The author embarks on a winter trek to the Kiagar Ri peak in Ladakh, drawn by the allure of solitude in a region often crowded during summer. The journey begins with acclimatisation in Leh, amidst snow-covered landscapes, before proceeding to Korzok village, where the harsh cold of winter is palpable. Despite the challenges posed by extreme temperatures, altitude sickness, and a few group members dropping out, the trek continues. After persevering through difficult conditions, the author finally reaches the summit, experiencing a profound sense of achievement. The trek concludes with a return to Leh, filled with memories of the arduous yet rewarding adventure.
Tag: adventure
Panpatia and its frigid portals…
Trek report from Panpatia Col, a high-altitude Himalayan trail connecting the valleys of Badrinath and Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, India
Bali Pass – saunter up and tumble down…
Bali Pass trek in Uttarakhand 🇮🇳 is high-altitude Himalayan trail from Sankri village to Janki Chatti, crossing the 4,900 metre Bali Pass 🏔️
Kang Yatse 1 – Icy domes and dusty roads
There’s stasis on the face of it as one looks at the panorama from a mountaintop on a clear morning… all the snow-covered peaks and glaciers spewing out of their cold slopes brooding deep till the sun warms them up into frothing rivers down below… somewhere between the transition of ice into water, the elements …
Meditating over mountains…
Meditating over mountains is an exercise in peeling off multitudes… meandering around their geometries, mulling over whether to engage with the elements or take shelter from them, you look for those deep life lessons recorded over many a tome of the yore and now chopped up into bite sized, social media portions, but in vain… …
Pangi – notes from a hidden hinterland
…When it rains, it pours… …Raindrops keep falling on my head… …Rain on your parade… …Why does it always rain on me… There we were, all primed up for Panpatia Col in the third week of September, supposedly having given the monsoons a wide berth… but then came a spell of rain that battered most …
Missives from moraines
Mulling over moraines, treks across western Himalaya…
Bhyundar Khal, tripping billies
Reminiscences from Bhyundar Khal, a high altitude Himalayan trek in Uttarakhand connecting the Valley of Flowers to Gamshali village near Tibetan border
bridges over troubled waters…
musings on log bridges in the Himalayan backcountry…
on placid whites – winter hike to Chenap valley…
‘twas perchance that we got to know of Chenap valley, which we did as our original plans went awry at the last moment… tucked in ‘twixt religious fervours, highways and hydropower more hedonistic that utilitarian, and the never-ending scrapes of JCB for last-mile connectivity, ‘tis purported to be a quieter alternative to Valley of Flowers, …