Wanderlust: I'm alive and ski-mountaineering the French and Swiss Alps!

Quotes That Keep Me Going....

"There are only three sports: Bull fighting, motor racing and mountaineering; the rest are merely games." Ernest Hemingway

"Adventure is a path. Real adventure--self-determined, self-motivated, often risky--forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the ear and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind--and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white."

--Mark Jenkin

"The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are."

--Samuel Johnson

"Tourists don't know where they've been. Travelers don't know where they're going."
--Paul Theroux

"Not all those who wander are lost."
--J.R.R Token

"On a summit the entire world is beneath us, horizons are expanded, and clarity envelops our senses. It is this feeling that the mountaineer seeks, and perhaps it is the feeling that we all seek as we search for love and purpose in our own measured lives. In reaching for the summits of the heart and holding on to them, love and hope transcend the tragedy of our ultimate end." Jennifer Lowe-Anker

Sunday, May 1, 2011

I'm alive and ski-mountaineering the French and Swiss Alps!

No idea how this happened, but I have no broken bones, just nasty scars and nightmares! Whohoo! Therefore, after a few weeks of pain induced by Mt. Shasta, I became myself again. In other words,

I began to look for the next big adrenaline-filled adventure.....

What better way to celebrate the end of the ski season then in the most sublimely elegant, yet rugged place on earth--the Alps! Stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Germany to France in the

west, it is quite the mountain range.

My fellow mountaineer, Catherine, and I decided to make our way to Europe in hopes of experiencing the famous Haute Route that begins in Argentiere, France and ends in Zermatt, Switzerland. After a lengthy flight from LAX to Geneva, a beautiful two hour shuttle from Geneva to Chamonix, one day of logisitcs and a short bus ride to Argentiere, we were off.

Our highly anticipated first day on the Haute Route (via Verbier) was hell. It was a long vertical 12 hour stretch that required vexing transitions between, skinning and boot-packing. But somehow or another, we pushed through and reached the Trient Hut.

The days passed rather quickly due to the inexplicably captivating alpine scenery. I barely noticed the sweat and pain as peak after beautiful peak and couloir after beautiful couloir unfolded before my eyes and glistened under the bold European sun.

Second night was spent at the nearly empty Montfort Hut, third night was at the also nearly empty Prafleuri Hut, fourth night was at the packed Dix hut and the last night...well it was suppose to be at the Vignettes Hut...but to no surprise, things didn't quite go as planned and we made are way to the city of Arolla instead. Weather didn't seem conducive to muscling through two long days to Zermatt, so we decided to play it safe and duck out.

After a near death experience on Mt. Shasta, I didn't want to risk another injury. I guess Shasta really was a blessing in disguise. It taught me to respect the sublimity of mountains.

1 comment:

snarkbot said...: I definitely thought we were going to die that first day! Glad you're doing well, miss you lots.

Catherine; July 10, 2011 at 7:55 PM

Post a Comment

Tesha Karn

My name is Tesha Karn. I started T.Karn, an Asian art and decor company, in 2007 out of my passion for traveling to the most exotic, least visited locations in the world. Each time I returned to the states, it became more and more apparent that the Western home lacked the spiciness of Eastern art and décor. What was a personal hobby, collecting art, soon turned into a business and T.Karn was born.

I have always appreciated art as the collective soul of the human race and now, through my business, I try to promote my belief that art helps us understand one another despite unimaginable cultural and physical distances. Although my home base is New York City, I continue to frequent the ends of the earth on a regular basis, finding one-of-a-kind items to share with the Western home.

This blog allows me to share my adventures in pursuit of exquisite Asian art and decor as well as pure joy and exhilaration. Please enjoy!

Save the Chiru

After traveling through India and Nepal, I became cognisant of Tibetan Antelope, also known as Chiru. The poised and elegant animals that use to flourish on the Tibetan plateau are now listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service due to commercial poaching for their fur. The Tibetan Antelope wool, also commonly referred to as shahtoosh, is a highly sought after commodity due to its warmth and softness. In response to this troubling situation, my company and I are now promoting a material called shamina, which boast the same attributes as shahtoosh. Shamina is produced from the first clipping of baby goats. No animals are harmed in this process. The clippings are hand-woven in Kashmir and natural dyes are used. Please do not partake in the vicious hunt for shahtoosh. Save the Chiru!