MATRIARCH FROM RI LONG: We stopped overnight at the village of Ri Long before heading for the mountain, then by horseback for three hours, and finally backpacking a couple more hours up to the plateau at the base of the mountain where we would stay for our painting outings. The village of Ri Long is at 3,160 meters and the mountain’s highest point is 6,250 meters. Our cabin was somewhere in between. | 2007-02-01