October 17, 2011
Annapurna Trekkers enter the upper valley (Photo by Charlotte Austin)
IMG leader Eben Reckord called from Humre to report that everyone is doing well. After climbing out of the forested valleys, they are now in the mountains! The Annapurna Himal is one of the most rugged sections of the Himalayas, with 14 peaks over 7000 meters. The team is now just across from Annapurna 2, Annapurna 4, and Annapurna 3. These three big peaks (A2 is nearly 8000m) dominate the skyline to the west.
Tomorrow they are going to do an acclimatization hike to Manang in the morning and visit the Braga monastery in the afternoon.  While they are doing that, the Sherpas will move camp to Braga (about 11,300′). So far the weather has been good and everything is going smoothly.
Eric Simonson