Manang
After a few days of trekking we arrived in the village of Manang, which is a very popular place for trekkers to rest for a day or two and acclimatize to the elevation before climbing higher. Altitude sickness is a real threat for people not accustomed to high elevation, and gaining too much elevation in a short amount of time can cause headaches, nausea, insomnia, a noticeable decrease in performance and coordination and, in very extreme cases, death. Needless to say, these are all things we should avoid, especially in the mountains, so taking time to acclimatize is really important. Even with this day of rest all of us ended up with mild symptoms of altitude sickness—although nothing bad enough to concern our guide.
Manang is located at a modest 11,545’ elevation and sits just below the snowline, so it’s a perfect place to rest, restock on supplies and admire the gigantic peaks surrounding the village. During acclimatization days it’s recommended to do some activity, so we spent a couple hours exploring a local trail that took us closer to the snow, and provided a beautiful view of Manang, Gangapurna Lake and the rest of the valley we had walked through the day before.
The remainder of the day we played cards, read our books and prepared our bags to depart bright and early the following day. This photo was taken from the balcony right outside of my room in Manang.
"We cannot lower the mountain, therefore we must elevate ourselves."
-Todd Skinner
