These pictures don’t fit very well into my defined categories, but they will give you a feel for some of the small elements of the trip.
Mud was occasionally an issue for the first two days. Note that at 8AM, it was cloudy. This would no longer be true in a few days when I was higher up.The worst landslide left the worst stretch of mud. I escaped with only a moderate amount of it on my boots, This couple apparently had it worse and warned me to stay low. Woe be to that jeep back there.One of many trail markers marking the main trail. They were helpful – when you could find them.This scene reminded me of “the legendary floating mountains of Pandora”The guidebook said the trail goes through a football field, and that’s exactly what it does. There is a hole in the fence behind the goalposts, and I think there was one same situation at the other end. The red and white on the pole indicates that this is an official part of this world-famous trailA very high quality menu. To convert prices to US dollars, 100 is a little less than $1.The Nilgiri Hotel & Restaurant is built beneath this huge rock outcroppingThis old plastic bottle allowed a trickle of water to become a useful source of water. To trekkers, that can be important.
This tree has rather large leavesThis praying mantis (aka preying mantis) was about 3-4 inches longThat settles it. Spider webs form a spiral.Mountain goats graze on some of Nepal’s rare “flat” landWild mountain goats grazing, but on what?In this region, it’s easy to get a $2 hotel room with a million dollar view; who cares about a few inconveniences? Here, Annapurna I, the eighth tallest mountain in the world, greets the dawn from its height two vertical miles above my hotel in Tilicho Base Camp.This dog followed me for a day and a half, traveling about 24 miles in that period of time. I suspect it was completely out of energy.
Adventure After 60 