the street where our hostel was located in the thamel district

our floor at the hotel pilgrims 

stray dogs everywhere

thamel 

took a day trip to an old fort-town outside the city 

the ridiculously rad gianna "g" zamora 

the sweetest and smartest arden wells 

the guy who is always laughing except when a camera is around - ethan wise 

the only other person i know who can find immeasurable humor in the linguistic composition/context of a word or phrase - katie nock

always cool, always collected - lydia sim 

really gives you a good idea of the kind of pollution here in the kathmandu valley 

a straight-up goon - ian woodruff 

my lil' bug from seattle that refused to let me ever get a candid - em trabolsi 

another day trip - this time to one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city

kind, funny, and always articulate - meg sherritt 

our instructor chris carpenter - a truly inspiring man and someone i will always look up to 

our teaching assistant zach crow - a goofball who also happens to know everything about everything 

lots of kids out and about getting ready to celebrate the nepali new year (which was 2072)

one of my favorite shots, this man was just sitting watching the crowds go by 

kaeli wells - the mom of the group who was pretty much always right but also never once said 'i told you so' 

a lucky shot with some dramatic lighting 

kids getting ready to participate in the new years parade 

found a quiet little garden down a side street as the sun was going down

marijuana growing on the side of the road 

on our way to swayambhunath (aka the monkey temple)

some kids who wanted to tag along until for a few blocks 

quite the climb to the top 

our first experience with prayer wheels which were soon to become a common sight 

monkeys everywhere 

she's asleep now but when arwen is awake it's nothing but curse words and raptor facts 

a village just outside the park's borders 

chris "chip" shipway - always ready with a smirk and one of his signature hats 

a tiger kill we saw before the day's expedition - our guides estimated it was less than four hours old 

grossness of the carcass aside, it was cool to see such a pretty animal so close  

casual

river that forms the western border of the park

crossing the river 

about to start the jeep tour 

rhino spotting 

reaction to the rhino spotting

cliche tourist activities 

vulture-watching

ten hour bus ride from kathmandu to jiri - the rest of the journey would be made on foot 

the first day of the trek 

jamyang - one of our lead guides.  a hilarious and constantly cranky old man

lots of suspension bridges on our route 

first day of "class" - looking at freshwater invertebrates 

a local paper factory 

first of many local temples 

a local plywood factory 

bath time 

taken about 2 hours before the first earthquake hit 

our first day trekking after the earthquake 

lots of aftershocks felt on today

strays even out here 

wish i could say that's mud but it's not - it's poop 

our first glimpse of the snow capped peaks 

a cute kid who knew how to play white people like a fiddle 

and who found a way to cheat at every card game we taught him

it was just about now that we all had used the word 'breathtaking' so frequently that it just didn't to it justice anymore

sam ellie - bummed it took me this long into the trip to get a picture of her i really liked.  A really genuine person who i admired for always bridging the gap during some drama that was unfolding in the group at this time

life lessons with jamyang

the entrance to sagarmatha national park

not a bad camp spot

one of my favorite shots of the trip - because at the end of the day some of the strongest memories i have are those of sitting and talking with these four kids 

thamserku 

early morning mountain gazing 

arwen teaching us the correct pronunciation of "yeti" (its yeh-TAY, not yeh-TEE)

our camp site was just over the top of the city rim

gives you a good idea how high up you are - you could look straight without lifting you head and see clouds 

another one of my favorites 

the next dozen or so photos weren't taken technically in namche but rather on a day hike the group went on that meandered around some of the nearby hills 

candid cheesin' 

posed cheesin' 

climbing rocks 

pretty stunning overlook of other peaks in the khumbu valley 

lots of stupas and small shrines on the trails up here (fyi always pass them on the left-hand side) 

some stupas are bigger than others 

en-route from namche

"i am grandpa"

definitely felt lucky to be in nepal during the rhododendron blooming season

post-breakfast nap 

last campsite below tree line - nothing but shrubs, snow, and rocks from here on out