 Remarkably, Lakpa did eventually return to climbing. But it was a long, hard slog. After eight months in that shelter, still with little English, she managed to find a home and regular jobs to pay the bills. She was a carer, a cleaner, a cashier. She also won sole custody of the two daughters she had with George. It was when they were finally in school and her son at college that Lakpa began to dream again of the mountains.