From Brahma to Buddha, Fall 2008

A few mental pictures from the trek:

The jagged mountains jut out from the ground, some snow-capped, others not. A rushing river speeds by as we eat a lunch of cheese, bread and assorted condiments. Many of the students sprawl out on rocks in the shade as the sun is a bit too intense at this point during the day. Wade and Natalie sit chatting a few feet away. Their faces lit-up by the bright afternoon sun.

Over a thousand feet of vertical rise stares us in the face. A thin path splits the mountain side in two. We are at about 15000 feet and climbing. Doug and Tim are in the distance on horses. Even the animals built for this terrain struggle up the steep mountain side. We march. Slowly. Each step reaffirming our aspirations to not only conquer this mountain, but our inner daemons as well. I pause, turn to the West and take in the mountain vistas. Mirise, our leader for the day, walks on, leading us to our "spectacular high mountain location."

The mountain plummets as we descend from the pass. A thin, snow covered path leads us sideways down the mountain. I turn back to see if the students are safe. Their smiles are alternated with looks of concentration as the path provides many obstacles to overcome. In the distance our faithful horses, Artex and Pegasus, slip and slide down the trail. Small pieces of snow role down the mountain side leaving vertical streaks. We have done it... we have conquered a 17500 pass and are on the descent. Accomplishment fills the air.

These are just a few of the mental pictures that I "took" during our trek. The terrain provided wonderful challenges and our group persevered cold nights, difficult weather and rushing rivers. We passed through over 110 kilometers of the prettiest terrain possible. The mountains spoke to us and allowed us to have a safe journey... for this, I am grateful. As our group enters into the next phase of our program, I must recognize the courage and strength showed by each of the students over the past ten days. I am very grateful to have spent this time with them, as I learned so much.

Justin
Leh, Ladakh October 13th, 2008