What a great Sierra vista!

Are you looking northeast at Grinnell Lakes?

Looks like Fingertrip Traverse.... a classic!

I have done the Narrows a few times now. Each time, the water level varied from shin deep to just below chest deep depending on the spot, so I think this must be fairly average for peak season. During my last Narrows hike, according to reports of folks coming the other direction, I reached almost to the point where you emerge from the canyon into the desert. Due to time constraints though, we had to turn back without going quite all the way.

A small temple with a massive tree growing out of it suggests just how ancient and enduring these structures are.

Durbar Square, Kathmandu, an area of town with several historical temples from different periods and in different styles. Our trip coincided with the national harvest festival of Dasain. We saw a number of parades pass through Durbar Square, saw preparations for animal sacrifices, and got tikas (red yogurt paste dots) on our foreheads from a roving band of sadhus.

Buddhism is omnipresent in the mountains--for example in this massive, scripture-carved boulder at trailside.

The mountain village of Namche Bazaar.

The stupa at Boudhanath. The form of the stupa symbolizes the Buddhist universe. The white dome base represents the world. Hundreds of prayer wheels situated around the base are spun by hand to gain merit while walking clockwise around the stupa. The tiered tower represents the stages that one must ascend toward Nirvana after awakening to the possibility of enlightenment through self-knowledge. On the tower are the all-seeing eyes of Buddha, with the third eye of wisdom above and a swirling Nepali number "one" below, signifying the single Buddhist path to enlightenment. This stupa, one of the largest in the world, is supposed to house the remains of Kashyapa, an ancient sage and grandson of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation.

Karen with sadhus (ascetic holy men) at Pashupatinath.