Day 1 - Stok Trekking Point (3690m) – Mancarmo (4250m)
The ponies had not arrived by the time we’d had breakfast and packed up. Tashi said he’d wait for the ponies and sent us on ahead with one of the new guides. He set a perfect pace and the ascent was gradual so we had plenty of time to take in our new surroundings. I’m sure you’ve got the idea by now; you follow the river up the valley and all around are stunning views. Today was no exception but there was one significant difference – the sun was on our backs not beating down on our faces. That meant we were finally heading towards our goal not away from it.
As we were walking in the lower valley we couldn’t see the mountain however, we had lots of dramatic rocks formations to keep us amused. There were also a few lizards scuttling along the edges of the path. It seems that conquering Stok Kangri is more popular than the Markha Valley trek, as we passed quite a few groups of trekkers. They all had a spring in their step and smiles on their faces so could we dare to assume they’d all been successful?
We got chatting to an English couple for a while and it was great to hear their tales of summit day. They were similar to us in terms of fitness, previous lack of experience with ice-picks and crampons and general attitude towards trekking. Chatting to them instilled us with enough confidence for us to believe that we would make it to the top with the right determination. Yes, it was going to be difficult but we now felt it was more achievable than it looked.
Many trekkers choose to do these things independently, and frankly given how suddenly conditions can change and how isolated you are at times, I think they’re barking. It doesn’t cost much to hire a guide and a pony and at the same time you’re helping to employ some locals. To be honest carrying all of your gear and doing all the camping and cooking would make the whole event seem more like an endurance test. We were on holiday after all and wanted to enjoy the experience.
Tashi had told us to expect 6 hours of trekking and since he now knew our fitness and ability levels we had no reason to doubt it. We got to camp in less than 4 hours! We weren’t pushing it, honestly, as we had no desire to beat any mountain land speed records. Luckily we’d become experts in getting to camp by first snack and knew how to fill in the time. As I have said this turned out to be quite a popular trek so we hoped for lots of people watching to keep us entertained.
Initially we were a little dismayed, as it became very clear that most groups were just stopping for lunch and making their way up to Base Camp. We’d have loved to have joined them. However, we knew the ponies and pony man had had a long night and we needed to wait for them. Tashi eventually strolled along looking like he was just out to get the Sunday papers! Unfortunately he had some slightly bad news for us. In the night our smallest pony had got too exhausted to carry on and simply lay down. The pony man had no choice but to let her rest and regain some strength. She recovered enough to carry on but the pony man lost his way in the dark trying to find a short cut. By the time he found the road again he added more kilometres to his and the pony’s journey. By the time they reached Stok the little pony was exhausted again so they removed her load and hired an extra pony.
This was very easy for him to do financially due to the way we’d booked our trek. We used a Ladakhi company and ended up paying middle of the road prices. I’ve already mentioned a lot of people try to do it independently to save money, but they’re kidding themselves that’s the best way to go about things. The other end of the spectrum sees people booking the whole thing, including flights from Delhi to Leh and side trips, through an American or European based company. As you can imagine, for that you get porta-loos and other little luxuries, but all the profits leave Ladakh.
An alternative would have been to organise everything once we’d reached Leh but we didn’t really have the time or the motivation for that rigmarole. Using a Ladakhi based company meant that we knew all our money would go towards benefitting locals. Plus, since we’d paid slightly more than absolutely necessary, it meant there was money in the budget to cater for contingency plans. Mainly, hiring the extra pony but as it turned out hiring a technical guide too. We’re more than happy to be middle of the road people!
Back to the trek – there still would have been time to get to Base Camp but one look at our little pony and we knew we wouldn’t be going any further that day. She looked so exhausted and down in the dumps, plus the pony man needed a good long rest. There was no way we had the heart to insist on pushing on. Luckily the pony had the energy to wander off to find itself a nice patch of grass and before long it looked a little happier. We then asked Tashi about the possibility of continuing up to Advanced Base Camp the following day instead. He said that we’d have to camp past the snow line and that our water would freeze. Plus he pointed out that it is not healthy to camp at such high altitude if not strictly necessary. Point taken and who are we to disagree with the experts.
