Sacred Chomolhari

By: Rosalyn Weinstein

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April 5, 2019 | 50th Anniversary Stories

One of my life’s greatest adventures to date is my trip to Bhutan. While my second time in the Himalayas, my first being my first being another MT Sobek trip, my trip to Bhutan in 2005 was very special and very exciting. It was a rich in that it had both experience of natural beauty some culture.

From the beginning, even before the actual trip began, the adventure began in Bangkok where my trip tent mate and I took a canal trip through a local canal in addition to the main one. Seeing regular people living their daily lives was something that would continue throughout the trip. Seeing it along the water was a lovely comparison point for seeing lifestyles up in the mountains.

Another thing that became apparent at the beginning was MT Sobek and our guide’s attention to detail. Cathy Ann Taylor immersed us from the start of the actual trip. First with local food in Bangkok, and then on the flight from Thailand to Bhutan ensuring we all sat in window seats on the side of the plane with a view of some of the most stunning Himalayan peaks, including Mount Everest and Chomolhari, for which the trek was named. Another thing, that I appreciate about every MT Sobek trip I have enjoyed, is that there is always a local guide. This lets us in on a more local perspective.

The trip was a true adventure in the challenge of the landscape, spending time local villages with local people along the way, including being invited into a family home for homemade Bhutanese tea and rice cakes, seeing young Monks in training, and children practicing their archery. The landscape we trekked varied from dirt path to rocks to scree to wet snow and all kinds of incline. The landscape was beautiful in addition to being challenging. The color of the rocks, the mosses, the early Spring flowers freshly blooming, and the breathtaking views of glacial mountains green valleys, and strikingly blue skies by day which turned into awe striking star filled at night. Also exciting, and unexpected, was the wildlife. We saw marmots, galloping blue sheep, yaks, Himalayan griffons, snow pigeons and yellow-billed choughs.

On this trip I really began to understand why the Himalayan people consider these mountains to be sacred. In my log I noted that every turn we made on this trek left us entranced. The adventure of that trip still lingers and inspires me today.

Rosalyn Weinstein, MT Sobek Guest

MT Sobek Trip: The Chomolhari Trek in Bhutan, 2005