Pomegranates at 4800 Metres

Journeying at Home and Away 

Pomegranates at 4800 Metres is a vibrant tapestry woven with themes of love, courage and generosity. Kim Letson’s husband, Mike, surrounds her with his many gifts of love, including his courage in the face of death. At a freezing teahouse in the high Himalaya, Letson’s porter presents her with a bowl of glowing red pomegranate seeds, as astonished silence spreads throughout the crowded room. At a beach house in Zanzibar, three little boys climb palm trees to bring her fresh coconuts, and their mother bakes a cake to be shared with them. In return for a handful of dates in the desert sands of Morocco, a gentle camel complies with her desires that he kneel. While kayaking in a storm off Vancouver Island, Letson’s friend, Pat, demands she find the courage to “come in on a wave.” This becomes a metaphor as Letson learns acceptance from her Nepali guide, Tendi Sherpa, and navigates her way through loss, grief and transforms into an intrepid nomad.

At times gut-wrenching, at times spellbinding, this heartfelt memoir is a powerful reminder of the heights to which curiosity, kindness and bravery can carry us. Bravo Kim! Bruce Kirkby, adventurer, author.

Kim Letson’s descriptions of the lands she journeys to and the people she encounters are vivid and evocative. She carries her readers with her, from the depths of her despair, through torrential West Coast rain, across the vast Serengeti, over Himalayan suspension bridges and into the Moroccan Sahara. Small of stature, she’s tough enough to defy risk, endure pain and, most importantly, to grow in self-awareness and confidence.David Esson Young, ship’s master, author.