And humbled, too, because the thin-blooded people who live at these altitudes put visitors to shame in terms of sheer physical tenacity. A trek in Nepal, in other words, puts you in your place, and puts your place in a global perspective. The experience also serves to illuminate environmental and social concerns that few consider before setting out. The simple act of buying a hot shower at a teahouse, for example, is a subject of controversy among trekkers. Because the water for the shower will most likely be heated by firewood, a precious commodity in regions that, due to population pressures and tourism pressures, are now almost entirely deforested.
Deforestation leads to erosion, which causes rivers to silt up, which causes flooding.
Yet because alternative fuels, such as kerosene, have to be carried up the mountains on people's backs, adding to their already considerable cost within the local economy, they are out of reach for many villagers. There weren't so many things to think about in 1976, when my own seeds of interest in Nepal began to germinate. That was the year two college friends returned from Asia with some tall tales to tell. Here were temples galore, and restaurants where patrons lounged on floor pillows as they ate, and young people from all over the world. And . .