Expedition – The Glacier’s Breath

Glacier water sluices down near the Changtang region of the Himalayas

Glacier water sluices down near the Changtang region of the Himalayas

Preparing to head back into the precious Himalayas of Ladakh for a month of living atop two glaciers to see what the great bodies of ice are up to.

Moraine and stone on the Bara Shigri glacier in Himachal Pradesh.

Moraine and stone on the Bara Shigri glacier in Himachal Pradesh.

It is part of an initiative not simply to ‘explore’ and discover but rather observe, document and bring back a tangible view of a glacier’s life – day and night. ‘Impact Exploration’ with a goal to bring back a world of ice and impact upon those whose homes and lives lie so far away from the great bodies of ice.

Fresh glacier water coming off the the Parang Pass

Fresh glacier water coming off the the Parang Pass

This ascent and living with the glaciers is part of an “Impact Initiative” to not impact upon but rather be impacted and transfer that impact back to into classrooms, minds, offices, and into the consciences far from where these precious holders of water reside.

Journeys to and onto glaciers and mountains are the first and last steps.

Journeys to and onto glaciers and mountains are the first and last steps.

Upon this journey I’ll have along with me – amongst others – someone intensely concerned with the world of water. For her this journey will make tangible the nests of fresh water that the mountains hold and to see first hand how the mountain people related to this most precious commodity of life.

Good teams are nothing less than everything on any journey into the mountains

Good teams are nothing less than everything on any journey into the mountains

Huge thanks once again to The North Face for sponsoring, for Goal Zero for supplying solar panels and batteries so that this expedition remains an autonomous journey fuelled by the sun…and a lot of tea. Thanks too to Kora yak wool base layers for keeping the body temperatures nice and comfy day an night.

Some of the 'family' that needs to be on this journey.

Some of the ‘family’ that needs to be on this journey.

To begin any expedition though, one must first ascend and nothing can happen without a superb team. Up we go. Updates to follow.

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.
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2 Responses to Expedition – The Glacier’s Breath

  1. Orachat says:

    I wish you and the teams a safe journey. Look forward to see the images and stories!