Few geographical features inspire the kind of awe that a long and seemingly never-ending glacier in the high Himalayas can. A trek that involves traversing one of the longest glaciers of the Indian Himalayas was always going to be on my bucket list and an experience that I would want to share with others who would allow me to do so.
The trek I am referring to here is none other than Kang La. Starting from one of my favourite places in the world, Miyar Valley, and finishing in Zanskar. This seldom-done trek involves crossing the 30-odd km long Miyar glacier. Having done this trek by myself in the past, I first got an opportunity to lead a group of trekkers to Kang La in September 2021. In a season marred by COVID, my team and I were excited to be taking a group out for a trek, the fact that it was a trek to Kang La just made it more special.
As always, we were prepared and had all bases covered. From having buffer days, extra provisions & porters, satellite phones, and contingency plans, we seemed to have it all under control. The group also seemed to be a perfect mix of people from all walks of life. A special mention here for Prasanna, a 50-year-old investment banker from Mumbai, who was insistent on going for this trek even after my subtle and not-so-subtle suggestions about choosing something slightly easier for his first Himalayan trek. Hats off to your spirit my man!
It all started as it should, full of enthusiasm and each day being better than the preceding one till we got to Kesar Yon Chhap. After three leisurely days of walking from one grazing/camping ground of Miyar Valley to the other, we get ready for the challenging section of the trek. I was well aware of how all the easy hike sections come to an abrupt end, turning into three days of tough walking as we venture beyond Kesar Yon Chhap (KYC). None of that prior knowledge was going to prepare my team and me for the next 4 days… The weather gods turned on us and relentlessly threw challenges our way.
From KYC we entered the glacial terrain - the terminal and lateral moraine of the Miyar glacier. Our planned campsite was beyond most of this moraine, but what we didn’t plan for was the cloud cover that came in as we started from our grassy campsite at KYC. As we went deeper, the clouds and the fog got denser and sure enough, it started raining and subsequently snowing as the day went on.
The pace of the group naturally slowed down due to the weather, so we decided to camp before our planned location at a safe space within the moraine. Over the next two days, the weather continued to get worse as we ventured deeper into the glacier and close to the pass. I could see the dent it was having on the morale of the entire group and realised that keeping the spirits high was just as important as making safe decisions for everyone.
On our third day on the glacier, we were engulfed by a complete whiteout which made navigating the glacier and approaching the pass a difficult and dangerous proposition. So, we pitched camp at noon, a few hundred metres below the top, while the snow continued to come down on us. With the third night on the glacier upon us and with no sign of the weather letting up, our guests’ fear and paranoia really came to the fore.
As a team, we had to face the barrage of questions that came our way with a smile and reassure them that all we needed was the smallest weather window to get us through. Having a satellite phone at our disposal helped in keeping relevant people updated about our safety and location, however, no external help could reach us in those conditions. We explained this to everyone while adding that all the help they needed was accompanying them on the trek.
With the hope that our calmness and surety would have a positive effect on the group, we retired to our tents. However, I could not sleep for even a second, constantly checking the quality of the GPS signal on my phone. Suddenly at around 0330 I saw the signal improve and got out of the tent to see stars in the sky. I knew that I wasn’t the only one who would have had a sleepless night, so, at 0400 I fired up our stoves and started to wake up the team. While it was still bitterly cold and miserable, I knew we could make the most of the clear weather coming our way.
After an urgent start to the morning, Sher Singh and I roped up to lead the group towards Kang La and beyond. Fresh snow cover on the glacier had also covered the crevasses, which meant that we had to tread carefully and open a safe route for the group till we were off the glacier. The weather gods relented and helped us tread safely, albeit slowly, to the top. It was as though the fear, paranoia, and skepticism that we endured the previous evening never existed. We hugged, celebrated, smiled, and laughed with a real sense of achievement to have made it here!
We made it to our final camp on solid flat ground by the stream by 1600. The tired faces around me had a mixed look of satisfaction, relief and happiness. A special mention here for our Goan friend, Pushpashil. He was definitely not one of the tired ones as he pulled out a big bottle of some local liquor that he had been carrying for the entire trek and in true Goan style went through it while most others were still nursing their tea. To not have him join us for dinner and the cake that followed was only inevitable but, he did not complain. :)
After the adventurous few days on the glacier, the final day of the trek was rather uneventful, ending with a stay at Padum. A trek like this had earned our guests a reward and we decided to send them to Leh via a helicopter instead of the long road journey, where their rooms in Ladakh Sarai awaited them. It was nice to have ended on a high note. This one will be etched in my memory - nature does throw all kinds of surprises at us!
