I recently converted some photos from my trek around the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal to Black and White for a book that will be published this summer. The book is the seventh novel by Ronald Bagliere and his third set in Nepal. Ron selected a group of photos for the book. I offered substitutes for two of his selections and suggested three others he might consider. At this point I do not know how many will be used, but I thought I would share them here.
Eight friends and relatives from NH, VT, CA, and HI, led by the incredible Chhongba Sherpa, did the circuit counter-clockwise starting in Besi Shar and ending in Jomson. We then had a spectacular flight through the mountain peaks to Pokhara. The high points for me included the hike over Thorung La (at almost 18,000 ft) starting well before dawn, Kagbeni, Manang, Upper Pisang, and Marpha.
A young porter carries a heavy load of freshly cut lumber between Dharapani and Chame.Piles of yak manure sit in a very rocky field waiting for potato planting in Upper Pisang.A woman returns to her stone house in Upper Pisang.Paungi Danda, the “Gateway to Heaven”, is a dramatic wall rising nearly 5,000 ft between the villages of Chame and Pisang.Seen from Manang, Annapurna III is flanked by Annapurna II on its left and Gangapurna on its right.Two young cooks prepare a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast over a fire at a hotel in Manang.Manang street scene — typical except for the movie theater.Gangapurna Lake, below Gangapurna glacier, as seen from the trail just NW of Manang.Yaks cross through a group of trekkers between Yak Kharka and Thorung Phedi.A Sherpa climbs above a tea house on the way to Thorung La shortly after sunrise.The village of Jharkot stands before Dhaulagiri, the 7th highest Mountain in the world, during a snowstorm.The high desert hills of Mustang form an other-worldly backdrop for the hike down to the beautiful gateway village of Kegbeni.A woman sweeps the street in front of her shop in Pokhara in the early morning.
If you would like to read about our trek and see many more photos (in color), you can CLICK HERE to get to a page that will have links to each day of the trek. The easiest way to move through them is to just click the “Next” button on each page.
