I’ve been reading a lot of reports of protest and violence coming from Kathmandu, and the level of frustration on all sides of the issue is building steadily. I just wanted to make a note that this is on my mind, but I want to continue to write up my recollections of the regions that are, at least for now, more removed from the conflict. Of course I won’t say that the region of the high Himalayas is peaceful and serene compared to the unrest in the big city. The awesome force and seemingly arbitrary shift in temperament of nature in the mountains puts into perspective how small our grievances are. People could conceivably set down their sticks and stones and sit together and talk things through, but with the cold, the wind and the avalanches the elements have the real autocracy and no amount of protesting will sway the course of nature.