Greetings from 15600 feet.  We are at the village of Drag Nag perched just below the Cho La pass.  One of my beliefs is that the mountains will dictate your journey.  Not only has it been true on this trip but it was ever so true on the Tibet trip.  I think the itinerary changed daily on our Tibet trip.  One has to be flexible and have a total respect for the mountain.  Two days ago a young American woman that had befriended our group had this idea that she had to go to Everest Base Camp no matter what.  She was cocky and was going to do anything to get there.  She asked my opinion on her high altitude symptoms.  She was exhibiting a strong headache that had not gone away for 3 days.  Not the normal come and go high altitude headache.  I gave her my opinion "go down today, rest, and come back another day".  She was going to have none of that.  I told her my motto "the mountain will dictate your journey" as she walked off indignant.   The next morning we heard a rescue helicopter......   the young woman was on it.  I hope she is well and will return again to do her dream on the mountains schedule.  

Hello Everyone,
I am in the Khumbu on expedition and have a brief rest in Namche Bazaar.  I will have to continue blogs on the Tibet trip upon my return to Kathmandu but leave you with this:

Day 3 of our journey heading West across Tibet I saw the ultimate nomad.  We were 2 to 3 hours by car from any village.  The hills of Tibet stretched beyond the eye, endless.  The ultimate nomad caught my eye between horizon and road side, just a black speck in a sand sea.  Trotting with an air of confidence, a regal traveler with head held high, tail curled tight, and business to tend to.  This nomad is the formidable Tibetan Mastiff.  I would guess that the one I view now from the comfort of my car was 150 miles from the nearest Tibetan hovel.  The breed is known to travel 3 to 5 days without food and water.  They will fend off wolf to protect the nomadic family and fight to the death to keep the yak heard safe from snow leopard.

They also have a very lazy side.  I have watched the breed for 10 years or more and often you will see them lounging in the hot sun on a high rock.  I brought one from Nepal in 2004 and most of the day she lays and acts like we need to tend to her.  When it is time to protect the house from the odd raccoon she becomes fierce.  

Viewing this lone dog crossing the Tibetan plateau made me think about freedom, strength, and living without fear.  If you have a chance look up the breed do so. 

Tibet September 22nd

After crossing the boarder we met our Tibetan Liaison officer.  Pemba was very quiet at first but as the journey unfolded he unfolded.  We also met our drivers.  We would be driven by Land Cruisers across Tibet traveling from East to West, until we reached the foothills of Mt Kailash and the beginning of our pilgrimage by foot.  I had done this drive in 1998 and was excited to feel the vastness of Tibet.  This vastness permeates every cell.  It is hard to describe the feeling of freedom while crossing the 14200 foot Tibetan plateau.  I can only imagine that when we leave this world we pass into a place or feeling similar to the feeling and place that Tibet exudes.  It is a preview of the after life.   As we loaded up our truck that would carry our gear I was excited to float through this vastness.  I say float because space is so infinite that the physical is reduced.  I feel like a half grain of sand on a windy day at the beach, the winds and the undulating terrain pushing me at their whim, a floating light soul.

Though the landscape spreads into an infinite painting and the days of driving long, you want to keep your eyes open and fight sleep.  The colors, mountains, streams, high passes, huge puffy clouds, deep blue sky, and the characters on the road are wild and free.  Every driving day was at least 5 hours and sometime 9 but I and the others rarely shut our eyes for chance we would miss something in this special land.  I rarely blinked.  Most of the hours were passed in pure silence.  Three land cruisers,  4 people each car, rarely a word exchanged in the truck I traveled in.  The driver of my truck was a larger man light on his feet.  At one point he loaded a music CD and haunting Tibetan music came through the speakers.  He began to sing and his voice melted our hearts, I could feel the land and his experience in his voice.  His name was Pinejew (spelled phonetically) and he grew on all. 

The characters on the road I will write about in the next blog.  Imagine mad max meets Tibetan nomad.  Also photos coming soon.  Love to all. 

