Note: I realized this morning, December 24th, that there were some issues with the virtual tour, especially on mobile. I believe I have those fixed and the tour should work on mobile platforms. However, it is definitely going to be a bit smoother and more immersive on a laptop or desktop, so I would recommend that option.

If you do choose to view it on a mobile device, definitely go full screen by double tapping/clicking the tour, and then in the lower right click the gyroscope icon to move more naturally through each panorama as you move your phone. Please let me know if you experience any problems!

A year ago, I was just wrapping up one of the most unique and exciting trips of my 33 years of work in the Himalaya: the Mahakulung Muddhi-Kongmedingma Trail.

I spent 3 weeks in Nepal on that trip, trekking through rarely visited parts of the Nepal with my friend Sam Heughan, along with Jhanak Kharki, Harka Kulung Rai, Tshering Dorje Sherpa, Gopal Magar, and more. It was an epic adventure with an amazing team in a remote corner of Nepal.

I won’t go into all the details here, as I’ve already told a lot of the story on the unDefined Blog. But, over the past year, many people have reached out asking me for information about the trail, about what it’s like, what you see, how to plan, is it doable, etc. I’ve answered a lot of those questions, but wanted to do more, show and explain more.

So, I’m now bringing the adventure to life through an interactive, virtual-reality type tour.

This has been a big project to put together, taking a lot of time and research, plus hours upon hours of looking at maps and expedition reports and more to identify obscure peaks and their histories. And, then there was as always the big learning curve of the programming and code required to make it all work; that was both fun and infuriating, and now (I hope) both done and functional.

I began this project thinking I would just focus on the new trail, leading from Chheskam up the Hunku River to the Amphu Laptsa and into Khumbu. But, that seemed limiting and limited, and missing much of what makes this region so special: the people, cultures, history, faith, the whole rich tapestry comprising the area.

Thus, I decided to begin at the beginning.

I first got the idea to follow the Hunku to the Amphu Laptsa decades ago. In November 2023, I finally carved out time to start exploring a bit. That month, I traveled with help from dZi Foundation to Bhojpur and along sections of the new Mundhum Trail through Bhojpur, to Salpa Pokhari and Silichong Peak, and then to Solukhumbu and Mahakulung (Gudel, Bung, and Chheskam). From there, I poked my head (and feet) a bit into the lower reaches of the Hunku, enticed, excited.

The whole journey was an explosion of people and culture, history and faith, food and tradition and laughter and community, a side of Nepal I had not immersed in for years, and that many simply never experience.

So, our journey begins in the heartland, commencing in Kathmandu, flying eastward to Tumlingtar, and following small paths through tiny villages up to the mountains rising above.

Thus far, I’ve stopped the tour at the Muddhi Khola, the site of the first night’s camp for Sam and me in 2024. There’s a lot to digest in this first section, so I didn’t want to dump it all at once, threatening to overwhelm and causing people to miss parts, details, the richness of it all.

But, fear not, I have the rest of the trail ready, and will release new parts in the days to come. All good things come in time, right? And, movement in the Himalaya teaches us nothing if not the need for patience, slowing down, taking a breath and taking it all in.

And, it was my 52nd birthday yesterday - something I'm not a big fan of - but I decided birthdays are always better occasions for giving rather than receiving. Who needs another widget when so many in the world struggle just to get by? So, I'm donating $5,200 to dZi Foundation not in honor of myself, but in honor of the work dZi does to change lives in rural Nepal, and in honor of the amazing people and communities of the region without whom none of my experiences in Bhojpur, Mahakulung, and along the Muddhi-Kongmedingma Trail would have been possible. If you'd like to join me, I invite you to do so. No amount is too small, and every amount makes a resounding difference.

Below, please check out Phase 1 of the tour. Be sure to read the intro and instructions (pretty self-explanatory), use the background audio if you choose, interact and travel and learn and, mostly importantly, enjoy!

Update: For the best experience, please view the tour on this new page!