Suru & Zanskar Valley

After the trek, Amogh and I had kept another week to travel around. The plan was to hire motorcycles and head to the Suru and Zanskar valley.

We scouted the entire market. Every bike rental shop welcomed us... and when told them our destination they politely refused to give us bikes on rent. Apparently the roads are bad so no one wanted to take the risk. Finally Planet Himalaya guy explained to us - this region is so remote and the roads so bad, that if someone left the bikes there, it would be very costly for them to get the bikes back. He agreed to give us the bikes if we kept a security deposit with him. We were a bit apprehensive whether he would return the deposit even after we got the bikes back. But he was equally straight forward then too and promptly returned our deposit at the end of the trip. We had taken a Bullet 350 and a Hero Impulse. Both the bikes performed very well. Would highly recommend Planet Himalaya, both for the quality of bikes as well as their transparency in dealings.

Next day morning we picked up the bikes, went to the ATM and then the long queue at the petrol pump. All this meant that we left quite late - almost 10.30 am. The initial road to Kargil was good. We were cruising along. After Lamayuru the road condition deteriorated drastically. There was a thick layer of dust on the road. This made the stretch prone to skids. Also every time a larger vehicle passed it left behind a dust  storm! By the time we reached Kargil we were fully covered with dust. We looked something like this...

Kargil to Rangdum

Rangdum to Padum

Padum to Rangdum

Rangdum to Kargil

Kargil to Leh

Looking back...

Well, if you have read the posts before this obviously I am going to rant a bit about the disappointment of not making it to the summit. Though I was disappointed at not making it, never did I regret turning back. Not once did I feel that maybe there was even an iota of strength left somewhere within me. My mind had dragged my body as far as it would go... maybe beyond. So in a sense it was a wise decision to turn back :)

I was very happy though that I managed to get that far. The hard work had paid off. Hopefully I will now maintain a higher level of fitness going forward, so that I do not start from scratch 3 months before each Himalayan trek. Apart from my hard work credit also goes to Indiahikes for the route selection. Many agents in Leh offer a 4/5 day Stok Kangri expedition. (Leh-Stok village-Manokarno-Base camp-Summit and back). Unless you are well acclimatized from before, AMS is very likely on this route. The longer route that we took not only worked wonders in terms of acclimatization but also took us through a very scenic trail. Almost every day of the trek, I felt I had exerted a fair bit but just enough to recover after a good night's sleep.

Trekking with such a large and diverse group also gave me an opportunity to meet interesting people, make new friends, with whom I hope to remain in touch and maybe travel/trek again :)

Since it feels odd to have a post without photos, here are some from the flight from Delhi to Leh (does anyone know which lake is seen in the first snap?)

Note to self: However disappointed and frustrated you are with anything, do not miss photographing the beautiful sunrise, the lovely mountain ranges and the most unique landscapes, which you may never see again!

The Long Walk Back

Day 8: Stok Kangri Base (16,300ft) to Stok village (11,800ft) and drive back to Leh

I remember an old advertisement. It said 'Children walk to school but the run back home'. In case of trekkers I think the reverse is true. Trekkers climb with enthusiasm but they trudge back!

On the last day we had a small presentation ceremony where everyone was given certificates. Post that we had our group photos

Finally we wound up everything and were ready to leave. Everybody had different information about the duration of today's walk. Estimates ranged from 2 hours to 6 hours! Initially we made good progress and were soon at Manokarno. From then on the landscape changed. All around we were surrounded by barren vertical mountain faces with sharp cuts and a reddish tinge. I was still sulking from yesterday's failure and did not bother to click. Thankfully Amogh did!

Whenever the river came too close to the mountain we had to climb a bit to proceed. There were 3-4 of them and each one made me feel progressively more irritated. By now everyone was walking at their own speed and for most part I was alone. After what seemed like eternity finally I could see Stok village far away. As I reached there, there was a Sumo waiting to take us back to Leh... back to the comforts of the guest house :)

Previous

Next

D-day

Days 6 & 7: Rest day and summit climb

At the base camp, the effect of the high altitude was noticeable. Any quick actions, even small ones such as getting out of the tent or entering the sleeping back made me gasp for breath. The rest day was welcome. Gave us time for much needed acclimatization.

The rest day began with a nice breakfast of aloo parathas - undoubtedly the best breakfast of the trek! All of us devoured the parathas in no time but credit to the support staff that they continued to make parathas till all of us were fully stuffed!

Most of the day was spent lying around in the tent, trying to get some sleep. In the evening we had a briefing on the use of gaiters and crampons. We went to bed early. By 11 pm all of us were awake again. Dressed up and ready. A quick porridge snack and we were ready to go.

