During our first few days in Leh, we spent some time talking to several different guiding companies about treks in the area. We wanted to get out into the mountains, but we weren't quite sure where yet. In the end we settled on a trek through the Markha valley that started about an hours drive out of town. Although not as remote as some of the other areas we considered, it had the advantage of being a fairly well established trekking route with villages every few hours or so. Moreover, since it is also the most popular trek in the area, information is readily available. Because of all these factors we decided to set out on our own instead of hiring a guideing company. We picked up a copy of a pretty good topo map and also got a very detailed description of the route from a local guidebook. Normally, this trek can be done without carrying any camping gear or food, and simply staying at homestays or high-altitude "tent-hostels" along the way. The tricky part for us was that it is now the end of the trekking season and we heard that many of the homestays were closing up shop for the season, especially the remote ones at high-altitude. Because of this we instead decided to do it the old-fashioned way - we would carry everything we needed for the entire trek and be completely self-sufficient. This way we could camp wherever we wanted, and not risk being left hungry and out in the cold somewhere high in the mountains.
In the end it took us about two days to get all our gear together and food sorted out. We were able to fully equip ourselves here in Leh, and found a pretty wide assortment of knock-off outdoor gear at a fraction of the cost compared to back home. We bought warm down jackets, sleeping bags, cook wear and a propane stove for the trip (all name-brand, but suspiciously made in Nepal with spelling mistakes on all the labels). I had my reservations about the quality, but I figured it would be durable enough to last at least the trip. The tent we rented from a local guiding company for less than $3 a day. Buying food for the trek was also a bit of a challenge since there are no western-style large grocery stores in Leh. We spent most of the afternoon going from local shop to shop picking up things as we went - some nuts and dried fruit, from the dried fruit guy, some veggies from the veggie guy and some energy bars from the local organic hippy shop. The issue is that most people don't do treks here on their own, and if they do camp, they are supported by an entire horse team carrying everything they need - there is no need for dehydrated, weight saving meals so finding these kind of provisions is nearly impossible. We had to settle for dal and rice every night, with the variation being what vegetable would be the special guest for the evening.
Although the trek is popular, it is by no means easy. The entire trip would take about eight days, cover 110km and ascend two passes at elevations over 5000m. I was a bit worried at the beginning of the trek since I had never carried such a heavy pack (about 20kg) at such high elevations, but I figured that we would just go slow and if we needed to, we would just extend our trip to make it a bit easier.
Day 1:
We started our trek by contracting a van to drive us to the trailhead in a town called Zingchen. After about an hour long bumpy jeep ride along a gravel road that hugged the side of a steep canyon we arrived at our destination. Turns out the town is really just a handful of farm houses and looked deserted with no sign of life except for the occational cow. From here we trekked about 5 hours to our high-camp at around 4300m, below the first pass called Ganda La. We followed a series of broad valleys, passing several small villages until we reached an amazing camp up in the alpine. As expected, all of the normal facilities had shut for the season and we were the only ones there.
We started our trek by contracting a van to drive us to the trailhead in a town called Zingchen. After about an hour long bumpy jeep ride along a gravel road that hugged the side of a steep canyon we arrived at our destination. Turns out the town is really just a handful of farm houses and looked deserted with no sign of life except for the occational cow. From here we trekked about 5 hours to our high-camp at around 4300m, below the first pass called Ganda La. We followed a series of broad valleys, passing several small villages until we reached an amazing camp up in the alpine. As expected, all of the normal facilities had shut for the season and we were the only ones there.
Day 2:
Probably the hardest day of the trip, we slogged with almost full packs up and over the Ganda La @ 4950m. After lunch and some pictures at the top we continued over the pass and decended to the town of Shingo around 5km, and 700m below. During our descent we were treated with spectacular views of the Zanskar mountain range.
Probably the hardest day of the trip, we slogged with almost full packs up and over the Ganda La @ 4950m. After lunch and some pictures at the top we continued over the pass and decended to the town of Shingo around 5km, and 700m below. During our descent we were treated with spectacular views of the Zanskar mountain range.
