Lost in the Valley of Death : a story of obsession and danger in the Himalayas / Harley Rustad.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rustad, Harley, author.

Contributor:

Samuel W. Golden Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Missing persons--Himalaya Mountains.

Missing persons.

Adventure and adventurers--United States--Biography.

Adventure and adventurers.

Adventure travel.

Wilderness areas.

Hikers.

United States.

Himalaya Mountains.

Hikers--Himalaya Mountains--Biography.

Wilderness areas--Himalaya Mountains.

Travel--Religious aspects.

Travel.

Adventure travel--Himalaya Mountains.

Justin Alexander, 1981-2016?.

Justin Alexander.

Genre:

Biographies.

Travel writing.

Autobiographies.

Physical Description:

xiv, 286 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color), map ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2022]

Summary:

"In his early thirties Justin Alexander Shetler, quit his job at a tech startup and set out on a global journey: across the United States by motorcycle, then down to South America, and on to the Philippines, Thailand, and Nepal, in search of authentic experiences and meaningful encounters, while also documenting his travels on Instagram. His enigmatic character and magnetic personality gained him a devoted following who lived vicariously through his adventures. But the ever restless explorer was driven to pursue ever greater challenges, and greater risks, in what had become a personal quest--his own hero's journey. In 2016, he made his way to the Parvati Valley, a remote and rugged corner of the Indian Himalayas steeped in mystical tradition yet shrouded in darkness and danger. There, he spent weeks studying under the guidance of a sadhu, an Indian holy man, living and meditating in a cave. At the end of August, accompanied by the sadhu, he set off on a "spiritual journey" to a holy lake--a journey from which he would never return. Lost in the Valley of Death is about one man's search to find himself, in a country where for many westerners the path to spiritual enlightenment can prove fraught, even treacherous. But it is also a story about all of us and the ways, sometimes extreme, we seek fulfillment in life"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: pt. I THE WAY

1. Trailhead

2. Visions

3. Let It Go

4. First Steps

5. Alobar

pt. II THE ROAD

6. Pilgrims

7. Solitude

8. The Valley of Death

9. The Cave

10. Finding Freedom

pt. III THE PATH

11. Searching

12. Alarm

13. Into the Mist

14. Stone Valley

15. Footsteps.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 273-286).

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Samuel W. Golden Book Fund.

ISBN:

9780062965967

0062965964

OCLC:

1247057077

Publisher Number:

99990108823