The honesty of the mountains and an uneasy night thinking about the truth...

The image is of Annapurna South taken less than an hour ago as I write this.  The dawn was completing its rise over this Himalayan giant as I watched from my current nest.  At over 7200m this peak is among several in one of the most impressive mountain ranges on our planet.  It is part of the Annapurna Conservation Area, one of my favourite backyards, a place with global importance as a model for community conservation.

I will be writing much about this region adding to what I have reported already.  This place has an honesty that grounds me.  The sheer power of nature is in your face and can stream through your bones if you let it.

Thank you for all the supportive messages over the last few days.  Yesterday I made a small post on a couple of platforms asking for a small prayer to support two of my team doing some vital work.  The nature of their task I cannot enlarge on for obvious reasons.  WildTiger involves itself in a flow of information regarding issues such as human/wildlife conflict, anti-poaching and illegal wildlife trade.  Because I have to coordinate things from different locations it means time is of the essence and I am not interested in bullshit. I'm only interested in well researched information.

Some information that came yesterday from my team is deeply concerning.  It gave me an uneasy night's sleep.

In these situations I draw on the past and look to the mountains for clarity.  The way forward, the answers as to how to proceed, they becomes clearer when one grounds oneself in the honesty of the mountains...