A chance meeting on a mountaintop at the opposite end of the world brought two Washingtonians together. Francis Slakey and Gina Eppolito were not looking for love eight years ago on Mount Everest. Each had very different reasons for taking part in the environmental trek in 2000.

Francis, also known as “Slake,” is a lobbyist and physics professor at Georgetown University. When he’s not in the classroom or on the Hill, he is an accomplished mountain climber. He had climbed the tallest peaks on six continents, and his goal was to complete the Everest climb. He also joined the expedition to help clean up the environment on the mountain – trash left by past climbers.

Gina Eppolito is an adventurer and a philanthropist. She has taken full advantage of the perks of being a flight attendant for more than 20 years.  The upbeat, high energy marathon runner has traveled around the world exploring remote cultures and unfamiliar vistas.

Eight years ago Gina was looking for a place to celebrate her 40th birthday. “It was a milestone event for me. I wanted to be able to examine who I was and where I was going.” She had been commuting from Washington to Chicago for her job and decided after her birthday trip she would move to live where she worked.

Gina had just returned from Machu Pichu in Peru and asked herself, “Where do I want to go next?” Her answer: “Nepal. I want to trek through the mountains.”

Through family and friends she heard about a group of experienced mountain climbers going to Mount Everest on an environmental expedition. While rollerblading with her best friend Will one afternoon, they decided to take the trip together and share a tent. Though not a climber, Gina and Will could be part of the team that financially supported the climbers and their base camp.

Slake was one of the experienced trekkers. He and Gina spent time together at base camp, sometimes sharing meals. They quickly discovered that they lived in the same city just a mile apart from each other, but it was not love at first sight. “I had my game face on,” Slake said. “I was focused on my climb.”

Once the climbers left base camp, Gina came home. She kept track of the expedition through e-mails and when she read that Slake was one of three of the 10 climbers to reach the summit of Everest, she offered him a dinner when he returned to DC. He took the offer. “I had a great time,” he said, smiling.

Three years later the couple returned to Nepal to marry at the Tyangboche Monastery where they received a blessing on their way to Everest. “It seemed like the right place to go for our wedding,” said Gina.

The wedding trek was magical. Dreary and wet from the rain that wouldn’t let up, Gina and Slake were given traditional Nepali wedding clothes by strangers who lived along the route. “Just return them on the way back,” was the only request. Once at the monastery, the clouds dissipated, the sun came out, and Everest came into view. “It was breathtakingly spectacular,” said Gina. They traveled to Tibet for their honeymoon.

Gina and Slake’s passions complement each other. They both love what they do. Their motto: Work as hard as you can when you do, and enjoy time off. Slake, who became the 28th American to climb Mount Everest and has climbed the highest peak on every continent, created a new goal for himself. He wants to surf every ocean. With only two left, Indian and Artic, Gina happily traveled with him to Sri Lanka where they landed in the midst of battling civil sects, pouring rain and a beach as flat as glass. “The trip was a bust, and I knew I had to make it up to Gina. On the flight back to the US, I promised her a trip. We would go anywhere she wanted, as long as it was on the Indian Ocean.”

Gina began studying the map in the flight magazine. She poked Slake in the arm. “You surfed here right?” pointing to Bali. “Yes, five years ago I surfed Kuta Beach.” She said, “Well, Kuta is in the Indian Ocean.” They didn’t need to go to Sri Lanka.

The only ocean left is the Artic, so this spring he and Gina are planning a trip to Norway. Gina laughs, “I find his goals as exciting as mine.”

Gina has blended her access to airline contacts with her travel experiences to organize humanitarian missions around the world. Two years ago, she and Slake traveled to Bhutan to study Buddhism with a Lama in a remote part of the country where no tourists have ever traveled before. The sixth century monastery where they stayed has no electricity or running water. “It was like stepping back in time to a life lived 500 years ago,” she said.

Last year she returned to the monastery in Bhutan in the middle of a snowstorm to drop off blankets. She also has organized a relief mission in Haiti, and she went to Pakistan to bring supplies to victims of the earthquake. “Slake has always been supportive of all my projects.”

Gina, who has been a photographer since 1989, has designed a line of greeting cards that feature her photos and Haikus written by her friend Will. The proceeds go into a trust set up for the monks at the monastery in Nepal where she and Slake married. Teaism in Dupont Circle and Luna Grill on Connecticut Avenue NW are currently exhibiting her photos.

When Gina isn’t traveling or working, she is volunteering at the Washington Humane Society. For 15 years she conducted house checks, helped with animal socialization and adoption events, but she had never owned a dog. Gina and Slake completed their familylast year and realized Gina’s dream of owning a rescue dog when they adopted Pemba, a sweet, yellow lab mix. The name means Saturday in Nepali, the day they adopted her.

Gina and Slake spent a long weekend in December at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, snowboarding. When they decided they wanted to travel, Gina said they searched the internet to find the best location for snow, hopped a plane and spent three glorious days surfing in the snow. While many of their trips are planned, Gina said they often take out their globe, spin it and see where it stops for inspiration. “Africa’s on our short list. Slake’s been there, but I’ve not gone yet. There’s always more stuff for us to explore together.”

To see Gina’s photographic work log onto: www.fotogina.com.