In August, 2003, I was in a gear shop trying on boots for an upcoming Mt Rainier climb. The young man helping me was remarkably kind, patient, respectful and friendly. Hearing my Australian accent, he shared that his girlfriend was studying in Brisbane and that he was keen to go visit her, but, having just returned from Nepal, too broke to do so. I asked if he had been trekking in Nepal, which elicited hoots of good-natured laughter from his colleagues. Shyly, he revealed tha