Clear skies greeted us in the morning, which was welcomed after hiking in rain the previous afternoon. Remember the title? Stairway to Annapurna Base Camp! Well day 4 was another exploration of the ancient marvel... steps!

We would proceed down, over, up, down, around, and up to our destination for the day. We were making our way around the mountains and heading to the river gorge that would lead us to Annapurna Base Camp.

Because we were making great time, we decided to push on to the next village further up the path. This would make the next day shorter. When we reached the village where we were going to stay it started to rain so we ducked under cover to wait it out. The decision was made to wait a 1/2 hr to see if the storm cleared, otherwise we would abandon the plan to push further. In about 15 mins. there was a break in the storm, so we pushed on. The rains started again, but nothing too drenching.

When we reached the teahouse and got settled, that's when it really began raining with an added dose of lightning. Thankfully, we were safely inside the teahouse meeting fellow hikers from Holland, Belgium, France, and Spain. The international representation on the trail was amazing.

After a meal of egg fried rice, ghurung bread, and apple fritters, and card playing, we retired for the night. It's early to bed on the mountain, because the sun stirs the hikers early each morning. I loaded up my sleeping bag with electronics, jackets, and clothes for the next day to keep everything warm for wearing and batteries from draining from the cold. Then I fit myself into the sleeping bag and attempted to let sleep overtake me.