Himalayan Odyssey

A high altitude adventure across the Himalayan Ranges leaves Yogesh Kulkarni craving for more...

Reru Camp        All pics: Yogesh Kulkarni

A journey of a thousand miles starts with one single step' goes an old Taoist saying. We took that first step on one of our ‘spirited’ sessions, one evening, sometime during the monsoon of 2000 and before the year closed, we were gearing up for the Darcha-Lamayaru trek, an arduous high-altitude trek spanning over 20 days covering approximately 250 kilometers. A daunting affair but my friend Milind Bhide's narration of his 1984 experience across Darcha-Lamayaru, resurrecting that mystical land spread between the vast ranges of Karakoram and the Himalayas further fueled my zest.

After two months of preparation we finally set off on July 17, early morning from Darcha (11,150 ft.), a small settlement located on the Manali-Leh Highway in Lahul Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Becky-an outdoor aficionado from Canada and Milind's friend joined us giving the trek an international flavour. Our route would take us from Darcha into Ladakh going through Zanskar and central areas with the trek ending at the small picturesque village of Lamayuru, on the Srinagar-Leh highway, some sixty miles from Kargil.

On top of Shingo-La

After a gentle walk of three hours, we reached Palmao - our campsite for the night. En route, we crossed the hamlets of Rarik and Chikka. It was a rather eventful day, as we had to do a fine balancing act on a flimsy wooden bridge over a chasm cut by the roaring Barai nullah. The fear of plunging into the icy cold water sent shivers down my spine.

The second day I had to confront my fear as we were forced to wade through a swift glacial stream, about 25-30 feet wide. The cold water felt like hundreds of piranhas having a feast of my feet. It took a good 10 minutes of massage to revive the sensation in my legs. Our journey from Palamo to Zanskar Sumdo, our campsite for the night was an exhausting five-hour climb and to make matters worse I suffered a mild headache and nausea all through the night due to high altitude. I was slightly worried about it flaring into a full-fledged altitude sickness and was more than happy when it was decided we spend day three in camp to recover from the fatigue.

Lakhong area	Start of the trek

I woke up feeling fresh and rested on day four all set to undertake yet another six-hour exhausting walk to our next campsite at Chumik Nagpo (14,430 feet). Here for some strange reason I braved a bath in a glacial stream! The first mug of water made me realise my folly and the shock left my senses numb for a while. I guess high altitude does these things to people.

The fifth day, like many more to follow comprised of a backbreaking walk through a panorama of brilliant mountain flowers. ShingoLa glacier loomed ahead. The huge blocks of ice of the glacier, was a majestic and awe-inspiring sight. It was a scary trudge of nearly five hours up a narrow, exposed path to the top of Singo-La, as debris kept falling with monotonous regularity with great wheezing sounds and sickening thuds. Singo-La (16,400 ft.) was the first pass on the trek and the border between Lahul and Zanskar. Sitting on top of the pass I was suffused with a feeling of great exhilaration watching the gallery of snow capped peaks all around. Our descent took us three hours through massive boulders and glacial streams (thigh deep due to the afternoon sun). We set camp at Lakhang on the banks of Kargyak River strewn with a riot of purple flowers. To say that I was tired would be an understatement of sorts.

The first few days of the trek are enough to get fully acclimatised and with a big pass (highest on the trek) behind you, there is a certain spring in your step. I felt leaner and fitter than ever before. The stark, clean sky, lively clouds, the wide array of brilliant flowers, towering and snow-capped mountains add an inexplicable joy to walking. Early morning crystal-clear streams and the muddy torrents of the afternoon bracket the beauty of your day. Then it's time to wind up in a claustrophobic tent and an even more claustrophobic sleeping bag. Exposed traverses turn enjoyable laced with banter with your companions. Your appetite is healthy and sleep peaceful. You are metamorphosed - one with your surroundings and ready for tomorrow.

