Heart of the Himalaya

Heart of the Himalaya is a rich photo tribute to the people of the world’s highest mountain range by Pat and Baiba Morrow, two photojournalists who have travelled extensively through it for the past 33 years. 


The 170 high-resolution photos (optimized for the iPad’s retina display) featured in the book are a distillation of more than 22,000 images that the Morrows have captured during their travels. 


The book also includes:


— three videos

— a synopsis of the Morrow’s 20+ Himalaya trips

— diary excerpts

— a resource section useful to trekkers


While readers will recognize some of the region’s landscapes, the focus is on the people who form the heart of this mountain world. This project was born from an acclaimed 2014 photographic exhibit of their work (also entitled Heart of the Himalaya) at Banff’s renowned Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.


Perhaps this “coffee tablet” ebook’s most treasured images are from Tibet, a country under tight Chinese control that has seldom been open to foreigners since the early 1950s. The Morrows’ photos of its monks, monasteries and market places capture a world that is being destroyed by a government intent on homogenizing an ancient civilization.


Pat and Baiba have travelled to the Himalaya for many reasons. 


— Climbing Everest in 1982 before guided expeditions created crowds and line-ups on the world’s highest peak.

— Journeying 10,000 kilometres (partially by bicycle) around the Himalaya from Lhasa to Kashgar, and into Pakistan, northern India and Nepal in 1987.

— Filming mountaineering expeditions and medical/educational organizations from Pakistan to Tibet and Bhutan.

— Visiting shepherds in the craggy passes of Gilgit Baltistan and Tibetan refugees in Ladakh.

— Meeting Tibetan refugees in the remote settlements of Arunachal Pradesh.

— Trekking for the joy of endless walks at the top of the world.


Wherever they have taken their cameras (both video and still), the Morrows have focused on the people they meet — and have been particularly drawn to displaced Tibetans who have fled their homeland for safer lands. 


“Heart of the Himalaya” is a beautiful tribute to the people who are indeed the heart and soul of one of the world’s most challenging and magnificent environments.


Pat Morrow is also author and photographer of “Everest: High Expectations,” a multi-touch ebook.