Another mountain...maybe Dhaulagiri. Too many to keep track of.
Morning sun in Dhorpatan with Tibetan prayer flags and a posing crow or kag in Nepali. Dhorpatan is quite a wide large valley but was fairly empty because it was late in the season. We slept in someone's house before starting our climb into the higher altitude areas. Jon slept on what looked like a dog pelt and I opted for the floor. Dhorpatan was a royal hunting reserve and wilderness area. Without the royalty in Nepal, I am not sure what it is now.
Moon rise in the Himalayas. Really beautiful. We camped at about 4000 metres with a mouse that entertained itself by jumping on our heads. The next day we did the highest passes of our trip.
Baby red panda caught by a villager and kept as a pet. I think it is closely related to our Raccoon.
The underwear-clad-night-rat-killer and his family. Jon and I woke up in the middle of the night and the father was trying to stab a rat in the corner of the house with a penlight and small knife in his usual garb.
Moon rise in the Himalayas. Really beautiful. We camped at about 4000 metres with a mouse that entertained itself by jumping on our heads. The next day we did the highest passes of our trip.Baby red panda caught by a villager and kept as a pet. I think it is closely related to our Raccoon.The underwear-clad-night-rat-killer and his family. Jon and I woke up in the middle of the night and the father was trying to stab a rat in the corner of the house with a penlight and small knife in his usual garb. When we had arrived a few hours before they offered us some rice with wild oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus sp.), wild blue sheep and some dried grouse that he had shot with his homemade slingshot. They kept a punctual rooster inside their house which guaranteed our very early departure.
Walking with my buddy Jon in the mountains. The pastoralists had already gone to the lower valleys with their animals because of the cold and lack of forage at higher altitudes. It was pretty empty up there (4000-4500 metres). One of the strange things up there were all the pairs of shoes that looked like they had been abandoned mid-stride, even on the permanent snow packs.
We spent one of our nights in this area. We arrived after dark and were very warmly welcomed by shrouded women and drunken men. We slept in a room of the house that was used for storing hay. It was hard to sleep because there were so many curious people continually watching us.
Me and amaranth. Super nutritious and easy to grow, amaranth is pretty important out there in the dry hills. The leaves can be eaten as a green and the small seeds can be ground into flour or roasted for breads. 
Jon by an old broken stone thing, which was probably an arch that went over the trail. Not sure of the significance but it was interesting.
I met up with some Tibetans who were out for a few day horse journey. I got this picture just as they were coming over the pass. Once they made the pass they all broke out the fermented barley drink, called Chang, which the Tibetans know and love.
Jumla valley- this little girl is looking after her sibling who isn't much younger. This was the end of that trek. Overall it was close to 300 km and around 30,000 accumulated ft in elevation gain (and about the same in loss). I was ready for a shower and some serious food. I had also gotten mildly lost this last day, which was a bit frustrating, but an old villager who had lost his horse walked with me and put me on the right path.
Walking with my buddy Jon in the mountains. The pastoralists had already gone to the lower valleys with their animals because of the cold and lack of forage at higher altitudes. It was pretty empty up there (4000-4500 metres). One of the strange things up there were all the pairs of shoes that looked like they had been abandoned mid-stride, even on the permanent snow packs.We spent one of our nights in this area. We arrived after dark and were very warmly welcomed by shrouded women and drunken men. We slept in a room of the house that was used for storing hay. It was hard to sleep because there were so many curious people continually watching us.After we had crawled out from our hay storage room we had a small visitor. I took this picture while wearing long johns, fleece and a down vest. He was colder and tougher than I will ever be.
Me and amaranth. Super nutritious and easy to grow, amaranth is pretty important out there in the dry hills. The leaves can be eaten as a green and the small seeds can be ground into flour or roasted for breads. Jon by an old broken stone thing, which was probably an arch that went over the trail. Not sure of the significance but it was interesting.I met up with some Tibetans who were out for a few day horse journey. I got this picture just as they were coming over the pass. Once they made the pass they all broke out the fermented barley drink, called Chang, which the Tibetans know and love.Jumla valley- this little girl is looking after her sibling who isn't much younger. This was the end of that trek. Overall it was close to 300 km and around 30,000 accumulated ft in elevation gain (and about the same in loss). I was ready for a shower and some serious food. I had also gotten mildly lost this last day, which was a bit frustrating, but an old villager who had lost his horse walked with me and put me on the right path.
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