Saturday, November 6, 2010

Annapurna Sanctuary, Nepal. Evolving Perspective. Launching the next generation beyond our imagination through experience.


November, 2009.  Looking at the legs of my daughter Asia, I could see that 4.5 years of country living and skiing (from the time she could walk) had built one stout kid.  Every time I lead a trip I see our customers enjoying their travel companions and families and can't help but wish that my loved ones were there as well.  Was Asia ready to trek in the Himalayas???  Was I ready for what can only be described and "parenting" and "guiding" on steroids..? Only one way to find out...

On my last trip to Nepal I visited a map store in Kathmandu.  An Annapurna Sanctuary Trek map leaped off the shelf for some reason that day, and it now sat neatly amongst my other maps here in the home office.  The high point of the trek is Annapurna Base Camp at 13,550'.  That's almost a thousand feet lower than the summit of Mt. Rainier just over the hill here.  If there was a trek that a five year old could do, it would be this one.

Fast forward to October, 2010.  33 hours of travel. PDX-LAX-ICN-KTM. I'm an idiot, what was I thinking?  Actually, not that bad.  Not the worst travel experience I've had.  Of course I've seen some bad shit in my time... Would it be worth it?

Immediately and without pause, everyone that I have talked with says, “She’s too young to remember the trip, why don’t you wait until she is older?"  Well, it's all about building a global perspective and living with that perception.  This is more important than it sounds, and we've dedicated a whole talk to it at noon on December 2nd at the Roxy Theater in Morton, WA.  It is offered through Centralia College's Lyceum Lecture Series and is free to the public.  Shanna, Asia and I will be there to show you what we saw, what we learned, and how our perspectives continue to evolve.


See you then.
Adam