It was on day six after the trail crossed Kargyak River, barely a stream in these upper reaches we encountered our first village, Kargyak (13,780 ft.) since the start of the trek. We set up camp on a riverbank below the village. It was the windiest camp of our trek. We woke up to a gray, ominous-looking sky which ushered a minor drizzle. The sunny weather before had buoyed our spirits making us myopic in packing our ponchos onto the ponies. And we paid the price for it. Getting drenched for five hours at an altitude of 13,000 plus feet with gusts of cold wind is, to say the least, very uncomfortable. However, just before we reached the crowded campsite of Purne (12, 960 ft.) the sun came bursting through the clouds putting us all in good mood once again.

Phugtal Gompa (monastery) is the reason for Purne's popularity. The trail to the gompa from Purne winds up along the Tsarap River through gorges and takes about one and half-hours to reach. The gompa resembles a honeycomb chiseled under a huge cave. This Gelupka monastery is built around a sacred perennial spring. We returned to camp in afternoon from the monastery and had a surprise awaiting us. The cook treated us to a freshly baked cake with biscuits and tea. Warmed by the burning afternoon sun, we had our first shampoo bath with water from a nearby spring, life couldn't have been better.

We lazed around for the greater part of the next two days in Tsetan and Reru visiting the monasteries of Mune (Gelupka Sect) and Bardhan (Kagyupa Sect) and trekked further to Padum (11,640 ft.). Padum is the capital of Zanskar region, a shabby little village situated in Central Zanskar plains surrounded by stunningly beautiful mountains. Connected to Kargil, the place of a few hotels, lodges, STD booths and plenty of shops. This was the half way stage of our trek and an opportunity to replenish our stocks. My shopping agenda consisted of buying a pair of trekking shoes as my Nike had literally lost its sole. I soon discovered that finding a size 8 was next to impossible, as the average shoe size doesn't exceed size 6. Luckily the last shop I tried had a size 8 `Action Trekkers', the only pair.

	Phutgal Gompa

We embarked from Padum on day 12 to Karsha Gompa (Gelupka Sect) in a gypsy. From the gompa we proceed to Pishu, our night halt, the route following the Zanskar River.

The second stage of the trek was a real test of our stamina and endurance, as we had to cross eight passes in nine days. On day 13 we trekked to Hanumil and the next day we undertook a rigorous three and half-hour trek to reach Purfi-La (12,790 ft.) - the second pass of our trek. The descent was really steep and after an hour and half we reached the lowest point, where we crossed a wooden bridge over a swift flowing stream. The crossing marked the border of Zanskar and Central Ladakh - a place better known for its catchy name, "Zingchan Topko". From here, a steep climb leads to Snertse, the campsite for the night. A small patch of precipitous and exposed traverse on this stretch put my heart in my mouth, leading to a very disturbed sleep.

From Snertse we crossed over Hanumil-La (15,410 ft.) and pitched camp at Lingshead village. The next day, day 15 was the longest one of the trek where we walked for more than 10 hours going over the fourth pass of the trek Netuke-La and then the Khyupa-La (14,530 ft.) to reach the base of Singge-La, where we pitched tents. It was a slow and long climb to Singge-La (16,070 ft.), but the stunning view totally compensated for the effort. A steep descent from the pass and a welcome flat walk lead us to the ascent of our seventh pass, Bumiktse-La. We finally reached our campsite at Potoksar village (13,550 ft.)., completely exhausted.

Each day started with a pass. Sirsir-La (15,740 ft.) was on day 18 en route to Hanupatta village. The next day we trekked along a picturesque gorge to Wanla- a village famous for its apricots and gompas and we let ourselves go gorging on juicy apricots. Scaling Prinkiti-La (12, 140 ft.), pass number nine signaled the end of our trek. We descended to Lamayuru village (11,320) on the twentieth day after we had embarked on this breathtaking trek.

As we waited for our pick-up jeep, the idea that the trek was over slowly started to sink in. I was stuck in an unique frame of mind, neither high nor low, simply pleasant for almost two months after the trek. Was it because of the sense of achievement, or the vast and barren beauty of the landscape? Was it for the scenes playing out in my inner eye, the flowers, chaotic ridges, snow clad peaks, dark gorges, wide valleys, the quaint villages, gompas perched over vast valleys, the flutter of prayer flags on the passes. Was it facing the trails of the trek in the company of an old friend or because of a mix of all this and more? I still can't fathom. But the experience changed me and has left an indelible impression on my psyche. It has also made me an adventure addict, craving for more.