For those of you following our progress, here’s another interim posting.

We made it over the high pass yesterday and spent the night in Muktinath, a pilgrimage town holy to both Hindu and Buddhist religions. To save time and wear and tear on Marcia’s knees, we took a jeep the rest of the way down to Jomsom, the regional center where we ended the Dolpo trip. This time it’s less of a culture shock because the Annapurna trek is far more developed and more frequented by travelers, mostly European.

This time Jomsom is the midpoint of the trek, not the end. We will continue by jeep down the Kali Gandaki valley to Tatopani, where we will again leave the road and head up into the mountains. If weather permits, we will go up into the Annapurna Sanctuary in the last days of the trek, and then we will descend to Pokhara, arriving on December 4 or 5.

From here on, it is unlikely we will have internet access, so my next posting will be at the end of the trek when we arrive in Pokhara. Pictures and full details will probably need to wait until we return to the US on December 13.