Trekking in the Himalaya

A trek in the Himalaya usually involves a trip to the ancient, bustling, grimy striving city of Kathmandu. Nepal itself and Kathmandu in particular are largely Hindu areas.  From Kathmandu you travel to a trailhead and begin your journey in the company of a guide and porters.

Trekking to the Annapurna Sanctuary is a moderate introduction to trekking in Nepal.  Of course, there is a lot of up and down; but there is really only one long uphill.  The Sanctuary itself is a bowl at 14,000 feet surrounded by rugged snow capped mountains including Annapurna.   At night you can hear the glaciers calving.

The visual highlight of the trip is actually not Annapurna but Machapuchare, the double summit, unclimbed, sacred mountain. There are several great views.

The most popular trek is Everest Base Camp.  The trek begins after a white knuckle flight to the small cliffside airstrip at the village of Lukla. The trek took us 30 days including a gradual acclimation process. It is very scenic with dramatic mountain backdrops, long, swinging rope bridges and small villages.  The Khumbu region, which includes Everest, is the homeland of the Sherpa people and Sherpa Buddhism, including several temples.

The summit of Mt. Everest is not visible from Everest Base Camp; so the treks generally include a hike to the summit of Kala Patthar, a "minor" peak at only 18,192 feet.  From Kala Patthar, there is great view of the Everest summit including the famous Hillary Step.

If you have a comment, let me know. Tom@thefleetinglight.com

Machapuchare, sacred and unclimbed.

Machupachare (22,943 ft.), a peak in the Annapurna Range of Nepal, is believed by Hindus to be the home of the god Shiva.  Out of respect for Shiva, it has never been climbed.  

In the foreground are Buddhist prayer flags. Buddhists believe that wind blowing across these flags releases prayers that increases the level of goodness in the world.  Buddhist prayers are swirling in the wind around a sacred Hindu mountain.

The irony of this photograph is that the elements at the heart of it cannot be seen.

I took this shot from the Annapurna Sanctuary at about 14,000 feet.

Evening light on Everest and Lhotse.  

Normally afternoon fog in the Khumbu region wraps these mountains in a cover of dull, opaque grey. This particular afternoon during a walk, we saw there was no fog. We stayed to see the light develop.  Although unbelievable pounds of photographic gear are carried at great sacrifice of cervical vertabrae by Everest trekkers, the only people present for this rare evening light were my wife and me and a guy with a phone.  Those other poor souls might have been in the taverns of Namche enjoying beer and trading great stories. This shot was taken from the HQ of Sagarmatha National Park outside of Namche. 

Guardians

At first glance, this is a photo of the  looming summits of Everest (left,  Sagarmatha to the Sherpas), Lhotse (center, the 4th highest peak), and Ama Dablam ( whose sheer cliffs make it a global climbing destination, 22,000'). To Sherpa Buddhists these mountains are living beings.

On a natural cradle in the lower center is the Tengboche Monastery, the foremost monastery of Sherpa Buddhism.  From the perspective of Sherpa Buddhism, the Tengboche Monastery, cradled and protected by living giants is the center of the photograph. 

Quantum Physics

At the edge of day, rays of sunlight travel farther across the curvature of the earth to touch the summit of Mount Everest than they do for any other place on the planet.  

Does gravity  bend the light  closer to the earth or does it compress the space between the light and the earth so that the light only "seems" closer? That is a matter for a different website.

Backbone of the Himalaya.

Sherpa porters resting at about 16,000 feet on the trail to Everest Base Camp.  Local regulations restrict the loads to 60 pounds.  Trail gossip is that many loads are 100 pounds or more. 

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