The Quest Begins

The Quest Begins

After several years of planning, anticipation, and fortitude we have arrived at this moment that will surely tranform our lives. The Sojourners; Paul Hermsmeyer, Bogue Hermsmeyer, Seth Hermsmeyer, Logan Cannon, and Cameron Taylor all share incredible passion for mountains, travel, adventure, culture, ethnic food, and all things novel. These common passions have forged a bond and an opportunity for an adventure unlike any other. The trip will entail two of the most famous sections of the Himalayas, The Annapurna Circuit/Sanctuary, and the Khumbu/Everest region. We will traverse well over 500 miles and experience some of the most dramatic vistas and amazing cultures on the planet. With this being said, it is important to note that we realize we are incredibly privileged to be able to embark on this journey and will conduct ourselves with the utmost respect for both local culture and the environment. We would also like to note that this would not be possible without the incredible support from our family and friends(especially the parents) who have been there for us throughout the duration. This blog is intended to be informative, keeping our friends and family updated, and show our enthusiasm throughout our experience in the beautiful "Mountain Kingdom of Nepal".

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Traffic Jam, Monsoon....3 miles from Tibet!

Well, after our departure from Kathmandu we left the Kathmandu Valley and dropped into another river valley on our way to Beseshar to start our trek. We hit a massive landslide stretching around 40km in total. We were in an ideal location and spent two days at a rafting resort and stayed in beautiful bungalows on a raging monsoon river. After, two days it opened and we had an amazing drive through canyons and river valleys to begin our trek at 2,400 ft. We started in the lowlands and rice fields which was incredibly humid and wet with monsoon rain. After, trekking through the lowlands we ran into some massive river gorges and landslide areas. We finally hiked out of the river gorge that we hiked in for 7 days and are now in the highlands viewing some of the biggest mountains in the world(Annapurnas). We are now at 11,600 ft and enjoying a rest day that consisted of a glacial lake swim, coffee, curry, workouts, and apple pie. Tomorrow we are off for Thorung La Pass which will take us two days to reach. We will start early at High Camp and cross the 18,000 foot pass and then drop 5,000 ft into the 2nd largest river gorge in the world. Thanks for following and we will post photos and blog updates from the other side of the pass. Cheers from the other side of the world!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Namaste

This is the last internet access that we will have for several days. We have loaded our gear in our vehicle to Beseshar near the Annapurna Circuit. We are very excited to see the mountains of Nepal. Holy Shit........One month in the Himalayas and then R and R before our next trek. Stay tuned for blogs from the Himalayas!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Logistics and Beer!

The jetlag has officially wore off and we are all feeling comfortable here back in Kathmandu. Typical days include morning breakfast followed by coffee and workout sessions on the roof early in the morning. Throughout the day we have been exploring Kathmandu and eating incredible food. The afternoon has been consisting of a few beers and wine and talking about logistics for our first trek on Friday. We hit the town in the evening for food, rickshaws, and maybe a couple of bars. There is an incredible conglomeration of different people here and it is very exciting talking with everyone. Today and tomorrow will consist of organizing our gear and arranging for porters, pemits, rentals, and flights. More posts to come!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Kathmandu!

After 53 hours of traveling we have arrived at Kathmandu and are recovering quickly from the jet-lag. The city has certainly not lost its character. Walking the streets of Kathmandu is an experience that cannot be put into words. We met with our sherpa guide and friend Ang Purba yesterday and drank several beers and warm whiskey discussing our trekking logistics. We laughed and talked for the afternoon at their apartment in Kathmandu. The group ate at a restaurant that you most definitely will never see on the Travel Channel. The restaurant was in the basement an we all ate spicy food and sweated in the humidity(under 10 dollars for all 8 people). We also went to the famous Buddhist Stupa and sent prayers for safety on our journey. We spun the prayer wheels and walked 3 times around the Stupa for proper Buddhist tradition and prayer. Everything is in order and leave for the Annapurna Circuit on Friday near Pokhara. That gives us a nice work week to explore the city of Kathmandu and be well rested and ready for the trek to come. Everyone is in good spirits and very excited about the adventure to come!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

2 days!!!

We have officially entered the last phase of preparation, which is packing our bags at the ranch house in Nebraska. A great number of family and friends attended the send-off celebration for the sojourn. Great food and cheer accompanied by family, friends, the outdoors, and even a Nebraska football game have left us all full in our hearts and ready for the journey. Thank you to all for the great weekend.........Next post will be from Kathmandu!

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