After descending rapidly from Thorung La Pass, we realized we were not ready to leave Nepal without one more close-up of the Himalayas. Our two options were to reverse our circuit of the Annapurna range or hike into its center, Annapurna Base Camp. Yes, we decided to hike to a place where other people, people with skill, begin their climbs.
A much less strenuous hike and already being acclimatized made the extra 7 days at the end of the trip well worth it. At the camp lodges, we slept like babies and woke up without headaches. Still, we woke up at dawn to see the sun rise in clear skies over the ring of mountains around us, crowned by Annapurna, the namesake of the entire mountain range. A lazy day spent watching the fog roll in and dissipate around the mountains followed by three days of rainy afternoons and leech checks allowed us to happily leave the Annapurnas. Plus, we really wanted to delete spam.
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