LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 34 My knees are stiff and my neck is bent at a slight- ly uncomfortable angle. I drift off to sleep just long enough for my neck to relax, head to bob and then startle me awake. The bus I'm on sways and chugs as we wind our way through deep ravines and over mountain passes, occasionally backing up to allow safe passage of an oncoming vehicle. Scents of diesel mix with lemongrass, lending to my general queasiness. I'm trying to find a feasible sleeping position on the bus ride from Thimphu to Bumthang, Bhutan, a 250 km journey that takes eight hours. On top of motion sickness, my body is in the begin- ning stages of recovery from acute mountain sickness: general fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, headache, and nausea - - a lot like a bad hangover. I'm one of ten people on a twenty-five person bus, at least giving us each our own row. There's a rowdy group of Bhu- tanese in the back who I don't recognize. It turns out they are the most popular pop music group in the country, headed to perform at the closing ceremonies for The Snowman Race. The Snowman Race, a five- day event covering 200 km and hitting 5,470 meters in altitude, is affectionately called "The Toughest Race In the World." Now I think we can all agree that "toughest" is a subjective term and relative to one's experience but I can attest to the conditions being some of the harshest I've put myself in. His Majesty the King created the event to bring attention and urgency to the topic of climate change and its impact on people living in these alpine areas. The five-day race would traverse most of the Snowman Trek, a utilitarian trail that connects highland villages with no other access except via helicopter. While it is advertised that fewer people have completed the trek than have summited Everest, the trail has been used for centuries by locals to move goods and horses. The Kingdom of Bhutan, also known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon, is one of the smallest countries in the world while also having one of the largest com- mitments to conservation. Bhutan is one of just three countries considered carbon negative, and promises to remain carbon neutral forever. Within their relatively recently created Constitution, they vow to conserve the environment for current and future generations. Currently 51% of the country is protected land, allow- ing endangered species like the snow leopard space to roam. The thing about climate change is that it seems to affect those most vulnerable in a disproportionate way. Those who live in rural Bhutan with the least en- vironmental impact seem to suffer the most. Take for example Karma Yangden, the women's victor of the 2022 Snowman Race, highland native, yak herder and cordycep collector (if you don't know what cordyceps are, do a quick search now). Karma had a perpetual smile on her face, and you would never know that she had lost family members due to climate change. Maybe you've caught wind of Bhutan being the birthplace of Gross National Happiness, an alternative to a country's Gross Domestic Product, and maybe- - like me- -you've thought, "What is going on there? Is it ignorance or bliss? " and then consequently thought, "If I travel there, maybe I can learn how to be happy, too." This piece is meant to be a recount of my journey around the globe to a mystical land in the Himalayas, a land of belief and wonder set against raw, harsh environments. The distance and places I physically traveled were all those things but remain a part of a bigger journey in finding myself many months lat- er right here in the Adirondacks. Arrival to Bhutan As soon as our group of athletes touched down in Paro, Bhutan, we were treated like royalty. Lead- ing up to the actual start of the event we had nine very full days in the country. From breakfast to bedtime, we were meeting heads of state, visiting monasteries, and learning what the people and country are proud of. We hiked to The Tiger's Nest, the monas- tery where Buddhism is thought to have originated in the country when Guru Rinpoche flew from Tibet on the back of a tigress, landing in a cave on the side of a cliff where the current-day monastery stands. We witnessed a traditional ceremony inside a temple from the 7th century. We visited a 170' tall golden Buddha statue that contained another 100,000 Bud- dha statues inside it. To say these days were extrava- gant is an understatement. Just prior to the race start, we were stationed in Gasa, the northernmost district in the country and seat to yet another impressive fortress and temple. There was once a popular established hot spring here with a bath house. In 2021, the adjacent river broke its banks after above-average rainfall, destroying the structures - - another example of the devastating effects of climate change. Over tea inside the temple, the Abbot Lama be- stowed upon us three parts of advice for our upcom- ing journey: Reaching 16,000' on Day 1.

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