Evening temperatures are starting to get quite cold. My sleeping bag is very toasty but I find myself quite cold inside the unheated guest houses during the hours between trekking and sleeping. Generally, there is a fire or stove in the dining room and guests will huddle around it for hours rather than spending time in their rooms. One shares the trail with all manner of beast, from horses and mules to goats, yak and cows. It is wise to always take the high side of the trail when passing animals on the path. In the event one becomes startled or agitated and pushes you it will prevent you from falling downward.

Valley views are gradually giving way to snow-capped mountain vistas. Every turn of the valley or ascent to a ridge top offers dramatic new views of the high Himalaya in what I would describe as a slow reveal.

So far trekking between villages has involved large ascents followed by large descents. Today was no different as I worked my way up the Marsyangdi valley. Although not of the mountains, the views thus far have been very wonderful.

I passed no less than half a dozen waterfalls today, each one grander than the last.

At every turn one observes the local villagers of all ages involved in back breaking labor. The young girl on the left was breaking large rocks into smaller ones to be used for footings being prepared by several men. Women of all ages seem to be the primary haulers of firewood to the home.

Starting very early this morning I hiked for a total of 8 hours pausing frequently to photograph the local folks. The trail steadily gains in elevation at a very modest rate and daytime temperatures are in the low 60s making for very comfortable conditions.

When I reached the village of Ghermu I noticed that it was almost empty. Upon further investigation I discovered a soccer match underway some five minutes from the trail. I hung out for a bit enjoying the game which was played with reduced numbers on a tiny dirt field.

As I continued on my way, I eventually encountered a number of villagers who were butchering some type of beast. In that moment I decided I would not be eating any meat for the balance of my visit.

I caught the earliest bus for Besi Shahar, the official starting point for the Annapurna circuit, this morning. The 20 minute taxi ride ($5) to the bus station from my hotel cost more than the bus ticket for the 7 hour trip ($3.75) to the trail head. Of course the taxi driver did need to stop and remove a large boulder from the road that was blocking our progress which I reasoned was good justification for the higher fare. By contrast the driver of my bus at one point hit a pedestrian, knocking him off his feet. This, however, did not warrant a stop, only an exchange of profanity, mostly from the driver. Riding the buses here was quite an interesting cultural experience. The bus crew includes a driver and what I call a “barker” who constantly hangs out the door trying to drum up passengers. He calls out the destination of the bus to anyone who looks like they might need a ride. When he hooks a rider the bus slows down but does not quite stop as the passenger jumps on board. If there is baggage, the barker hauls it to and lashes it upon the roof of the bus, all while it is moving. All vehicles in Nepal beep their horns constantly to signal their presence and warn pedestrians and other vehicles of their intent to pass. The horn is used in lieu of turn signals and to deal with the absence of traffic lights of any kind. The capacity of any vehicle is roughly three times the number of seats it contains. When the bus reached Besi Shahar I was very ready to hit the trail and did so immediately after obtaining my TIMS permit. I hiked until the sun set at roughly 5PM and then selected a lodge in Bhulbhule where I found myself at that time. For the next ten days or so I will be following the Marsyangdi River, pictured above, to its source. I find both the young and old here to be very photogenic and pause frequently to make portraits.

My flight arrived in Kathmandu 4 hours late, around 11AM. A driver from my hotel was there to meet me and I was able to persuade him to drive me directly to the government office which issues the Annapurna Conservation Area Permit which is required before entering the trekking circuit. I knew that the office closed at noon on Saturdays and it was essential that I obtain that document today or I would immediately lose a day from my schedule. We arrived just in the nick of time. Also required is a Trekking Information Management System (TIMS) permit but that office closed before I could get there. Fortunately, the TIMS permit can also be obtained at the beginning of the trail head so I will pick it up tomorrow. I spent the balance of the day exchanging currency, picking up a good trekking map, and stocking up on small food items for the trail. I am staying in the Thamel section of Kathmandu which is trekker central. There must be two dozens stores where you can obtain every manor of trekking gear, countless agencies which will arrange for local transportation, guides and porters, and several bars where solo trekkers post listings to find partners. Unfortunately, my hotel is situated right in the center of the action which means that it is noisy as hell well into the early morning hours.

