Early August will find me in Nepal, building tolerance for the higher altitudes in preparation for a trek in the Annapurna Sanctuary of the Himalayas. I understand Annapurna to be a gentler climb than some –“moderate to strenuous”, they say – passing first through beautiful valleys of rhododendron, scrub oak and bamboo, fields of rice and yellow millet and then eventually climbing to 4000 meters and snow-cover. Rather than porter heavy gear for camping, I’ll stay in tea houses and family-run lodges in the mountain villages. This puts some cash into the local economy in return for the sharing of their sacred mountain.
This mountain range is regarded by people in the region, and in India, to be the home of revered Hindu and Buddhist deities.
To get ready for the trek, I’ll need to spend several weeks acclimating to the altitude – a week in Kathmandu and another week in Pokhara where I’ll look for a guide while pondering the snow-capped range that hovers over terraced mountain villages and the town below. Having lived at sea level for much of the past year, I’ll need those few weeks to force the production of reserve red cells to support me through the climb.
During my years in India I’ve encountered so many travellers who described this climb and now it’s my turn! See the photos above for a glimpse of what I’m to expect (not my photos, so thanx to the photog).
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