Driving along the twisting dirt road we ascend into the clouds on the mountain path. Our van bumps along and winds through muddy streams as we make our way towards Tusheti.

The road is not for the faint of heart. Built during the Soviet-era, it is barely wide enough to fit one car at a time and has sheer drops on the sides into the ravines below. Yet, this is the only route to reach the mountain villages in Tusheti, so take it or leave it. As we venture along I notice the marked memorials to the drivers who were not so fortunate to survive the journey.

Tusheti is located on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, about 190 kilometers from Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, and it borders the tumultuous Russian republics of Chechnya and Dagestan.

I feel a sense of relief when we finally descend from the clouds towards a small village with a dark stone guesthouse protruding from its center. I am traveling with Nino Nanitashvili, my friend who has made the trek to Tusheti to assess how the recent installation of the internet has impacted people’s life in these remote villages.

We hop out of the car and walk towards the house, hoping to find a place to stay for the night. Like most houses in Tusheti, the guesthouse is made from meticulously laid shale stone and has a weathered wooden porch.

We are greeted by Elene Gagoidze and her nephew, Lasha Gagoidze. Elene throws up her arms with joy and welcomes us into her home. She assures us she has room in her home to host us and insists on cooking us dinner. Before we can get a foot in the door she hurries back to the kitchen.

Elene, 63, is one of the only people in Shenako, a village perched at 2,080 meters, who stays year-round while 24-year-old Lasha only lives here during the summer months. As the fall approaches he migrates to Kvemo Alvani — a town situated at the base of the mountain—where he lives and works during the harsh winters. Many others in Tusheti split their lives migrating up and down the mountains depending on the season.

During the winter months it is nearly impossible to reach Tusheti from any of the towns at the base of the winding road. When snow begins to fall in October, the road becomes impassable and during the frigid winter the villages are largely isolated from the rest of Georgia. Then many Tushi families migrate to Alvani or Tbilisi where it is easier to access resources and there is a more reliable stream of income.