I have many impressions of Kathmandu which I will share in later posts. For now let me just comment on the obvious lack of planning and thoughtful infrastructure. This photo is typical of the wiring that can be found throughout the city. No apparent rhyme or reason with old wires abandoned in place and new ones connected point to point with no coordination or master plan. The same principles at play here can be traced into every other aspect of civil infrastructure (roads, water, sewage treatment, zoning, etc.) contributing to a very low standard of living and safety. Despite an abundance of hydroelectric power, for example, one can expect rolling blackouts everyday because most of the power is sold to India at discount rates (no doubt the result of government corruption and special interests).

You can’t throw a stick in Thamel without hitting a store or stand where tourist type gifts can be purchased. I will wait until I return at the tail end of my visit before making any acquisitions so that I do not have to carry the items with me while hiking.

I left Boston yesterday beginning 26 hours of continuous travel to Nepal. I flew first to Dublin, from Dublin to Istanbul, and from Istanbul to Kathmandu. I passed the time reading more about Nepal and finalizing my trekking itinerary. Several delays and the near failure of my checked baggage to connect in Dublin made for a less than relaxing journey. Because of the 10 hour and 45 minute time change, I made an effort to start making the day for night sleep schedule transition even as I was in transit. My plan is to spend one day/night in Kathmandu where I must secure various travel permits and then immediately begin my trek the following day. This view from the air while on final approach gave a real appreciation for how the Nepali use terraces to turn mountainsides into farm land.

The entire family, plus Jeanine’s sister Susan, participated in a 5K Turkey Trot this morning to raise funds for Open Table. The family took a moment to model the complimentary shirts we received and this somehow evolved to include funny hats and eventually Nala was dragged into the scene.

I leave for Nepal this afternoon and will not be posting again until I return on December 22nd.

I just came across this video on YouTube of an interview Nico gave to Prove People Wrong more than a year ago. If memory serves me, he earned $1000 for his participation which he donated to the Concord Carlisle Soccer Team.

This photo (not mine) is for a very brave person I love.

A huge shakeup at work today as the CEO announced a new leadership reporting structure which did not include Jeff Beck, my boss and Chief Operating Officer. The General Managers of our three business units will now report to the CEO, the head of Operations will report to the CFO, I will report to the CTO, and the position of COO will no longer exist. This change came as a complete surprise to the entire team but transitions such as this often do. Jeff was the driver behind the most impressive business turn-around I have personally witnessed and is easily the best boss I have ever worked for. I am very sad that he is leaving but grateful for all he has taught me. My new boss was the former CEO of Evolution Robotics, a company which we acquired about a year ago. He is now the Chief Technical Officer and is based in Pasadena. He is an extremely bright technologist and insightful strategist with a proven business track record. We already have a good working relationship and the new reporting structure unifies the entire engineering organization in a way that I think will be highly beneficial for the company in the long run. Tomorrow I will embrace all the new possibilities but today I can only lament the departure of someone who I have truly enjoyed working for.

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.

Earlier in the week I described some modifications I made to my pack that allow me to access my tripod and trekking poles independently and without removing my pack. A colleague who follows the blog requested that I post an image of this arrangement. I am very pleased with the setup and I know it will save me time and energy while on the trail. The black padded pouch at my waist holds two cameras. Both are Canon SL1s which are the lightest and smallest DSLRs on the market today. One is paired with a 10-22mm zoom and the other with a 50-250mm zoom. In full frame equivalent terms, this gives me a focal range of 16-400mm which will handle everything but distant wildlife. Having two bodies gives me redundancy in the event one fails and eliminates the need to swap lenses in what is sure to be a dusty and windy environment.

Software engineers in general don’t make very good mechanical engineers (and vice a versa). Not so at iRobot, where the software department produced some very high quality catapults during their offsite team building event. I am looking forward to seeing some photos of these bad boys in action. It is too bad we have not preserved all of the artifacts from the most recent team building events. We could have staged a relay race with cardboard cars and boats, being filmed from above by camera carrying gliders, all while being bombarded with projectiles launched from catapults and balloon launchers. Do a search here for “team building” and you will see all the necessary elements.

Marie, my sister-in-law, is in town on business and arrived this evening to spend the night with us. We rarely get to enjoy her company without some number (from one to four) of my nieces and nephews and/or my brother. While we love the whole clan it was really nice to spend a few hours in adult conversation with no distractions. Regrettably, she is set to fly back to Minnesota tomorrow and our time together will be all too brief.