Specks of Dust
On our drive up to the mountains, the first really large peak we were able to see off in the distance was Manaslu, the eighth-highest mountain in the world (26,781 ft. above sea level). Unfortunately I did not have an opportunity to snap a photo, but it was really special to see nonetheless. It’s honestly difficult to explain if you’ve never seen it for yourself, but some of these mountains are unbelievably tall—I couldn’t help but shake my head in disbelief at times. To put this into perspective, imagine seeing a 7 foot tall human walk past you on the street. It’s such a rare and impressive sight that it’s almost impossible not to stare. You may have seen people that tall in photographs or on the NBA court on television, maybe even with your own eyes at an NBA game, but until they are standing near you, you don’t realize how truly massive they are. That’s how I felt in the Himalayas. I had seen countless photos and documentaries of these peaks, but it was a completely different experience in person. There’s the common cliche of feeling small while standing by the ocean, and I had that same feeling among these mountains. We humans tend to think we are the centers of the universe and the entire world revolves around us, but we are all little specks of dust in comparison to many of earth’s majesties.
"In the presence of nature’s wonders, we recognize our own insignificance."
-Unknown
