Peter Matthiessen · 1978 · overland

Peter Matthiessen's 1978 account of a 1973 expedition. Grieving his wife's death and studying Zen, he joins the biologist George Schaller on a 250-mile trek across the Nepal Himalaya to the Crystal Mountain in the remote Land of Dolpo, seeking blue sheep and the near-mythical snow leopard. The outer journey through the high passes mirrors an inner search for meaning and acceptance.

1. 1
   Kathmandu

   Where Matthiessen and the biologist George Schaller set out, driving to the end of the road before beginning the long walk into the Himalaya in search of the blue sheep and the snow leopard.

2. 2
   Pokhara

   The last town and 'end of the road,' where the party of Sherpas and porters shoulders its loads and starts the 250-mile trek northwest into the mountains.

3. 3
   Shey Gompa

   The Crystal Monastery in the remote Land of Dolpo, the journey's destination beneath the sacred Crystal Mountain, where Matthiessen waits and watches for the leopard that never appears.