The moment I knew: it was tender but complicated then we decided not to hide any more

"I discovered a passion for mountaineering in 2000 on a technical climbing course in New Zealand. For two decades I dedicated my life to the mountains, climbing some of the world's highest peaks including Everest. In early 2022 my marriage ended and I threw myself completely into my dream of climbing the world's 14 highest peaks without supplemental oxygen. By September I reached Manaslu base camp in Nepal. I was focused on the mountain ahead, not on love."

"That's where I met Mikel. He was working at base camp as a guide, helping his client while I climbed with another Sherpa. For days it poured with rain and none of us could move higher. We had to wait out the weather. Mikel kept stealing my umbrella and teasing me about it. I loved his free spirit he was confident, outgoing, funny and unafraid to speak his mind. He had a bright, cheeky energy and made everyone around him laugh. One night we were sitting in the dining tent watching Nepali music clips on his phone. The rain pattered on the tent roof, the glow from his screen lit up his smile and I felt an unexpected warmth. At some point we kissed."

"Later that night he came to my tent. Because he was working, he had to slip out before dawn so no one would know. For a while it was our secret a stolen kiss, a quiet laugh across the camp, whispered conversations beneath the sound of rain. It was tender but complicated. I was newly separated and Mikel is 15 years younger than me. I didn't know if it was real or a fleeting mountain romance. The following year I was in Pakistan, preparing to climb K2, and Mikel was there too, guiding another client. When I landed in Skardu he met me at the airport. We went back to the hotel where he was staying with another Sherpa and immediately decided we would share a room, just the two of us. That was the moment we decided not to hide any more. We were simply together and everyone knew."

I discovered a passion for mountaineering in 2000 and spent two decades climbing some of the world's highest peaks, including Everest. After my marriage ended in early 2022 I pursued climbing the world's 14 highest peaks without supplemental oxygen and reached Manaslu base camp by September. At Manaslu I met Mikel, a guide whose playful, confident nature drew me close during days of rain and enforced waiting. An evening together led to a kiss and a quiet, complicated intimacy because I was newly separated and he was 15 years younger. The following year we reunited in Pakistan at Skardu and chose to be openly together.

Read at www.theguardian.com