The Himalayas – A Conversation with Nature

One day, while working a script for a TV program some time in the middle of October 2001, an enormous mountain of snow suddenly came to mind. The image was so vivid that I couldn’t help but take this as a message that I should go to the mountains. And so began my 23-day adventure hiking the foothills of Mt. Everest.

The route our group followed took us as high as 5,550m. The challenges of the trip, however, began well below that level. By December, the Himalayas are intensely cold. The harshness of the environment above 4,000m precludes the existence of any grass or trees, and at those heights simply moving forward can command most of one’s energy and attention. Our party had no way to contact the camp from which we had started and we were living on bare essentials. Rising to the demands of these trying conditions brought me face-to-face with a natural environment at once beautiful and austere. And through that experience, which I think of as a “conversation with nature,” I also came to see myself in a new light.

I reaffirmed my belief that I had something valuable to contribute. I realized anew the importance of encounters with people, countries, and cultures, and of sharing experiences with others. And I committed myself to living with a positive outlook and hope for the future. The lessons gained from my trip to the foothills of Everest will forever be a part of me and now serve as the driving force for my life.

For a more detailed account of my trip to the Himalayas, see “Chiaki’s Himalayan Travelotue” (This links is in Japanese only)

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himalaya_1 Viewing the peak of Everest from the summit (5,550m) of Kala Patthar

himalaya_2 Inhospitable to human habitation, elevations above 4,000m are ruled by nature alone

1 Day, 1 Cup of Water

sherpa As our hiking party moved higher in the Himalayas, access to river water waned until eventually there was none and we had to rely completely on the small amount of water carried by our porters. The need to conserve water was so acute that faces had to be washed and teeth brushed with no more than a quarter cup per day. In an industrialized country like the US or Japan, access to clean water is taken for granted. Having to severely restrict my water usage while hiking the foothills of Everest demonstrated in a very personal way that people not only in that area but in many places throughout the world don’t have that luxury.