…the house I live in…

A journal of life pursued

Letdar, Nepal

May 13, 2012
Letdar, Nepal (el. 13,943)
2:00 pm

I dreamt of a fresh orange last night. It’s been two weeks since I’ve had a piece of fruit.

Today was an easy hike of four hours. We are conserving energy. We are two days from Thorang La, the highest point of the trek. Tim is tired. He has been pushing himself hard, hiking extra miles, carrying extra weight, hanging with the locals at night over glasses of roxie, the local wine made from wheat and millet. He is paying for it today. He is strong as an ox and will no doubt be fine in the morning. Now he naps, manufacturing yet more red blood cells.

We all slip into our bags this afternoon. The wind is howling and the temperature is only fourty degrees. The scenery is breathtaking. We are well above tree-line and surrounded by massive peaks in every direction. Scenery is best when you have to work hard to get to it.

We saw our first yak today.

After an hour I go for a walk. The temperature has dropped. I have my field glasses and add a snow pigeon to my Nepal bird list. A white horse tethered to a stake watches me. I hear a tapping sound on my parka and look behind me. Snow. The mountains have disappeared, enveloped by a cloud. It begins to snow heavily and through the cloud, coming down the path is Tim. We stand in the snow storm. “I love this,” he says. Indeed.

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dougbruns's avatar

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dougbruns

With an undergraduate degree in Religion and Philosophy, complimented with graduate work in the History of Ideas, Doug has spent his life chasing some of life’s big questions. As a result he has delved deeply into wisdom traditions both ancient and modern, including the philosophical schools of Existentialism, Pragmatism, and Stoicism; he has also explored several of the Eastern traditions, principally Zen Buddhism and Taoism. Admittedly, he is no expert on anything, being a simple pilgrim.

6 responses to “Letdar, Nepal”

  1. susan109 Avatar
    susan109

    I read this aloud to Harry last evening, over the comfort of gin & tonic. Despite the peacefulness surrounding us here at sea level, and the fact that we would never tackle the mountains of Nepal, we were envious of your experience. Nothing more life-affirming than snow in the mountains! Having Tim join you…..priceless.

    Reply
    1. Doug Bruns Avatar
      Doug Bruns

      thanks, s. It’s been a hell of a trip, from every perspective possible. Wouldn’t want to do it again. Wouldn’t have missed it for anything.

      Reply
  2. Wendy Laidlaw Avatar
    Wendy Laidlaw

    Thinking of you every day.
    Reading your blog with great interest.
    Wishing you safely home very very soon.
    Wendy

    Reply
    1. Doug Bruns Avatar
      Doug Bruns

      Thanks, Wendy. Trying now to advance my travels. Looks promising. Can’t wait to get home!

      Reply
  3. kvnpete Avatar
    kvnpete

    Taking us on a simple walk around your backyard in Maine is interesting enough. You taking us to Nepal has been amazing. I say selfishly to keep traveling, maybe even start to drink alcohol more frequently (ok that’s too selfish), but seriously you are an inspiration.

    Reply
    1. Doug Bruns Avatar
      Doug Bruns

      Kvnpete – Your note touches me. Thank you very much. When I started the trip I had no intention of writing/posting on it. But as I made my journal notes I realized that I wanted to share the experience with my friends at “the house.” I’ve realized a lot of pleasure in doing so–sharing travel experience always being best. Reading your comment only exceeds my expectation. So glad to have heard from you. I’ll drink to that!

      Reply

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