High anxiety in Nepal

Trekkers and climbers in Nepal have more than rot gut and thin air to worry about these days. The collapse of a seven-month cease-fire between Maoist rebels and Nepal’s government just as the autumn climbing season gets underway adds revolution and gun-toting guerrillas to the Himalayan trail.

The rebels, who want an end to the monarchy and a retro communist state in its place, have “escalated armed attacks throughout Nepal,” reports the U.S. State Department’s Web site, taking the conflict to the capital of Katmandu, where there were bombings last week.

The safest trekking area at the moment is the far-flung Mustang District, followed by the Everest area above Lukla, and the Annapurna Trail, though the number of incidents on this circuit is rising. The typical run-in is a shakedown, with the guerrillas demanding money and/or gear. Robberies are rampant on the trails to Makalu Base Camp and Kanchenjunga.

Despite the growing hostilities, Nepal remains under a “public announcement” by the State Department, short of a full-fledged travel advisory, though a climbing expedition that reportedly had to call in a helicopter to escape a dicey encounter with rebels last year might beg to differ.

-- Joe Robinson