Destination Nepal

I’ve dreamed of going to Nepal since I was a little boy. By the time I started climbing mountains my teens but I had already read dozens of books about epic ascents in the Himalaya. Their pages had told of incredible suffering, tragedy, triumph and heroism. The Himalayas offer some of the harshest and most beautiful environments on earth. On September 20th, 2012 my dream came true and our plane touched down in Kathmandu.

It seems ironic that my top of the line climbing gear sits collecting dust in my parents attic while my overused travel rags, formerly known as clothing, are accompanying me on the longest hiking trip of my life. Luckily you can find every fake branded knock-off imaginable in Kathmandu, if you know what to look for, an within a couple of days we have acquired the everything we need – it’s time to hit the trail.

Val has never hiked for longer than a week or been higher than Crater Lake, OR. There was a chance she will develop altitude related complications or simply not enjoy it. In fact I am facing the same long list of potential problems. In case our first trek is also our last I select from  the top of my wishlist – the The Three Passes Trek in the Everest region, it seems like the most spectacular option. It is also one of the highest, longest, and hardest treks in the Himalaya. Go big or go home right? I’m just hoping it’s not both.

Written by:

Scott Dusek is a writer and photography originally from Seattle, Washingon.

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