That’s it folks!!

Sadly, but not before time, our 3 month trek in the mountains is now at an end. We are slowly but surely recovering our tired , skinny, malnourished bodies on the sunny beaches of Gokarna, indulging in luxuries that we’ve missed for the last 3 months. The heat of the south has been a shock to the system so we are staying out of the sun most of the day swinging in our hammocks and reading. It’s a hard life!

Well I suppose you want to know how many miles we manged to walk over the last 3 months. The distance seems irrelevant to us now as on the whole it doesn’t really capture what we did, or do the trek any justice as the majority of the time the terrain  was very difficult and in high altitude, not made any easier by the 20 kilos we were carrying  on our backs. Even though we lost 2 weeks at the beginning of the trek and had to adapt to many setbacks along the way I believe we done extremely well. The idea of not catching transport was lost 4 weeks in to the trek and in the end it didn’t prove practical.  Well not all ideas have to work! You can click on pictures below to enlarge.

Here’s some stats from our journey.

Distance Walked 600 miles Thereabouts

Distance traveled by bus: 2000 km.

Mountains Passes crossed: 13

Highest Pass:  Kugti 5100 M -19000 ft

Longest Day’s walk 12hrs/ 26-28 km

Coldest Temperature Kuari Pass and Chantratal Lake: – 25 to 30 degrees

Scariest Bus Journey: Mountain road out of Spiti. ( Never Again )

Hardest Climb: Kugti Pass.

Weight Loss: 2  stone.

Best bit of kit: Walking boots, Mountain Equipment down jacket, Life Saver Water filter and GPS (Thanks Danny)

Diet: Maggie Noodles, Dal, Cheese and Biscuits.

Longest Time Lost: 1 and half days.

Average weight carried: 20-22 Kilos

The last 2 weeks of the trek in the Nanda Devi Sanctuary were spectacular and profoundly inspiring. We were blown away by the serene beauty of these high rugged mountains and the colorful tribal inhabitants who we met withing these remote valleys.  Even though we entered the sanctuary out of season the weather was on our side right from the start, even though some of the nights were extremely cold and hard going. The 12 day trek to the Milam Glacier had to be canceled due to problems with permits and police. In the end it all worked out as we would have been too exhausted to do it anyway. The District Forest Office are very strict who they let in to the sanctuary, especially out of season.  We were very fortunate to find someone from a trekking agency in Joshimath who was willing to help us acquire  dodgy permits to enter the sanctuary. These  permits saved us a fortune and more importantly  allowed us to do the trek independently without the need for hiring porters and guides. This came as a god send as any tourist wanting to enter the sanctuary are by law supposed to employ porters and guides from the local area to help with the local economy. Due to our last encounter with the pyromaniac Porter from Hanuman Chatti, we were keen to avoid hiring  guides and porters at all costs as the whole experience can become very complicated.

Nev made an excellent recovery with his back  and completed the last trek right to the end with few complications.

I’m 2 weeks late with this blog as I’ve been recovering from exhaustion, severe toothache and a strange stomach virus. bizarrely, but luckily we all became ill on the very last day of the trek and only 2 hrs after we booked in to a hotel in Casa Devi. It seems the our bodies were waiting to punish us  for all we put them through. The time spent at Casa Devi was a bit like entering the twilight zone, it was very surreal and dreamlike and made all the more bizarre from our exhaustion, illness and return to the real world.

I will now attempt to give a brief account of the last 3 weeks of our trek for anyone who wishes to read on.

View Back On Nanda Devi

KUARI PASS AND RUP KUND TREK

Auli – Kuari Pass – Ramni

After obtaining our permits from the District Forest Office at Joshimath we left with our pretend guide who would get us past the first police checkpost and then who would leave us at Auli where we would then continue the trek on our own. I imagine the guide would have to return another way as not to raise suspicion with the police at that check post. We also had to get our story straight if we were ever asked at another check post why we were without a guide. We decided we would just say he had stopped and fallen behind us. It was the only thing we could think of at the time and we just hoped it would work. If we were found to not have a guide we could be stopped from progressing any further. As it went we had no issues with the police but the thought was at the back of  our minds that this potentially could happen.

Nanda Devi Rishi Ganga

After setting off from Auli we headed true south towards Gurson forest, an ancient Oak and Holly forest as old as the hills. From here the views back to the north include some of the most impressive in this region of the Himalayas including Nanda Devi (7816 m) and the head of the Rishi Ganga as well as a host of peaks that form the outer rim of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. Not bad for the very first day. Leaving Auli behind us we entered Gurson forest which was like entering a strange world. This ancient forest had a magical feel to it and was very dense and eerily silent. We continued along the path wich eventually thinned out and became barely noticeable and then realised we were lost, only 2 hr’s in to the trek. We decided not to turn back on ourselves but to continue in the direction we were heading. Not before long we were in the snow line and the path became very difficult as it was now following the steep mountainside with a steep drop to one side. The next 2 hrs were spent traversing this steep mountainside in the snow not knowing where the hell we were going. We made a decision to continue walking the same way as we believed we must hit the path soon. This did not happen! Soon frustration set in due to tiredness and the fact that we only had a few hr’s of sunlight left. It was very difficult to get our bearings as the forest was dense so were were unable to see anything. After considering our options it was agreed we would start heading down off the mountain and hopefully find the path below and a place to camp. Before long we came across a wall which seemed to be following a path in the direction we were originally heading in. We followed the wall for an hr before we came across 3 men camped in the middle of the forest. They seemed to be laying pipes or something.We asked them for the path (Rasta) to Chitra Kantha and they told us to continue along the same path which came as a big relief. Another Hr of walking then we set up camp. The next day was more of the same, hopelessly lost again. After continuous reading of the maps, consulting the  GPS and information we had to hand, we decided to head SW and make our way up to a  golden ridge which seemed clear of vegetation and which represented some kind of pass. In our minds this seemed the obvious route to take but were reluctant to take it as it could take us completely in the wrong direction and loose us valuable time. Nev was convinced that if we walked in the general direction of this ridge we would eventually find the path. Nev was correct,we found the path within 2 hrs and it was well-worn so we knew we found the right one. We ascended the mountain towards the ridge through Rhododendron, Silver Birch and Oak and reached the clearing on the ridge within 3 hr. Once we reached the ridge it was a further 2 hr’s walk towards our campsite (3713 m ) just below Kuari Pass. The views from our campsite were truly amazing and very impressive. To the north is the Chaukhamba Range, while the summits of Mana (7272 m), Kamet (7756 m) and Abi Gamin (7355m) extend to the Tibet border. In the foreground a number of spectacular peaks including Dunagiri (7066) and Changabang (6864) enclose the Nanda Devi Sanctuary while the snow capped ranges to the west extend to Gangotri. We arrived luckily just before sunset so were very fortunate to see the sun set over these amazing peaks. It wasn’t long before it started to get very cold and windy. I collected some water from a stream and it pretty much froze withing 30 mins. I barely had enough time to cook food before my fingers and toes went numb and probable frostbite. We got in to our sleeping bags and got our heads down early as it was unbearably cold. Thoughts of warmer weather and Goa entered my thoughts again while trying to sleep. Tonight would be a long night. Up early and packed up camp which was made very difficult due to a bitter wind from the north. Temperatures hitting – 20 -30 degrees. We made it to Kuari Pass (3816 m) within 2 hrs and sat in the sun to defrost our frozen bodies.