By 1 am we were on the way. The climb began with a steep ascent on the mountain face across the base camp. I was initially climbing with the leading group. I was finding it difficult to keep pace with them. So I took a break and continued climbing with the middle pack... their pace suited me better. For quite a while we were walking along a mountain face with a valley to our right, most of the time we were walking on snow.  After many such snow crossings we came to the glacier and started a very steep climb. Mid-way up we stopped to wear the crampons. By now I was feeling out of breath after every few steps. My body was giving up but my mind was dragging it along. After a 5 minute break at the crampon point I restarted the climb. Now I was having to take a 10 breath break after every 20-30 steps. The darkness gave way to daylight. I laboured along to the ridge leading to the summit. As I reached there I was completely exhausted. Every single step seemed to be a great effort. The exhaustion alongwith the icy breeze at the ridge resulted in a piercing headache. I decided to abort my bid to the summit.

With a heavy heart I started climbing down. And this was no cakewalk too... Climbing down on the snow glacier was very difficult. One needs to dig in his heels to prevent slipping down. Every step required a lot of strength. Somehow I trudged along one step at a time. It took me around 5-6 hours to reach back the base camp. All along I was wondering at how much distance we had managed to climb under the cover of the darkness of the night. Somehow I reached the camp and lay down to rest. Later on I came to know 8 trekkers from our group of 21 managed to reach the summit. Proud of them!

I was so frustrated and disappointed with myself at having to turn back, that I did not even take out my camera to capture the amazing views. Here are some snaps clicked by Amogh

Previous

Next

To the base camp

Day 5: Gangpoche 14,550 ft to Stok Kangri Base Camp (16,300 ft)

Today was supposed to be a 8 hour hike... and unlike earlier days when our trek leader this was not an over statement! And to make matters worse, we had to walk fast to ensure that we crossed a water crossing before the water levels rose to unmanageable levels. The trail was a mix of steep inclines and declines. The mountains and valleys continued to present a great view

Somehow we managed to reach the water crossing around noon. It was easily manageable. Under the impression that the worst was over I relaxed a bit. After a small break I started walking towards the base camp. It turned out to be a very demanding climb. Took me almost 2 hours to get there and by the time I did I was completely exhausted. Boy, was I relieved that the next day was a rest day!

Some much needed advice on the way to the base camp

Previous

Next

The short day

Day 4: Matho Doksa (14,500 ft) to  Gangpoche (14,550 ft) via Matho La.(14,850ft)

Our trek itinerary rated this day as 'Easy' while yesterday was rated 'Difficult'. Also we weren't going to be gaining much altitude. As we started off I probably was expecting a too easy day - wasn't to happen. Atleast 2 times we descended into a valley and climbed up again! The day began quite similar to yesterday - gradual ascent over a green meadow. Some distance into the walk, we descended into a valley for a water crossing. However this wasn't like any of the earlier ones. There was a ice bridge over the water!

We climbed up on the other side and again continued for a while and crossed Matho La. Again the colours of nature were a sight to behold.

Around half an hour before the Ganagpoche campsite we descended into another valley, another water crossing before climbing up again to the campsite.

Unlike the campsites till now, this one had some other camping parties too. Gangpoche falls on some other trekking trails too. There is a permanent tea tent too!

In the evening we climbed to a small hill behind the campsite for acclimatization. It gave nice views of the mountains and the campsite.

Can you spot the campsite in the picture?

After coming down we headed straight to the tea tent to have Maggi over interesting travel stories :)


Previous

Next

The First High Altitude Pass

Day 3: Shang Phu (14,250 ft) to Matho Doksa (14,500 ft) via Shang Phu La (16,750 ft)

Today was going to be the first real test - the first high altitude pass of the trek. As usual we had breakfast and started off. The trail went through a nice green meadow.

The ascent was gradual. We made steady progress. A couple of hours later though I started tiring out. Shang Phu La was not very steep but I was visibly tired by the time I got to the top. Perhaps my breathing technique was not right.

The pass offered great views all around. An interesting mix of barren mountain faces and snow-clad peaks, made more beautiful by the interplay of the sun and the shadows.

At the pass, our trek leader made it seem as if the day's work was almost over. We assumed the campsite was just a quick descent away. However that was not to be. It took us almost an hour to get there. Towards the end it almost seemed like a mirage! At every moment I was hoping that it is round the next bend :)

20 minutes before the camp... the Matho turtle? a la Khardungla frog

Though I was quite tired and the high altitude pass did require a lot of effort, I was quite happy today - no signs of AMS, not even minor ones :)

Previous

Next