Himalayan Traverse. On June 15, 1982 Hugh Swift and I completed a nine-month, 2000-mile walk across the Himalayan regions of Bhutan, Nepal and India, the first Americans to complete such a trek. The traverse began on September 20, 1981 at Tashi Yangtsi Dzong in northeastern Bhutan. The route we followed passed through Lhuntsi Dzong, Wangdiphodrang, Thimphu, Chomo Lhari Base Camp, Gangtok and Runtek with border crossings by vehicle. Then we walked continuously from Ilam in eastern Nepal to Lamayuru Monastery in Ladakh, India via Dhankuta, Namche Bazaar, the Rolwaling Valley, Gosainkund Lake, Trisuli, Pokhara, Dhorpatan, Jumla, Baitadi, Bag- eshwar, Chamoli, Ukimath, Uttarkashi, Rampur, Malana, Manali, Kyelang and Padum. Immediately following this, John Mock joined Hugh Swift to trek for 3½ weeks across the Baltistan region of Pakistan from Goma to Rupal, directly beneath Nanga Parbat, the westernmost peak in the Great Himalayan Range.

Arlene Blum