Chaukhamba Range- Kuari Camp

Kuari Base camp

Views to the south from Kuari Pass

From the Kuari Pass it was a difficult and exhausting 1000 m descent and then another 400 m ascent to our next campsite at Sutoli. For me this was one of the hardest days of the whole trek and I found it very demanding and exhausting. I fell way back on the path from Nev and Gemmie and just didn’t feel right in myself. I felt light headed, quite sick and struggled to keep any kind of pace.  My heart rate was way too fast and I found it near impossible to slow it down unless I came to a complete stop. I was very relieved to make it to the next campsite as I think I would have calapsed if  If continued any further. Sutoli is a Shepard’s encampment but was uninhabited due to it being out of season. We set up camp in one of the empty huts to avoid the cold and to save setting up the tents. We manged to get a fire going and cook some good food. We had a visitor from a young Shepard who was carrying a shot-gun. He approached the hut and was asking Nev and Gemmie for their clothes and food. When he realised he wasn’t getting anything he removed the wooden door from the hut we were staying and left. Very strange!

From Sutoli we headed south along a beautiful forested ridge (2950 m)  of spruce and silver birch with views that extend south across the Brithi Valley and Brithi Ganga. An easy gradual descent lead us to the beautiful hospitable village of Pana. We stopped here for an hr and took chai at one of the local houses. The family here, like all others in Pana live  simple, harmonious and tranquil lives. I life I could quite easily live myself.

Typical home in Pana village

After we left Pana we followed the path true left of the valley heading SW towards Jhangi where we would set up camp for the night. The path passed mustard and corn fields tended by colorful tribal woman from the village before it took a sharp decent in to the Brithi Ganga. On the path down we passed many tribal woman who were clinging to the steep mountain sides cutting  grass for winter food for their cattle. It amazed me how they could work in such a precarious dangerous place while carrying these huge piles of grass on their backs. Only sure-footed mountain people are capable of doing this. On the way down we got talking to some locals who could speak basic English, they informed us that we had gone the wrong way but was possible to head north through the valley following the Brithi Ganga and reach Jhangi. We decided  to set up camp as soon as we could and make up the distance tomorrow. Once we reached the bottom of the this huge impressive valley we found a place straight away to camp, and for once we still had a few hr’s of light left to relax and cook some decent food. Night off the Maggie noodles.

After a pretty easy-going walk we reached Jhangi in about 3 hr’s. We decided to have a short day and camp in the village as the climb tomorrow would be tough. Jhangi is small village at the entrance to the upper Brithi Valley at an elevation of 2000 m. It is surrounded by dense forest and a few snowy peaks. The people here were very shy but welcomed us with big smiles. We camped 100 meters up from the village on a grass clearing next to someones house. We found out later that this grass clearing was the village cricket ground so we had no choice but to play cricket for 2 hr’s with all the local children. It was good laugh!!

Children from the local cricket team

The following day we were up early and headed on the path to Ramni our next stop. The path immediately became very steep  as we headed for Chechni Balaik Pass 3100m. We ascended 450 m  through forest and alpine meadows before reaching a clearing where we took rest. Below us a huge golden meadow full of monkeys were basking in the sun. It was quite a sight. The trail then rounded the contours of the hillside through oak forest before ascending another 300m to the highest meadow just below the pass. Then it was one last 100 m ascent to the pass which defines the watershed between the Brithi Ganga and the Nandakini Valleys. It was then a gradual ascent of about 3 hrs to Ramni village which was a welcome stop. When we reached Ramni the whole village was in the middle of some festival and every one was congregated around the village temple. There was bizarre music and lots of strange costumes worn by the village elders. We later learnt it was the last day of an 11 day festival aimed at celebrating the many Hindu gods through the medium of dance and music and strange rice throwing which became quite violent at times. We were invited into the main temple to watch the ceremony which was an amazing experience. Many people seemed to be in a trance like state dancing and shouting to the sounds of the drums and horns. It wasn’t long before me and Gemmie were forced to join the circle and dance in front of 300 people. After some hesitation I removed my boots and joined in. My dancing seemed to meet the approval of the many women, especially the elders. I have to say once I got over the initial embarrassment I really enjoyed it. I have many videos of this but am unable to upload on this website.

Festival in Ramni

From Ramni it was a long 2 day walk to Sutol following the Nandakini river.  We left Sutol early for Wan following a steep ascent of 300 m to ridge that leads  around to Panjachawk (2280m) before another ascent to the tributary flowing from Hom Kund. The trail lead through  beautiful spruce and oak forest slowly winding to a ridge which separated the Nandakani and Wan valleys. The trail then headed to Kunol before reaching Khukin Khal pass (3100m ).  The trail from the pass descends gradually passing Shepard encampments along the way before reaching Wan. We camped outside a government rest house close to the path and prepared ourselves for the hard climb to Roop Kund which tomorrow would bring.

Trisul 7120 m

The path from Wan to Bedni Bugyal was a very demanding 1000 ascent, winding through pine and bamboo, before reaching the upper limits of the forest. From here we followed the trail beyond the ridge and over meadows before reaching our campsite ( 3350m). Just above the campsite is an ancient temple where pilgrims make their offerings en route to Rup Kund. The views from here were mind blowing as we were so close to Trisul and Nanda Ghunti both above 7000 m. We found some abounded government buildings so set up camp here to avoid the wind and the cold. We were in for a very cold night. We spent that evening around the fire absorbed in our surroundings feeling emotional knowing this was the last day of the trek and the last time we would spend camping in such a magical place. Following morning we woke early left our belongings in the hut and headed up to the ridge to get a closer look at Trisul and the surrounding peaks. We climbed the ridge (4085 m ) which was exhausting and we just made it to the top before we all dropped. This was the end! We didn’t stay here long as we still had along day ahead of us. We headed back to camp collected our belongings and headed 1000 meters down to our next campsite, getting lost a few times along the way. The following day was a difficult 400 meter descent then followed by 500 meter ascent to the road. Back to the real world!

Base Camp

Trisul Sunset

The End

Well thats it I can’t write anymore it’s time to finish and put an end to this blog.

I’d like to thank my friends, family, everyone at Llamau and to everyone else for supporting me and my charities.

The money donated to the Karuna Trust so far is enough to put 50 children through education for 3 years and provide a skilled teacher. I hope to be working with the Karuna Trust and Pragya in the forseeable future to provide further funds, clothes and other materials for the children of Spiti.  My just giving pages will remain open for another 2 months so you can still sponsor me. Any donations big or small will be greatly appreciated! Thanks…….

Merry X-mas to you all and have an amazing new year!!

Sunset from camp 2

Hi!!!

Me, Nev and Gemmie arrived in Rishikesh last night after being refused entry to Gangotri and Gamuhk by the DFO (District Forest Office) It seems that because we’re trekking out of season all of the trekking/pilgrim routes have been closed to all tourists, Indians included. We tried persuading the police to issue us permits and even blagged that we were professional mountaineers showing them all our gadgets and trekking gear, but they were having none of it. It’s now winter time in the Garwhal region and they deem it too dangerous for anyone to be walking in these mountains. Basically jobs-worth lazy gits. We know this as the last place we trekked (Yamnotri) the police said the same thing, but after pleading and blagging them for 30 mins they gave in and let us go. We managed to complete the Dodi Tal trek just South of Yamnotri. For me it was the most exhausting part of the journey as most of the terrain was covered in deep snow and the ascent was steep and technical, all 2000 meters. Oh yes!!! we hired a porter for Nev who turned out to be crazy and very irritating. Nev’s back has made a remarkable recovery due to a daily routine of stretching and relaxing. It was so good to have him back with us as I know he was feeling down in the dumps about missing the previous trek in to Spiti. Nev is in really good spirits at present and i’m confident he will complete the rest of the trek with us. I realized what’s most important is that we all complete this journey together, so if that means hiring porters and catching buses, so be it. We are now catching buses to avoid most roads as time is running out and winter is now upon us.

