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- Feb 07, 2020
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Bhutan Snowman Trek — Adventure in the High Himalayas
Our third Snowman Trek post is here! Join Expedition Leader Deana Zalbado as we continue on this bucket list adventure. Photos by Deana Zalbado.
We were prepared for 24 days in the sheltered Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, 17 days crossing the Himalayas on one of the world’s toughest trekking routes, and about 2 weeks with no connection to the outside world beyond an emergency SAT phone…but the nature of adventure is that things don’t always go as planned.
On the day I arrived, a cyclone dropped new snow on passes that were already unusually late to melt in the cold spring. On the middle trail of the Snowman Trek a week later, the route was blocked with snow for miles, and our entire trip had to be rerouted on the fly. Over the next few weeks, one client had to be evacuated, the weather never really cleared, one of our staff had a death in the family, we were trekking through an area I hadn’t fully researched, and all of our end-of-trip hotels had to be rearranged. So many things didn’t go as planned, but this is part of why people return to travel with me again and again: I will take care of it (whatever “it” may be). I take care of problems and I take care of people, which helps everyone step into this foreign geography, this foreign culture, this challenging experience and be successful.
Whether your water bottle opens up inside your down sleeping bag in sub-freezing weather or the country shuts down for a revolution or you break your arm or a puppy adopts the group in a snowstorm or the group adopts a child, (all of which have happened over the years), I do what I can to keep people happy, comfortable, and make it all work as gracefully as possible. It’s not some heroic effort but rather a natural extension of who I am and how I am in the world. I do everything I can and then let go of what is beyond my control. I enjoy supporting people, figuring out solutions, and creating cultural connection.
Whether it’s wrangling helicopter evacs, finding an orphanage for an abandoned child, building personal relationships with local gurus and monks, finding out what nuns want, taking clients down labyrinthine alleys to visit friends in the middle of a revolution, or becoming honored guests at village festivals, I have a way of making things happen. We’re all on these adventures for the experience, and the unexpected is part of that. Sometimes the unexpected brings wonderful new experiences, sometimes it brings difficulties to overcome, and sometimes it’s just a inconvenient hassle, but our ability to flow with what happens is what allows us to feel the full spectrum of experience…and that’s part of the richness of the journey.
We were prepared for the Snowman Trek, but everything didn’t go as planned. We didn’t end up hiking the route we expected, but we received so many serendipitous and wonderful experiences through the time in Bhutan that everyone was happy in the end.
One of those unforeseen benefits is that I’ve felt inspired to write for the first time in a few years, inspired to reconnect with all of you and share the adventure. All the stories are in the next few posts. Click the “next post” link at the bottom of the page…
![Bhutan 3](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1833&q=80&w=2200&s=9bc1a081d3b0c09d56ae3591c93584a9 2200w 1833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1667&q=80&w=2000&s=8aaff499a881450634821e79a62909df 2000w 1667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1500&q=80&w=1800&s=f2cdfd29c6370b69992fc4d03b3a9e0a 1800w 1500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1333&q=80&w=1600&s=480784e69e557821febb9dd9b11c6ce1 1600w 1333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1167&q=80&w=1400&s=92a63b9dc73e06853d76d7081547fde8 1400w 1167h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1000&q=80&w=1200&s=cc301a59fafad79c8ce9ac48da3504c7 1200w 1000h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=833&q=80&w=1000&s=238bc700bd07cb50a0d701845e248fc7 1000w 833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=667&q=80&w=800&s=c06c7b41440bbdee2595b09f1844ac28 800w 667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=500&q=80&w=600&s=4b56227948439f1d4a9cdbb24048dbc8 600w 500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=333&q=80&w=400&s=90bdbde56388540c1f0e9bb42e3e59df 400w 333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/Bhutan-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=167&q=80&w=200&s=23b938ddf368823fe4dcbc7c3c9cd95a 200w 167h)
![Bhutan 2](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1833&q=80&w=2200&s=97f840b730ae27f78cdf229d428cd9a2 2200w 1833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1667&q=80&w=2000&s=8571966d03a8a387488f8bf789b06b84 2000w 1667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1500&q=80&w=1800&s=516c15d946bfe62cbb74b8025b42651c 1800w 1500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1333&q=80&w=1600&s=0166b93eedc54214810421a4df05be0c 1600w 1333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1167&q=80&w=1400&s=5b38c3e0dd7c4d5d79582de700899e01 1400w 1167h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1000&q=80&w=1200&s=e84492cb0a771bb65dfdeb02af91b4b9 1200w 1000h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=833&q=80&w=1000&s=041e53c82e7cc31abf8b0255fe0ecb1a 1000w 833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=667&q=80&w=800&s=580385754e39c2d9319b9ea9dcdef5e9 800w 667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=500&q=80&w=600&s=ac399dfaf0bfc5678515664128820fd6 600w 500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=333&q=80&w=400&s=1d5a96ef723afe9ca533f17fa136b6c7 400w 333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=167&q=80&w=200&s=e5a1de166ec19423c0feb5370d16e0f6 200w 167h)
![Bhutan 4](https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1833&q=80&w=2200&s=0dbf01e7b9c0bd29724f2b975ce8a0fe 2200w 1833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1667&q=80&w=2000&s=b14426e2dcc0b75b6de4461c2ed32548 2000w 1667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1500&q=80&w=1800&s=b199a586f1e22ccd60d8b89f0fcf709a 1800w 1500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1333&q=80&w=1600&s=134ec652a2c5654ccdd9bc5455538242 1600w 1333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1167&q=80&w=1400&s=7b5ca3d7b9b5b0f9b6cc00e34cac95af 1400w 1167h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1000&q=80&w=1200&s=5b9fa034df86da030d7568fa86b3fcfc 1200w 1000h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=833&q=80&w=1000&s=23f020c92da543e32d29a08b22206d1d 1000w 833h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=667&q=80&w=800&s=da4756998444122df8ec51450a906db1 800w 667h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=500&q=80&w=600&s=55f2194bda9b8dad1983e6dba38ea2d0 600w 500h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=333&q=80&w=400&s=58aa81bd5a0907301ea509bac6d6dea4 400w 333h, https://mountain-madness.imgix.net/general-images/bhutan-4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=167&q=80&w=200&s=0bb38533da38344fcd2c0a4cf8019f24 200w 167h)