The exceedingly stark and beautiful Spiti valley, a chance meeting with Mohit at his Chicham homestay (deep within Spiti), a fondness for the outdoors, a huge interest in books on mountaineering, and a (misplaced) confidence in my ability to tackle tough treks. Several factors seem to have contributed to my decision to undertake my very first Himalayan trek - the Kang La Pass, on a glacier, with a difficulty rating of 7/10, at age 50 years. Despite Mohit’s gentle warnings to take a slightly less challenging trek for the first one. And what an adventure it turned out to be.
The trek lead – Mohit, is capable, organized, social, and more of a friend accompanying you than the trek organizer. The supporting cast - Sher Singh, the local guide, is efficient, super optimistic, and with a big smile permanently on his face. Kalu Ram, the cook, is garrulous and extremely good, serving up simple and tasty food with endless cups of chai / hot water. And 20 odd porters (for a group of 6 trekkers) to do all the grunt work, quietly and efficiently.
Kang La Pass is a Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde trek.
The first 4 days are the gentle Dr. Jekyll as you meander through the beautiful Miyar Valley – verdant meadows and their myriad flowerbeds, Miyar nalla, exciting river crossings, and the backdrop of the majestic snow-peaked mountains. Raw nature at its best, untouched by civilization. 5 hours of relatively easy walking every day. Pristine campsites along the Miyar River. High-quality camping equipment (tents, sleeping bags, air mattresses). Tasty food is served like royalty in the dining tent with chairs and tables. Pleasant daytime weather, evening chill with bonfire, and a night sky so clear you could see the Milky Way. What’s not to like? Life is good – despite Mohit’s innocuous warnings that things will be a little more tough as we progress.
Then you approach the glacier on Day 5. 4000+ meters. And Mr. Hyde shows up. Mean and ugly. Terminal moraine and lateral moraine - small hills of unstable sand and jagged rocks deposited by the glacier, stretching for kilometers. You have to hop, skip, slide, and slip, up and down, for endless hours as you try to clear this grey, dull, dystopian landscape. After a few hours of this, the ankles and knees are sore and you have more slipping on rocks than skipping. All the while gaining altitude and struggling for breath. After 7-8 hours of this exhausting terrain, you finally hit the glacier. And another couple of hours of walking uphill on the ice. 8.5 km of trek takes me 9.5 hours. I have never been so exhausted before. Age quickly shows up at these heights. Especially if it’s on the wrong side of 50.
The glacier is a pristine white beauty. The views are stunning. By far the most beautiful sight I have ever encountered. The Creator at his best. Living on that slab of ice for 4 days is full of suffering. The extreme cold permeates everything. Despite the 3 layers you have on, despite the secure tent, despite the insulating yoga mat, air mattress and the thick sleeping bag, despite the hot soup and the steaming chai. I do not sleep for more than a couple of hours every night. Wide awake by 12-12:30 am.
In this kind of remote and inhospitable terrain, you are at the mercy of the weather gods. And the weather gods were not kind to us on the glacier. That’s when you realize how important it is to be trekking with a group that is capable and well organized, prepared for the worst. What seemed like an overkill of 20+ porters for 6 trekkers, was now a necessity while wading through 1-foot-deep snow with white-fall so thick you could hardly see a few feet ahead. There’s safety in numbers!
As we approached the pass, the weather kept getting worse. Just below the pass, we were stopped by thick impermeable fog and a blizzard. You cannot see ahead. You don’t know which way to go. You have to camp. You have to wait it out. Maybe a day. May be 3 days. It's taking a toll on me physically. I am poorly acclimatized. Every step is exhausting, every breath is laboured. The mood, like the weather outside, is gloomy. Except for Sher Singh, who is his usual cheerful self. You are thankful for the satellite phone with Mohit, that keeps you in touch with the outside world, in case of an emergency. All 6 trekkers seem nervous. But Mohit and his bunch look calm.
You retire early. You hear the continuous patter of snow on the tent and keep wondering – how long? I do not sleep a wink. But I am calm. Mohit and Sher Singh’s calm demeanor is infectious, I suppose. Around midnight the snowing stops. Your hopes are up. 4:30 am Mohit is waking everyone up. The weather is clear, we have to try and attempt the pass ASAP. It’s a glorious morning. Everything is covered with 1-2 feet deep fresh snow. The sun is out soon. The weather gods did show some mercy after all.
The final push is extremely tedious, slow, and exhausting. Sher Singh and Mohit take the lead, carving a safe path through the crevasses cutting the landscape and (now covered with fresh snow). The rest follow behind. I am now the slowest in the group. Willing myself on. Lungs crying for oxygen. I feel light-headed and prop down on the snow a few times. 2 km and 5 hours later, I am the last person to join the group standing at Kang La Pass. 18,000 feet. 5400 meters. For now, it’s a feeling of relief. The sense of accomplishment will probably come later. After another 5 hours and 7 km, we clear the glacier and camp. We are off the ice. Yippee!!
The last day is an uneventful and somewhat boring 16 km trek (again through long stretches of moraine) back to civilization – Padum a small town in Ladakh. At this point, you are keen to get back to the comforts of civilization - hot water shower, western commode, warm room, and soft bed. Next morning is a wonderful 45-minute chopper ride to Leh (saved us the 8-10 hours road trip). The tiny chopper winding its way through the brown naked mountains… what a sight! At Leh, we spend a day at the luxurious and beautiful Ladakh Sarai. A beautiful way to end an exciting trek. Totally in keeping with the Banjara Trails ethos. Trek hard and celebrate harder.
Kang La is a ‘complete’ trek. Beauty and the beast rolled into one. Different terrain to keep you interested always. Gentle meadows, tricky river crossings, steep ascents and descents, tough moraine and difficult glacier. Mohit and his team were very professional. Well equipped. Well versed with the terrain. Safety and comfort of the trekking group was paramount to Mohit. And his team got us all safely through one of the longest glaciers in HP. And probably the only bunch to do Kang La this year. Though I had not planned to expend so much energy and effort for my very first trek, in hindsight – it was well worth it! Even at age 50. I couldn’t have asked for a better bang for the buck.
