When Berkeley residents flock to Live Oak Park on Memorial Day weekend for the 27th annual Himalayan Fair, few probably realize that the festival’s roots stretch back to the cold and snowy mountains of Nepal.

Arlene Blum, the Berkeley chemist who had led the first all-female ascent of Annapurna, spent the winter of 1981-82 trekking across the Himalayas. As she climbed from peak to peak she kept running into fairs where people prayed to their ancestors, worshipped … Continue reading »