Hiking the Himalayas: off-Season Nepal Offers Occasional Mountain Views and Lessons with a ‘Leechy Stick’

The Kathmandu Dust That Flours My Throat Gives Little Indication That the Monsoon Season Has Arrived in Nepal. nor Does the Brilliant Sunshine That Accompanies the Eight-Hour Bus Journey from the Capital to Pokhara, the Lakeside Town That Serves as Ground Zero for Trekkers and Thrill Seekers in This Part of the World. Even Raju, the Guide Who Talks Me Through the Options for a Three-Day Hike Before We Settle on a Whistle-Stop up-and-Down to Mardi Himal Base Camp, Mentions the Rains Only in Passing, Advising Me to Pack Waterproofs, Beaming All the While.