur, alone, by itself, without comparing it to any other.
I think you will find Lhotse holds its own to any peak in the Himalayas.
Title: The Beauty of Lhotse
Location: Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal, Asia
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Photograph Copyright Peter West Carey. Image Available For Commercial Licensing (email).