From the Roof of the World to the valleys below, the issue covers efforts in Northern India to protect snow leopards, a vulnerable species of spotted cat that is threatened by climate change, habitat loss, and poaching. Editor at large Peter Gwin—host of our Overheard at National Geographic podcast—examines conflicts between locals and snow leopards in Kibber, a village in Himachal Pradesh and a center of snow leopard tourism.



My own adventures are closer to home—and sea level. Two days ago I hiked a snippet of the Appalachian Trail through the Roan Highlands of North Carolina. From Yellow Mountain’s dome-shaped summit to the natural balds of Little Hump and Big Hump, my elevation did not