We leave tomorrow for Joshimath and the Nanda Devi region hoping to acquire permits from the district magistrate.  It seems we can trek to Nanda Devi base camp as it falls outside of the restricted sanctuary. From here we would have views of the Uttari Nanda Devi Glacier and the Panchchulli range which holds India’s highest mountain 7816 meters. Fingers crossed!!!

Mussoorie -Hanuman chatti

We stayed in Mussoorie for 2 nights as we were all feeling fatigued and tired from the trekking. It was also a good place to indulge in some luxuries (Lavaza Coffe) as eating Maggie Noodles for days on end becomes tedious. Mussoorie is known as the ‘Queen of Hills’ for its immense beauty and attracts the more up market tourist. It is located in the Garhwal foothills. In 1820 Captain Young from the British army was enchanted by its beauty and made it his home. We visited his house which is now just a ruin. Mussoorie is named after the plants of Mansur shrub which were found in abundance here. Mussoorie is towering at a height of 2,500 meters over the doon valley. It is rich in varied flora and fauna. Strangely Mussoorie also has India’s biggest ice rink.

Sunset from camp 2 Dodi Tal trek 4000 m

We caught the 10am bus from Mussoorie to Barkot then another bus to Hanuman Chatti. As usual the buses were packed and were full of women being sick out of the windows. I find the bus journeys more tiring and difficult than the actual trekking. We arrived at Hanauman Chatti not knowing where we were staying and in the dark. This is always disorientating after along bus journey. We headed for the only light we could see in the village which turned out to be a Dahab (chai shop) just about to close. We met one of the local there who offered us a room just around the corner. He was completely pissed out of his mind but decided to take a look anyway. The room was basic and had moldy looking sheets and blankets on the bed. We had no choice but to take it for the night. We gave him 100 rps for the room which i’m sure he then spent on local wine. Surprisingly slept well that night and woke early to explore Hanuman Chatti. Well, the place is very small and a bit of a hole to tell you the truth. The people were nice enough but it wasn’t a place we were going to stay long. Our primary objective being here was to find a porter for Nev and stock up on food for the Dodi Tal Trek. That day we left for Yamnotri by foot wishing to visit the holy shrine seated in the mountains. Yamnotri Is part of the holy Char Dham Yatra and is the most western shrine of the Himalayas dedicated to Goddess Yamuna. It is perched top a flank of the Bandarpunch Peak (3165 mts)  and is situated opposite the Gangotri. We were hoping to visit all 4 shrines which make up the Char Dham. These include Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath Shrine. These are classed as the holiest places in India and are visited by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each season. It was a short days walk to the village of Janki Chatti just south of Yamunotri. We stopped here for food and Chai before making our way to Yamunotri. The path took us through an almost deserted village and then onwards to Yamuntori. As we were heading up the path towards the mountains we shouted at by someone in a wooden hut. We continued walking before we were told to stop. 3 police came out of the hut and asked where we were going. Apprehensively we said we were going to Yamunotri, knowing that it was out of season. The police straight away took the authoritative stance and said slowly shaking their heads, no possible. Their argument was that they were concerned for our safety as the mountains are dangerous this time of the year and that there are many wild  animals  around. The next 30 mins we pleaded with them to let us go, saying that we had traveled thousands of miles trekking all the way from Dharamsala just to visit these holy shrines. They just kept on saying that the pilgrim routes were closed as it’s now out of season. We didn’t give up there, we continued to blag that we were professional mountaineers who had much experience of trekking in theses high mountains. Nev went on to say that he’d climbed Mount Everest 2 times so these mountains did not pose a problem. After showing them our equipment and photo’s of the high passes we crossed in Spiti they slowly warmed to us believing that we were actually professionals. The Chief Said that it was not possible to go to Yamunotri today but may be possible tomorrow. We were only 12 k away from the shrine so we were not going to give up now. The police allowed us to camp in the grounds of some government buildings just opposite to where they were staying. There was green flat grass there so took their offer and set up camp. No longer than 5 mins in to setting up camp it started snowing heavily and the temperature dropped below freezing. This was a blessing in disguise! The following morning we woke early to attempt to reach the Yamunotri Shrine. The police were up as well and gave us the bad news that we still couldn’t go. This order came from their head office. One of the police was very sympathetic to our situation and wished that we could go. We carried on pleading with them that they had nothing too worry about letting us continue to the Shrine. In the end it was agreed we could go if we left our rucksacks in their office and came back after a few hrs. We weren’t going to argue this any further so we took their offer. We marched quickly up the path hoping to cover as much distance as possible. The path was easy to follow and posed no danger to us at all. The path weaved it’s way up through the valley offering views of  Snow cover forests and mountains gleaming in sunlight. We didn’t make it to the shrine as we didn’t want to push our luck with the police. We made our way back to Hanuman Chatti to spend one more night and find Nev a porter. When we arrived back at the room the landlord was happy to see us and gladly accepted another 100 rps for rent. The guy was actually really nice and was glad to help us in anyway he could. We put word out that we were looking for a porter and was soon introduced to a heavily built 40 year old who spoke no English offering his services. We quickly agreed on a price (500 rps a day) and arranged to leave 7am following day. We met the porter the following morning in the chai shop behind our room. He then introduced his son signaling that he would be the porter. This was not the arrangement. Our bags were all lined up against the shop wall and we pointed to his son that this would be the bag he would carry. Nev’s bag by the way was much lighter than mine and Gemmie’s. Anyway the guy’s son about 25 years old picked up the bag (13-15 k) and said this is a big problem. He said he was only willing to carry 5-8 kilo’s which is just ridiculous. We said no chance, Nev’s bag or nothing. By this time we had the attention of the whole village who congregated around us to see what was happening. Many guy’s thought about taking Nev’s bag but were put off by the though of going over the pass (4165 m). In the end a guy about my age offered to carry the bag one he knew he would get paid 2000 rps for carrying it. He picked the bag up with no fuss and said Chello (let’s go) before we changed our mind. This is when the madness started. We stocked up on food and other supplies and left on the path for Dodi Tal. When hiring a porter you always make sure that they have warm clothes, blanket, roll mat etc before you leave. I have heard many stories of porters and guides agreeing to go these treks in extreme environment without the basics. They obviously want the money which of course I understand. When we noticed he wasn’t carrying anything we were obviously concerned. Straight away we asked him if he had socks blanket etc. He gestured that it wasn’t a problem as he would get these things from a village further up the path. We went with this and decided to continue. We started on the path to Dodi Tal which was just next to the village. Immediately the path became steep and we made a lot of hight in a short space of time. The path was easy enough passing through Deore pine forests and following the left side of the river up through the valley. The weather was beautiful that day and the woods were alive with signing birds. 2hrs in to the trek we stopped off at a small village on the edge of the woods which contained about 4 wooden farming huts and a few locals bumbling  about the area. We approached one of the huts and our porter started chatting to one of the guys inside. The guy spoke very loud and was clear to see that he was half cut on some local spirit. Our porter said we would stay here for the night. It was only 11am and we wanted to continue further up the path, at least for another 5 hrs. It wasn’t long before we drew the attention some other local who soon congregated around us. The discussion went on for a while about us wanting to carry on. One of the locals who spoke half good English said that it wouldn’t be a problem making it to Dodi Tal the following day. We disagreed knowing this not to be true. We decided camp at the village as the porter was refusing to budge. We knew it would be a 34 k trek the following day to the top of the pass. Nev with his back was not impressed. It was lovely day so we cut our losses and decided to enjoy the sun and explore the area. The porter left us to go back down to Hanuman Chatti to get a blanket as he realized we were going over the pass with or without  him. Basically the porter knew all these guys  very well and was using this stop to sleep in one of their huts. We spent the day exploring the area and taking in the views of the high peaks. We returned to the tents after some time to relax and cook some food. After some time some locals turned up completely smashed out of their heads on spirits. Like our porter they spoke very loudly shouting at us and not making any sense. The whole night would be like this as more local appeared out of the darkness completely drunk out of their minds. It seemed that the whole valley was full of alcoholics who all turned up at our campsite to talk complete nonsense. We gave our porter food to cook inside the hut as it was easier than setting up the stoves. When the food returned it was half eaten by the crazies. One of the guy’s in the hut came out asking me to pull his tooth out pointing to a mangy decayed tooth. I obviously refused explaining that I was not a dentist. Anyway I went to bed in the end to get away from these people. 7 am wake up to the sound of the porter asking for cigarettes. Pack up camp and set off on path to Dodi Tal. The path followed the valley east over rolling hills  and through old forests until we reached the snow line. The porter was becoming very pushy and would not let us stop for anything. We stopped when we wanted to as Nev had to do his stretching in order to keep his back in good shape. This just frustrated the porter who kept on insisting for us to move on. Every 10 mins he would say, smoking sir. Luckily Nev bought lots of  fags so this kept him kind of happy. We arrived at an old abandoned house in a clearing in the woods. The porter started making a fire against the wall of the house and next to Nev’s rucksack. We asked him what he was doing  and he just laughed. The fire caught light to the house and the whole things started to go up in flames. Nev had to grab his rucksack before it caught fire. The porter laughing the whole time. This guy was a pyromaniac! It was as shame as the house would have been used the following spring. Anyway we continued up the path leaving the house to burn to the ground. The path followed a snow covered track which was barely noticeable. The scenery was beautiful, everything covered in snow. We followed the valley to it came to a dead end then made our way steeply upwards through rhododendron bushes until we were met with deep snow. The next four hrs for me were difficult as the snow became deep and the mountain became steep. All vegetation had soon vanished and we were now traversing our way along the mountain through the snow. Every other step I would slip on a hidden rock covered by the snow. This was exhausting as it would take lot of energy to recover from each slip, especially with 20 k on your back. By now we worked out that the porter wanted to get over the pass to Dodi Tal lake where he had shelter for the night with friends. This would prove impossible as walking 34km through deep snow in one day ascending nearly 2000 m was not going to happen. WE manged to walk 28 Km that day and were lucky enough to find a ruined hut just before the pass. The porter wanted to carry on through the dark but we point blank refused. H reluctantly followed us to the hut where we camp for the nigh. We had 40 mins to spare before dark. It was the most exhausted I’ve ever been and had trouble focusing my eyes or holding something. We were rewarded for our hard walk by the most spectacular sunset which seemed to come from nowhere. The skies became deep red and orange which made all the mountains turn gold. For 20 mins we forgot the cold and the pain and absorbed ourselves in this beauty. It was back to the hut to set up camp and cook food. The porter had decided to build a fire right next to the wall of the hut. We had to move it as it was too dangerous. I think collectively we wanted to punch him in the face as he was making it obvious he wanted to wind us up.  We all got in our tents to escape the cold, the porter was sharing a tent with Nev but wouldn’t get in it. Instead he was trying to get in a small 2 man tent with Me and Gemmie as he probably didn’t want to sleep with Nev. That night was very cold and the porter with no roll mat couldn’t sleep. I started to worry about him as we were camping on snow and the floor was extremely cold. He only had a blanket and a tarp for a roll mat. We had nothing to give him. I couldn’t sleep as I could here him whining and shuffling about, the temp outside was at least minus  10. through not sleeping I had a really bad migraine which then spread to my bad tooth. This triggered some king of toothache which made my whole face throb. Maybe sympathetic pain towards the porter. It was the worst night in India so far. After 2 hrs sleep we woke to the porter shouting at us to get up . This time he had a valid reason. Heavy dark snow clouds had formed in the night and were sitting very low in the sky. If it snowed now we would be in real danger. We quickly packed up camp and set off without any breakfast or even drinking any water. 5 mins in to the trek my legs turned to jelly and I felt sick. We had to press on as the clouds were becoming a worry, luckily they held out and we made it to the pass (4165 m) by 9am. It was a big relief!!! Even the porter looked happy for once. It was a sharp decent to the lake where we ate food at a chai shop. The path to Agora was easy and very scenic so we covered a big distance that day. We set our tents up in the hotel garden at Agora and chilled for the evening. The owners were very nice and cooked us some amazing food. The following day we made our way to Sangam Chatti where we would catch a bus to Uttrakashi and where we would hopefully acquire permits for Gangotri and Garhwal. These permits were refused so we made our way to Rishikesh. WE paid the porter and we went our own way’s to everyone’s relief.

