Mardi Himal is the name of the long rising ridge and its summit, 5,588m (18,500ft.), that forms the southwesterly slope of Mt. Machhapuchare, immediately below it's sheer south face. Machhapuchare, which towers majestically over the Pokhara Valley, is best known as Fishtail Mountain because of its twin peaks that mirrors the image of a fish tail. It is superbly beautiful and is considered sacred, so no permits as of yet have been issued to climb this mountain.

The ridge, mostly grassy and sometimes under snow, takes us up to 'High camp', 3,620m (13,550 Ft.), where a second consecutive afternoon is spent acclimatizing while awestruck with views. Annapurna South seems near enough to throw a rock at and Machhapuchare close enough to touch. Finally, upon reaching 5,000 meters or more, the great ice fields and blue glaciers of the Sanctuary Wall lie below. Around us, in an arc from horizon to horizon, (from Dhaulagiri to the Ganesh Himal), are a dozen or more glistening snow-bound giants, with Annapurna I, highest of all, beyond.

You are standing on a spot that has been your constant aim for days now, a place, a time, a view that is almost impossible to equal- and you've earned it!