In a remote kingdom hidden in the Himalayas, there is a trail said to be the toughest trek in the world--twenty-four days, 216 miles, eleven mountain passes, and enough ghost stories to scare an exorcist.

In 2007 Kevin Grange decided to acquaint himself with the country of Bhutan by taking on this infamous trail, the Snowman Trek. He was thirty-three, at a turning point in life, and figured the best way to go at a crossroad was up. Against a backdrop of Buddhist monasteries and soaring mountains, Grange ventured beyond the mapped world to visit time-lost villages and sacred valleys. In the process, recounted here with a blend of laugh-out-loud humor, heartfelt insight, and acute observation, he tested the limits of physical endurance, met a fascinating assortment of characters, and discovered truths about faith, hope, and the shrouded secret of blossom rain.

Beneath Blossom Rain, Grange's account of his journey, packs an adventure story, a romantic twist, and a celebration of group travel into a single entertaining book. The result is the ultimate journey for any traveler, armchair or otherwise. Along with high adventure, it delivers an engaging look at Bhutan--a country that governs by a policy of Gross National Happiness and that many regard as the last Shangri-La.

Beneath Blossom Rain: Discovering Bhutan on the Toughest Trek in the World, Kevin Grange, Oxford Unversity Press, Paperback, 352 pp, $19.95

Kevin Grange is an award-winning freelance writer who has written for Backpacker Magazine, National Parks Magazine, and the Orange County Register, among others. He has been to Bhutan four times and has completed the Snowman Trek three times, including twice as a guide. A native of New Hampshire, he currently lives in California.

35 untitled chapters plus acknowledgments and selected bibliography