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Adventures in Ladakh and Zanskar

Hilary Spenceley

Hilary on Jura
Six Carnethy members, organised by Colin Pritchard, headed off for 3 weeks' trekking in the Himalaya of North West India in July/August. Besides Colin, the group comprised Keith Burns, Mike Anderson, Jane Robertson, Hilary and Andy Spenceley.

After a day looking around Delhi, our first change of plans was when our Saturday flight from Delhi to Leh was postponed for 2 days while a puncture was fixed! The airline would only put us up in a hotel for one night, so we had an unscheduled visit to Agra for the other night where we saw the Taj Mahal and some other sights. Second time around (after 4 years for Andy and myself, 30 years for Colin) the Taj has lost none of its initial fascination but the heat, dust, and humidity were really oppressive, the Delhi airport hotel horrendous (ask Keith about Health and Safety) and we were all immensely relieved to arrive in Leh on the Monday after a flight with magnificent views of snow capped mountains including K2 (scrabble for the window seats) and very arid scenery interspersed with green "oases"

Flying into 11500 feet takes some getting used to and we took it easy for a few days, acclimatising to the thinner air, banishing headaches (and worse), visited some Buddhist monasteries and palaces, typically perched precariously on mountain sides, and did some essential last minute shopping. Colin acquired some psychedelic silk trekking trousers which he proceeded to mend every evening of the trek, Keith some snazzy pyjama trousers intended for the same purpose but now probably adorning someone in Pakistan, of which more later. For the next 3 weeks we were always above 10500 ft.

Our trek started close to Lamayuru monastery after an exciting jeep trip involving numerous hairpin bends on the diesel fumed convoy road which links Leh with Srinigar in Kashmir. Lots of suggestions of pollution reduction/ efficiencies achievable if engines were forcibly tuned. Our party had now grown to include a Sirdar (Guide), cook and 2 helpers, horseman and 2 helpers, 6 horses and 6 donkeys (donkey noises by Andy now a speciality!) to carry all our stuff. We carried only daysacks but at that altitude they felt like 40 lb. packs for the first week. Our first day's walk culminated in torrential rain (Guidebook quote: "Ladakh is in a monsoon shadow and frequently sees no rain from one year to the next") at the village of Wanla with ancient mani walls and a monastery which we visited before heading off next morning up the river in continuing heavy rain. Shortly after a lunch stop, going along a steep cliff path cut into a gorge, disaster struck when the leading horse stumbled and fell 50ft into the ravine, struggling initially and then being swept away in the swollen torrent. Tragic for the horse, the horseman...and it shortly emerged that its load comprised all of Mike, Keith and Andy's kit bags, 2 tents and one of our 2 stoves.

Having charged down the river unable to rescue anything at all, we plodded on and made camp at Hunupatta, and our Sirdar continued downstream to see if anything could be recovered. Next day he appeared with Andy's bag, contents thoroughly soaked, and after drying them out we were all set for the rest of the trip with 4 sleeping bags and 2 tents amongst 6, 2 sets of men's clothing amongst 4 and of course Keith's plastic washing up bowl which fortuitously he had packed in his day sack!

The weather continued poor for a couple of days as we climbed over several passes just short of 5000m. and the highest point we had to visit on the trek, 5060m the Sengi La. We did actually climb higher through diversions from the main path to climb small peaks and scree run back down to cols, and Mike climbed a higher peak later in the trip.

It brightened up as we reached Lingshed Gompa where we had the privilege of watching the monks making a mandala - a very intricate mosaic which takes several weeks' devotional activity to create and which they subsequently destroy. In many monasteries Mike lent his craftsman's skill discussing different construction and design methods with the monks. His musical talents also gave him a splendid "way in" in to many situations from having a shot at Buddhist horns to tripping along paths through flower meadows followed by our cook and helpers, all on tin whistles- a real pied piper! Local children when we camped close to villages were also fascinated by the music and Keith's magical tricks with coins. The hidden talents of Dr. Pritchard as Quack and also Horse Surgeon were also revealed!

Besides fantastic scenery, steep passes, cols bedecked with prayer flags and chortens, snow capped mountains, deep gorges and rivers, "exhilarating" bridges, moraine covered semi-permanent snow, we had glimpses of elusive ibex, snow pheasants, sight of a distant lammergeier (an extremely large bird), flowers, visits to monasteries and a convent where 5 ancient Buddhist nuns plied us with tea, laughed at our attempts on the drums and attempted to teach Jane to spin. Clear skies at night brought star watching activities- I've still to see that elusive shooting stars that everyone else was spotting. We had several very long days. Typically we were up about 6am (woken with bed tea) and in bed about 8pm shortly after it became dark (and cold, especially camping at 15000ft and short of sleeping bags though metal water bottles filled with boiling water helped).

Our route was basically a panhandle with our first and last 3 days repeating themselves. In the middle of the trek, because of a landslide rendering the path impassable for horses, we had to send them another way to meet us and proceed lightweight with porters for 3 days. What could have been a gruelling experience watching men carry heavy loads of our equipment turned into quite a party atmosphere, the father of one of our camp helpers being persuaded to bring along his pals, and in enterprising style they volunteered to take another village's fine Zanskari horses to high pastures, not only loading them with gear but riding them until we reached the landslide the next day, reducing the carrying time substantially (and passing we trekkers in the process). We had camp fire singsongs, and an encounter with an abandoned Yak, in a very remote virtually closed in valley, which reckoned Mike's T-shirt would make a good after dinner snack, reducing even more the amount of clothing he had. We were probably the first people the Yak had seen all year so it kept near us all evening although, as we were camped on the only flat spot in the valley, we had probably nicked its sleeping spot.

The gorge with the landslide was really spectacular- so much so that I don't think any of us dared release a point of contact to take photographs. We left the Yak and climbed over the Tarki La (5050m) . From the col a rocky peak at about 17500ft was climbed. This side trip also saw us drinking chang while passing through one village which had seen no outsiders for 2 years, visiting another which had possibly never had a trekking party pass through and led us to climb from our lowest point of the trek (3300m) to the highest (5060m) in one morning, when we returned to the Sengi La and rejoined our outward route. With the ups and downs, this turned out to be a 2000m climb - at that altitude, not a bad morning's work. From near this col Mike and Keith climbed to about 17500 feet and the next day Mike made it to a personal highest of 18400ft on the summit of a snow clad peak. Keith nearly accompanied him but turned back which was just as well as it doesn't sound as if one ice axe between them would have sufficed (Keith's having gone down the river).

When we were collected at the end of the trek it was to learn that there had been a bomb in Leh the previous day at the new Buddhist monastery. This coincided with an electoral campaign and there were 2 further explosions, and curfews/roadblocks introduced. We were held up for 2 hours at one of the roadblocks by a gang of stone wielding youths, although it was made clear that Kashmiris were their target not tourists, on whom they depended. It is to be hoped that these were isolated incidents.

This is a beautiful, interesting area, largely unspoilt though with road building plans which will radically change the scenery and way of life over the next few years. Visit now!

 

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