Trip Reports

Stok Kangri - 19 Jul to 9 Aug '08

Trekking towards Stok Kangri base camp, with the mountain in the background

Written by Leader Mungo Ross, August 2008

Friday 8th Aug; We are back in Delhi, 5 of the group have spent the night in Agra seeing the Taj Mahal, and we are on the way home tonight. It is less than 3 weeks since we met each other but so much has happened on this varied itinerary that it feels like we have been away much longer (in a good way!). Meeting in Delhi on the 20th July, 4 Danes, 4 Scots and 4 from England introduced themselves to each other and became immediately a happy group.

Helle's kit bag didn't turn up, but our flight to Leh was on schedule and the Hotel Kang La Chen proved to be a welcome and comfortable base in Ladakh. 2 days in Leh gave us a chance to explore the monasteries, shops, culture, massage facilities of this extraordinary region of India, and get to know each other a little better. On the morning of the 23rd we left in Jeeps to drive to Lamayuru - one of the very old and famous Monasteries of Ladakh - and to start our trek through the Zanskar Mountains. Still without her kit bag turning up, Helle had coped stoically and was satisfied enough with borrowing whatever she really needed. Unfortunately, just as we were about to start walking it became apparent that Susanna was not well enough to set out. Feeling dizzy, nauseous, extremely fatigued, she presented a score of over 3 on the Lake Louise AMS scale. Although it seemed unlikely that it was indeed AMS and more likely to be a combination of tummy upset and too much sun, because we had to climb over a high pass in the next few hours, it was necessary for her to return to Leh. A Jeep was found right away, our agents took care of her on her return, and after a couple of days rest, organised a personal trek for her to acclimatise, so she was able to rejoin the group for the climb of Stok Kangri later. This demonstrates the advantage of using a good agent in-country, and Jagged Globe's are repeatedly and consistently just that.

So without Susanna (and Helle's kit bag) the rest of us trekked from Lamayuru to Chilling over the next 5 days. This is a wonderful walk through a fascinating and inspiring landscape, giving us the chance to stretch our legs and get acclimatised, reaching not quite 5,000m along the way. The weather stayed fine, never too hot and mercifully overcast some of the time, but never cold or wet. We got used to the routine of early starts (with the luxury of "bed tea" brought to the tents at 6am), very healthy and cheerfully served meals, and several hours each day of pleasant mountain walking, supported by or team of sherpas and 17 pack horses. And in the middle of nowhere, late one evening, a lad appeared with Helle's luggage! No one could believe it, but there's that agent in the background at it again!

The drive back to Leh in jeeps is not as "exciting" as it used to be now that the road is wider and tarmacked, but is still an adventure in itself. 2 nights back at the Kang La Chen, more shopping, massages, exploring the environs and restaurants of Leh, and we were off to Stok Kangri - our main objective.

Our itinerary chooses a 2 day walk-in to base camp to take advantage of crossing a high pass for the benefit of more acclimatisation, while horses can take a more direct route in one day with all our high mountain kit and extra food. The first day involves walking up a valley from Matho to a high grazing pasture, needing to criss-cross the river 6 or 7 times. Depending on the amount of rain and or snow melt higher up, these crossings can be "interesting", (or completely impossible). We all very definitely got wet feet, and the sherpas proved their ability at stepping-stone construction, and improvised rope techniques.

However, the next misfortune to befall us was that Ebbe developed sufficient illness to be barely able to walk, so we decided to put in a rest day to give him a chance to recover. This didn’t happen though, so we parted company the next day, the team turning left up to base camp, Ebbe going right and down (on a very quiet and compliant horse) back to Leh (where again our agent sorted him out for convalescence until we were reunited at the end of the trip). The consequence of our day's delay was that the horses with our mountain kit which had been to B.C. on schedule, because we were not there, had returned back down the valley. When the kit did not arrive the next day, folk began to worry and speculate - until we were told that there had been a major landslide about one and a half hour's walk away, completely blocking the route down the valley - and our horses were on the other side of it! We did what we could in the way of training and making final preparations, but without boots, crampons, harnesses etc, the group quickly became despondent, seeing their summit attempt slipping away - compounded by an obvious change in the weather and rumours of 3 days of heavy rain moving in.

At dinner time on the 2nd Aug, a spontaneous plan materialised to give Sebastian and Lotte a chance for the summit since it transpired that they had kept all their kit with them. So Sangbu, our sirdar, agreed to take them from base camp, leaving at 23.00, leaving the rest of the group with inevitably difficult reactions to the decision. Another example of the fickle nature of expedition life - you can never know what is going to happen next. The 3 of them summited the next morning, getting back to B.C. around 11am, very tired, and very happy. By which time the rest of our sherpas had been down to the landslide and managed to drag the horses - with our missing kit- over the debris, so the rest of us were back on schedule to move up to high camp that afternoon. Leaving Seb and Lotte to sleep off their extra effort, the rest of the team found themselves setting off from high camp at 03.15 the next morning to make a team ascent, standing together, cheering and smiling on the summit around 9am on the 4th.

Unfortunately no views, but no one seemed to mind in the relief and satisfaction with all reaching the top. My own relief and satisfaction was realised when we were all safely back in base camp (the summit is always only at least half way), and after all the anxieties and changing circumstances, there was a great mood (if fatigued) in camp that evening.

Having to cross the area of the landslide on the way back to Leh clearly demonstrated to us all the power of nature and the volatile nature of these mountains - and what the people who live in them have to deal with. A party that evening with our sherpas and cook team concluded what has been a very enjoyable, satisfying, rewarding, and successful expedition. All of the group had said at the beginning that they had chosen this trip for the variety of cultural experience, trekking through an unusual region of the Himalaya, and to attempt a mountain over 6,000 meters. To have done all that, and summit as well, has sent a group of people home with new friends, lasting memories, and inspirational experience for further adventures.

P.S. 4 of the "boys" decided to make a mountain bike descent from a high pass back to Leh before going home. Around a kilometre from the hotel Jonny decided to part company with his bike and eat tar, ending up in hospital getting numerous cuts and grazes cleaned and dressed; just lucky the damage was not worse. Adventure cannot be without risk - how fast can a mountain bike go?!

Mungo Ross, Expedition Leader « Previous report | Next report »

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