Booked: Into the Mountains and Down to the Ocean

Greetings from Seattle!

I’ve just kicked off my second major trip of 2023, and it’s one that I’ve been looking forward to for years. This trip will bring me and my wife Ashley to some of the tallest mountains in the world, before we head right back down to sea level for some much-needed downtime. 

After a sprint to the finish line to get everything ready for our trip, which required us to pack for two completely different destinations, we’re toasting our departure with a glass of sparkling wine at the new Centurion Lounge and anticipating the many adventures ahead.

The Trip

As someone who is fortunate to travel quite frequently, I’m often asked about my favourite destinations in the world. Without fail, one of the several that I list (it’s impossible to choose just one) is Nepal.

The former kingdom nestled in the majestic Himalayan mountains has been a place that I’ve wanted to return to ever since my first trip there back in 2008. Back then, my friends and I felt as though we were transported to a different world, and while I’m sure a lot has changed in the past 15 years, I have a slight feeling that some things haven’t.

My previous trip was with a group of friends when we were all in our early 20s, and we had an absolute blast finding our way through the Annapurna mountains and searching for yetis high above the alpine line. As I’ve gotten older, I know that this trip will have a bit of a different vibe, but I’m very thrilled to be heading back this time with Ashley, who will be experiencing Nepal’s majesty for the first time.

It’s been a long time since I’ve brought my backpack on a trip, having long since swapped it out for a set of rolling luggage. As I was packing it up for this trip, it brought me back to when I was setting out on my first-ever international trip back in 2005. 

After a few days acclimatizing and exploring the streets in Kathmandu, we’ll embark on a journey into the Langtang region of the Himalayas to do a trek. If the Langtang sounds familiar, it might be because it was one of the regions of Nepal that was most affected by the devastating earthquake that shook the country in 2015.

We opted for this region of Nepal due to its relative proximity to Kathmandu, since we had a bit of a short timeline to work with. A friend of mine has also trekked in the area many times, and suggested that the area is a bit less trodden than other…