Nepal: Trekking, Water, & Geology in the Himalayas

Trek through the Himalayas of Nepal while you earn your physical science GE or a geology elective. On a ten-day trek through the Annapurna region, you'll study water at its source, in the mountains that supply rivers for more than a billion people downstream. Glaciers, snowmelt, groundwater, and monsoon rains feed steep rivers that support villages and hydropower projects, and along the trail you'll trace the entire water cycle with your own eyes, feet, and field notebook. Working alongside faculty and local guides, you'll learn to read a landscape closely and ask the questions that matter everywhere: Where does water come from? Who gets it, and who decides? How do mountains, climate, and rivers shape the communities that depend on them? Through field observation, stream and spring measurements, and conversations with Nepali communities living with floods, drought, and a changing climate, you'll examine water scarcity, dams and diversions, water quality, and shared rivers, then carry those lessons home to the American West. We will also participate in several days of service in remote villages as they recover from recent devastating floods. No science background is required, just a willingness to walk, look closely, and think about your own role as a steward of the water that sustains life on Earth.

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