I put in my final training hike today, an 8 mile excursion from Mount Misery around Walden Pond and back in just over 3 hours. The temperature was in the low 20s with an average wind of 15 mph and gusts to 40mph, perfect conditions to prepare me for the higher altitude sections of the Annapurna Circuit. It was a little chilly when I was exposed to the full force of the wind but otherwise I was quite comfortable. My boots felt great, my pack felt great, and I am feeling like my body is ready for the challenge that waits from me in Nepal. Given the temperature, I did not stop often to take pictures but could not pass up this flock of birds as they swooped into feed on what I can only imagine was a large worm convention.

Both boys are now home for the Thanksgiving Day holiday. I picked up Nico from the airport late last night and Kyle with his friend Omar this afternoon. Somehow both have evaded my camera thus far but I did manage a photo of Maya midway through the process of taming her hair. I don’t quite understand the entire process or chemicals involved but her hair starts small, then grows VERY big, then is knotted into submission somehow. It seems like a lot of work compared to my routine which includes exactly one step: wake up.