ABC

We make it to the top! After spending the night in Himalaya, we have lunch at MBC, the base camp for Fishtail, and are in the official sanctuary itself. The path is not steep, but the air is thin since we are moving above 13,000 feet. The meadow follows a small trickle of water, and there are trees, shrubs, and boulders. To look beyond the immediate is to see that we are encircled by peaks rising above 20,000 feet. Although there are huge chasms between us and the base of some of these peaks, it feels very intimate as their grandeur looms over us. These mountains are Annapurna I, Hiun Chuli, Annapurna South, Machhapuchhre (Fishtail), Gangapurna, and Annapurna III. When I go outside around 9:30 and the moon is yet to rise, the mountains glow under the most star-filled night sky I have ever seen. When I go out again at 3 AM, the full moon has risen and the change in light makes the mountains feel like they have moved in even closer. I know this is an uncommon experience to stand in this spot, and I embrace it.