On the summit day of our highest pass, I felt my boundless energy rising to a level that I couldn’t contain anymore. I love hiking straight up and this was going to be the highest peak that I climbed (…except I had to climb the last 20 minutes or so of Khardung La pass during…
Month: June 2019
India: Ladakh: Markha Valley: And into the valley we go!
Thibaud and I hiked and slid very carefully down the icy descent of Gonda La Pass. Luckily, the descent wasn’t very steep so it was relatively painless even through the ice and snow. We hiked down and eventually came across a tiny village that was nestled perfectly into the rocks of the nearby mountains. It…
India: Ladakh: Markha Valley: The Trek of Paradise
“You SHOULD be okay without a guide,” Tashi said to us. My hiking buddy Thibaud had already arrived in Leh, and I had just returned from Turtuk. We were about to embark on a 7-day trek through Markha Valley in Ladakh, India. We were sitting in one of the adventure shops in Leh talking to…
India: Nubra Valley: Turtuk: The Final Frontier and a Brush with Death
The old woman from our tiny local bus (See: Turtuk) had led us straight up a mountain slope and into a surprising paradise: an entire village was secretly hidden high on a plateau that you couldn’t see from the dusty road from where we arrived. Rosie and I were delighted as we walked into the…
Nepal: Upper Mustang: Part Three: The End of the Road
“Your friend!” Rain, my guide, said in a manic state. “Your friend!” I had just come back from running to the border of Tibet and had lost my friend along the way (see: part 1 and part 2). I had assumed that my mate, Thibaud, was ahead of me after spending an hour looking…
Nepal/Tibet: Upper Mustang: Running to the Border: Part Two
It was a mixture of both fear and bliss. I was trail running to the border of Tibet alone and without a map. I had lost my hiking mate along the way (See: Part One) and was worried about him. However, I had spent an hour waiting around for him, screaming his name and ensuring…
Nepal: Upper Mustang: Lo Manthang and The Run to Tibet: Part One
As we walked into the ancient walled city of Lo Manthang, I stood in awe of the tiny village. Lo Manthang was supposed to be the most northern point of our trek, the closest that we would get to Tibet (but it wasn’t ;)). It was formerly the capital of the Kingdom of Lo, which…
Nepal: The Upper Mustang: Finding my Bliss
The beginning of the Upper Mustang was filled with both stress and beautiful hills to climb. The inclines were my favorite, (not the stress ;)). I practically ran up them while carrying my big bag, smiling with glee and filled with all of the joy in the world. If I could choose one thing to…
Nepal: The Upper Mustang: Dealing with the Rain
“You can’t hike to Kagbeni,” said Rain, our guide for the Upper Mustang trek. “We have to take a bus in the morning or you have to pay to hire a Jeep to drive us.” It was late in the evening and we had just arrived at a grossly overpriced guesthouse that charged us…
Nepal: Pokhara to Jomsom: The Road of Terror
It was around 6 am in Pokhara, Nepal. I found myself nervously clutching a masala ‘milk tea’ while staring at the bus from my tiny plastic stool at a nearby small convenience stand. There were several dingy looking dogs hovering around and a cow. The bus station consisted of a few old buses with large…
The Joy of Traveling 