As we hike further above meadows at 3500-4000m altitude we enter into a world of rock and ice. There is no longer sufficient oxygen, water and warmth to sustain vegetation. These higher altitudes are also covered in a thick blanket of snow during winter. And some regions are covered by permanent ice called glaciers.

In this chapter we will be covering three types of Himalayan terrain: scree, glaciers and moraines which cover most of the higher altitudes.