Since the initial mass exodus to Base Camp more groups had arrived and finally, we were rewarded with people watching. First of all we had the ‘Delhi Boys’ who we’d first encountered at breakfast time down in Stok. They are in the independent travellers’ category and have loads of gear to carry. Their ‘guide’ was a blog that Steve had stumbled across through his information search. It was written by some fool hardy sole / nutter who’d bought 8 rounds of sandwiches in Leh, jumped on the local bus to Stok and set off solo. Our trio – Bollywood Wanabe, Public School Boy and Best Mate from Delhi - did not look like they were anywhere near this league! Before setting off they intended to get to Base Camp. Considering the first of the trio to plod into Mancarmo Camp was a long way behind us, and his pals much further behind again, they had to change those plans.
Luckily commonsense prevailed and they decided to stay put for the night. Even better was we had ring side seats watching them pitch their tent and inspect their gear. We already suspected they weren’t experienced, but watching one fella try to adjust his trek pole only to find he now had two parts was priceless. It took them ages to get their one man tent up and we wondered how long it would be before they all had a place to kip for the night. But wait, that was it – a tiny one man tent for 3 strapping lads and all their gear. They actually had to sleep in shifts!
Then Ms & Ms Picky turned up. First of all they wiped the outside of their tent to get rid of the dust. Why? So they could drape their sleeping bags over to air. Result? Dusty sleeping bags! We were in a very dry and dusty gully yet the area was supposed to be the summer meadow feeding grounds for the Stok people. There was much less vegetation than in the Markha Valley so we didn’t even see many domesticated animals.
Finally Mr & Mrs Micro-Shorts, a do-it-yourself Boy Scout / Girl Guide type of couple, put in an appearance. They had HUGE rucksacks and I honestly believe I could have fitted inside one of them quite nicely! To be fair they seemed to have come prepared for any eventuality, judging by the amount of food and other supplies that kept emerging from the packs. Our only worry was that since it was going dark and getting chilly, they may have forgotten to pack something pretty vital! They eventually got their paper thin tent to stay still long enough for them to secure it. With a little bit of help from the local experts I hasten to add. Now granted, the tent packed down to the size of a postage stamp, but all the food and gubbins had gone inside and it didn’t look like there was going to be enough room left for Mr & Mrs Daddy Long-Legs.
Just to add to our entertainment; one of the horses at the back of a group going down had other plans. He decided it was a good idea to go back up the mountain. It took much pushing, shoving and rock throwing to persuade him back down the valley. Who said trekking was all about trudging along all day, feeling exhausted and having no fun? Far from it my friends!
We thought the fun and games were finally over – but wait there was one last chapter. We got to find out why we’d set off early even though the day’s walking was short. When we first got to camp there was the necessary river but all the stream beds were bone dry. Even so, our team chose our camping sight very carefully, and in fact Tashi shooed someone away at one point. By mid-afternoon the river was getting stronger and faster; then water appeared in the dry stream beds. With it being a bright, sunny day there had been a lot of snow melt up top, which in turn, resulted in a significant increase in water flow down the valley. You read about such things but don’t truly appreciate the power of nature until you witness it firsthand.
This added water flow almost caused all manner of havoc in town! A new group were just in the process of pitching their tent when they realised they were getting wet feet. They added stones to the edge of the stream to divert the water and this worked a treat. For them! Little did they realise that the diverted water was now headed straight for the next tent down the hill. Mr & Mrs Speedos (we’d finally hit on a nickname!) but they were inside and oblivious to the whole saga. Luckily one of our lads realised in time to scrape out a narrow trough to send the water into the river. Obviously they’d heard some commotion and emerged from their tent still prancing around in their beach wear. Told you they’d forgotten to pack something – we were in our thermals by this point!
We might not have done much walking today but we had lots of fun!
