MEETING OF MINDS

THE FURTHER we walked into Kyrgyzstan’s Kok Kiya Valley, the more its vast size became apparent. The land seemed timeless, with no roads, houses or electrical pylons in sight. Without these signs of modern life, my mind focused unhindered on the beauty of the terrain. The rolling, mustard-shaded foothills we were walking through were gloriously juxtaposed against the daunting snowcapped peaks of the 7000-metre-plus Tian Shan mountains.

We made our way to the tallest peak of our trip, Mama Mountain. At just over 4000 metres, the summit lay a 700-metre steep climb above our base camp. The altitude change was clearly noticeable. Fortunately, our Meetup group was sensible enough to take it slow, with no alpha characters pushing themselves to the limit. That measured walk was a chance to get to know other members of the Go London Hiking Group, most of whom I was meeting for the first time. The diverse mix of ages, ethnicities and occupations made