Most Inspirational Moment
The views of the glaciers as we got up to the northern part of the circuit were dramatic, along with the occassional crack as we heard chunks of ice breaking off. The views of the mountains along this part of the circuit were also fantastic, and made up for the few days we spent trekking through the valleys on the way up. Crossing the pass was also a key point to the trip - and it was good that the descent was fairly rapid - taking a lot less time than the climb up. I enjoyed the fact that most of the time we had the trail to ourselves - which isn't the case on the Annapurna circuit these days.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our leader was great fun - with a good sense of humour, and did a good job of communicating, getting us moving, trekking, and fed (almost over fed).
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don't worry about the food - on this trip you get to travel with your own kitchen staff (including an egg man - there were plenty of eggs) - and they work hard to prepare wholesome food. We had some Dhal Bhat - but most of the food was more varied (and certainly more interesting). There was always more than enough - so don't worry about going hungry!A good hiking pole is recommended and can be purchased from Kathmandu before the trip if you don't have one in your luggage (although the big-brands can be hard to find). I'd also suggest taking something like the Kahtoola MICROspikes just in case the route down from the pass is icy (although I didn't need mine). Being walking-fit before the trip will make your trip more enjoyable, however we did start-off pretty slowly - so don't expect a challenging walk from day one. The most challenging section was the cold as we left early to get to the pass, and the LONG descent after the pass itself. The descent was somewhat slippy due to gravel/scree on the path - so hiking poles were useful.