Photo and caption by Rita Horton

The Ghorepani - Ghandruk Trek was anything but easy. Exhausted from the long hike the day before, I dragged myself out of bed to watch the sunrise from the top of a small Nepali village. As the sun slowly rose, views of Annapurna South and Fishtail Mountain came into view. And what seemed to be on cue, music began to play from the valley below. This moment, isolated from tourists in the Himalayas, is still my most surreal and memorable travel moment.

Location: Ghandruk, Nepal