60 Miles from Tibet

Written by Adam Schomer on Sunday, 19 July 2009 15:32

I am 60 miles from the border of Tibet, in one of the last towns in northern India before what becomes a vast maze of Himalayan Mountains. From here one would travel by foot into a land that has been home to Yogi’s for thousands of years. Yes, thousands of years. My urges are compelling me to grab a backpack and tent and just go in. Man, this town is only even accessible for three summer months of the year. The rest of the year it is completely snowed in. It is said that winters have brought yogis that will sometimes lock themselves in huts, taking themselves to meditative states that must be something like a beautifully aware hibernation… That palpable power is begging me to enter in between these pillars of ageless mountain earth; to sit for weeks and soak them up… this is more than an urge, I feel at home here. But alas, I didn’t come here for backpacking on this trip. Nor did I come here with the expectation or search for the ability to hover or hibernate for 3 months. I am with a group of twenty others, and what we all share is a deep desire for growth. We also share an attitude for jumping into an experience that takes us beyond what we think to be true. I am talking about the mountains of our minds and the skies of our spirit. Yes, that sounds a bit new agey and so does a trip with 20 others to India. But I assure you, the lessons and practice of being in a country like India are enough to crack you open, if you dare to look. And being with 20 people, well let’s just say that I have always been more a fan of solo travel and the idea of a big group trip sounded terribly confining to me, I am not the yes man to all the spiritual mumbo jumbo. But I am damn glad that I was there in good company and even more thankful that we were being guided by a man and woman of immense wisdom, Anand and Candace. It makes all the difference when stepping foot into a city like this; Badrinath.

How can I explain how Anand’s words seemed to tune me into the essence of Badrinath? I cannot do this justice. To hear the history of thousands of years of yogis coming here to meditate and contemplate the truth of life, to hear this stilled me and spanked me into seeing a broader perspective of my 31 years on earth. Look at the pictures, maybe you can sense that. I want you to feel how clearly I could breathe here. And I want you also to know some of the amazing facts of this town and our trip: Badrinath is one of the holiest cities in India and is the home for many a pilgrimage. The road here by car is somewhat recent. So before that, we are talking 300 kilometers of hiking from the base town of Rishikesh. As it were on our trip, it was only a mere 12 hours of constant winding around mountains in a car packed with mostly anxiety filled women. Pretty damn fun for a man who conquered his fear of heights back on a rollercoaster in 2nd grade. For part of the drive we follow the Ganga River, which is known as one of the four holiest rivers in the world, and is proclaimed by most as the holiest.

It’s this wonderful river that is sometimes depicted as being dirty and filled with burning bodies, but that is 1200 miles down the river. Up near Rishikesh the river can be emerald green, filled with pure run off from these melting Himalayan snows and rivers. I ate the snow, but only drank the river waters while being thrown from a rafting boat (more on that later). For now, know that here in Badrinath, you can awaken at 4:30am and walk in the darkness to the main temple and meditate with the sunrise. You can buy a woolen blanket to keep warm, and still meditate upon it years later. You can hike up into the glaciers, help a woman conquer a childhood memory of falling through ice (I ran across it not knowing it could collapse… little youthful ignorance). You can bathe in an ice cold waterfall. You can help your whole group cross the river one by one. And you can carry a star on your shoulders like the true queen she is in her heart.

And then you can give your favorite visor to an Indian child sitting atop his hut. And give it not because they need it, but because it’s fun to give something away and to see a smile… I did not want to leave Badrinath. Like I said, I could easily have bought a backpack and tent and walked into the Himalayan abyss for weeks. Well, now I have a reason to come back. And so we hopped back in the cars and wound back down the mountain for twelve hours, going from the high holy city in the Himalayas to the lower holy city along the banks of the Ganga River, Rishikesh. You could spend months alone in Rishikesh, and many do once they get here. It’s got that “Why would I leave here?” kind of energy. It’s got amazing footbridges, river beaches, monkeys, ashrams, meditation, music, food, and river rafting. But I more than suggest that you do leave Rishikesh and you give yourself the time for a trip up to Badrinath… if nothing else just to look for my Nike visor on some little kid. -by Adam Schomer

*Footnote: This trip to Rishikesh and Badrinath was in September of 2007. 6 months later, Adam returned to India with the group to visit Varanasi and again Rishikesh. One year after that he returned for solo trip in which he lived along the Ganga River in Rishikesh, learning alongside his friend and guru, Anand. He intends on returning in April 2010 for a trip to Ladakh by motorcycle. In the mean time, Adam and Anand are writing a book together on freedom. Look for excerpts of the book, as well as ongoing features on travel and spiritual growth in Los Angeles, at sofisticati.com

**Anand is currently visiting Los Angeles from Aug 17th to September 7th. For information on his free talks and yoga classes, please contact Puja Seth at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Adam has ongoing group meditations and instructions (all are free) and teaches private yoga classes (SattvaYoga). Information can be gotten from: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it