Well, Trauma and I have been soaking up the town conveniences of Pokara after completing our last long stretch through the Nepali high country. Things on the hit list to complete? Eat as many calories as possible, crank the a/c as high as it goes, never be out of arms reach of an ice cream cone/shop/pint and veg out to as much TV as possible. After a day and a half, I'd say we've knocked out a few check marks ten fold. This will be our last and final resupply for Nepal before embarking on our final stretch through Dolpa and the Far West, which we are estimating to take another 2 weeks. 925km down, 420 to go!

It's been a long tiring two weeks between here and our last dispatch from Kathmandu, but Trauma and I feel like we've finally hit our stride here in Nepal. In a little under 12 days, we've covered over 400km, and gained over 20,000m in elevation. That's almost 70,000ft and averaging nearly 6,000ft per day, mind you some of those days we were descending all day long. We've been joking and wondering if we've gained enough elevation on this hike to have hiked into outer space. A quick google search reveals that Earth's atmosphere technically is defined as 100km, or 100,000m above sea level. While probably not quite there yet, we feel confident that we'll accumulate enough 'm's' in the next few days to top that number. We met a trekking guide along the Manaslu Circuit, who after finding out we ascended over the Larkye La pass in under 3 days (normally it is at least a 2-3 week trek),  said that we must have some sort of 'alien blood' coursing through our veins, so it only seems fitting that we take this hike intergalactic.

For a quick recap of where we've been as of late, we started our trek back up in heat sweltering village of Barhabise and made our way towards the districts of Langtang and Helumbu, home of the Ganesh Himal Range and the Langtang massif. We had a few lower elevation 'filler' miles between there and the high country where we had our first taste of Nepal's relentless humidity and monsoonal down pours. I remember one morning after a particularly hard night's rain, where while all the villagers where out clearing drainage ditches and taking stock of the overnight flooding, I was already dripping with sweat by 6am on a down hill. Not a good way to start the day, knowing that once the death star peers above the horizon, it's only going to get worse. Both Trauma and I were experiencing stomach issues through this section, which didn't help matters. It seemed like for a week or more we were playing diarrhea musical chairs between each other. For those interested in more detailed shit stories, feel free to email Trauma about his run in with a hotel trash bag, and I'm more than happy to elaborate on my 3am search for a source of water to clean up a brown nightmare.

It was a relief to get into the cooler alpine climate of the Gosainkund trek through Langtang National Park. Gosainkund is a lake nestled high between several prominent peaks, just below Laurabina Pass (4800m) and a sacred place for many Hindus. Many will make the trek on a full moon in August to take a holy dip in the lakes crystal clear waters. It was tempting the day we were passing through, but under misty skies we settled on sampling some of the fresh water coming straight out of the mountain side through decorative shrines we dubbed the 'fountain of youth'. Time will tell if any of these 'nearing 30' wrinkles of mine will smooth out, but so far no other stomach issues to report.

Heading towards the Manaslu Circuit, we were actually a party of 3 for most of a day. Leaving the village of Somdang early one morning and making our way over the next saddle, we came to find a furry trail companion following. We've been warned about not feeding or tempting any village dogs for any reason, as they are know to follow you relentlessly. What started as a cute and comforting anomaly at kilometer 5, became a full blown nuisance and liability by kilometer 30. At this point we've already gone over several ridges, through a hand full of villages and tried every Nepali curse word we could fake. No amount of hissing, rock throwing or posturing fazed this dog. Whether we liked it or not, this little guy wanted to stretch his legs and see the country side. It wasn't until we crossed our second suspension bridge that he finally turned back and headed home. Apparently even the Nepali dogs are afraid of these death bridges. (The first suspension bridge we crossed, he found a way to scramble around and ford the river.... the little bastard).

I think of all the areas and districts we've gone through so far, the people of the Manaslu area have been my favorite. Their dress resembles that of the Jedi warrior; long cut gowns and cloaks, with a refined, distinguished look to them. At any moment, Trauma and I have been ready to see some field worker pull out their light saber to trim their wheat crops. Being so close to the border, every one has a very distinct Tibetan look to them, with rounder faces and a friendlier demeanor. This area has seemed to be a transition zone of sorts for the entire Himalaya range. Through the course of Manaslu and the Annapurna region, we've been noticing this subtle, but distinct change in the landscape. Gone are the jungle forests of sub 2000m elevation and even the alpine has taken on a much more 'high and dry' feel to it. The valleys are flattening out and widening, and the moraine fields are beginning to take on a very southwestern feel with almost 'hoodoo' like structures eroded into the hillsides. Looking ahead into the Dolpo section seems to be more of the same, which will be a welcome change of pace over the undulating terrain of eastern Nepal. By map and guidebook analysis, this next section is already a highlight in my mind.

Well we must be the last people on earth to find out Bin Laden has been killed. Great news, but this definitely alters any plans of heading into Pakistan. Truth be told, it may be hard for myself to have enough time to head into the hills of India. I have work arrangements at the beginning of June to attend to, and it is doubtful I will be able to extend my ticket any further. I have a feeling we will finish up the Nepal section and have an awkward 7-10 days to figure out what to do with. Trauma has a much more flexible schedule and is planning on sticking around for India, at least as far as the Leh area, but I think the Nepal/India border will be the extent of my travels. I feel content with that, and there's always an excuse to come back now. Efficiency has definitely been one of the hardest things about this trip, primarily when it comes to getting to and from places....when not by foot. Out of the 54 days we've been in Nepal, only 34 of those have been hiking days. When you consider that something is always bound to happen on a transport day, it's taken us on average 4 days to get resupplied and back on the trail. City wide strikes, bus break downs, flight delays due to weather, permit red tape and hold ups, and the normal leg in Nepali efficiency, have all lead to a loss of nearly 20 days. Twenty days which could have easy been applied to walking through India. But one thing I've been noticing throughout this process and learning experience is the nature and priorities of the Nepali people. In the last 2 weeks we've scene 4 different Nepali festivals. 1) A 2011 tourism festival in Dhunche complete with a rickety old ferris wheel that you couldn't pay me to ride on! 2) The Manaslu Mountain festival in Samda where they apparently play tug of war and have pony races for 3 days. 3) A Robin Hood-esk competition in Dharapani where the village men shoot bow and arrows at targets to fight off the 'monsters' 4) And lastly a tradition wedding celebration in Jomsom that tied up the streets for hours with dancing, music and celebrations. In each of these instances the entire village shuts downs and all of the villagers are there to participate and observe as one community. All shops close, transit comes to a stand still and the focus becomes on people being around people. To the wary hiker wanting a meal and a cold drink, this can be frustrating, but it is refreshing to see that life is not all about commerce, even when that is your country's number one revenue maker. People live happy simple lives here, which is something I can relate to through hiking. I've just been looking at it from a different angle and perspective. The remainder of this hike for me will not be focused so much on views and vistas, but about sharing it with the people we are moving through life with. It is about the journey, not the destination, right?

Some more photos from the last section: