Introduction to the Annapurna Circuit
Trip Start Oct 29, 2011
48Trip End Jun 01, 2012
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The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains is usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short. The name is a Sanskrit world literally meaning "abode of snow", Anyway it is a mountain range immediately at the north of the Indian subcontinent, in Pakistan, India, Nepal, and China, and is the world's tallest mountain range. It extends generally ESE in an immense curve about 1500 miles long. The Himalayas outclass every other mountain range in the world
Though the Himalayas are the world's tallest mountains, they are also among the youngest mountain ranges on the planet, with the substantial growth occurring only in just the last million years. So how were they formed Liz? I hear you ask. It all comes down to plate tectonics and the concept of continental drift.
About 250 million years ago, there was a single super continent (Pangea) on Earth. It was surrounded by a large ocean. About 200 million years ago, the super continent (Pangea) started to split into different land masses and moved apart. At that time an extensive sea (Tethys) stretched along the latitudinal area presently occupied by the Himalayas.
The Himalayas began growing about 50 million years ago when the Indian subcontinent, which used to be an island continent beneath Eurasia (and was previously attached to Antarctica), slammed into the Eurasian continent
So the first trek I was to do was the Annapurna Circuit in the Annapurna Himal. Annapūrṇā is a Sanskrit name which literally means "full of food" (seems apt now following the trip considering how much food was consumed- though not necessarily by means), but is normally translated as Goddess of the Harvests. In Hinduism, Annapurna is a goddess of fertility and agriculture and an avatar of Durga (still not seen the film).
The entire massif and surrounding area are protected within the 7,629 sq
The Annapurna massif contains six major peaks over 7000 m. The Annapurna peaks are among the world's most dangerous mountains to climb, with a fatality rate of 40% (was actually planning to pop up a few of them but maybe not then). There is Annapurna I which is 8,091 m (26,545 ft) and the 10th highest peak in the world. Annapurna II is 7,937 m (26,040 ft) and the 16th highest peak in the world. Annapurna III is 7,555m hihg and the 42nd highest peak in the world. Annapurna IV is 7,525 m (24,688 ft), Gangapurna is 7,455 m (24,457 ft) and Annapurna South 7,219 m (23,684 ft). Machapuchare (also known as Fishtail) (6,993 m/22,943 ft) is another important peak of the Annapurna Himal, though it just misses the 7,000 metre mark.
About two-thirds of all trekkers in Nepal visit the Annapurna region. The area is easily accessible from the town of Pokhara, guesthouses in the hills are plentiful, and the treks here offer incredibly diverse scenery, with both high mountains and lowland villages. Also, because the entire area is inhabited, trekking in the region offers unique cultural exposure and experience
The Annapurna Circuit is a 212 kilometre trek around the Annapurna mountain range. The trek reaches an altitude of 5,416 metres on the Thorung La pass, touching the edge of the fabled Tibetan plateau. The magnificent mountain scenery, seen at close quarters includes the Annapurnas and Gannapurna, the Niligiri peaks, the magnificent ice pyramid Dhauligiri, once the home of the legendary Buddhist guru Padmasamba, and Machhupuchhare (Fish Tail), considered by many to be the most beautiful mountain in the world. The trek follows ancient paths used as trade routes between Nepal and Tibet. These paths have long facilitated the flow of cultures and religions in this remote and formerly inaccessible region. Today Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism, Hinduism and the mysterious Bon-Po (wasn’t he one of the tellytubbies) religion still coexist and interpenetrate one another in this region which contains many pilgrimage sites.