Nepal Posts
It has been two whole weeks since we got off the Annapurna trail through the Himalayas and returned to “normal” travel life—moving by cars, trains, and planes instead of our own two feet. And although I was happy for a rest and some clean fresh laundry, I find myself looking at photos from the trail nearly every day, still in awe of the Annapurna Conservation Area. I loved the trek so much that I left the trail with a list of thru hikes to complete in 2019 and a renewed desire to trail run.
Anyway, it is about time I share some stories and photos from this incredible trek.
I said goodbye as we went into the Himalayas to hike the Annapurna Circuit, but didn’t explain much else. So, below are answers to some questions I had about the circuit when I first heard about it. Hopefully, this will help future posts make more sense.
A post by Andrew.
Kathmandu is dusty, hot, and crowded. But also, colorful and sensational. The people are friendly and appear devoutly religious. But I will let Kelsey elaborate in another post—just know it is an overwhelming place for the first-time visitor. Fortunately, we had Monica—Kelsey’s childhood friend who lives and studies Buddhism in Kathmandu—to show us around for a few days.
We have visitors! My dad and close family friend, Brian, just arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal to hang with us for over two weeks. That's only the beginning of the excitement. Now, we are prepping and packing. But tomorrow. Tomorrow, we will all drive out to the Himalayas and start 16-ish days of trekking on the Annapurna Circuit.
You can read part 1 here, which outlines the first 10 days of trekking the Annapurna Circuit.
After we crossed Thorong La (our big 17,700-foot accomplishment of the trek) on Day 10, our hike down from the pass was mostly steep, steep, STEEP! It was a vast contrast from everything else we had experienced and it was painful in a whole new way we didn't expect.