Day 3:
From Shingo we continued our descent down the valley another 700m through a narrow canyon. Here the terrain was so narrow that the path and the river became one, with so many river crossings that I lost count (at least 30+). Descending through this valley the contrast in colors was just spectacular - the red rock and clear blue sky made for some amazing photos. We past through the small town of Skyu at the confluence of two rivers, where we stopped at the first shop we saw open since we started and had a snack of instant noodles for lunch. From here we turned west, and headed into the Markha valley for the first time. The scenary here was completely different - we had left the inhospitable alpine terrain behind and entered back into an area of life. The barren desolation was replaced by swathes of lush green forest and farmland straddling the large Markha river. Although still an arid desert, the patches of willow and poplar trees made for a welcome change. That night we camped at a place called Pentse - originally I thought that this was a small village but it turned out to be a single shop and campsite (which was also closed for the season). Again, we were the only ones here which made for a peaceful moonless night under the stars.
From Shingo we continued our descent down the valley another 700m through a narrow canyon. Here the terrain was so narrow that the path and the river became one, with so many river crossings that I lost count (at least 30+). Descending through this valley the contrast in colors was just spectacular - the red rock and clear blue sky made for some amazing photos. We past through the small town of Skyu at the confluence of two rivers, where we stopped at the first shop we saw open since we started and had a snack of instant noodles for lunch. From here we turned west, and headed into the Markha valley for the first time. The scenary here was completely different - we had left the inhospitable alpine terrain behind and entered back into an area of life. The barren desolation was replaced by swathes of lush green forest and farmland straddling the large Markha river. Although still an arid desert, the patches of willow and poplar trees made for a welcome change. That night we camped at a place called Pentse - originally I thought that this was a small village but it turned out to be a single shop and campsite (which was also closed for the season). Again, we were the only ones here which made for a peaceful moonless night under the stars.
Day 4:
From Pentse we hiked along the flat valley bottom for another full day until we reached Markha village, the largest in the valley. Along the way we past the ruined remains of what must have been some ancient Buddhist monestaries perched in the most unbelieveable of locations. Here we camped at a local homestay farm - it wasn't the quietest place (there were some other guided groups camping here), but we were able to get some fresh onions from their garden! Yum.
From Pentse we hiked along the flat valley bottom for another full day until we reached Markha village, the largest in the valley. Along the way we past the ruined remains of what must have been some ancient Buddhist monestaries perched in the most unbelieveable of locations. Here we camped at a local homestay farm - it wasn't the quietest place (there were some other guided groups camping here), but we were able to get some fresh onions from their garden! Yum.
Day 5:
From Markha we started the gradual ascent towards the second pass. From here we started to see views of one of the largest mountains in the Stok range: Kang Yatze @ 6400m. We passed through the small town of Hankar, with another ancient monestary perched on the top of a rock pinnacle - again I don't understand how they built some of these structures almost 1000 years ago. It seems like wherever there is a rock spire, there is also some kind of gompa or chorten on the top. Our camp for the night was at Thochuntse at around 4200m in a cold and windy canyon (but with great views!).
From Markha we started the gradual ascent towards the second pass. From here we started to see views of one of the largest mountains in the Stok range: Kang Yatze @ 6400m. We passed through the small town of Hankar, with another ancient monestary perched on the top of a rock pinnacle - again I don't understand how they built some of these structures almost 1000 years ago. It seems like wherever there is a rock spire, there is also some kind of gompa or chorten on the top. Our camp for the night was at Thochuntse at around 4200m in a cold and windy canyon (but with great views!).
Day 6:
Today we began our hike to Nimaling, the highest, and most inhospitable camp on our trip. The morning started out clear, but we soon noticed to our dismay that there was a wall of black clouds approaching from the south. Clearly there was a storm moving in, so at that point we started to really hustle. This was not the place to be caught in bad weather. About 30 mins from Nimaling camp we saw the first snowflake fall, and soon we were in the middle of a full on snow storm. Lucky for us the path was pretty clear, and we made it to the remote camp amidst driving snow. Not knowing how bad the storm was going to be we setup our tent in a hurry and ducked inside to wait it out. The storm ended up leaving as fast as it came, and the sun came out for the rest of the day and melted away the few cm of snow that had fallen. Nimaling @ 4800m was nothing more than a collection of tents in the middle of a barren, cold valley with a few stone hovels scattered around belonging to some nomadic locals. I still can't believe that people actually live in this place.