September 21st

Flexibility is key.  On September 15th I found out that China would be closing the Tibet borders on October 1st.  This gave us a brief 4 day window to change the itinerary drastically.  We (my agent and I) had worked on perfecting the original itinerary for a pilgrimage around Tibets Mt Kailash over the past 6 months.  Now to get in and out of Tibet before closure we would have to design an itinerary in 4 days.  What we came up with was a wild dash and outrageous adventure.  Everything would have to align perfectly without a hitch or we would miss our deadline out of Tibet.   I emailed clients just 3 days prior to departure from the states.  The memo was brief " Don't miss your flights".  Four of the clients would be arriving Kathmandu on September 20th around 2pm and we would be departing for Tibet early on September 21st.  The connection was crucial and providence stepped in again.  All 12 of us were on a bus heading toward the Tibet border on September 21st. 

I have had bus drivers in Nepal smoking hash while listening to Santana, drinking Chang ( local rice wine) and slurring their words, visiting with their good friend in the jump seat next to them with their eyes on the road only 50% of the time.  The great Himalayan gorges beckoning, tires just inches away from the great plunge. I was apprehensive as our bus pulled out in the early Kathmandu dust toward the North, and the cool mountain air.  I cannot remember our drivers name but he was the first driver I ever tipped.  He was awesome!  Careful around blind corners where others would Carine a speeding bus into possible mayhem.  One bus ride I actually jumped out the window as the driver tried to slip the bus past a landslide only wide enough to fit a small car.  Every passenger followed, spilling out the door ways, the emergency exit in the rear,  half opened windows, and the bus skidded to a dusty stop just inches before the plunge.  Today our driver was smooth, safe, and kind.  He probably listened to Santana in the safety of his home.  I tipped him good and everyone was thankful.   We arrived at the Tibet border in one piece and began the immigration process.  

We had arrived at Kodari the last village before crossing the friendship bridge into Tibet and the town of Zangmu.  The bridge brings back old memories.  It was here after finishing an expedition on Cho Oyu the 6th highest peak in the world that I had trouble exiting the country.  They would not let me leave an I could not figure out why.  I had planned to escape at night by rappelling down into the deep gorge that separates the borders and then crossing the river into Nepal.  Providence steps in again.  I ran into a Nepali friend who was doing business on the Tibet side and told him of my plan.  In his broken Nepali accent he said "  No no no maaat,  Chinese machine guns in valley".  I decide to pass on the idea of escaping via valley.

I called the American embassy in Chengdu and Nepal.  They contacted the Chinese officer in charge,  I was out 2 days later.

Now crossing back into Tibet I was nervous that they would refuse me entry.  As they checked our paper work mid bridge span I looked toward the Chinese guard with his crisp green uniform and white gloves holding a semi automatic weapon.  First thought, not good, as I walked toward the guard.  Everything actually went well after I passed.  We went into an immigration room and a kind Chinese officer greeted us and apologised for the wait. Relieved,  we entered Tibet on September 21st and were on our way to holy Mt Kailash. 

Tibet

I have just returned from guiding a trip to holy Mt Kailash in Tibet.  It is the practice of every Tibetan Bhuddist to walk around the holy mountain on pilgrimage.  Sounds easy but it is 35 miles all of which are above 15,400 feet,  the high point being 17,600 feet.  Over the next few days I will write about our journey and add photos.  There were 12 of us and 11 made the entire journey.  Because the Chinese government was going to close the border on October 1st our itinerary changed drastically.  We all were walking into the unknown for the most part.  It was interesting to be guiding a trip where the only thing I really had knowledge of was how to acclimatize the group,  keep them moving efficiently through the mountains, and keep them safe while remaining at altitude.  Everything else was out of my control and theirs and for the most part the group was good with that.  We all suffered bouts of anguish, frustration, cold, and exhaustion.  During the journey I was reminded that these along with the myriad of other emotional and physical suffering are an integral part of life.  In our culture we are constantly trying to deny suffering turning away or hiding from what is a natural occurance on this journey of life.  What I have found is that in the midst of suffering it hurts.  What is also very true of suffering is that you can count on plentiful gifts once on the other side.  The key is to understand that suffering too shall pass. I believe it is also key to understand the reality that we are all walking into the unknown.  No one is exempt or knows the future. If we believe we know what will happen tomorrow we are lost for sure.   We are all walking into the unknown.   Hope you enjoy the following stories of our Joy, suffering, and laughter and our journey into the unknown.  Matt