Next update in about 2 weeks. Hopefully I haven’t bored you all to death and you’ll tune in.

See you then.

One of the many schools we visited in Spiti

Lossar

Chan Lake

Chantratal Lake

Leading up to Hamta Pass

Hapta Pass 4452 m

Hi Everyone…………..

Arrived in Shimla yesterday after nearly 2 weeks in the majestic Spiti Valley, it was quite something to behold. Me and Gemmie with our impeccable timing were lucky to make it into Spiti as it’s now winter time and temperatures are dropping fast. I thought this section of the trek we would have to cancel so I’m over the moon that we made it. Last month over 500 trekkers were stranded in Spiti for 3 weeks due to the  heavy snow which blocked all roads. We’ve been very fortunate with the weather this time so all has worked out.  We met the team from the Karuna Trust in Kaza and were fortunate enough to be taken to many of the educational projects throughout the Spiti Valley, this was definitely one of the highlights for me.

Me and Gemmie have hooked back up with Nev in Shimla and are planning to leave tomorrow for Gangotri (source of the Ganges) and onwards to Nanda Devi sanctuary for the last leg of the trek. Nanda Devi has India’s highest mountain so will make a brilliant place to finish the trek.

I think I may be suffering  slight burn out from the trekking and the crazy bus ride out of Spiti. Experienced a funny turn yesterday and haven’t been quite right since. Maybe due to altitude I don’t know. I’m In good spitis so no worries.

apologies to all for lack of visual footage from the last trek. Some of the computers are really slow here and just can’t process the information. The last computer wiped all my photo’s of the website after taking me 40 mins to upload, I nearly smashed the thing up due to pure frustration so thought it best I leave it to another time. Me and slow computers just don’t get on!

