To the entire creative team at Outpost Magazine, Canada’s award-winning adventure travel magazine who helped turn the Tsa’lam feature into one of their classics – a big thank you. To Wild China, whose patient support and award aided and smoothed the road to actually getting it done (the crucial part). The Salt Road feature in Outpost Magazine is now out in Canada and available to order.
In honour of the feature article, posting some favourite moments that rekindle the ‘feel’ (and visuals) of the magnificent and humbling Tsa’lam – Salt Road. We also pay tribute to our little fighting terrier who joined, slept and combated with us…see below
Our little fighting terrier Fritz, who stuck with us (and slept with me) and demolished every being that gave us a moment of grief. We salute you
Moments are sometimes the best representatives as they are just that – moments of fancy, of a little pain and of what nature can offer up
One of our four-legged comrades gives a very unambiguous feeling of that morning thing...
A lake at 4 km’s into the sky that remains silent
A lake at 4 km's in the sky entrances as much as any sea
A mastiff whose ominous presence and blazing eyes belies a timid constitution
One of our unofficial 'honour guards' - a Tibetan Mastiff that decided that our journey just might tickle his fancy
Temperatures that quicken the pulse and turbo-charge changes of clothing
Cold made changes of clothes brief and desperate things done in a blur of noise. Here, one of my two changes on the Amne Machin section
Winds that silence and valleys that permeate
Michael struts the stuff in a valley of the gods
Soft landings, hard landings and just landing at all
The relief of impact and making it safely across I still am not sure the foot that has 'arrived' has in fact made it...it has
Ending looks…”are we done”?
Michael gives me the "I know it's over" look of joyous-desparation
The simple and underrated feeling of autonomy in landscapes that wither the body
Nothing beats the mornings for beauty...nor freezing
That last bit of land before calling it done
Our little moving home takes its last steps from beneath the south face of Amne Machin
About JeffFuchs
Bio
Having lived for most of the past decade in Asia, Fuchs’ work has centered on indigenous mountain cultures, oral histories with an obsessive interest in tea. His photos and stories have appeared on three continents in award-winning publications Kyoto Journal, TRVL, and Outpost Magazine, as well as The Spanish Expedition Society, The Earth, Silkroad Foundation, The China Post Newspaper, The Toronto Star, The South China Morning Post and Traveler amongst others. Various pieces of his work are part of private collections in Europe, North America and Asia and he serves as the Asian Editor at Large for Canada’s award-winning Outpost magazine.
Fuchs is the Wild China Explorer of the Year for 2011 for sustainable exploration of the Himalayan Trade Routes. He recently completed a month long expedition a previously undocumented ancient nomadic salt route at 4,000 metres becoming the first westerner to travel the Tsa’lam ‘salt road’ through Qinghai.
Fuchs has written on indigenous perspectives for UNESCO, and has having consulted for National Geographic. Fuchs is a member of the fabled Explorers Club, which supports sustainable exploration and research.
Jeff has worked with schools and universities, giving talks on both the importance of oral traditions, tea and mountain cultures. He has spoken to the prestigious Spanish Geographic Society in Madrid on culture and trade through the Himalayas and his sold out talk at the Museum of Nature in Canada focused on the enduring importance of oral narratives and the Himalayan trade routes.
His recently released book ‘The Ancient Tea Horse Road’ (Penguin-Viking Publishers) details his 8-month groundbreaking journey traveling and chronicling one of the world’s great trade routes, The Tea Horse Road. Fuchs is the first westerner to have completed the entire route stretching almost six thousand kilometers through the Himalayas a dozen cultures.
He makes his home in ‘Shangrila’, northwestern Yunnan upon the eastern extension of the Himalayan range where tea and mountains abound; and where he leads expeditions the award winning ‘Tea Horse Road Journey’ with Wild China along portions of the Ancient Tea Horse Road.
To keep fueled up for life Fuchs co-founded JalamTeas which keeps him deep in the green while high in the hills.
A wonderful set of pictures, Jeff — very evocative for me. A great piece in _Outpost_ as well. Well done all ’round.
Best wishes,
Peter
Endings should always have a bit of spice to them. Good hearing from you. Now onto planning the next venture – a potential winter crossing of a sacred lake.
Be well Peter and go slowly.
Jeff