Zero Hour: On the Threshold of Departure
The bags are packed, the cameras are ready, and the “Trial by Squirrel” is officially over. Today the preparation ends and the journey begins…
April 4, 2026
The bags are packed, the cameras are ready, and the “Trial by Squirrel” is officially over. Today the preparation ends and the journey begins…
The challenges of the terrain and remoteness of this expedition required weeks of back and forth work with our counterparts in China before we even enter the country…
The journey to the Eastern Tibetan Plateau is not just about traveling across a surface; it is about navigating a violent, vertical landscape that is still under construction…
Planning my route through this high-altitude wilderness required a detour into history, using sixty year old maps to get a sense of the actual terrain I will be driving through…
Before I depart for the Tibetan Plateau, I have to master a tool that is totally new to me: remote camera traps…
Tibetan Buddhism is not just a religion practiced in monasteries; it is a way of life physically woven into the mountains, rivers, and grasslands…
The journey I am undertaking involves navigating complex geopolitics and oxygen-thin terrain, all for a cat I may never actually see…
For over 3,000 years, these nomads have navigated the “Roof of the World” not as conquerors, but as guests. Their history is one of remarkable biological and cultural adaptation…
Preparing for this expedition has been a project of its own, primarily because of a peculiar logistical challenge: just trying to find where I’m going on a map…
The terrain I will be driving through–the staggering, lung-busting peaks of the Eastern Tibetan Plateau–is not just a mountain range; it is the result of a violent, ongoing geological event …
The ultimate destination of our overland journey is Sanjiangyuan National Park. Meaning “Source of Three Rivers,” the name refers to the vast area of the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai province …
The journey will include retracing a segment of one of the world’s most arduous and historically significant trade routes: The Tea Horse Road…
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