Manali to Hamta Pass 4452 m

We left Manali and Nev behind and headed for a small town called Prini where we would start the trek into the Spiti. This trek seemed the obvious route to take as it was close to Manali and would only take us 3 days to reach Spiti. The path to start was clear enough and easy to follow, it took us through a pretty Tibetan settlement and then started to climb steeply through pine woods. There is now a new road leading up to yet another Hydro Project. These hydro projects seem to be everywhere we go and are not enjoyable to walk through. Once we made it past the Hydro Works it was another few hours walk through lovely woods and meadows before we made it to the first campsite site called Chika about 3000 m. This was situated at the mouth of the valley that would take us to Hamta pass. The following morning we took the wrong path and scrambled up the side of a steep mountain for an hr before we realized we gone the wrong way. We were knackered before we even started. We finally found the right path and continued for a full days walk to base camp. We were greeted with snow-capped mountains and a flat plateau where we were able to camp. We set the tents up as the temperature was dropping fast. A bitter cold wind made setting up camp very difficult as our feet and hands were now numb. We lasted an hr outside before we had to get into the tent and our sleeping bags for warmth. A sign of things to come me thinks.

View in to Spiti from Hampta Pass

The following morning we woke early as it would be a long day up to Hamta Pass then on to Chatru in Spiti. It seemed we had visitors in the night as we found big cat and bear prints all around our tent. Me and Gemmie were hoping to spot a big wild cat but had no such luck. I’m sure they were watching us though. We didn’t know what to expect at the pass or even if it was possible to cross so, it was fingers crossed time. The path to the pass was a stiff climb and we crossed many boulder fields and turbulent streams. The path disappeared a few times but was easy enough to find again, especially with the help of recent horse and foot tracks in the snow. We made it to the pass in good time and were both blown away with the views. It was a beautiful sunny day and no wind on the pass so spent an hr absorbing our selves in the scenery. The views into Spiti were mind-blowing, the scale of the place was difficult for the mind to process it was so vast and void of any vegetation. The decent was very steep and difficult in places due to there being lots of snow and ice on the path. We had one scary moment when traversing a rock face with a sheer drop in to the river. The rucksack made it difficult to keep our balance while walking on 4 inches of cliff. This was the closest I came to using the climbing rope I was carrying. We made it to Chatru just before dark and were lucky enough to find a Chai shop next to the road. The owner Tibetan was very kind and welcomed us in for food and tea. Me and Gemmie spent the night chatting to the owner who used to be a guide in this area. He said that all the tourists had left a few weeks ago and was surprised to see us. He gave us good information of the trek ahead and what to expect. He seemed positive that we could make it to Chandratal Lake as the weather had got better and showed no sings of snowing. We were told the temperature could drop below minus 30 degrees at the lake, this concerned us a bit. We were offered a lift to Battal by jeep for free so decided to take it, this would have taken us 3 days to walk on the main road. We were pushing our luck with the weather as it was so decided taking the ride would be a good idea.

Battal - Chandratal Lake – Lossar

Me and Gemmie were dropped off just before the Kunzum La Pass, one of the highest roads in the world. The path to Chandratal Lake ( 4289 m) was easy to follow but took a whole day to get there. We caught the attention of 2 dogs who decided to follow us for 4 days all the way to Lossar. These dogs had been left by their owners who had moved to lower grounds. We were told later that this is the case with many dogs in the Spiti Valley. Their owners just leave them to fend for themselves often dying in the wilderness with no one around to feed them. The dogs were good company but could have done without worrying for them. The path up to the lake seemed to go on for ever and ever, it nearly killed me getting there. When we finally arrived at the lake we were stunned into silence by the sheer beauty of the place. It was like nothing ive’ seen before. The lake is glacial and is classed as one of the holiest lakes in the Himalayas. We spent the day chilling out in the sun with the dogs and cooking food. We managed to scavenge enough wood for a fire which had been left by previous tourists, this was an unexpected bonus as there are no trees in Spiti. It wasn’t long before the wood had run out so it was in to the tent for warmth. The temperature that night dropped to -20 degrees, it was freezing. My sleeping bag allowed me to sleep with some degree of comfort even tho I could still feels the cold. When we woke-up everything was frozen solid. Even the lake had started to ice over. As beautiful as this place was we had to move to lower ground as too many days sleeping in this cold would be very difficult and uncomfortable. We left Chantratal Lake looping back around the Kunzam La and crossing the Balhamo La Pass (4688 m) and then back onto the main road. Again we took a gamble on the path being free from deep snow. Most of the path we could follow easily but it disappeared in deep snow as we reached the pass. We still had the dogs for company who occasionally led the way. Views from the pass again were stunning looking down into the Spiti valley. When we reached the road we headed for Lossar arriving just before dark. Me and Gemmie stayed here for 2 days resting and taking in the scenery. We stayed with a lovely Tibetan Family who allowed us to stay and sleep in their living room, for very cheap rent. I visited some of the schools in Lossar as I knew they were connected with Pragya and the Karuna Trust. Lossar (4079 m) is a Tibetan settlement with a population of 400 inhabitants.  This is also where the highest wind turbine in Asia is based. Me and Gemmie moved on from here to head for Kaza which is the administrative capital of Spiti and  is where I would meet the team from Pragya Trust, sister charity of Karuna Trust.

 We caught a government bus at 7am from Lossar and reached Kaza early afternoon. We decided to track down the team from Prgaya before booking a hotel and settling down. When we arrived at their office there was some initial confusement of who we were and why we were there. Eventually I was able to speak to Sunil, the big chief who is based in Delhi at their head office. He remembered who I was and was sorry that no one was informed of my arrival. He gave the go ahead for Prakesh (manager of office in Kaza) to take me and Gemmie to some of the many educational project dotted around Spiti. We were taken out for breakfast and then to a hotel they found for us. We would be collected by jeep a few hr’s later to be taken to some of the projects in the south of spiti. We were shown around 3 schools that day and were able to meet the children and teachers that attended them.  These projects are funded by Pragya, Karuna Trust and money that you have raised kindly sponsoring me on this trek. Each school we visited was very basic, sometimes without power and little in the way of learning materials. The children there are taught by someone from the local community who can speak the local dialect, they don’t get this in the government schools which poses many problems for them. It was amazing to see how these children were so appreciative of what little they had and seemed to relish being there. I was amazed that these children would sit there in the cold with hardly any warm clothes and still enjoy being in school. The way the education projects work is that the Pragya Trust maintains, funds the schools, pay for materials and put the local teachers through training for the first 3 years. After the 3 years the local community take responsibility for the school and start funding it themselves. This is when the project is classed as a success. Pragya are currently supporting 64 of these projects through the Spiti Valley. The following day we were taken back to Lossar to visit another school and the wind-turbine. The turbine in Lossar is currently powering 18 houses providing 24 hr light. For 8 months of the year they are without power so they completely depend on this turbine to cook, so children can to study and so they can make their crafts indoors away from the extreme cold. The lucky few that recieve power from the turbine happily pay 500 rps a year towards maintainance. Unfortunately this is only providing power to 18 houses which is a small fraction of the population. The rest of Lossar go withoutand live by candle light. If they were able to raise more money it would be possible to increase the wattage from the turbine and provide Lossar with more power. The people of Lossar are desperate for this to happen and Pragya are trying everything in their power to raise more funds. Eventually they are hoping to provide these wind turbines to all villages throught the Spiti Valley. This would have no negative impact on their enviroment or their way of life but the possibilites for positive change would be endless.

I will have to update website at a later date as cyber cafe is now closing and I leave for Gangotri tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in. Still looking for sponsors so please donate through website!!!!!!!!!!

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Children from Malana Valley

Namaste….

