Over the past few weeks, one sentence kept circling in my mind, quietly yet persistently: Happiness is the function of accepting what is. That this phrase now also finds its place as a piece of art beneath my skin, on my left calf, after my recently completed expedition to Nepal, is another story, yet one that still resonates within these lines.
Nepal 2025 - Happiness is the function of accepting what is
17 Oct 2025
In mountaineering and equally in my kind of photography, plans and goals may be important, but the true skill lies in adapting to the ever-changing.
And that very ability was once again put to the test in Nepal. My objectives were clear: to reach the summits of two remarkable 6000-meter peaks and to capture unique perspectives of the Solu Khumbu region, the district surrounding Mount Everest, for my upcoming project "Emerging from the Shadow of Everest".
From previous expeditions to Nepal, I knew one must arrive with patience and composure. If you carry European standards with you onto the plane to Kathmandu or worse, to Lukla, one of the most dangerous airstrips in the world, you will quickly reach your mental limits. Yet it is precisely this letting go, this immersion into other systems, that makes every expedition so rewarding for me.
What a mountaineer and photographic artist, however, does not welcome in the midst of the world's highest and most breathtaking mountains is heavy rainfall, especially after the monsoon season. And that's exactly what awaited me during parts of my stay. Thankfully, I was spared from major hazards or disasters, a fortune that sadly not everyone in western Nepal shared, where severe rain once again claimed many lives. Still, both my mountaineering and photographic ambitions were deeply tied to the weather.
In short, after 23 days without a summit, I boarded the plane that would carry me home via Doha to Hamburg. And even for my art, the conditions were challenging. Happiness is the function of accepting what is. I am healthy. And once again, I had the privilege to travel through one of the most extraordinary mountain realms on Earth.
I slept above 5,000 meters in a high camp buried under fresh snow, spoke with monks in remote monasteries, crossed high passes, and, though seldom, caught glimpses of majestic giants like Pumori, Cholatse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Cho Oyu, and of course Mount Everest.
And as much as my ambition resented the missed summit chances during the weeks I spent around the world's highest mountain, I ultimately returned to Germany with a sense of calm and quiet fulfillment.
Happiness is the function of accepting what is.
