Thorong La Glacier

In July of 2018, I hiked the Annapurna Circuit - a two week trek that crosses the highest pass in the world at 5416m (17,769ft). While most of the trek is not technically challenging, the pass is at an extreme elevation with trails at angles nearing 40 degrees. The final two-day push to Thorong La Pass was one of the hardest physical challenges I've ever accomplished. This picture was taken at the pass before starting the long walk downhill. The majority of the morning was enshrouded in dense fog, but cleared for a few minutes at the top - long enough to grab a picture of the glacier and the sunlight poking through. Less than thirty minutes after taking this picture, we heard a tremendous roar as part of the glacier calved and thundered down.