We’ve  arrived back at Manali after a 17 day round trip, this includes 6 days at Kasol. This trek proved to be easier than first one but was still difficult in areas due to the steepness of the hills and the weight that we were carrying. Nev’s back had made a partial recovery  so he was feeling positive he could make it to the Parbarti Valley, we just had to slow down the pace and reduce the weight that Nev was carrying. We met an English guy called Chris who wanted to tag along for a few days, he was keen to do some trekking and break his lethargic routine of ordering room service and watching cricket on TV. Hope all good with you Chris wherever you are.

Nagar to Chanderkhani Pass 3681 m 2 days.

Nagar is beautiful mountain village which has some nice shops, some posh hotels and an art gallery (Roerich art gallery) which seemed to attract the well off, both Western and Indian. It was a good place to stock up on supplies and get some food. After demolishing some cakes and sandwiches from the German Bakery we set off up the mountain towards our first campsite. The trail led us through beautiful pine forests and alpine meadows which ran along the South side of the Chhaki Nala. It started to rain heavily and were fortunate to be invited by a family to take shelter from the rain. The family were about 15 strong and were all sitting on the balcony rubbing Charas, children included. We arrived here smack in the middle of harvest time so everyone was at it. For the people of Malana and the surrounding area’s this is their only means of income. It was fascinating to see the process of how the Charas was made. When we arrived at the campsite it was still raining so we quickly set up the tents and tried to relax under a tree. Early night for all.

The next day was more of the same. We arrived at Dohra ( 3426 m ) the next campsite after a long days walk, this was just down from Chanderkhani Pass so we didn’t have far to walk the following day to reach the top. We camped just down from a Chai shop so decided to have food here instead of cooking. We all spent the night around a lovely wood-burner as it was freezing outside. The following day was an hrs walk to the pass.  The views of the Pir Panjal and Parbarti ranges were simply breathtaking, we spent a good hr on the pass taking it all in. A clear trail to the the South descends steeply for 4 km to Malana and to the North a trail which would lead us to the Malana Glacier.

Chanderkhani Pass

Manala Valley to Kasol 2898 m 3 days.

Some background information for Malana and surrounding areas. Malana is uniquely different in many ways from the rest of India. Until 20 years ago entering Malana was prohibited. Even now outsiders are not allowed to touch the local people or the walls of the temple. Malana is classed as a republic and has no interference from the outside world, their way of life is simple and has not changed for thousands of years.  I’m afraid this may soon change as a road has been blasted through the mountains as part of the ongoing hydro projects which are under construction everywhere throughout the Himalayas. Most people from Malana are in disagreement with the hydro projects and wish to be left alone.

One has to be mindful not to touch the children or the many shepherds on the path. This wasn’t too difficult as the local people, as friendly as they are always kept their distance from us. The only income the people from Malana have is from selling charas, they have done this for a long time. The whole of the Malana Valley is pretty much covered with cannabis plants. It’s known to produce the highest quality ganja found anywhere in the world.  For many years westerners have gone missing in this area and if you intend to trek here you are  told to take a guide because of the potential dangers. I believe this is down to business deals in  charas going wrong. My experience of  Malana was totally positive, we were always greeted by warm people with warm smiles.

From the pass we followed the trail north towards the 1st campsite at Nagruni 3242 m. This section was about 4-5 hrs  walk and the trail weaved in and out of the tree line all the way up the valley. We followed the trail and missed the turning to the campsite, easily done as the path was barely noticable. We ended up on top of the ridge following a path barely wide enough to walk on. We decided to walk down the side of the mountain to where we thought we could see the campsite. The gradient was very steep and made hard work on the knees. The campsite was situated in a clearing of pine trees surrounded by giant boulders with a lovely stream passing through it. Perfect! We met a Shepard at the campsite who saw us coming down the mountain. He said we were lucky we didn’t continue on the path as many people have got lost going that way. Spent a lovely night sitting around a big fire taking in the views. Following day we made our way to Waching, a small village perched on the side of the mountain. We set up the tents in a small clearing next to the village. In no time at all we had most of the children in the village sitting around us staring in fascination. They were carefull to keep their distance from us. The next day we planned to walk up to the Malana Glacier but had to cancel as Nev’s back took a turn for the worse. This time it was serious and he could hardly walk. It was plain to see he was in a lot of pain. Our main fear and Nev’s, was that his back would completely seize up and wouldn’t be able to make it off the mountain. We were in wild country so didn’t know what to expect. We decided we had to get him to a road quickly. Luckily for Nev we found a road withing 4 hrs which was part of the hydro works.  we were fortunate to find a worker who would take us to Kasol by jeep. We spent 6 days in Kasol hoping Nev would get better. For the fist 3 days Nev couldn’t move and was Bed bound. Me and Gemmie worked on his back for some time giving him massage and slowly but surely he was able to walk again. Our plan now was to get Nev to the healing hot springs of Kir Ganga which are situated in the Parbarti Valley. We would leave Nev here to rest and hopefully with the help of the hot springs make a full recovery. Nev wanted us to go on without him but we decided against it as we wanted him to continue the trek with us.

Kasol to Pin Parbati Valley 3612 m 5 days

After a long wait in Kasol We made our way to the hot springs of Kir Ganga. It was a beautiful walk through deciduous forests and quaint villages. The walk took us 4-5 hrs to reach the hot springs and Nev was walking well again if still a bit sore.  Wow what a place!! It was like heaven in the mountains. A beautiful meadow with a few chai shops surrounded by high peaks in almost every direction. At the top of the meadow the springs could be found. Hot sulphuric water coming staight out of the mountain into a man made pool. One could sit in the hot springs relaxing while enjoying the stunning views, it really was paradise. Also amazing to experience after a long days walk. Nev was over the moon to have made it here and was more than glad to be left here while me and Gemmie walked further up Parbarti Valley. We met 3 Germans who were travelling with 11 porters and 2 guides. They got all the way to Pin Parbarti Pass to be told it was too dangerous to cross. They insisited that they wanted to go over but the porters all went on strike and refusded to move. As you can imagine they were livid as they must have spent thousands on this trek. The next day me and Gemmie left Kir Ganga to move further up the valley. We would walk as far as we could until we were forced to retreat by the weather. The walk was truly spectacular and could easily see why it was known as the most adventurous and scenic in the whole Kullu Valley. We made it 2 days up the valley before the weather turned. We could see the high peaks of the Pin Parbati covered in snow. We would not venture here as it was too dangerous. It was truly untouched wilderness. We had to cross the Parbati river at one point in a metal cage suspended well above the river. We spent the night in a Shepard’s cave which was an experience.

We are now back in Manali for 2 days rest. Me and Gemmie leave tomorrow for Spiti over Hamatal Pass. There is a lot of snow on the mountains so might prove to be a difficult walk. We hope to trek for about 2 weeks in Spiti then meet Nev in Shimla. unfortunately Nev will not be joining us on this adventure due to the remoteness of Spiti and the danger of his back going again. Me and Gemmie will go it alone. Joe has now gone back to Scotland as she found out she was pregnant pretty much the day we arrived in India. All the best Joe we’re all thinking of you.

A short story……

A German guy was found by a Shepard high in the mountains, his tent deep in snow. The guy had been there for some time and was  severely snow blind. He didn’t have long to live. The Shepard led the guy by the hand for 3 days over mountains till they reached the road. He was taken to Manali hospital where he spent 3 weeks receiving treatment. His eyes were so badly infected they were the size of tennis balls. After the guy made a full recovery he immediately bought a horse and headed into the mountains by himself and without a guide. It seems the need for adventure and the wilderness is great with some people. I just hope the guy is having the time of his life. Respect!!!

