
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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
Having lived for a decade in Yunnan, Fuchs’ work has centred on indigenous mountain cultures, oral histories along with an obsessive interest in tea.
Fuchs is the author of 'The Ancient Tea Horse Road' (Viking-Penguin) and he was the subject of 'The Tea Explorer' documentary based on his exploration of the Tea Horse Road.
His photos and stories have appeared on three continents in publications such as 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 UNESCO amongst others. Various pieces of his work are part of private collections in Europe, North America, and Asia. Fuchs served as Asian Editor at Large for five years at award-winning Outpost magazine.
Jeff has worked with schools and universities, giving talks on both the importance of oral traditions, tea and mountain cultures.
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.
Fuchs partnered with Wild China to create a journey along the Tea Horse Road which National Geographic Traveler called one of the "50 Trips of a Lifetime".
He is co-founder of Akahiao Nature Institute on the island of Hawai'i along with his wife, Julie Rogers.
I wish you and the teams a safe journey. Look forward to see the images and stories!
Looking forward to sharing.
Jeff