Dec. 9, ’76: Dr. Harka Gurung, the renowned geologist, anthropologist and author, had advised Sumitra Manandhar Gurung to use her time in the National Development Service (NDS) to see more of Nepal’s countryside. He told her that being a Kathmandu resident and a woman she wouldn’t get too many opportunities to travel to Nepal’s remote corners. Dr. Gurung also believed a geographer needed to see as much of the country as possible. He suggested Taranche, his home village. Taking his advice, Manandhar trekked from Chiti Tilahar, the village she was posted to as a NDS volunteer, to Taranche. In this photo, she is standing with a bride’s wedding party in Taranche.