Web update in about 2 weeks. I hope I haven’t rambled too much.

Big love M

Hello everyone!!

After 2 weeks of intensive trekking, physical/mental exhaustion, amazing views and more changes we finally made it to Manali, well two of us did.

The last 2 weeks have been an incredible experience and we have all been humbled and blown away by the spectacular environment which we have been fortunate to walk through.

The proposed trek to Manali had to be changed as we were informed by a local guide that some low lying glaciers on the path had melted and had formed deep wide crevasses. We had this confirmed from another source so decided not to risk taking that route. Due to the late monsoon the weather was still unpredictable and the late rain was soon followed by late snow. The new route to Manali  would take us over the Kugti pass and into the fertile Lahaul Valley.

For the first section of the trek we decided to get a porter and a guide as the Inderah Pass and Kugti Pass looked very difficult and off the beaten track. We didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks so early on in the journey, this also gave us a chance to find our feet and get used to the weight we were carrying. Joe was finding her weight difficult to carry so decided to get herself a porter to make the journey more bearable.

The plan was to do the whole trek without using transport our support. I may have been a bit naive in thinking this was possible. I think the majority of the trek can be done this way but undoubtedly support and some transport will be used. I’m sure lots of my friends will laugh at this knowing this would be the case. No worries, I’ve now dealt with it.

We left Eagle Crest 10am with our guide Lalu and porter Pooja. We made our way to Triund  which is situated on a lush green ridge 3000 meters up and about a 4 hr walk. This would be our first stop for the night where we would camp for the first time in the tents. Nothing really intersting to say about this bit accept for a lovely view of the Inderah Pass which we cross over in 2 days. Following day was a 6hr walk to the the base of the Inderah Pass where wewould  spend the night in a shepards cave, nice place to sleep I have to say.  So far I had been feeling pretty comfortable carrying 18 Kilos but was slightly concerned  about how I would manage with the 1000 meter near vertical climb to the top of the pass. It looked an impossible climb from a distance and made my legs ache just looking at it .

Inderah Pass – 4342 meters

5 am early start was needed to get over this beast of a mountain. This section of the trek was one of the most difficult of the journey as it was a near vertical climb of 5 hrs making our way up stone steps which were more like stone ladders. We had to be very careful of the weight of the rucksack as it would pull you backwards if you stood up straight too quickly. The walk up was silent as talking proved impossible. I had to dig deep and endure the burning pain in my legs all the way to the top. This was the first time I realized I’d probably been carrying too much weight. Anyway we all finally made it to the top and we were greeted with a 180 view off snow capped mountains strethching right into the distance. I’ve never seen so many high peaks in my life. We didn’t stay long on the pass as we had to make it down quickly to reach the next camping ground.

Inderah Pass – Kuarsi 2243 meters

The next 2 days following the Inderah Pass  we walked through untouched wilderness and followed shepherd paths barely wide enough to walk on. There was nothing man made to been seen as far as the eye could see accept for the paths we were walking on. The path on the  route was very technical and proved challenging as there were no room for mistakes. After two days of hard walking and stunning scenery we finally arrived at Kuarsi. The first thing we noticed was all this shouting and chanting coming from the woods. As we got closer we could see people standing around a giant Deore pine tree which seemed to be the center of the village. This was one biggest trees I’ve ever seen, so big they built their temple around it.  The villagers were trying to break a huge branch around the tree and were giving it everything. Alas they couldn’t break it. We found out later that they did this every time they built a new house in the village. This also helped the community to bond. We were then taken to a beautiful wooden temple were we would stay for the night. The ceremony continued inside the temple for about 3 hours, there was lots of intense drumming and ringing of bells while this man whipped himself with metal chains. Within no time at all this man was in a full trance freaking out and continued to whip himself for a further 20 mins (Bruce Parry eat your heart out). I was allowed to film this so have put it in the Gallery. This was done in the name of the snake god Kuali.

Kuarsi -Bramaur 2450 meters

From Kuarsi we made our way to Dhali then Bramaur about 2 days walk. Nev and Joe were finding the trek difficult and decided after much discussion to finish the trek at Bramaur. We hired a jeep to take us on the short jouirney to Bramaur, managed to find a driver who didn’t care if he lived or died as he drove like a mentalist on the mountain roads.  Nev was having difficulties with his back and didn’t want to risk his back going in the middle of nowhere. It was very sad to see them both  go.  Joe had her own reasons for not continuing with trek but will mention the reasons why at a later date. Me and Gemmie had a days rest at Bramaur before we set off. Joe and Nev made their way to Manali where we would meet them at the end of the trek.

Mount Manimihesh 4120 Meters

From Bramaur we made our way to Mount Manimihesh, India’s holiest mountain. It was a steep 2 day trek from top to bottom and apart from the actual mountain wasn’t that impressive. 1 month before thousands of pilgrims had come to Manimihesh to bathe in the sacred lake. The whole path from top to bottom was like the aftermath of Glastonbury festival, rubbish everywhere.

Manimihesh- Kugti Pass 5040 meters

From Manimihesh it was another 4 days walk to the base of the Kugti pass. This was a stunning part of the journey passing through beautiful villages and plush green valleys with lovely waterfalls everwhere. We were going to stay in a temple for the night before we reached the Kugti Pass but decided against it was a temple for sacrificing animals. Some many cute goats going into the temple not knowing they would never come out. We manged to find somewhere to camp nearby so was ok. From here we walked all day to the foot of the Kugti Pass where we spent the night next to a cliff. The approach to the Kugti Pass was beautiful as we hit a plateau of golden rolling hills, quite surreal. The night was getting very cold so we had an early night to avoid the cold. Up at 4am as we had a 12hr day ahead of us. This section of the trek proved the most difficult of the whole journey and had me worried many times.  The approach to the Kugti was quite technical as we had to cross a glacier to reach the foot of the mountain. The Glacier was very steep and was easy to loose grip on the ice. From here we had to traverse 600 meters up the side of the mountain which was made out of loose slate and was just coming away in our hands, once false slip and we were goners. Even the guide and the porter looked worried for a while. Lalu the guide said we had to hurry as the sun was coming up and this would create rocks to fall from the mountain. There were rocks falling all around us from the mountain above. I was relieved to reach the top and  intact. The weight of my rucksack proved difficult on such a steep ascent and my legs had turned to jelly. The view from the top was stunning as all we could see were glaciers and mountains covered in ice. The pass was a thin ridge with a 600-800 meter drop on the other side. This side of the Kugti Pass was covered in 4 ft of snow and I couldn’t for the life of me see a way down. I followed the guide for about 5 mins through the snow before he stopped. He casually turned around and said we go straight down from here. I asked him what he meant, he said there are no rocks here so you can slide down the mountains. Lalu then sat down on the snow and started to slide down the mountain at a fast speed. It looked insane so I went for it. Gemmie seemed to love this bit and was at the bottom in no time. To cut along story short we tobogganed down the north face of Kugti, it took us about 20 mins instead of a 2 hr walk.  As we reached the bottom of the mountain we had to cross a  glacier with huge crevasses , this was very tiring on the legs.  From here we walked 2 days to the next village where we caught a bus to Manali over the infamous Rhotang Pass.  Bus journey 10hrs.

