The uncharted territory that is described in Heinrich Harrer’s Seven Years in Tibet aids provides a backdrop that adds to an incredible adventure tale but also provides a view into the mind and soul of the mountaineer at the time. This “window to the soul” provides the reader with a better picture of what the mountaineer encounters mentally and physically while traversing across unknown territories and navigating foreign cultures. While in Harrer’s account in Seven Years in Tibet he was not “answering the mountains’ calling” per se, rather he was escaping from being a POW, he had climbed the North Face of the Eiger at this point of his life and he makes mentions of his love of mountains during his adventure in Tibet. But most importantly, his perspective as a European mountaineer eventually played a huge role in the development of Dalai Lama as a leader of Tibet through his western influence.

The mountains existed as aesthetic pleasure for the mountaineers as well as a break in the monotony of the continuous escaping to Tibet in the first half of the book. In the third chapter, Harrer spends a paragraph describing the majestic-ness of the mountains. He describes the Gurla Mandhata mountain as “one of the loveliest spots on earth” as it appears to arise directly out of the lake. However the true value of the mountain Harrer and his travel companions regard with such awe, lies within the cultural significance that the mountain holds for the Tibetan culture. The lake that resides at the base of the mountain is the home to a small monastery where pilgrims stop, lodge, and complete their devotions (Harrer, p. 49).

While traveling across Tibet, Harrer and his companions attempted to appear as least European as possible. They lived much like nomads with modest means. It was obvious that Harrer and his fellow travelers found value in ridding themselves of their perceived European superiority. They knew that the land that they were traversing had not been touched by western civilization yet and that the knowledge that they would gain about Tibetan culture and geography would benefit them in the future (Harrer, p.50).  Another piece of advice that was given to Harrer and his crew from the Tibetan officials while they were waiting to hear from Lhasa, was to learn patience. Patience was advised through a Tibetan stating, “The haste of Europeans has no place in Tibet” (Harrer, p.55).

Once reaching Lhasa, Harrer received the opportunity to be fully indicted into the Tibetan culture. As guests of a noble family, they were treated to the fineries of the upper-class Tibetan family allowing for them to further advance their knowledge of the Tibetan language and culture (Harrer, p. 152). They wanted to make sure that they absorbed as much of the Tibetan culture as they possible could just in case they were sent out of the country at any point of time (Harrer, p. 154). Over time the respect that Harrer gains from the Tibetan government and the Tibetan people leads to his involvement in the young Dalai Lama’s life. Harrer uses his influence as a European to introduce Western ideals to the young king early in his life before he takes over control his country (Harrer, p.287).