The trek began in Nya Pul with an immediate and endless climb
Some of the local Nepalis on the trail
We trudged up steep inclines right past the homes and gardens of hundreds of farmers
Farming on the terraces involved animals, rocks walls and intensive labor
Ploughing by hand
The end of the first day's Hike. Limping into Ghandruk
The morning view from Ghandruk
The view from the trail - Annapurna South
Intrepid Trekkers in the lush forest
View through the brush
Griffin climbs one of the thousands of stone steps straight up.
Unfurling frond on the forest floor
Tristed trunks on the trail
The end of the second day. Respite in Tadopani
One of the nicest toilets along the trail
Dawn in Tadopani
Sunrise over Machhapuchhre
Flowers along the trail
Mycological growth
Cloud whisps moving through the canopy
Griffin the giant picked up many admirers along the trail
Up close view of the indigenous Cobra Plant
Prayer Flags graced the trail
Tiny insect on a delicate petal
Bamboo was omnipresent and varied from shoots to 40 foot giants
Griffin nears the top of the pass
More bamboo
Thousands of Rhododendron buds hung about us in the forest
The trails were obviously old and reflected years of tenacious growth
Some of the plants along the trail were unwelcoming
As we neared the pass, we were above the clouds
Prayer flags marked the summit
Our intrepid band begins the descent into Ghorapani
flowering plants were abundant
The sunset in Ghoripani provided a glimse of Nilghiri and the Annapurnas. This is the view from our "hotel"
Nilghiri at sunset
Nilghiri at sunset was a tantilizing sight
Dawn on Poon Hill, Quinn with Dhaulagiri over his shoulder
The first rays of light on one of the worlds tallest mountains was a peak experience
Quinn readies for a photo as the sun readies to rise. That is Annapurna Machhapuchhre and others in the photo
Moments before the sunrise
First rays of light over Fish Tail (Machhapuchhre)
Two dudes at altitude
On Poon hill the rising sun provided sharp colors and contrasts to the hardy morning climbers
Evidence of the climb
Hiking down from Ghorepani, the view of Dhaulagiri and Annapurna South continued to provide a surreal backdrop
Every so often there were special resting stops or sacred sites along the trails.
Nepali farmers dry their grain right in their front yards on on the trails.
Just one of the pastoral scenes of people and animals in symbosis in this terraced land.
It was rice planting season and we saw many fields where women were planting and tending the grain.
The trail winds its way past fields and buffalo and Pamela treks past towards Totopani
The simple beauty of these terraced fields was impressive and continual
Quinns wonderful closeup of one of the species of self protective indigenous plants.
A larger view of the layers of terraces outside of Tatipani
The culinary experiences along the trail were varied and generally wonderful
Rounding yet another corner, being watched by a farmer from his fence
One of the local crops, bananas were abundant.
Another one of the local crops
The gorge between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri is considered the deepest in the world. Here is one of the waterfals that plumet into the river
Nilghiri from the trail outside of Tatopani dominated the landscape
Another view of the Kali Gandaki river gorge.
Every river crossing involved swinging bridges that were capable of supporting countless trains of donkeys and humans with very heavy loads.
The plant life growing in the gorge was well adapted to this harsh steep environment.
Every so often we would see small private bridges. Here is one in use for hauling grass across the river.