Day 2
Mancarmo (4250m) – Stok Kangri Base Camp (5000m)
Today saw us take part in the shortest of all short walks at only 1hour 30mins. To be fair to us we did ascend over 600m in the process. I woke up with bags under my eyes that were so big I could see them – thank goodness there were no mirrors around. Steve awoke with a cold – what a pair! So neither of us felt like rushing but we walked at a good pace and our team were still confident that we could get to the top.
Even though we reached camp at 9.30am it wasn’t too bad as we knew we had to get in as much sleep as possible before starting the summit climb at midnight. Steve managed to get enough sleep to shake off his cold so that was good news. After my ‘bags reducing snooze’ I watched people coming back down off the mountain. Most of them seemed very happy but totally exhausted so presumably they’d made it to the top. The weather was perfect for them and they must have had fantastic views. People were still trickling back into camp later in the afternoon and to be honest we’d like to be and back by midmorning.
It was rumoured that we were going to get the chance to try out the crampons and ice picks but this never happened. Obviously we’d have liked to have had a go before we really needed to be using them, but no understandable explanation was forthcoming. We still hadn’t worked out why we had two technical guides with us either. No people watching to report but I did spend a while watching some young marmots frolicking about. Our little pony was still weak but getting noticeably stronger.
Once again the camp was in a splendid spot and we could see for miles. Luckily we couldn’t see Stok Kangri so couldn’t spend all day staring at it feeling agitated. On the way up we did finally get to see the ridge we’d be using and it looked very tricky to say the least. Not as bad as the one on the other side so slightly more doable. Like Steve said: “I didn’t trudge around the streets of Bangsar night after night to not get to the top.” Hold that thought.
Day 3
Stok Kangri Base Camp (5000m) – Stok Kangri Summit (6153m)
– Stok Kangri Base Camp (5000m)
We were awoken at midnight, with the promised bed tea, but neither of us felt very refreshed. Trying to get everything organised by the light of a headlamp was no picnic either. Anyway we eventually scrambled ourselves into action and were ready to set off for the toughest day of the trek.
We finally worked out why we’d picked up 2 technical guides; one for us (obviously!) and one for a couple of lasses who would be joining us. Good to have 2 guides in case you go at different speeds and all that. We’d only just set off when one of the girls needed to adjust her sock – fair enough, the last thing you need is to be uncomfortable. We carried on and the girls said they would catch us up at the top of the pass leading to advanced base camp. This other guide, man from Darjeeling (we never did catch his name), set such a cracking pace that we were soon at the top of the ridge. We knew from watching the girls come up the valley they were slower than us and suffice it to say they didn’t catch up.
We were happy to carry on, as everyone had a guide, but unfortunately the guides only had one rope between them. Luckily for us – we had it! However, he didn’t want us to get split up in case a blizzard set in and we all needed to be roped together. We were happy to take a break following our jog involving an ascent of 300m at high altitude. Unfortunately this break became so protracted that we started to get cold. Not to mention frustrated at standing around when there was a mountain waiting to be climbed! We eventually persuaded our guide to carry on at a more leisurely pace – we weren’t on for breaking any records but needed to keep moving to stay warm.
At this point the path levelled out for a while so it was good to get the body well and truly awake before it had to do any more hard work. We were delighted to see perfect clear skies and zillions of stars – would the weather remain on our side? We couldn’t walk and admire the stars as we had to concentrate on the patch of light our headlamps afforded us. Trying to judge where to put your feet on narrow scree and rock strewn ledges isn’t easy. Every now and then we had to walk over patches of snow; that although still hard, were slippery. I thought the best plan would be to walk in previous footsteps but most people have longer strides than me!
We’d been going for about an hour when our guide told us we’d reached Advanced Base Camp. Our hearts sank as we both thought we must have passed there ages ago. Mind you time plays tricks on you and to be honest we were surprised to find out we had only been going for an hour. Delighted that Tashi talked us out of camping there – isolated, desolate, freezing – sure you agree! Once again our guide wanted to stop to wait for the girls and there were headlamps behind so we stopped again. Once they were within shouting range it soon became clear it was a different group. By now we’d started to loose the feeling in our feet and were not happy bunnies. It took much persuading, ranting and raving to get our guide to carry on and not worry about the rope. A little further on it was time to put on the crampons.
