"... raises hopes of euphoria that cannot be met and it’s time to return to reality. Euphoria is available in pharmaceutical form but it’s nothing to base a life on. It tends to lead to stupidity." Prayer flags draped near a rebuilt Buddhist Temple (now degraded to a Chinese Tourist site) give a peek into the old town of Shangri-la, called Gyelthang by the Tibetan majority who reside here. I plan. The Gods conspire. I pack. The Gods laugh. I get up early to depart. The Heavens open and the Gods piss all over my intention in the form of slate clouds overburdened with rain that begin their purge and release wet, wet, wet to the bone. Dealing with various package delivery companies, finding my dependable SF does not deliver to the remote towns of Kham, I finally discover one who will -- for 4x the usual price. Grateful, my resupply provisions are on the way to Bathang. Begrudged, I am not. Pack is ready, my mind is not, my body is impatient. The rains come. I've spent too long in preparation, too long in Shangri-la. I've spent too long moving between doubt and determination. I finally found some route guidance through these mountains in the form of -- unknown to me at that time -- a well-renowned author*. Trek routes and maps are near impossible to find within such a secretive state; search results consist mainly of Chinese tour companies; no published routes are available. One spark in the Google black hole came from a source expert on the Tea Horse Road. When I glanced at his site, quickly noticing his trek through the mountains of Yunnan and along the tea road, I read no further, but simply sent a desperate email, not even expecting a reply. Yet reply he did and quickly, giving me some route ideas. I felt elated and ready, once again. Turns out he has written two books, works with a well-regarded tour company, and has work published in numerous magazines, including NatGeo! When I later read his bio, I was surprised that an IT MAN so famous responded, and felt grateful. I was supposed to leave yesterday, but the whole shipping extravaganza took up so many hours and so much mental energy, that I postponed one more day, berating myself, but relieved that my provisions, clothes, and laptop would make it safely to Bathang. Looking for information on a Tea Horse Caravan Museum of which I had read and planned to visit, Serendipity led me to another site, that of a local expat outfitter and guide** in town. He also responded to my WeChat enquiry so quickly that I was once again taken aback. I received more in the way of explicit instructions on routes leading north from Shangri-la, which was so helpful. After this exchange, my hope rose again and my confidence increased proportionally, even feeling a bit euphoric that I could finally begin. If I hold only a teaspoonful of local mountain knowledge in shaking hands, I feel much more comfortable about upcoming movement into the unknown. I felt I had not wasted another day, my Goddess Serendip coming through for me once again. But some God higher than Serendipity is usurping her authority-- the rain acts like it was invited. If the damn rain stops, I can take action on the advice i received yesterday. I really, really do not want to take a bus north. I really, really want to trek an overland pass through the mountains and reach the Yangtse. And I stubbornly adhere to this plan, delay or not. Conversely, I stubbornly stand firm in my decision not to start this phase of my trek in a downpour. That would create such a dispirited inner attitude that it might cause a landslide in the area around me. If I accept defeat and take a bus north, I will escape the rain. But if I wait one more day, I might be able to begin on a sunny day. And the third damn inner voice reminds me that I will have to begin my research in earnest again of another area. Damnit, I just want to strap on my pack and go. Why don't I? Can't recall the source of this map, but it shows the Tea Horse Road leading north up through Shangri-la and splitting west through Markham in Tibet (it's actually all Tibet, culturally) and heading toward Lhasa. The eastern split leads toward Dartsendo (Dardo), now called Kangding. *Jeff Fuchs of Wild China Tours:
www.tea-and-mountain-journals.com/expedition-shangri-la-to-sacred-shola-pass-begins https://www.wildchina.com/tours/ancient-tea-and-horse-road-with-jeff-fuchs http://www.jefffuchs.com/resume.htm ** Nathan at Turtle Mountain Gear and Outfitters, Shangri-la, Diqing County, Yunnan Province, China https://tmgshangri-la.com/homepage/
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Local map of northern Yunnan; my starting point of Dali in the center. Crossing the mountains, heading west from Erhai Lake, I will trek northwest toward the Tibetan border, with stops in Lijiang and Deqen (Shangrila) to resupply. Continuing north into Kham Tibet (Ch. W. Sichuan), I want to summit one of those 5000+ m. peaks so I can reach my elevation goal of 16,000 ft. (5000 m.)