Ryan treks the long journey from Shanghai to western Sichuan in the middle of the summer monsoon season. He starts from the monastery at the base of the Sacred Mountain Minya Konka.

Every year, thousands make the pilgrimage to Kailash, following a tradition going back more than a millennium. But, when the weather turns against those on the mountain, people die. Ryan is in for the adventure of a lifetime.

Ryan ventures north and leaves the mountains behind as he travels deep into the high-altitude grasslands of China's northern Qinghai province.