Nepal now Safe for Hikers to Return
Annapurna is only the tenth tallest mountain in the world, but it ranks as one of the most dangerous for Hikers
The mountain is located in Nepal along a 55-kilometer (34-mile) ridge just east of the Gandaki River, which has carved one of the deepest river gorges in the world.
The gorge separates Annapurna from Dhaulagiri, the seventh tallest mountain in the world.
Article taken from Business Standard 23 July 2015:
Kathmandu
July 23, 2015 Last Updated at 17:57 ISTThe most popular trekking trail in Nepal escaped damage during April’s devastating earthquake and is safe for hikers to return, an assessment team said today.
Kit Miyamoto of the California-based engineering firm Miyamoto International assessed the 200 kilometres of trekking trails around Mount Annapurna, and said that the only hazards were found at three spots and appeared to predate the quake.Only about 3 per cent of the accommodations on the trail were damaged by the April 25 earthquake. That quake, coupled with another in May, killed 8,898 people.
Nepal is hoping visitors will return in September, when tourist season begins.
Tulsi Prasad Gautam of Nepal’s Tourism Department said the assessment would help bring back trekkers, and it would be easier for them to get travel insurance — a major concern for people planning their trip to Nepal.
The trail around Mount Annapurna gets about 115,000 foreign trekkers, which is about 60 per cent of all hikers who travel to Nepal every year.
The team is also assessing the route on the foothills of Mount Everest, and expects to complete work in two weeks.
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Thomas & Jeremy Powell
Howdy. I've been hiking most of my life. I spent my young boyhood hiking up and down the mountains in Hell's Canyon, bordering Oregon & Idaho with my father. He taught me important wilderness skills that I have passed on to my own sons. Since growing up in Idaho and hiking all over the Sawtooth and Selway wilderness areas, I have since hiked in the Andes and several trips diving and hiking in Antarctica, including the "Footsteps of Shackleton" expedition. I was also active in National Ski Patrol for 15 years, including Avalanche control and rescue. Since then I have become a Doctor of Trauma & Orthopaedics at Oxford England with an interest in Expedition Medicine. My son, Jeremy is now the main hiker in the family with weekend hikes throughout the summer and will share his adventures.