!! Maybe I'll do something crazy like border-cross to summit Kawakarpo! The "Bad Beginning" of this trek has not been fun--more like an organizational, logistical, travel non-stop sprint. To be more specific, the pre-trip portion has not been fun, since I haven't actually started the trek. I've been consumed with planning and packing and re-packing and organizing and re-routing and minimizing; freaking out about reducing pack weight and shipping gear and buying gear and finding new boots and creating feasible time schedules. I've been in two amazing new cities, Hong Kong and Kunming, with little time to enjoy them; there's a To Do List every morning. In the evening, I can't fall asleep for the stress of it all and the internal questions that will not stop: What the hell am I doing? Can I do this? Can I carry that pack for days on end? Is this even going to be fun? Filled with doubts, I wonder if this trip is such a grand idea anymore. I still want to do it--I am determined--but my mind is filled with conflict about whether I should have just stuck to day hiking instead of a long-distance trek. In Hong Kong, I focused on getting my visa and trying to organize some of my gear. I also had to deal with getting the last of my gear shipped from Chengdu to Kunming. Now, in Kunming, I've organized the gear that arrived from Chengdu, and forwarded that on to Dali. I've slowly been paring down what I will carry in my pack. The biggest challenge I face is weight and pack space (or perhaps, my own negative self-talk). The plan for this trek I am about to commence was birthed in 2013, when I lived near the Appalachian Trail, and began dreaming of a long-distance trek (and here I am in China, 6 years later, facing the precipice of that goal; about to begin the journey and about to achieve the goal! I want to feel excitement rather than worry!). In all my research about trekking -- which included reading numerous trek blogs-- I learned not to trek while overburdened with a massive pack. Ideally, the pack should not weigh more than 30% of one's body weight. I read story after story of people trekking with 50-70 lbs. of gear... that's insane! That sounds miserable, no matter how fit and strong a person may be. Thus, I am determined to keep my pack weight a maximum of 40 lbs.: 25 lbs. for gear and 10 lbs. for consumables (food and stove fuel). I simply don't want my days filled with drudgery and pain caused by a heavy pack. And to be entirely transparent, I'm not in top form physically at present, and a heavy pack will wear me down physically and discourage me mentally. It's going to take several weeks to one month to regain the strength and endurance I've lost this year. That is one of the reasons I am doing this: to get physically strong, fit, and thin again. I am seriously out of shape and overweight. Click "Read More" to the right! The Hong Kong skyline, viewed from Hong Kong Island, gazing north over Victoria Harbour. After more than 12 hours of travel and travel-related stress, bureaucracy, or general international-travel drudgery yesterday and after plodding like a pack mule overburdened with bags from Hong Kong to Shenzhen to Kunming, I am still exhausted. The past few days in Hong Kong, I have caught my mind whirling it's problem-solution wheels, as it seeks to sort out the challenges of this upcoming trek I have planned; beginning its calculations in the moments of waking and distracting me throughout the day, as if I have my own built-in mental mosquito which I can't seem to fend off, buzzing constantly and causing me to fret. I'm coming up against the inevitable murmers of doubt-- what took them so long to speak up? I thought I should be way more panicky about this trip than I have been for the past month or so; and yet, the details did not seem to be overly daunting until this week. In my attempt to ignore and stifle natural fears about this trip, I have coped through procrastination. Now, here I sit in Kunming, after successful application of the Chinese visa I have been so worried about obtaining -- due to my loose, rebellious tongue that repeats so many anti-communist rants on this blog. Kunming is the Staging Point for my 1210km/751mi (I hope!) trek, where I will organize gear I need for the First Leg of my journey (I suppose I need to decide exactly what distance will comprise Leg #1), and eliminate gear unneeded until the Second Leg (perhaps starting in Bathang). On Friday, while I was in Hong Kong, a co-worker friend help me out tremendously by shipping a load of gear from Chengdu to Kunming; it arrived intact this morning! Yay, SF Express! And only 115rmb to ship three >10 kilo boxes (that's about 17usd)! Yay, friend! I was going to complete the rest of my shopping and prep here, then head to Dali and have that area serve as my Jump Point between wormholes. However, the forecast for rain has me reconsidering not only my entire route, but timing of the entrie trip! It's monsoon season. Last year, I hiked and traveled throughout Kham, and only recall a few rain days. But looking at the forecast (although it's hard to get accurate data in China--they don't want their weather secrets leaked, apparently), it shows a deluge for a month, throughout the entire area where I am supposed to be camping! Last year, I experienced a sun-drowned trek through the mountains, requiring sunscreen and lots of hydration! With the rain, comes the hazard of landslides and flooding, although my research shows not too much flooding will endanger me. The landslides are another story though, with Yunnan being a province with a propensity toward these muddy destroyers, and Sichuan carrying its weight in mud as a locale for both landslides (fewer) and earthquakes (more). Landslide