Category Archives: Mountains

Mountains – Their serene and brutal abilities had been honed into me from years of climbing and wild escapades that began in Switzerland as a child. In the immaculate words of a Himalayan muleteer, “the mountains laws are unambiguous, honest and eternal”.

Expedition Team – An Introduction

Nothing – no journey, no endeavour can happen without a team and somewhat of a shared vision. Journeys through the mountains require friendship, often brutal directness, and beyond all else a respect for all of the beings that share in … Continue reading

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Expedition Update – The North Face Sponsors our Journey

  With less than a month to go before our “Route of Wind and Wool” commences, and with training and prepping continuing it is time to pay some respects to those who are supporting our venture into the hallucinogenic mountain … Continue reading

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Expedition Update “The Route of Wool and Wind”

Time is winding down on preparations for Michael and I to depart for Ladakh and the India Himalaya. Our month long exploration of one of the ancient world’s great and daunting trade routes is a little over a month away. … Continue reading

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Tom Carter’s China Anthology: “Unsavory Elements” – Stories of foreigners on the loose in China

Proud to be a contributor to this spirited and very ‘now’ book on China’s potent ‘present’ tense. Book now available from Earnshaw Books. Here’s what “That’s Shanghai” Magazine had to say… http://www.thatsmags.com/shanghai/article/view/14672 My own contribution inevitably centres upon the Tea … Continue reading

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South Tea Sips 2: Meals, Forearms, and an Enduring Tea Truth

  Meals seem to at times provide the only respite from the luscious infusions of tea which hit from everywhere at once. We sit in Dafa’s dark wooden kitchen on the second floor of his home deep into Nan Nuo’s … Continue reading

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Ascent of Gold Pass

It is said amidst the Himalayas that it takes but a whiff of mountain air to know what is coming weather-wise. Neither Fred, Fik, nor I have a nose quite capable of detecting what is to come, though there are … Continue reading

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Video Post Atop Sho’La Pass

A short clip of video shot atop the blustery Sho’La Pass here: http://youtu.be/oKGR8Xt0Lgw Yanpi, the wind, a huge sky and myself. Twenty minutes atop the pass to remember the two weeks to arrive here

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The Journey to Sho’La Pass – Part 5 – The Pass, The Wind, and a Daughter

  Up until the morning of our departure for the pass, our horseman has been a silent man, enjoying being with our group, and loving Yanpi’s bouts of sharp wit. He has done what any good horseman the world over … Continue reading

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The Journey to Sho’La Pass – Part 4 – The Smell of the Pass

Baima’s empty valleys and snow shards stare at us. We have left Benzilan behind and ‘Ngawa the Machine’ is no longer with us. Mountain air now thankfully dominates the heat infested valleys and the lethargy that heat brought, gives way … Continue reading

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The Journey to Sho’La Pass – Part 3 – A Route of Stone and Ngawa’s Wife

Heat and its lethargy inducing powers have long played havoc with my own senses and perspectives. I am not alone in this feeling. Exiting our safe cool forests, and descending into the hot valleys, I feel the itch of impatience … Continue reading

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