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Mustang Trek — High Altitude Desert
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15241907820_f7854840d5_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=bda33454edfed9db961fec0c9eeb5b50 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15241907820_f7854840d5_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=9372ecde4ef8747705f442f456db1bb8 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15241907820_f7854840d5_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=b2575df900b91682dc7a5017ca709aaa 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15241907820_f7854840d5_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=d03dcf82845c23d407f6c854fedc6e3e 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15241907820_f7854840d5_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=00bc089474623797c1912a9dede499d5 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15241907820_f7854840d5_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=9f2f4da3cdfcb760b78644de7f0a40ff 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15241907820_f7854840d5_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=2591b231f73b280fa7be6c75639eff4a 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15241907820_f7854840d5_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=a4bd228f833ef6d7c91c6d72bf86a405 1024w)
All photos by Deana Zabaldo
Upper Mustang is mostly a high altitude desert — an expansive, endless sea of land at roughly 12,000 feet. Dendritic canyons fan out across miles. Plateaus with scrub brush end abruptly in fluted columns eroded by weather and time. Caves are everywhere — some ancient habitats, some treasuries of Buddhist art and scripture, some empty and never known. Wind and sun define the landscape.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408481992_213e383f9c_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=26ee72573f9c056faf3ce402ec3de5b6 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408481992_213e383f9c_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=77eedd42901759ff3208431b8526df58 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408481992_213e383f9c_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=d8eeaed601bc152ddb5a63c69c721558 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408481992_213e383f9c_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=ec003bbcb28ee7a0c79b94523479db73 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408481992_213e383f9c_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=fafa7761a646f0f8760673fc08f5acdc 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408481992_213e383f9c_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=cd8467bd0938bed5e5af91c980f5fcdb 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408481992_213e383f9c_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=5268fbaf7b56356582971e205f716762 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408481992_213e383f9c_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=f7548936b13c22feb4c15b4a77672ea5 1024w)
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408444345_fa88658180_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=007bfa296bb709be454a9d9cf3be9cf7 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408444345_fa88658180_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=e1badaf2a5816fa2dcb75485d38db473 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408444345_fa88658180_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=c033a2212a8b98c923ad7ab47692eec8 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408444345_fa88658180_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=3e948583d1221fd89fd3087a279cfc6d 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408444345_fa88658180_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=871c66edd54f6f1419f3647f6c3347c7 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408444345_fa88658180_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=54be097154bcdff480dbee1f49b7d0f2 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408444345_fa88658180_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=fbe062417b790d53e153f58cf32e41de 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15408444345_fa88658180_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=27d1d517b04572d28411bd59ba943f2f 1024w)
Cave dwellings in the red demon’s blood cliffs — people lived in caves throughout the area moer than 2500 years ago.
Rock comes in forty varieties, and cliffs reveal sedimentary layers now upended and nearly vertical. These mountains were once the bottom of the primordial Tethys Sea, separating India from China. We find 250 million year old ammonite fossils in the river bed — sea creatures turned to stone and raised to the top of the world as earth’s tectonic plates collided.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15405541236_74fd38a84f_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=603faa6cf8d525ed27fc3ff590871cc1 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15405541236_74fd38a84f_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=b05ebe7c8258215950618e0615b55017 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15405541236_74fd38a84f_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=49945b897a9a6bbcc4fa80c3fecf59ac 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15405541236_74fd38a84f_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=bcbd7addcb62ccc99801bd0cb066427c 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15405541236_74fd38a84f_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=69da2bd8ccbbfb3e9565de4da83c039c 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15405541236_74fd38a84f_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=fa63519c3d9d6380b8a06f46cad61ce1 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15405541236_74fd38a84f_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=12c973c63f0518cc0fbee38fa50280fa 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15405541236_74fd38a84f_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=865e9b5dcc2674c607edf8a6976fac36 1024w)
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222139640_f183fc4d91_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=d12870ed002be7e6c5aead3a608e6a90 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222139640_f183fc4d91_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=e1a406a18660d2f41173692e3579f45b 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222139640_f183fc4d91_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=becf9813a344d7da2d51c281608a6960 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222139640_f183fc4d91_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=71b33134c628f6cb6955a5c7d7ea4c3d 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222139640_f183fc4d91_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=c3402aa590b166ab437a9db32d61338a 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222139640_f183fc4d91_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=853ad3f7def0af9790bde3061c90cae5 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222139640_f183fc4d91_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=50a541d632b23a871fe7e568020f06b2 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222139640_f183fc4d91_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=3be3d1b127b10441b46f7e121f32f3f4 1024w)
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15238114750_388b14c901_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=e9b41834da5ee82a7afcc9b0c05a31fb 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15238114750_388b14c901_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=6317adc6d4fa00e965a19a277c9ba84e 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15238114750_388b14c901_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=89b294f002e66d61e7b76af71af4a779 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15238114750_388b14c901_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=66640ea789d38a4fb06a9d40634a6940 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15238114750_388b14c901_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=0a46cb39b3f0bb37022f0524bad90e0b 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15238114750_388b14c901_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=09f304a41d4ee5fc206340c308317557 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15238114750_388b14c901_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=fac3afc80b60a846129e91050e71f443 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15238114750_388b14c901_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=2a2781fe0da999e8daaeecc23e372555 1024w)
One side of a valley is green with low foliage where rain drops as it meets the mountain peaks; the facing side of the valley is dry and dusty, devoid of rain. Where rivers flow, they are channelled to irrigate trees and fields, to support the greenery of life. Where water is drying up, a whole town is moving away, unable to survive. Old adobe chortens and homes stand in smooth ruins, testament to the pressures of nature and the resilience of humans here.
~ MM Guide Deana Zabaldo
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222264797_dcf225b980_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=60442177f8afca998498a6410c92590e 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222264797_dcf225b980_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=4c4a49d49ff8dfd5f73cc7c1b7ba1c8b 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222264797_dcf225b980_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=3d50e98d5546722201a1d1274264062a 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222264797_dcf225b980_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=6cd0efcfdf2ff53c62d9cc8baacf00b9 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222264797_dcf225b980_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=c777bf493934e1b00aa210571305c277 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222264797_dcf225b980_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=5aef06513a6a7282d17f003607034011 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222264797_dcf225b980_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=0e29d44b620e07ed4314f9e4f8ba634d 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F15222264797_dcf225b980_k.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=89dfddffc74b201319668525c135ad05 1024w)