Not Everest?

Initially, my plan was to hike to the base camp of Mount Everest. Why? That way I, when asked, I could say that I “climbed” Mount Everest. But I have chosen not to, and I have chosen to climb Annapurna instead. The path to Annapurna Base Camp is supposed to have fabulous views and as a result has become a popular trekking destination.

Maybe I just didn’t want to hike on a mountain in the middle of Asia that was named after a Brit. That’s a weak excuse, but it is funny that such a prominent world landmark still goes by its original British name to most. The story goes that William Lambton, a lieutenant in the British army was interested in geology was intent on finding the latitude, longitude, and elevation of this great mountain. When Lambton died, George Everest picked up where he left off. Curiously, George Everest did not ever see the mountain that now shares his name and apparently, he wasn’t one for mountaineering either. Tibetan’s call the mountain Qomolangma, the Nepali call it Sagarmatha, and the Chinese call is Zhumulangma. Given it’s geographic location, I feel these groups might have more authority in naming the mountain than the British.

In addition, I received a personal recommendation for this trek from a university friend who did something similar only a couple years ago. And last but certainly not least, it was easier to find a better price for an Annapurna Trek than for one on Everest.