“Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

It was stunning to turn a corner in the middle of the high desert Himalayas only to find a speck of green perched atop some cliff or a small patch down in the valley, the marks of civilization. These tiny villages, composed of three to a few dozen homes were simply astounding because of where they were, literally in the middle of nowhere, and because of the harsh conditions a winter above 4,000m must bring. As we passed from Ladakh into the Zanskar valley the villages became larger and more well connected as there are new roads being built all throughout the area. Though photos will never do these villages justice, here are a few of my favorites from trekking through Ladakh and Zanskar.