July 19

Before my driftwood fire I sit,

And see with every waif I burn,

Old dreams and fancies coloring it,

And folly’s unlaid ghosts return.

John Greenleaf Whittier

There is a great mountain in central Nepal called Annapurna, Goddess of the Harvests. This book recalls a walking tour in this lofty and exhilarating region.

A time capsule from a world that has now largely passed, July 19: Today I Arrived in Kathmandu recounts the author’s journey, interleaved with memories stirred by events along the trail, setting off trains of reminiscence and prompting the old dreams, the fancies, and the unlaid ghosts to take over.