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PHOTO ESSAY : INTO THE MOUNTAINS

July 14, 2020
by pratchayapol
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TEXT & PHOTO: CHAOVARITH POONPHOL

(For Thai, press here)

 
This is my second time walking on this route. It was in April when I came to Annapurna for the first time. It was summer and the weather was completely different than it is this time. Around the end and beginning of the year, between December and January, the temperature could drop to 5-10°C, and even further down to – 15°C up on the Base Camp, not to mention the unmerciful winds that would come thrashing our bodies. The trek demanded incredibly meditative and conscious steps since almost the entire route of the circuit was covered with ice.
 

But those steps taken were a chance for me, being with my whole self. Through my exhausted legs, pained muscles, raging heartbeat and struggling to breathe, I learnt more about myself, more than I have ever known. The trip was 9 days long and I walked 124.7 kilometers through the mountains. The most important thing about this journey, however, wasn’t about reaching that final destination, but more about every step I took, the road in between, the nature that was embracing me, the route, the climate and the companions. 

These series of photographs were taken during that trek. ‘Into the Mountains’ is the name of the series.

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Chaovarith Poonphol is an architect with several years of work experience. He’s fallen so deep in love with photography that it has become both his hobby and profession. He’s currently working as an architecture photographer behind the lens of SkyGround architectural film & photography. He loves travelling and nature.