[Thread] Here is celebrating the beauty of mountains with a collection of magical moments I have witnessed in the Himalayas over the years. Tall peaks, glaciers, star-studded skies, storms, sunrises, sunset, snowstorms, lakes, rivers, beautiful clouds and invigorating air. 1/N

A considerable number of these images come from Ladakh-Zanskar region, where the mountains are tall, air is thin and the views are uninterrupted. The thin air and dry weather allows days and days of photography without having to worry about unpredictable mountain weather. 2/N

In winters, these mountains become a different beast altogether. A good snowfall will turn the entire landscape to white and can remain so for months. Weather is harsh, and the temperatures easily dip 20 below zero. But it's a raw, addictive, beautiful world! 3/N

A happy evening in Suru Valley. We were wondering if the clouds would let up to show us the magic of the evening rays. They not only did, but also made an effort to give us a beautiful play of light and shade.

A mountain morning, Mt .Kun shining bright in the first rays of the day! We camped out on a huge open space the previous evening, preparing for the morning. Waking up about 4am at -4C, this was the view we started the day with.

Mountain storms can be as beautiful as mountain morning! As long as you can watch from a distance and not inside it!!

Some morning are simply incredible!

To reach this place, we walked in pouring rain and fog for two full days. The mist was so thick for most of our journey that we barely saw anything beyond a few meters. When we set camp in the evening, we had no idea what we were facing!

Watching clouds scatter over the magnificent panch-chuli mountains on a bright morning was easily my finest Himalayan moment yet. After witnessing a beautiful sunrise (prev image) I scampered over a steep crag, panting, to see what's on the other side. I sure wasn't disappointed!

The mountain and a star-studded sky. A long-exposure image from Lahaul & Spiti region.

I have seen a dozen sunrises @ Dochula, and each morning has been completely different from the rest. On a clear day, you see 7K peaks from a distance of 100+ kilometers. On a foggy day, all that you see is a white blanket. And then there are days in between with plenty of drama.

Morning fog descends over the mountains and encircles the trees in the verdant hills of Sikkim.

Mountains painted in a new light by the clouds!

If I were allowed to choose a place anywhere in the world where I wouldn't mind getting locked down, this may be it!

Looking up to 7K+ peaks up north on a clear morning in Bhutan!

Let me post a short video clip today, instead of photographs.

A glacial stream rushing down the mountain in Ladakh-Zanskar region.

In conversation with the mountains...

Layers of ridges, leaping mountain peaks and a storm building up.

Seeing the sun come up over the mountains and a beautifully curved glacier required us to spend the night at a windy pass at -5C. High up the pass, most of us were breathless and suffering from the windchill. But with our super-helpful local staff, we could go any distance!

Every shade of chocolate around a river deep blue!

Standing next to a spring of boiling-hot water in the middle of winter's cold is an amusing feeling. It's frozen solid right in its surroundings, but the spring remains blissfully unaware of all that.

There's something about mountains that I don't understand. They give me a sense of freedom, yet the peaks also symbolize an aspiration. They make me feel complete and still leave me with a lingering yearning. Being among them is being home, but I eventually go away everytime...

only with a wish to be back. I arrive, hoping to pitch my roots but always return with a longing to be back again. There is a sense of comfort and a feeling of having arrived, but the unforgiving storms question the tranquility. It's the mountains where the valleys are! 21/N

The first time I arrived at this place, I couldn't contain my excitement. We stayed there for hours, watching the cold water flow amidst the ice, photographing the mountains, and talking to shepherds who passed by. The shapes in the ice made by water took me to a fantasy world...

At some point, I was lying down on ice for considerably long time, admiring and photographing icicles drooping from the ice-shelf towards the water. Our driver, Uncle Angchuk, a dear friend would joke about it for years. He would ask me at every ice field we encountered along...

the way and say, "Shall we stop here, there is a lot of ice to lie down on! 24/N

Some times providence takes you places. A series of happy and unhappy circumstances led me to this place of extraordinary gorges, flowing blue waters, snow-filled passes and never-ending expanse of towering peaks. I shall be forever grateful for these encounters.

On my flight up the mountains, I kept my eyes glued to the window for a glimpse of Mt.Kun. Peak Kun, and its neighbour Mt.Nun stand well above the towering mountain landscapes, at more than 20,000 above sea level. All I saw were the clouds, and I wondered if the weather gods..

would let me see the mountain up-close. The morning I reached its base in Suru Valley, world around me was covered with thick fog. Once the blanket was lifted, I saw these clouds hugging this magnificent mountain (above).

And here is another view of the mountain on a clear day.

Here's how you sweep the clouds off the mountains. Fast, efficient and effective!

The evening's wind made me wonder if our tents will stay intact. We survived!

Winter's snow on the mountain peaks begins to melt with the first signs of summer. Often, a gushing brook will drill through the abundance of snow, creating beautiful tunnels along the way.

An evening to love.

All through the last decade I was blessed with journeys across the Himalayas season after season. There were times when we pitched tents at places where no one would be, simply because we loved the place where we were standing at the moment.

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I am often amazed at the resilience of people who have lived in this land in a time when there was no motor transport, electricity and comforts that make human lives much easier today.

I once asked a monk, 'why do you build monasteries so faraway from every place?'

He replied, 'because we wanted to stay away from the world'.

Dhankar Monastery in the Himalayas.

Another monastery high up the mountains. Today, although they stand aloof from nearby villages, connectivity has made life much easier. Roads and electricity make a huge difference to the lives of people, things that we may often take for granted.

You can look at the vast range or mountains and feel small and invisible. Or merge with the mountains to feel energized and invincible, by becoming the mountain yourself.
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