Walking the Himalayas

Pokhara, 2001 -- Fourteen years later -- We are the pilgrims, master -- Kabul -- A short flight in the Hindu Kush -- Bam-i-Dunyan -- Karakorum -- Line of control -- Kashmir -- The holy man of the mountain -- Saddhus and shadows -- On foot through Tigerland -- The perilous mountain -- Return to Pokhara -- The road to Kathmandu -- The wild East -- The Dragon Kingdom -- Place of the gods.

Levison Wood's most challenging expedition yet begins along the Silk Road route of Afghanistan and travels 1700 miles through five countries over the course of six months. Following in the footsteps of the great explorers, Wood walks the entire length of the Himalayas in an adventure of survival and endurance. In a personal story of perseverance and discovery, Wood forges bonds with local guides, porters, mountain men, soldiers, farmers, smugglers and shepherds. By travelling on foot, and following the same footpaths that locals use, he uncovers stories that might otherwise remain hidden. Along the way he also reveals the history of the Himalayas and two millennia of exploration, and examines a continent in crisis in the 21st century. Packed with action and emotion, more than anything Walking the Himalayas is a story of one intrepid man's travels in a world poised on the edge of tremendous change.--From dust jacket.