The medieval city of Kathmandu is a contrast between ancient and modern. Against a backdrop of brightly colored temples and towering mountains, haphazardly strung power lines crisscross streets. Poorly tuned mopeds and motorbikes buzz around. Bicycles, rickshaws and scads of people crowd the way. Taxi horns blast in the narrow streets. Cows wander aimlessly. The smells of simmering curries and garbage blend together. Some days the city is trapped by a thermal inversion a la Los Angeles, making views of the surrounding Himalaya hard to see. Nepal is the world's only
Hindu kingdom. Since it was opened to the outside world in the 1950s the ancient trade
have filled with trekking foreigners. Rough roads and miles of trails cover the cou walking is the main Nepalese mode
steep and narrow paths. My destination is the
Langtang Glacier. The goal: to ride the trail up to the glacial peaks and
return down the same route. Roughly 117 kilometers north Kathmandu, the valley is one of Nepal's gloriously vast protected areas-Langtang National Park. The journey started with a visit to the Dawn Ti ll Dusk bike shop in the Thamel
