As a lifelong Astros fan I must admit that I'm disappointed at the fact that we're still not number 1 anywhere on this list.
You need to go all in on the cheating charges. Be like, “you know another word for cheating? WINNING.” Worked for the Patriots.
We stayed in Pokhara for a week before doing the Annapurna Base Camp trek (most of it, we got snowed out the night before we would’ve reached the final destination). It was crazy to be at 12,000’ and still be looking way up at the mountains above. I actually dug out a shot of it, that’s 23,000’ Machapuchare.
The photos don't do it justice. The first time I was in Pokhara, I went outside the hotel to look for Fishtail (aka Machapuchre) and was bummed because I thought it was stuck behind a cloud bank. Then I looked above the cloud bank and there was the peak, twice as tall as the cloud bank. Unreal.
Well, if we are measuring...mountains, it should be noted that the tallest mountain on Earth is Mauna Kea. Roughly 10km in height.
I highly recommend going up to Lo Mantang. They limit the numbers going there (making it a bit pricier) but it's much less crowded and absolutely stunning. You go into the kingdom of Mustang, in between the Daulagiri and Annapurna massifs. It's like a mini Tibet. The attached photo is of Nilgiri (22,770 ft) from Jomsom.
I would love to read about the expedition that climbs that from the base, all the way below sea level! Some people also argue that one of the Ecuadorian volcanoes is actually the tallest peak on earth because it's the closest to the sun, being on the equator and all.
It might be the most striking mountain I’ve ever seen, such a distinctive shape. Our last stop on the trek before turning around was the Machapuchare Base Camp guest house. It was freezing cold and the altitude was hitting me hard, we barely slept that night. And that was a major factor in why we didn’t push on through the snow to the last stop.
There you go. My brothers and I, having grown up where and when we did In Illinois, are Cardinals fans. My older brother is comfortably retired and goes to baseball games in as many stadiums as he can, usually catching three or even four game series. Several years ago he was in Houston for an Astros/Angels series. First inning and Albert Pujols, my brother’s second favorite Cardinal after Stan Musial*, is hitting. The Astros’ pitcher blows a fastball by Pujols. My brother says to the guy next to him, “man, Albert’s getting old. He was way late on that one.” The ‘Stros fan in the next seat says, “don’t worry, he’s hitting the next pitch out of the park.” Before my brother can say anything, Pujols sends the ball for a really, really long ride as the whole stadium groans. My brother’s like, “how’d you know?” The guy says, “I knew the pitcher was going to try to get cute with something offspeed. Besides, between his time with the Cardinals and the Angels, I think he’s hit about 200 of his six hundred home runs off of us.” I told that story to a guy I know at my local coffee shop who was going to a convention in Houston the next year. He decides to go to a game. The Angels are in town. He’s not sitting with an Astro fan, so he doesn’t comment when Pujols flails at a fastball, but he remembers me telling him my brother’s story. The next pitch, Pujols homers. That run in the top of the first was the only run of that game. In short, my brothers and I thank you for the Astros’ many contributions towards Albert’s 703 dingers. *bro is 78 in 3 days.
As a courtesy, I was limiting my comments to regular season homers. I try to stay off people’s ignore lists.
If you ever get the chance, which involves knowing the right people, being in Hawaii at the right time, and having the right gear available, there's nothing quite as surreal as snowboarding on Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa.
Oh dear. Mountain is a large category which volcano falls under. See: Kilamanjaro. Oh. I'm still embarrassed for you.
One of my cousins, who coincidentally lives not far from where your profile says you are, did the same trip you're talking about---I think about 7 years ago. Said it was amazing.
Yeah, I've heard that. But, as far as I've read among geologists and related science people, when measuring from the base, Mauna Kea is the tallest. And I only brought that up in the same tongue-in-cheek way that song brought up Olympus Mons.