In October of 2008, at 54, I returned to Nepal’s spectacular Khumbu region for the first time in 25 years. The idea was to reprise my 1983 climb up Kala Patthar, the 18,400′ high “hill” overlooking Mt. Sagarmatha and Everest Base Camp. My enthusiasm for the expedition was tempered by the fact that I share the genetic liabilities of my father, who died of heart disease at the same age. Here’s my account of my journey, as it appeared in the Los Angeles Times, titled A return trek to the Himalayas.