I’ve been offline for a few days, and today (Day 10 of the trek) we are in the town of Laya 12,600 feet. We have a rest day here. It’s beautiful. 

A few nights ago we had a dinner lecture about Bhutan’s four pillars of Gross National Happiness:

• Good governance
• Environmental protection
• Social and economic development
• Cultural preservation

As for being the happiest place on earth, Bhutan ranks about 95th out of 179 countries. It’s a goal.

We are trekking!  The trail keeps going up and down, up and down, bouncing between 12,500 and 16,500 feet. We cover about 9 miles a day, which takes around 7 hours including a lunch stop. It’s doable for everyone on the trip. We do have one sick member… I’m hoping no one else gets what she has.

The views are mind-blowing. All the mountains we see are in Bhutan, and last night (Sept. 28) we were only about a 12-hour walk from Tibet.

There are two other teams on the same schedule as us. We don’t mix much, but I did meet one woman from Seattle named Mindy. 

The weather has been perfect! Sunny days, warm but not too warm. We’re lucky to have broken out of the rain!

From here, the passes get higher and the route more remote. I doubt there will be service for the next many days. 

I’ll report from the other side. 

Today we crossed our first pass, at 16,135 feet, the first of 11 we’ll eventually cross. We work our way up and down, up and down…

The weather was mostly sunny with a few clouds. What a nice change! I was actually dry all day. And the scenery was so, so beautiful: towering peaks in a range that seems endless, mixed with green meadows, gushing streams, glaciers, moraines, and high mountain lakes.

Today was so fun!

Tonight we’re sleeping back down around 13,000 feet, and tomorrow we drop even further before climbing to the next pass at 15,600 feet.

Today was the first day it really felt like we were in the Himalaya. Fabulous!

So far, I should say.

6:00 am – bed tea (tea service at the tent door)

7:00 am – breakfast (be packed and ready to go)

Eggs, toast, cereal ( corn flakes or muesli) grilled tomato, juice, tea. Best meal of the day!!

7:30 am – start hiking

Noon – 1:00 pm – lunch along the trail

Rice, two veggies, one with cheese, meat. Fruit for dessert. Tea and/or hot water to drink.

3:00 pm – arrive camp

3:30 pm – tea

6:00 – 6:30 pm – dinner

Soup, rice, two veggies, one with cheese, meat. Fruit for dessert. Tea and/or hot water to drink.

About the food: The meat is tough and fatty. That makes sense in a largely vegetarian country, where meat isn’t really the focus. I’ve tried it a few times but mostly stick to the vegetable dishes. I seem to be the least impressed by the food (breakfast is great) of anyone in the group, probably because I’ve been spoiled by great food on past treks. Honestly, I find it mediocre, and I’ve kept that opinion to myself. Until now, that is.

Our team is small, just six of us including me: four Canadians and two Americans. And, of course, our trek guide, Bishnu. 

Mike and Pat 

A married couple from Calgary, both 70, retired, and well traveled. He worked in consulting and she worked in education. Together they also ran a ranch with livestock and large animals. When they first met, they decided to take a trip around the world together. Forty-seven years later, they are still traveling together. 

Andrew 

Andrew is 47 and hails from Newfoundland. He works in maintenance at a nuclear power plant. He’s quiet, kind, and careful on the trail. This is his first trek, and he picked a doozy!

Wade 

Wade retired the day before he boarded his flight here. He’s from Vancouver, where he worked in Indigenous negotiations. He’s serious, professorial, and has traveled widely. He has a wife and two kids at home.

Allison 

Allison is from Colorado, where she’s a physician assistant specializing in organ transplantation. At 32, she’s our youngest member, and she brings plenty of enthusiasm and fun.

Bishnu 

Bishnu is our guide. At 31, he has completed the Snowman Trek many times. He’s a genuinely good guy who does a great job balancing the needs of his staff of eight with those of our group. Born and raised in Bhutan, he’s proud of his country and culture, and he’s wonderful at weaving history and local lore into our days on the trail.

It’s wet and muddy so far. I have internet for a minute so here’s an update.

I was expecting cold, but not downpours.

We’re doing fine. My sleeping bag is goretex and warm! Our tents have rugs, a covered mattress and a full pillow! I’ve never had that on a trek.

It takes 20 donkeys/horses to get the team of 6 and staff of 8 through the Snowman trek.

Our guide says to expect the first half to be wet. That’s 12 days of this. Wow!

The views are starting to be stunning, the trail a bit less rocky, so all is well.

Was awesome!!

This video shows it well. The Bhutan pilots who fly this route are highly trained and are considered the best of the best. The flight in is always visual, no instrument approaches.

https://youtu.be/sRnyY-53UX4

(Sorry for another post. I’m still on WiFi)

Unlike Anywhere I’ve Traveled

This little kingdom is fascinating!

Beyond its natural beauty, it’s the people who make Bhutan so special. They’re connected to their country and to each other in so many profound ways.

They love their king.

They’re devout Buddhists.

They’re proud of their young democracy, established in 2008.

They’re well educated.

And they wear traditional dress, everyone, men and women alike.

And yes, they are happy!

I’ve only been here two days.

On day one, we went to a large festival in the capital, Thimphu.

Yesterday, we hiked to the Tiger’s Nest, an amazing feat of architecture built into the side of a cliff. It’s the iconic image of Bhutan; chances are you’ve seen a photo of it. Getting to go inside was a real treat.

Today, we start our 25-day trek. I am so ready to finally begin the journey.

I flew to Diamond Point on Friday, a private air park, to meet an avionics expert about my panel.

Before I took off for home, a thought hit me: I should see if Megan’s home. She was! And said she’d be right up.
I taxied to parking and waited. And that’s when the day started getting good.

First, up walked Deanna. I’d met her a couple days earlier at Sequim Valley, where she was fueling her C180. I couldn’t help myself—I’d gone right over to cheer her on for being a female 180 pilot. There are so few!

(L to R: Me, Megan, Ginny, Deanna)

Then Ginny rolled up in her golf cart. And suddenly there we were: four female pilots, in one place, completely by accident. I honestly can’t remember that ever happening before.

We had such fun. Megan took me up in her 150 for a quick flight to Port Angeles. Ginny told us the recent sad tale of running her 172 into a hangar door—she was handling it with calm and grace. Deanna and I traded notes on go-arounds in a 180. Somewhere in there we decided we had a quorum and really ought to start making decisions about the world.

Megan filmed my short field takeoff and sent me the video. I was dodging this huge rough area in the grass – nice and short!

Love, love, love.

When Scott started going in 2008, he found his people.

My Burningman journey began in 2013, where we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. It was one of my most favorite memories with Scott.

Who knew we wouldn’t make it quite to our 30th. This year would have been 38, and I passed it on playa.

I wasn’t planning to go this year. I felt like Burningman was in the rear view mirror.

Then Alex, and Cherry both, separately, encouraged me to go.

I called Crunchie (Mitch) and asked if he could take a rider in his Comanche. The answer was yes. Next, I reached out to Load Drop (flight operations manager @ 88NV) and asked if there were any early shifts I could fill. Again,yes.

When I asked if I could buy a ticket through the airport, they opted to give me a credential (A staff ticket).

I borrowed a tent from Odd Boy, a bike from Cherry, and a neighbor from Sequim took some items to the playa for me in his RV.

I was destined to go. And I went.

It was magical. I got to be a burner again. I rode the playa, visited 35 camps, saw art, volunteered at the airport, and received SO much love.

It was amazing, I feel incredibly grateful……and it was exactly what I needed.