Research: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825217305652 http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/516138/1/Chen%20et%20al%202016%20Introduction%20Landslide%20research%20in%20China%20QJEGH%20manuscript.pdf https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19475705.2018.1502690 I've vetoed the idea of starting my trek in the rain: this trek is a major endeavor, and I must keep both my morale high and spirits up, especially at the beginning. Too many setbacks or problems at the outset may mar my outlook for the duration. Ideally, I want an easy start of a 5-10 miles each day in fair weather. I still do not have a planned route through Yunnan, as I consider my knowledge of the area sparse in comparison to my geographical familiarity with Kham region of Eastern Tibet (Ch. Western Sichuan). The terrain is similar but the altitude is much lower. I do not yet have a grasp on water sources as I have not had time to research tributaries and rivers running through the area (except for the Jinsha), running north-south through both provinces). Simply put, I had months to study the geographical features of Kham, and also feel a comradeship with the land since I have visited so often-- but Yunnan is unknown to me. Add to that the fact that I changed the Jump Point from Kangding/Bathang in Kham to Kunming/Dali in Yunnan. Simply not enough time was available to me to research the area and potential routes, since during the past few weeks I have been focused on moving, packing, and storage. I will take a rest day today, since yesterday was an arduous travel day between Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Kunming ( more on that experience later). I'm also overwhelmed with the decisions that need to be made, along with the minimizing of my packed gear I will carry. Later, I'll work on route and plans and rain contingencies. I also need to get the last few pieces of necessary gear (or possibly unneccessary, but I believe I need them), so I'll wander around the city tomorrow and check out the outdoor gear stores. I need a Chinese Blind Massage and foot scrape before I start my trek; I'm still experienceing rib pain and my feet need to be prepped. Between the research and errands, I might extend my stay in KMG (Kunming) another day or two. For those concerned about my health and safety, I will file a Flight Plan, aka POP (Personal Outdoor Plan)... hehehe ... love that! "Flight Plan" is more accurate than can be realized! ... with friends and family that includes route plans, stopover locales, and directives if I fall off a mountain. Hey, I am simply being realistic! Last year I escaped both a pack of wild dogs and HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema)! This year, who knows what's in store for me out in the wilds! My current plan is to trek until my 60-day visa entrance expires on September 27 -- or day hike when I'm tired or overwhelmed from my personal Walkabout (look up Australian Aboriginal culture) -- then fly somewhere for a house/pet sit gig for a few months while I wait out winter. I'm leaning toward a farmhouse in the Loire valley of France or someplace equally EPIC! #doepicshit! My I-Got-My-Chinese-Tourist-Visa Celebration dinner in Hong Kong at Olive, a Mediterranean restaurant.
Pile of first purchases for the trek, made back in June. All ultralight gear from Decathlon: -5C down sleeping bag, 4.5lb. 2-person tent, inflatable mattress, foam mattress, backpack, and heavy-duty trek pants. I have been doing so much research over the past month about hiking, trekking, camping, backcountry skills, survival skills ... I am sure there are more subjects but my brain is drowing in information. These topics ping me with a thrill and they're rather fascinating! I am learning so much -- well, Armchair Professor-style learning in the beginning, but soon I will be putting my knowledge to use! I've been watching these incredible YouTube videos about backcountry skills and backpacking/camping/trekking equipment. This is probably old hat to many trekkers and backpackers, but to me, it's all new! Mainly, I've been watching the videos produced by Paul Kirtley http://paulkirtley.co.uk (backcountry skills), Paul Messner (organizing backpack), and Fourdogstoveco (maximizing efficiency of esbit fuel tabs). I was in awe watching Kirtley created a huge spark and instant flame with his 12-inch knife and steel! Instant fire! Early Man would have been envious (probably evolved faster ... and possibly not into to selfish, greedy, idiots that currently rule many countries)... uh... way off topic!) He had a ROARING campfire in less than 5 minutes worthy off all marshmallows! With several feet of snow as a backdrop, he demonstrated how to create a base for the fire on frozen ground, sparking to flame the burn with birch bark and lichen, and deadpanning what should become one of the most famously hilarious quote of all time: "Lichen festoons many of the trees here." As he "festooned" the fire, first using small twigs, then stacking larger stems atop, a furious flame resulted. I was mesmerized by this on-screen roar, and imagined myself toasty warm on an alpine night in the mountains of Eastern Tibet: cooking, keeping warm, and soothed on solitary nights in the mountains! Click to the right to Read More! |
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