Day 5 - Near Bhratang     Climbing skyward Brown pine needles carpet the ground underfoot, silencing my progress up a wide valley, dramatically different from the claustrophobic gullies of the last days. To the right a solid sheet of massive rock rises a thousand meters or more, curving smoothly into a right angle, like a giant skateboard wall turned on its side. The smooth escarpment is so steep that its slopes are devoid of vegetation. It is difficult to comprehend the vastness of this stratum of rock or the earth's forces that formed it. From Annapurna Circuit - Himalayan Journey by Andrew Stevenson.   Photo by Alistair Adams