Hiking on Top of the World

Timely online content has never been my strong suit. 

“No shit. You’re no great shakes when it comes to posting regularly, either”, reply 98% of long-term readers of The Hiking Life.

Case in point, the following introductory post for Wanderlust Himalaya: Hiking on Top of the World, my “latest” book with gestalten publications. Released earlier this year, it’s a 300-page coffee table book that showcases 26 of the finest hikes from the world’s highest mountain range (along with a handful from the adjoining Karakoram Range). The featured trails include established classics such as the Annapurna Base Camp, Markha Valley, and K2 Base Camp Treks, along with lesser-known excursions such as Bhutan’s Jomolhari Trek and Tibet’s Ganden to Samye Monastery Trek.

At approximately 2,400 km long and up to 400 km wide, the Himalaya is a high-altitude wonderland par excellence. Consisting of five countries (India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, and Tibet/China) and home to more than 52 million people, it features a patchwork of ancient cultures and trade routes, and its mountains and valleys are dotted with precariously perched monasteries and characterful, off-the-beaten-track villages. Wanderlust Himalaya shines a spotlight not only on the region’s natural wonders but also on the cultural, historical, and spiritual elements that help distinguish the Himalaya from other mountain ranges around the world.  

As with the other titles in the series, Wanderlust Himalaya was very much a collaborative effort. The book features images from an array of amazing photographers, Florian Bayer provides the illustrations, Bureau Rabensteiner takes care of the map design, yours truly chipped in with a handful of images and all of the written content, and the crack editing team at Gestalten (led by Anna Diekmann) put it all together. 

Overview map and a list of featured trails.

From a personal perspective, writing Wanderlust Himalaya was like taking a long series of walks down memory lane. The opportunity not only to revisit some of the extraordinary landscapes but also to reminisce about the equally memorable people I encountered during those journeys. From curious Buddhist monks to incredibly hospitable villagers to stoic nomads, sharing food and conversation with the region’s hardy residents is in some ways as much a part of the Himalayan experience as the incredible mountain scenery. One of the most colourful characters I met during my time in the range was an old German bloke (probably the same age as I am now) on Ladakh’s Markha Valley Trek. Accompanied by an indefatigable donkey, every time the eccentric Teuton would reach one of the trail’s 5,000 m-passes, he’d unload his faithful quadruped, note the strength and direction of the wind, and paraglide from the top. I actually thought he was having me on until I saw him take off into the wide blue yonder.

Markha Valley Trek, “A Journey Through the Heartland of Little Tibet.”

As noted in the introduction, the book also includes multiple treks from the adjacent Karakoram Range. It may not technically be part of the Himalaya (it’s separated by the Indus River at the Himalayas’ northwest limits), but the adjoining mountain chains share much in common altitudinally, environmentally, culturally, and historically. The Karakoram is simply amazing, and the months I spent there in 2000s rate among the best experiences of my hiking life. The following excerpt is from the Snow Lake Trek (aka Biafo Hispar Trek), an extraordinary traverse of the abutting Hispar (49 km) and Biafo  (67 km) glaciers, which together represent the world’s longest glacial system outside of the polar regions:

“While Snow Lake is no longer the unknown quantity it was in the time of Conway and Shipton, it remains one of the world’s least visited natural wonders. Less than 200 trekkers a year make the strenuous journey along Biafo and Hispar Glaciers, yet in the Karakoram and Himalaya, the Snow Lake Trek remains second to none when it comes to pure wilderness. No signs. No manicured trails. No tea houses. Just a raw and captivating mountain landscape in which the challenges are more than compensated for by unparalleled rewards.” 

p.142-143 »Photo Feng Wei, Wanderlust Himalaya, gestalten 2022 // PHOTO: Melt pond on Hispar glacier, Snow Lake trek, Karakoram Range, Pakistan.

Final thoughts on “Wanderlust Himalaya”

Like many other hikers, I sometimes find myself musing about places I’d love to visit in the future. Far-flung and sometimes closer-to-home destinations that are meant to be experienced on foot. Wanderlust Himalaya is basically an idea generator for one of those dream destinations. As with its predecessors, it’s not a detailed planning guide you’ll take with you out on the trail (Hint: It weighs about 2 kg); it’s aimed at inspiring rather than enabling. Yet hopefully, within its pages, there is something to pique the interest of almost everyone, from weather-beaten vets to wide-eyed newbies.

And with that, I’ll leave you with some more images from the book:

p.84 bottom »Photo David Ducoin, Wanderlust Himalaya, gestalten 2022 // PHOTO – Mongor Dzong (fortress-monastery) in eastern Bhutan (close to the Merak-Sakteng Trek)

p.268-269 »Photo Jamie McGuinness, Wanderlust Himalaya, gestalten 2022 // PHOTO: Larkya La (5,106m), the highest point on Nepal’s Manaslu Circuit.

Bhutan’s Taktsang Monastery Trail (aka Tiger’s Nest Trail).

p.177 top »Photo Pakawat Thongcharoen, Wanderlust Himalaya, gestalten 2022 // PHOTO – Fairy Meadows with the mighty Nanga Parbat (8,126 m) looming large in the background (Fairy Meadows and Nanga Parbat Base Camp Trek).

Images from the Phugtal Monastery Trek in Ladakh, India.

Dramatically located in a natural amphitheatre high above the Kyi Chu Valley is Ganden Monastery (est. 1409 / altitude 4,300 m) (Ganden to Samye Trek, Tibet).

The otherworldly serac highway along East Rongphu Glacier (Advanced Everest Base Camp Trek (Tibet)).

The Wanderlust Series (2017-2022)

With the release of Wanderlust Himalaya, the series now numbers six in total. In order of their release, the first five books were as follows: 1. Wanderlust: Hiking on Legendary Trails; 2. The Hidden tracks: Wanderlust off the Beaten Path; 3. Wanderlust USA; 4. Wanderlust Europe, and; 5. Wanderlust Alps. The latter two publications (Europe and the Alps) were put together by Alex Roddie in collaboration with Gestalten. Alex is an accomplished hiker and writer from the UK who is an editor at Sidetracked magazine (Note: The next installment in the series – Wanderlust Nordics – is almost finished and will be released next spring. I should have the introductory post for that one ready sometime in 2034).

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