Snowman ‘24 Part 2: Travel and Pre-race

Travel

My mind was blurry as the alarm on my phone blasted the Star Wars Theme. For a moment I wasn’t sure exactly where I was, but as I slid towards being awake I recognized that I was in the van next to Tanae. We had parked in the Salt Lake City Airport parking lot an hour earlier at just before 4:00 am after pulling the late shift drive. The drive started in Boise, Idaho at the conclusion of the NICA State Mountain Bike races and involved a stop in Pocatello to drop off the kids and pick up our bags. Originally we had the entire weekend before traveling to Bhutan open, but when a wildfire forced an evacuation and cancellation of the races the weekend prior it was rescheduled to the days right before the trip.

Cody pushing duffels through one of the airports…

Starting a massive travel experience blurry seemed inline with how life had felt for me recently; so full and at maximum speed. At the airport we met Cody Lind and Emily Williams who shared the same travel itinerary with us. After dropping off our expedition duffels at the check-in desk we entered a series of flights and time travel that deepened the blurriness of the mind and opened the portal to adventure. During a layover in Seoul, South Korea we visited an art exhibit that placed us in the center of a globe representing the earth and it looked exactly how I felt, a bit disconnected from reality and yet in the middle of it all at once. One more flight had us landing in Bangkok, Thailand just before midnight. The heat and humidity soaking our weary bodies as we navigated immigration, customs, baggage and transport to a nearby hotel for a few hours of sleep.

Emily and Cody in the center of the earth

The next morning we woke after a few hours of sleep and Cody, Emily and I went out for a run to try to find a bit of normalcy amongst the chaos of travel. Running in the streets of Bangkok is an experience in sensory overload. So many new sounds and smells, coupled with the visual intensity of dense population created an experience that to me felt like the advanced levels of the video game Frogger. Fortunately, we were able to safely complete the 3.5 mile run and return to the hotel for a dip in the pool and breakfast before heading back to the airport for the last flight to Bhutan.

Hyper stimulation run Bangkok, Thailand

Flying in to the Paro airport in Bhutan is a wild experience. There is a very small number of pilots that have the clearance to land at this airport that is nestled amongst giant peaks and requires landing without the aid of instruments. During the flight we caught a glimpse of Everest out the window, which is so cool to see at eye level with the plane flying near 30,000 feet! After landing we were greeted in traditional fashion by the Chairman Kesang Wangdi who offered the traditional white Khata in greeting which was quickly followed by milk tea and a delightful welcome address by the Chairman. Those first moments set a tone for much of the rest of the trip. It is clear that we were important guests and were welcomed with open arms to Bhutan.

Flying Druk Air to Paro, Bhutan

Tiger’s Nest

Still adjacent to the normalcy of time and eager to anchor ourselves in the new setting, Cody and I got out for an early run the next morning. It was nice to share a few easy miles of running with my dear friend before the activities of the day. After the run and a nice Bhutanese breakfast at the hotel the entire group loaded in to busses and headed to the trailhead to visit one of the most known places of Bhutan, the Paro Taktsang Monastery, or maybe better known as the Tiger’s Nest. According to legend, in the 8th century Buddhist Master Guru Rinpoche was carried up to a cave in the mountain on the back of a disciple who had turned herself into a tigress. Once there, he meditated in the cave for 3 years, 3 months, 3 days and 3 hours. After he finished the meditation it became a holy place and became known as Paro Taktsang (Tiger’s Nest). The Monastery was built there in the 17th Century and to this day is a place of awe and wonder.

Paro Taktsang (the Tiger’s Nest)

At the trailhead we were united with the runners from Bhutan who had qualified for the run. For me it was very special to connect with friends from the first edition and meet new athletes of the highest caliber. Together we all hiked up to the Tiger’s Nest. This hike opens the doors to human connection as athletes from all over the world get to know each other and start to form bonds that would deepen over the following weeks. During the hike but prior to our arrival at the Monastery I pulled the athletes aside and shared a gift that I had brought from home for all of them. I won’t go in to all the details of the gift and the experience I had sharing it, but will say that I leaned in to ancient wisdom from my heritage to share a token that could guide all of us on our journey together in Bhutan.

