Joe first visited Nepal as a 21 year old backpacker in 2008, inspired by old family stories of his Great Uncle Michael Cheney, who was instrumental in establishing the trekking industry in Nepal in the 1970’s. On his first trek, on the Annapurna Circuit, he was so overwhelmed by the scenery, the hospitality of the Nepali people, the abundance of nature and the general joy of life on the trail that he knew he would be returning. He noticed the interest that other trekkers were taking in the wildlife around them, and the lack of concise and portable information material available to ‘non- naturalists’, the idea of this guide was hatched, and the quest to gather the information needed to complete it began.