Nature Around the Globe

12/11 The Adventure to Triund

Triund in the Clouds

How to begin? I will be back here. Or at the very least I will never stop being in the mountains, by the ocean, or anywhere nature is at its prime. I feel most alive when I can breathe and look without seeing human population in every nook and cranny. The pictures of Triund will explain what show what I felt, especially the panoramas, once they get made back in the states. There was a definite feeling of divinity up there because it was a full moon, a full lunar eclipse, and the clouds breaking after an afternoon of hail/snow. The hike up was a nice trail and nothing was grueling. Compared to a lot of workouts I remember this hike got my heart pumping, but nothing too difficult. Once we were on top the atmosphere in the group was wonderful. We bundled up, had tea, and walked around taking pictures when the clouds cleared. The night was full of bonding and temperatures below freezing. My sleeping bag was perfect except the feet, so I may look into a sleeping bag for lower temperatures. The hike down was rather frightening to me because my knee is still below normal in strength- it’s almost back to normal I realize now being at the bottom. Despite the worry of pain and weakness a slightly slower pace kept me feeling great, and even at the end of the hike I was not tired and ready to keep going. So I did, I went and visited with our dear friend Jhon and shared pictures of home, vacations, family, and friends. He was enthralled by my pictures of fishing in Alaska and my adventure in Yellowstone. From there, we went out and had coffee/hot chocolate and talked about cricket. The afternoon that was left was dedicated to relaxing and thinking.

I have one idea that I keep coming across that is worth sharing here. The Tibetan situation is one that I had never really been aware of before. I could not have asked for a better trip to open my eyes to a global issue. For now I will talk about the struggle I see within this community and what I see as the “living deity” of the Dalai Lama. This incarnate form of faith creates a sort of complacency within the followers. To have this person who is considered to be more than human, the followers then don’t have to worry as much about the larger scale problems because they have someone to turn to when things get hard. In the actions of the people here, I notice that the groups trying to take action are having some trouble gaining support because there is such strong faith that His Holiness will take care of it all. I find that both Tibet Theatre and Thangde Gatsel are doing an excellent job of showing the youth and the outside world the actions that they need to take if they wish to keep the Tibetan culture alive.