"In the vein of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, a riveting work of narrative nonfiction centering on the unsolved disappearance of an American backpacker in India--one of at least two dozen tourists who have met a similar fate in the remote and storied Parvati Valley. For centuries, India has enthralled westerners looking for an exotic getaway, a brief immersion in yoga and meditation, or in rare cases, a true pilgrimage to find spiritual revelation....

Levison Wood's most challenging expedition yet begins along the Silk Road route of Afghanistan and travels 1700 miles through five countries over the course of six months. Following in the footsteps of the great explorers, Wood walks the entire length of the Himalayas in an adventure of survival and endurance. In a personal story of perseverance and discovery, Wood forges bonds with local guides, porters, mountain men, soldiers, farmers, smugglers...