annapurna circuit–part 2 (many pictures of mountains)

2015-04-23 10.02.19

we hiked along the annapurna circuit for ten days, and every single day the landscape changed – it was so neat to slowly watch. the first three days (as chronicled in an earlier post) were through jungle and heat that very gradually thinned out. by day four our surroundings felt more like our familiar rocky mountains, and by day five we were among the snowcapped himalayas that made those familiar rockies seem like tiny foothills.

it’s pretty amazing to be completely surrounded in majestic natural beauty all day long for many days in a row. we occasionally passed other trekkers, and walked through towns every few hours, but quite a lot of the time we were the only humans to be seen for miles and miles. we had a lot of great conversations along the trail, but we also had many hours when we were each alone with our thoughts. the whole adventure was an incredible experience in many ways.

{for more information on hiking the annapurna circuit, check out trekking in nepal’s comprehensive guide}

here’s about a million pictures. i had a hard time narrowing them down!

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^^ we ran into a bit of a goat traffic jam after passing through one village. the surrounding green fields backgrounded by the magnificent mountains made for a captivating scene ^^
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^^ rocks like these were an often find along the trail. ^^
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^^ i’d attach the video we took of this green rolling in the wind if i could find it. so gorgeous. ^^
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^^ early morning sight. we were always excited to wake up and start trekking early because usually the views were crystal clear (in the afternoon the clouds always gathered quickly over the mountaintops. ^^
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^^ this guesthouse had plugs in the rooms, which was quite a luxury! here’s ian getting ready to head out trekking ^^
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^^ this was our first glimpse of annapurna ii, one of the tallest mountains in the world. it was completely breathtaking and pictures don’t do it justice! ^^
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^^ typical signage. we were amazed that some places up there had wifi! ^^
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^^ typical village built into the side of the mountain. ^^
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^^ afternoon clouds quickly gathering! ^^
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^^ where we ate lunch. not a bad view. not bad food (like i mentioned earlier, we loved the dhal bat – veggie curry with rice and lentils – and the momos – nepalese dumplings). ^^
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^^ more carvings and mandalas along the way. ^^
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^^ i took this shot just as we left the last village before the town of manang – where nearly every trekker on the circuit stops for a rest day for acclimatization. ^^

to be continued…

Comments

  1. I'm loving these travel posts!

    A quick question as a non-mormon Christian; you've mentioned in previous travel posts about going to local congregations/branches on Sundays. What do you and your family do if there isn't a local branch that's accessible? Do you just have a small service on your own?

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  2. Oh your pictures are spectacular! What a wonderful world!

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  3. This August, my husband and I want to hike in the Alpes for a week. I realise that these aren't the same mountains, but the "curcuit posts" make me look forward even more than I already do!

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