Rain Shadow
The trek we chose is known as the Annapurna Circuit, which is a system of trails that surrounds the Annapurna mountain range. What makes the Annapurna Circuit so popular for trekkers, apart from the insane landscapes, is that it crosses through a large “rain shadow,” which is a section of land that gets significantly less rainfall than neighboring regions. This typically happens when a large mountain range forces a storm to drop all, or most, of its moisture on one side of the mountain, leaving very little for the other side. If you’ve ever stood on top of the famous Tahoe ski resort, Heavenly, you’ll know what I’m referring to—the California side is often wet and snowy, while the Nevada side is usually dry and brown. We did eventually encounter snow at much higher elevations, but for the vast majority of our trek we didn’t have to worry about wet socks and cold feet. All we had to do was to keep putting one foot in front of the other while admiring the incredible views.
"Mountains know secrets we need to learn. That it might take time, it might be hard, but if you just hold on long enough, you will find the strength to rise up."
-Tyler Knott Gregson
