The planning of the three treks was also perfect - for which thanks are due to Mohan, Sheila and their Trekking Company - each trek a little higher, each trek a little deeper into the Himalayan chain. Our first trek to the Singalila Ridge was the perfect introduction to the Himalayan foothills (though at over 3500m these are foothills on steroids), a chance to get to know the flora of these mountains to and to glimpse the culture of their inhabitants, to experience the extremes of mountain weather and to gently introduce us to higher altitude walking. The glimpses from the ridge of the Kangchenjunga massif were there to entice us to our second trek - a much closer look at these massive peaks, renewing our experience of the rich Himalayan forest before taking us to the land above the tree-line; alpine meadows, glacial valleys and towering snow-clad peaks. For a bonus we had a day of snow to round off the fine sunny conditions - two completely different Himalayas in one trek! Finally, the piece-de-resistance, the Green Lake Trek, right into the heart of Kangchenjunga in the Sikkimese wilderness - a place less visited than the summit of Everest!
But were our European friends right? Yes ... and no. Without doubt to be in the Himalayas amongst 6-, 7- and 8,000m peaks is an awe-inspiring experience. The immensity and grandeur of this landscape is breathtaking, both poetically and literally. There are few places where the average walker can go where breathing becomes a challenge; a constant reminder of our own fragility at high altitudes and an essential part of the Himalayan experience. However, to compare these mountains with the Alps of New Zealand, or the Americas does an injustice to both parties. The Himalayas do not need comparison - they are simply magnificent. Nor do the other alpine regions need to be down-rated, they are all superb in their own right. The scale may be different, but the sense of awe inspired by high peaks is not diminished by looking up at 3500m peak from a 1000m vantage point rather than looking up at an 8000m peak from a 5000m vantage point.