When Jono Lineen's brother died in tragic circumstances, he gave up a comfortable life, moved to the Himalayas and over eight years immersed himself in the cultures of the world's highest mountains.

The experience culminates in his book Into the Heart of the Himalayas, a fascinating memoir that traces his solo trekking odyssey from Pakistan to Nepal across thousands of kilometres of mountain terrain. No-one has ever before attempted to walk the length of the Western Himalayas alone, but Jono's intentions were more psychological than physical. It was about integrating the Himalayan culture he had grown to love, assimilating the wisdom of the place and coming to terms with his loss.

Jono's openness with everyone he meets on the trail—from Pakistani military officers to Tibetan lamas and naked Hindu Saddhus—lies at the heart of one of the most complete portraits of the Himalayas ever written. Jono Lineen—a lone, disarming man—crosses borders, religions, castes, languages and philosophical boundaries to find the way to embrace his future.

Jono Lineen is a writer, curator and public speaker whose passion for landscape and humankind's connection to it inspires his writing. He worked for years as a project manager for Médecins Sans Frontières in war and disaster zones around the world. Currently he is a curator at the National Museum of Australia. He is the author of River Trilogy: Travels Down Three of the World’s Greatest Rivers.

www.jonolineen.com