Beneath Blossom Rain

In a remote kingdom hidden in the Himalayas, there is a trail said to be the toughest trek in the world - twenty-four days, 216 miles, eleven mountain passes, and enough ghost stories to scare an exorcist. In 2007 Kevin Grange decided to acquaint himself with the country of Bhutan by taking on this infamous trail, the Snowman Trek. He was thirty-three, at a turning point in life, and figured the best way to go at a crossroad was up. Against a backdrop of Buddhist monasteries and soaring mountains, Grange ventured beyond the mapped world to visit time-lost villages and sacred valleys. In the process, recounted here with a blend of laugh-out-loud humor, heartfelt insight, and acute observation, he tested the limits of physical endurance, met a fascinating assortment of characters, and discovered truths about faith, hope, and the shrouded secret of blossom rain. Beneath Blossom Rain, Grange's account of his journey, packs an adventure story, a romantic twist, and a celebration of group travel into a single entertaining book. The result is the ultimate journey for any traveler, armchair or otherwise. Along with high adventure, it delivers an engaging look at Bhutan - a country that governs by a policy of Gross National Happiness and that many regard as the last Shangri-La. Review Quote: "A powerfully descriptive account of what it takes to survive the world's toughest hike. With each page and each step Kevin Grange had me clinging to his backpack on this epic search for adventure and meaning." - Mike Leonard, author of The Ride of Our Lives and NBC Today Show correspondent "Following Grange through the high Himalayas is a pleasure page by page. "Beneath Blossom Rain" has left me longing to stand at the top of the world." -Tony D'Souza, travel writer and author of Whiteman "Kevin Grange's dramatic journey across Bhutan's treacherous, mystical landscape is an enthralling adventure in the art of living questions rather than seeking answers." - Randy Sue Coburn, author of A Better View of Paradise