In the morning, we will depart Chengdu for Kangding, the former capital of east Tibet. Our drive will take most of the day.

Early in the morning, we will depart Kangding for the town of Laoyulin (10,200 feet), which lies at the head of the Moxi Valley. After assembling and preparing our pack animals, we will begin our trek into the Moxi Valley, making approximately 5 hours' progress before reaching our camp site for the day. The Moxi Valley landscape is characterized by pine forests framed against a background of high 20,000-foot peaks. These peaks mark the beginning of the Da Xue range. We will camp for the evening in a meadow (11,840 feet) near the Gyazi River.

We will continue our southward journey through the Moxi Valley. As we walk, our horses will follow, bearing our supplies. To the east as we journey will be a 20,000-foot high wall, formed by the peaks of the central Da Xue range. To the west will be a dense fir forest. We will walk for roughly five hours through an increasingly impressive landscape of mountains, rivers and meadows. We will stop for the evening at a camp near Tibetan yak herder's tents, at an elevation of 12,160 feet. For those interested in trying one of Tibet's staples, 'pur-cha' (or butter tea), the opportunity will surely present itself here.

After finishing breakfast, we will begin an uphill ascent, eventually reaching a plateau at 13,760 feet. We will cross the terminal moraine of Gyazi Kankar, which towers 20,000 feet above us.Relatively early in the day, we will reach our campsite, which is situated in a meadow (13,120 feet) beneath a glacier. We will spend an additional day at this campsite - surely one of the most spectacular camps of the trip. We will spend the extra day enjoying the splendor of our surroundings as we become acclimatized for the upcoming crossing of the highest pass that we will face on this trek.

We will be free during the day to explore some of the surrounding side valleys, taking in the wildlife and wildflowers of our high alpine setting. The photographers among us will enjoy the spectacular scenery, while the sun seekers among us will enjoy the opportunity (weather permitting, of course!) to lounge in the sun. And, best of all, without a lot of effort on our part, we will be accomplishing something very important: acclimatizing ourselves for the following day's crossing of the Bu-Chu La pass.

We will get an early start on the day's trek in order to assure ourselves of reaching camp at a relatively early hour. The ascent to Bu-Chu La requires effort, but it pays off in spades. The summit of the pass, at 15,808 feet, offers some of the finest views in all of eastern Tibet. On both sides, to the south and to the north, are the huge walls formed by the glaciated peaks of the central Da Xue range. Lording over them all is the massive summit of Minya Konka (24,179 feet). To the west are the seemingly endless expanses of the eastern Tibetan plateau. After enjoying our time at the summit, we will descend into one of the most beautiful sections of the trek. In the spring, the valley we traverse will be dotted with blooming alpine wildflowers, including the blue poppy, the clematis, the white rose and the jack-in-the-pulpit. Our camp for the evening will be alongside the Bu-Chu stream (13,440 feet).

In the morning, we will set out on the last southbound segment of our trek, passing through deeply wooded valleys interspersed with meadows on the way. We will camp for the night at a yak herder's clearing, at an elevation of 12,100 feet.

We will reach the fork in the Bu-Chu River, at the point where it pours out from the glaciers of Minya Konka. From that point, we will turn east, passing through stunning rhododendron forests. Those joining us for our springtime treks will experience the riotous color of 22 rhododendron species simultaneously in bloom. We will camp in a meadow (10,880 feet) for the night.

We will continue through the rhododendron forests before suddenly coming upon the courtyard of the ancient Minya Konka monastery (12,750 feet). Looming above the monastery is the truncated summit of Minya Konka (24,179 feet). We will spend a memorable night here in our camp beside the monastery.

After marveling at the morning alpenglow on the stupendous west face of Minya Konka, we will depart our camp and begin retracing our steps for part of the day, until we reach our next camp, which is located near Zemi village (12,000 feet). No one will object to having a second opportunity to traverse this stunning terrain. For the night, we will camp near one of eastern Tibet's most picturesque villages, Zemi. A handful of Tibetan families live here in huge stone houses.

A largely uphill walk from the village of Zemi to the Zemi Pass (15,300 feet) will be our main focus of the day. The top of Zemi Pass is, like the Bu-Chu La, a fine vantage point from which all the mountains of eastern Tibet can be viewed. After crossing the pass, we will begin our descent into the Yulongshi Valley, where we will camp for the evening (13,600 feet).

The Yulongshi Valley is relatively well-populated. We will pass through a typical Tibetan village every couple of miles. Our destination for the day will be the town of Liu Ba (11,950 feet). Today's trek will be fairly ambitious and will involve a relatively long day of walking. Depending on our progress, we will either stay in a small guest house near Liu Ba or in Kangding.

We will ride back to Chengdu for an overnight stay in the Lhasa Hotel. After we enjoy a group dinner in the evening, there will be time to sample some of Chengdu's lively night life.

After breakfast, we will transfer to the Chengdu Airport, where we will connect to our various international flights.