Today we began our hike to Nimaling, the highest, and most inhospitable camp on our trip. The morning started out clear, but we soon noticed to our dismay that there was a wall of black clouds approaching from the south. Clearly there was a storm moving in, so at that point we started to really hustle. This was not the place to be caught in bad weather. About 30 mins from Nimaling camp we saw the first snowflake fall, and soon we were in the middle of a full on snow storm. Lucky for us the path was pretty clear, and we made it to the remote camp amidst driving snow. Not knowing how bad the storm was going to be we setup our tent in a hurry and ducked inside to wait it out. The storm ended up leaving as fast as it came, and the sun came out for the rest of the day and melted away the few cm of snow that had fallen. Nimaling @ 4800m was nothing more than a collection of tents in the middle of a barren, cold valley with a few stone hovels scattered around belonging to some nomadic locals. I still can't believe that people actually live in this place.
Day 7:
The next day we woke to a beautiful clear day, and started the short-(ish) trip up to the next pass (Kongmaru La) and the highest point in our trip at around 5200m. The path was clear, and the walking easy (as easy as could be hiking up at this elevation with a heavy pack). From the top of the pass we were greeted with amazing views of the Kangyatze massif - a collection of mountain peaks all in the range of 6000m. On the way down from the pass we descended through one of the most amazing canyons we have seen so far. The path was steep, and precipitous and at times hugged the side of the canyon on a path that seemed to defy gravity. As we hiked down, we could see the remains of the old path on the other side of the canyon that had been destroyed by landslides over the years. The current path we were on looked like it was only a matter of time before it succumbed to the same fate; however, I don't see how there would really be any other options! At some points we had to decend down to the canyon bottom where we rock hopped along the river through gaps that were no more than a few meters wide. After a few hours of hiking the canyon began to open up and we stayed overnight at the first village we arrived at. From here onward we were back into "civilization" with a few scattered families farming the valley bottom.
The next day we woke to a beautiful clear day, and started the short-(ish) trip up to the next pass (Kongmaru La) and the highest point in our trip at around 5200m. The path was clear, and the walking easy (as easy as could be hiking up at this elevation with a heavy pack). From the top of the pass we were greeted with amazing views of the Kangyatze massif - a collection of mountain peaks all in the range of 6000m. On the way down from the pass we descended through one of the most amazing canyons we have seen so far. The path was steep, and precipitous and at times hugged the side of the canyon on a path that seemed to defy gravity. As we hiked down, we could see the remains of the old path on the other side of the canyon that had been destroyed by landslides over the years. The current path we were on looked like it was only a matter of time before it succumbed to the same fate; however, I don't see how there would really be any other options! At some points we had to decend down to the canyon bottom where we rock hopped along the river through gaps that were no more than a few meters wide. After a few hours of hiking the canyon began to open up and we stayed overnight at the first village we arrived at. From here onward we were back into "civilization" with a few scattered families farming the valley bottom.
Day 8:
On our last day we hiked about 20km past the town of Sumdo and finally out to the national highway in the town of Martselang. We didn't have any transport back to Leh but we figured it would be easy enough to find someone willing to take us the 50km back to our guesthouse. While walking out a local man in a car stopped to say hello, and ended up offering to drive us to the main village in the area (Karu) about 5km away. Here we had cell service and had no problem organizing a taxi to drive us back home.
On our last day we hiked about 20km past the town of Sumdo and finally out to the national highway in the town of Martselang. We didn't have any transport back to Leh but we figured it would be easy enough to find someone willing to take us the 50km back to our guesthouse. While walking out a local man in a car stopped to say hello, and ended up offering to drive us to the main village in the area (Karu) about 5km away. Here we had cell service and had no problem organizing a taxi to drive us back home.
What an amazing adventure - we were both happy to have done the trip on our own without guides and horses, however, it certainly was a heck of a lot more effort. On the slogs up the high passes I was definitely cursing myself for not getting a horse to carry all our gear. In the end, though, it was very satisfying to have really "done" the hike.
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