We have now been in Manali for a few days resting. Nev has been doing Yoga and his back is a lot better. We leave tomorrow for the Parbati Valley to embark on a 10 day trek through Manala, Manikiran and Kirikanga. We return to Manali for 2 days rest before we leave for Spiti Valley. Unfortunately Joe has left us and is currently on her way back home to Edinburgh. Very sad to see her go. Anyway I can’t write anymore, so in fear of boring you all to death I will finish here.

Big shout out to everyone at Llamau!!! I hope sprint is getting easier for you all. Big up to Hayden for keeping me informed about work and my plants. Please can someone empty the shredder Hayden is not happy. Marie the pillow is working a treat, thanks!!  Oh yes, C,mon sponsor me!! Please!!

Also hello to everyone at Rhudry Primary School, looking forward to seeing you all on my return.

I hope my next blog is not so long ,sorry!!!

Big love Marcos

We’ve been told that the snow has cleared from the Inderah Pass so it’s now safe to cross. We leave early tomorrow morning  for Manali. Hoping to do this part of the trek in 2 weeks.  The weather getting better everyday so everything looking good.

don’t forget you can still sponsor me through this website by clicking sponsor me tab.

See you all in 2 weeks. Marcos

Gemmie, Nev, Joe and Marcos

                                      The Great Inderah Pass

 

 

Well it seems the Indian Monsoon has other plans for us.

We left  early morning from Chamba in a jeep which would take us to Donali, the starting point of the trek. It had been raining hard in Chamba for nearly 2 days and it was showing no signs of slowing when we reached Donali. We decided that it would be impossible to start the trek that day as the rains were too heavy and the valley had literally turned into one big river. We decided to walk 5 km further up the valley to a small village were we could sleep for the night in a government rest house. It was the only guest house for miles around and due to the terrain we were unable to  set up our tents. That night I hardly slept a wink for worrying about what lay ahead. As expected, plans this complex will undoubtedly change.

The following day the monsoon was still hitting us hard, my heart sank as I knew we would have to postpone the trek. After talking with some guide about our journey our fears were confirmed. They said we were crazy for attempting to climb the steep valley in this weather and when they didn’t try to offer their services I knew then they were telling the truth. Me, Nev and Joe made a decision to cancel the first week of the trek and head to Dharamsala where we were due to meet Gemmie in 8 days.

We caught a government bus to Dharamsala over the old mountain road, it proved to be the most interesting and scariest bus journey I have ever been on and I have been on many in this crazy country. The bus journey took 10 hrs in total and broke down twice. As we left Chamba we started climbing steeply through the foothills of the Himalayas, I don’t remember the mountain roads ever looking so small. The bus was the same width as the road and the drop on my side was sheer. It looked like a scene out of Indiana Jones. We were sharing the bus with two one legged Sadhus, one crazy as hell. The one Sadhu who was sitting behind me offered me and Nev some Charas (when in India), I accepted. Big mistake on my behalf. As the bus started to  climb higher my nerves started to fray and the fear set in. I was stuck on the side of the bus which was hanging over the end of the road. I had to stick my head out of the window to see where the wheels were because it seemed they were going over the edge. It was while I was doing this that one of the wheels slipped over the edge slightly while turning a tight bend, I could feel the back wheel biting the edge as it came back on to the road. It was then I thought I was going to die, intensified by the Charas of course. When we reached the pass it started to rain and we had total white out from the clouds. What made me laugh was the that the windscreen wipers didn’t even work. The whole journey the sadhu behind me was ranting on his spiritual phone talking to Shiva and was trying to shove whisky down my throat. Luckily for me he turned his attention on Nev and soon left me alone. The whole experience span me out some. Nev and Joe seemed unfazed by the journey as they were on the other side of the bus and unable to see the vertical drop. Anyway as you can guess I survived, physically anyway.

We are now staying high in the mountains above Dharamsala on a beautiful ridge overlooking two valleys, (see gallery) it’s pretty spectacular. We have amazing views of the high peaks and the valleys below. we’ve based ourselves here as we can walk for miles in any direction without coming into contact with lots of people’  it’s also a good starting point for many of the treks in the area. we’ve been spending each day walking the mountains, getting fit, and getting used to the equipment we will be using for the next 3 months. The weather is slowly getting better and the monsoon is slowly burning itself out. Gemmie will arrive in 2 days and we will then attempt to cross the great Inderah pass (see gallery) which is 4250 meters. This will be our first of many challenges. We then follow the pilgrim route to Manimehesh then on to Manali. This section of the trek should take 2 weeks if all goes well.

I will update website again in about 2 weeks.  See you later.

Thought i’d give you all an idea of the ridiculous amount of kit I’m carrying. My rucksack is weighing in at just under 23 kilo’s with food and water. It’s gonna break me!!! I just hope I get used to it over the next few day’s.

Me, Joe and Nev left Delhi last-night to catch our train to Pathankot. The journey took 14 hrs and was a bit of a nightmare as we had 3 children in the same carriage as us who spent the whole night screaming. My rucksack took up most of the space on my bed so I spent the whole journey trying to find a comfortable position which is hard when your bed has been reduced to 2 ft. When in India! We are now in Chamba (Northern Punjab) stocking up on food and fuel. The start of our trek is 25 clicks up the valley where we will catch a government bus to Donali. From there we will trek 8 days to McLeod Ganj where we will be meeting Gemmie the fourth team member. Chamba is lovely place surrounded by lush green hills, we seem to be the only westerners here at the moment which feels strange but refreshing. Anyway that’s enough for now will write from McLeod Ganj in 8-10 days. Will have some amazing photos from the first leg of the trek.

See you all soon. Marcos, Joe and Nev

Word up to the massive!!!!!!

Me and Joe landed safely in Delhi early hours of the morning after a smooth flight. We’re both so excited to be back here.  It’s very hot and humid  and the intense smells and sounds of India evoke strong memories of past visits. Now the adventure has really begun!!. I had a nice surprise when unpacking my rucksack at the hotel, a bag of strawberry protein shake exploded in my bag and coated all my stuff in powder, it wasn’t long before the humidity turned it into a sticky goo. All my stuff now smells of strawberries which is not a bad thing I suppose. first time I ever licked a rucksack too and enjoyed it. Nev arrived today from Mumbai so just waiting for Gemmie who will meet us in Mcloud Ganj.

Booked train tickets to Panthankot for tomorrow evening then jeep to a small village called Moli where we start the trek. Looking forward to the views and clean mountain air.

See you all soon. Marcos

That’s all folks!!!!

Well this is my last night in Cardiff and I am just about ready for the big trip ahead. I’m flying from Heathrow tomorrow morning and will arrive in Delhi tomorrow night. Myself, Nev and Joe will then catch a 12 hr train to Pathankot close to Pakistan border. We will then hire a jeep to take us to a small village outside of Chamba where we will be starting our 1000 mile trek. The fourth team member (Gemmie) will meet us 10 days into the trek in Dharamcot just outside of Dharamsala. I’ve just spent a fortune on a Cannon camera so I will be uploading plenty of amazing pictures and film footage.

I’m asking people if they can invite their friends to my Facebook group as I want reach a large audience.  Just type in No Wheels Just Legs into search bar at top right of screen and click invite friends tab when you arrive on home page.

You can still sponsor me through my website by clicking sponsor me tab. This will direct you to my just-giving pages.

Thanks to everyone for their support. Big love to everyone. Marcos