A journey of 100,000 steps: Headlines no bar to Himalaya trekkers 

Mountain treks are popular in Nepal, and many tour companies offer them. Porters start across the 941-foot-long Samrong Khola Bridge at Jhinu Danda, Nepal. (Joseph Ditzler/Stars and Stripes) Armies of hikers flowed laboriously in a continuous stream up and down the 2,500 stone steps of Chomrong village, a cluster of inns lining the route to Annapurna Base Camp in the Himalayas of Nepal. Spring and fall are the high seasons for backpackers making their way into the Himalayas to stand in awe of the world’s tallest mountains. Chomrong stands where trails merge, where trekkers returning from Annapurna Base Camp pass those starting the long climb to the mountain amphitheater, another two days’ walk.

Mountain treks are still popular in Nepal, despite reports in early October of flooding that stranded about 100 foreign visitors along the Manaslu Circuit route not far from Chomrong, and the devastating glacial collapse near the border with China that killed hundreds in August. The route to Annapurna Base Camp, or ABC, is a shorter, popular alternative to routes like the Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Circuit, that go farther and higher. Annapurna South dominates the natural amphitheater at Annapurna Base Camp, Nepal. (Joseph Ditzler/Stars and Stripes) The trip started for me as a personal challenge. Planning began in January by researching guide outfits based in Kathmandu.