Seeking words to match ancient wisdom. Photo Credit Meghan Hicks/Snowman Race

Emotions primed from sharing a meaningful gift, I felt powerful energy in the Monastery. I find that in these ancient structures steeped in mystic and old magic that it opens a part of my soul. Words seem to fall a bit short in describing the profundity of the feeling, but it seems like a portal to an ancient future. My imagination soars with the intricate art work and craftsmanship of the constructions. I find deep joy in sharing visits to these places with friends and family, even when they might not feel the same energy there. This visit was different to the previous I had experienced as we did not have a cultural guide with us and were allowed to simply experience it at the level we were open and ready for. No lens of history or another persons’ interpretation of the place to distort the raw experience. We wandered through the structure for a few hours as I soaked in all the magic energy I could absorb.

That evening, after the hike, we were treated to a presentation by a glaciologist from Bhutan about the glaciers we would see during the race and then did final prep of our drop bags which would be taken to each night halt.

Final Drop Bag prep. 

The Bus and The Monastery

The following day we were once again in motion, this time taking an all day bus ride from Paro, near the airport, to Gasa, where we would base for two days before heading to the high country for acclimatization. The entire crew loaded in two buses and began the battle with motion sickness as we wiggled our way over passes and through valleys. We stopped a couple of times for bio needs, and for a lunch break in Punakha before continuing up the Mo Chhu river. I stared out the window for hours at this amazing river, so powerful and beautiful. I imagined my friend David paddling down the stretches of continuous class 5 whitewater decades before our passing by in the bus. As night fell we arrived at the Gasa Hot Springs Resort and were greeted by a cultural program performed by local school children. The open arms welcome continued.

Cultural Dances, Buses and a Bonfire. 

The next morning we spent at the Gasa Dzong, which is a fortress monastery built in the 17th century. It was another profound visit for me as we participated in a butter lamp ceremony and were invited in to a room dedicated to praying for friends and families that had recently departed this life. We were given access to visit other parts of the Monastery that were seldom visited. It was energizing and awe inspiring. After the monastery we visited the small town, got some snacks and were surprised to find electric car chargers all the way up there! The rest of the afternoon was spent doing race prep, race rule review and a navigation workshop.

Lighting Butter Lamps. Phot Credit Meghan Hicks/Snowman Race

Boleros

The fifth day in Bhutan found us once again in motion, this time we loaded in to Boleros and started the multi hour drive up the dirt roads towards Laya. The road ends at a military base and we would hike in to the town of Laya from there. It is a modern marvel that the road even exists. Carved in to the side of a mountain, across mudslide prone slopes and over wild mountain streams and rivers. The exposure at times had us leaning in to the vehicle away from the airy vistas. The drivers of the Boleros were totally unphased as they slipped, slid and bounced their way along the path. It took a few hours of joyful white knuckle riding to reach the end of the road at the Military base. From that point we would load horses with our duffels and then we would hike a few miles to the remote mountain village of Laya where we would be spending the next several days acclimatizing and preparing for the upcoming race. Our time in Laya was very special and the following post will share details on that part of our experience.

Boleros on a relative chill section of the road. 

ps, A note about travel and hypocrisy

I am fully aware that there may be perceived hypocrisy in traveling across the planet using airplanes, buses and trucks to participate in an event that is focused on combatting climate change. Obviously, I understand that there is an impact to that much travel and that my personal footprint would be smaller if I did not go. I also believe there is real power in experience and storytelling and that the impact of my travel can be offset or outweighed by the work I do because of this event. To dive a little deeper my flights, they had a carbon impact of about 3.38 metric tons, add in the buses and trucks and maybe it gets to 3.7 metric tons, in comparison in 2023 Exxon mobile averaged 304109 metric tons a day. My footprint for this entire trip works out to be .00001 percent of that one business’ output. So yes, I do have an impact AND it is insignificant when compared to large businesses. I feel strongly that the experience and learning I gained while traveling to and being in Bhutan will provide me energy and information to positively impact my communities, political leaders, businesses and that work has the potential to make the impacts of my travel seem insignificant in comparison to the benefit. That of course depends on me doing work; work like writing these posts, sharing at events, using the information to write letters and influence any and all that will listen to me share.