Act 3

As we left the pass and descended down to the final 5 days of our trek the views were mainly high desert followed by jungles in the lower places. Walking through the desert valleys we faced major winds that slowed us down considerably, but with the end in sight we trudged on. We went to Marpha, the apple capital of Nepal, and made our way up to Gorapani on the second to last day of the trek. It was easily the hardest hiking day as it was all uphill on brutal stone steps. The final morning of the hike we ascended Poon Hill (about 10,000ft) for some spectacular views. Pictures will be posted soon.

Looking back on the trek, aside from the challenge of hiking and the spectacular views, the mountain life and culture was one of the most interesting parts. The people lived very simple lifestyles. They grew rice, millet and buckwheat along the hillsides and the lower villages had small apple orchards. Everything is carried up by yak, donkey, or most commonly, on people's backs. I've mentioned porters before, but the porters who carry up supplies deserve some special attention. The men (sometimes women) carry extraordinary weights and varieties of supplies to the people in the villages, including: full propane tanks, tree trunks stripped of branches, full wooden dressers, rocks, food, yak meat, generators, plywood, and anything else you can think of. This is all done on their backs with a strap around their head.