Islands in the Snow: A journey to explore Nepal’s trekking peaks

By Mark Horrell

Two days east of Lukla was a pleasant yak pasture surrounded by high peaks. When Col. Jim Roberts set out to look for it in 1953, he made the first ascent of Mera Peak and sowed the seeds of Himalayan tourism. Fifty years later, Mark Horrell embarked on a trek to follow in his footsteps, climb the two trekking peaks at either end of the valley, and resolve a long-standing mystery about Mera Peak’s height.