Chapter 36
Once past Naryn, the road became increasingly rugged and difficult as they climbed ever higher into the T’ian Shan range. They headed toward the Torugart Pass border crossing into China. It was 12,300 feet, well over two miles, above sea level. The guides told them the pass was currently open, but would shut if a storm came in. They hoped to reach it before that happened. But more than that, they hoped to find the Nestorian monastery without needing to enter China.
Along the narrow, mountain road wending through Kyrgystan, they saw mostly bare land with occasional rocky outcrops and banks of snow. The last time Michael had been here, it was summer, and he remembered seeing migrating tribesmen in the valleys far below. Some yurts had been erected, and near them horses stood, la
