{"id":7792,"date":"2017-11-13T09:00:43","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T09:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/per\/?p=7792"},"modified":"2017-11-03T15:48:58","modified_gmt":"2017-11-03T15:48:58","slug":"a-walk-in-the-himalaya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/per\/?p=7792","title":{"rendered":"A Walk in the Himalaya"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Eleni

Eleni Wood, The Open University<\/p><\/div>\n

In mid-spring this year, I packed my bags for my second field season in north-west Bhutan. Bhutan is a jewel of the Himalaya; the small mountain kingdom is home to fantastic people, herds of yak and even the illusive snow leopard. <\/p>\n

The trip\u2019s goal was to study and collect rocks for my PhD research<\/a>, which would help me investigate the growth and deformation of the mountain range. <\/p>\n

It was a trip I definitely didn\u2019t want to forget. It was also the last chance, during my PhD at least, that I would get to capture the magic of the environment on film. So, I squeezed the GoPro Hero 4, chest strap, waterproof casing and a number of batteries into my packing.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"The

The Go Pro Kit, showing the camera, batteries and shoulder strap.<\/p><\/div>\n

I was a first time GoPro user, but I could definitely see the benefits of taking one over other film equipment, primarily: its size and durability. <\/p>\n

To illustrate the point, lugging it around at 4000 m altitude still left me lots of room in my rucksack for rocks and it could survive pretty much anything the remote environment could throw at it.<\/p>\n

All packed up and several flights later, Stacy Phillips<\/a> (fellow PhD student and my field assistant) and I touched down in Bhutan. <\/p>\n

\"Eleni

Eleni Wood and Stacy Phillips on location in Bhutan.<\/p><\/div>\n

Optimistic about the data and footage we would collect, we set out with our guide, Kinley Dorji, driving and then hiking up the trails towards the remote settlement of Laya<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Over the next few weeks we were spoilt rotten with some fantastic rocks and views, and I did my best to use the GoPro to capture the experience.<\/p>\n

To view the results of my efforts, select the video below.<\/p>\n