Continental Divide Trail 2011 close to 3000 miles through new mexico, colorado, wyoming and montana. May 1 start date.

Today was our only real "rest" day: a day of shopping and eating chocolate cake in caves. Yesterday we returned from our 19-day hike in the Annapurnas. We staying in teahouses every night, ate dal baht and sipped tea, and spent our days walking through rhododendron forests, jungle, river valleys and high high alpine. Our friend Lauren joined us for the first 12 days. Every day we were in complete awe of the mountains, whose height nearly doubles the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. We were in a state of reverence. In the High Sierra and Rockies I am able to play in the mountains. Here we are blessed guests. Most days all we could do was laugh and ask if we were truly there. The highlight of the circuit was passing over the Thorong La pass, reaching nearly 18000 feet. The air is significantly thinner so we spent several days slowly climbing higher and going on acclimatization hikes. We often didn't hike very far because of the elevation so it is certainly a different style from what I am used to with long-distance walking in the USA, and not having to carry a tent or stove was quite luxurious. We paid not more than $1.50 a night for a bed, and ate to our hearts content, spending not much more than $15 a day. We passed through several surreal high altitude villages and imagined our lives if we had grown up in the presence of such mountains and harsh circumstances. Lauren left us after completing the circuit and Tony and I continued on to Annapurna Base Camp where we sat in the bosom of 8,000 meter peaks and post-holed in the snow. Our last couple days we spent time eating chocolate cake and writing, trying to take in the mountains before we headed out. Tomorrow we begin our 2-day bus journey to the start of our Everest Trek, where we will spend 26 days in high altitude, exploring the surroundings of the highest mountain on earth. I feel utterly blessed to be here. Some day I promise I will post pictures.