The day with the free travel... almost

Rangdum to Padum

By 7 am we were at chacha's restaurant with our bags in the hope of getting a ride with some vehicle going towards Padum. Breakfast done. Still no vehicle. After a couple of hours, 4 tourist vehicles came in quick succession but none of them had any space for us. After a while a couple of trucks came along - one said we could travel on the roof if we wished. We said 'no thank you!' It was past 11 am when a goods carrier 207 came along. The driver reluctantly agreed to let the both of us and another local sit at the back with his luggage!

The roads ahead were really bad. Every time the vehicle went over a bump we would be tossed up. By the time we reached the Pensi La pass all our bones were rattled. We were glad that the driver decided to take a small break there.

The awesome views continued till the Darang Durung glacier. It was a sight to behold - the glacier stretches almost right till the road. Despite being very unstable at the back of the vehicle I somehow managed to capture some snaps

We were now in the Zanskar Valley. The landscape changed from the predominantly green one in Suru Valley to a relatively more barren one. To bide time we clicked ourselves :P

Don't we look like the snap in the first post!

After almost 5 hours on the uneven roads, all bones rattled and some muscles numbed, we were back on a tar road! And then he stopped. He had reached his destination. Padum was still 8-9 kms away. We got off and went to the driver to offer him the fare for getting us there. To our surprise he refused to accept any money! He was going to his home in that village with his family. Since this was a personal visit, despite our insistence he refused to take any money.

We thanked him, washed our faces in a nearby water stream and started walking towards Padum.

After we had walked for 1-2 kms, a truck came along. He agreed to take us if we climbed up. Chalo yeh bhi kar lete hai! Up on the truck there were already some other people. It was damn scary, especially when the truck crossed over a narrow bridge! Somehow balancing myself I managed to click one snap from above the truck

And just then... there was a loud noise... the front left tyre of the truck was punctured! We had to climb down. Padum was still 2-3 kms away. We offered the truck driver the fare and again he refused! So we started walking on. Padum was only about a kilometer away when an empty Sumo jeep came along. We got in. This guy charged us Rs. 10 each for that distance. Finally we had to pay!


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Now we know why!

Kargil to Rangdum

We left Kargil early in the morning, before 8 am!!! Tanked up the bikes and we were on the way to Rangdum.  Rangdum is not very far in terms of distance - around 120kms but given the reputation of the roads we left early.

The initial part of the road was perfect. Greenery all around. The Suru river flowing right next to the road. Mountain peaks in the background. And the perfect morning sunlight. Somehow we resisted the temptation to stop at every turn and click more!

We stopped for breakfast at Sankoo wondering what was all the fuss about! The roads were perfect for riding.

After Sankoo the roads were good for a while but post that they started deteriorating... and soon the roads were nothing more than land flattened out by the plying of trucks and jeeps! Lots of small rocks and pebbles making it difficult to speed. The views though continued to be fantastic!

After a tough 5 hour ride from Sankoo covering just 80-odd kms we finally reached Rangdum. Towards the end of the ride the water levels on streams we crossed had risen enough to warrant attention. Weren't we happy that we had started early!

On reaching Rangdum, we went straight to the J&K Tourism Dak Bunglow. In a while the caretaker arrived and we were allotted a room. Rangdum is a small village of not more than 15-20 houses. With mountains on sides, the views from here are awesome.

Sipping chai at chacha's we were wondering what to do the next day. Riding a bike here was not just a test of the rider's skills and endurance but also his luck! Conditions were so conducive to something going wrong... and then if that happens you are doomed! No mechanic in a 100 km radius atleast. At max, 20 vehicles passing along the road during the entire day. Even a small problem such as a puncture could cause great hardships. We were unanimous that we shouldn't go ahead on bikes. After some deliberation we decided to leave the bikes and hitchhike onwards to Padum!

Once daylight disappeared, there wasn't much to do. No electricity! Just one solar lamp in the room. Tired from the day's ride we slept early. A couple of hours later I was woken up by someone banging fanatically on the door. I fumbled to locate my spectacles and switch on the solar lamp. By the time I opened the door I saw ZB rush out with the driver of the neighboring room's occupants. ZB and ZN, a couple from Mumbai were also doing a bike ride along the same route as us. I had briefly met them at one of the road blockages on the Leh-Kargil highway. Today they had started late from Kargil. Hence they encountered the water crossings at their worst. To make matters worse the bike's rear tyre got punctured. Feet drenched with chilling glacier water, soggy shoes and the biting night cold  - certainly not an enviable position to be in! Thanks to some help from a good natured truck driver, they somehow managed to reach Rangdum. ZB had come to the guest house to see if someone could take him back to fetch some of the luggage they had left behind. Finally they came back with all the luggage and were very generously accommodated by the D (the guest house caretaker) in his own home, since the guest house was already full!

Now we knew why no bike rental shop in Leh was willing to give us bikes!


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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 :)

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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

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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

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