Now granted they make a huge difference in terms of helping you to grip on the snow and ice but they don’t half make your feet feel heavy. I felt like they were constantly trying to pull my boots off! To be honest I would have fared better if I’d had more robust hiking boots instead of the glorified trainers I had on. Many of the Europeans had proper mountaineering boots that bear a cunning resemblance to ski boots. How they chuckled on seeing what ‘little feet’ had to settle for – they were the best I could get in Malaysia. Just to add to the experience, you have to do a ‘feet at 45o’ Charlie Chaplin style walk to ensure good grip and you don’t rip your trousers to shreds. I found my feet and legs started to have a mind of their own and were making me lean and twist at odd angles. This is all building up to me having to confess that I found this part of the walk very tough going. It was Steve’s turn to be in front and set the pace.
We were told that we’d be going up the snow and ice field to the ridge for about 45mins – I’m sure that’s what he said. From those timings, and the view we’d had of the ridge on the way up, we both assumed that we would then have about 2 hours along the ridge before tackling the peak and summit. The snow field was very steep and I had to take very regular, but very short, breathers. Steve was great at encouraging me to carry on putting one foot in front of the other but there was no way I was ready to give in. I was just a bit slower and the snow field went on and on and on and on....................
After what felt like a week or so, but in actual fact, had been 3 hours we finally made it to the ridge. Goodness only knows where I got that 45 mins from other than wishful thinking! Without prior consultation we’d both made a pact with ourselves that if we could make it to the ridge then there was no way we weren’t getting to the top. Obviously we needed to take a rest on reaching the ridge, although there wasn’t much room for many people to be hanging around. Luckily we were the first and by this time the sun was just starting to shed enough light so we could see vague outlines. We were amazed when our guide said the next peak along the ridge was the top. Oh how our spirits were lifted. Not only did we not have another couple of hours along the ridge to deal with our final destination was staring us in the face. Yes, we were exhausted following the climb up the snow field but we were quickly back on our feet and ready to make our way to the top.
The peak is very rocky and most of those rocks are loose but luckily they were still frozen into place. With there being patches of snow too we were told to keep our crampons on. There isn’t really a path and at times we were virtually rock climbing. No easy feat at almost 6000m with tired, wobbly legs! Things didn’t improve when the path disappeared altogether and we had to pick our way along a mountain side with a sheer vertical drop for a view. We were determined to get to the top so pushed on and tried not to think about how we were going to get back down! Steve played a blinder and just kept pushing on even though he must have been very scared at times. I was still finding it tough going but I kept progressing and of course the higher I got the easier it was to carry on. Finally we spotted the prayer flags at the top – that was it – no giving up now!
Steve waited for me to catch up so we could summit together. It turned out that we’d ascended over 1000m at high and extreme altitude in 51/2 hours. Don’t forget all we’d had was a hot drink and a couple of biscuits! It was cloudy but luckily the clouds were high enough that we could see over to the Karakoram Range in Pakistan. We added our few small prayer flags to the fluttering collection and of course took plenty of photos to prove we’d made it to the top. The actual summit is very small and any more than 10 people would be mighty cosy. One slip and you’re going down the quick way – there are sheer drops virtually all the way round.
Now I’ve already described how dodgy and non-existent the path up was but we had to use it to go back down. By this point the clouds had moved in and it was starting to snow. We told our guide that we’re not happy going down and that slow and steady was the way forward. There was one very tricky bit and I tried to move in closer to see where the guide was advising Steve to place his feet. Unfortunately one prong of my crampon got stuck between two rocks and my enthusiastic wriggling and pulling made it leap out rather more quickly than anticipated. I then promptly slipped on the patch of snow below me and went careering down the mountain. Luckily I crashed into Steve who grabbed me and stopped me from sliding any further. The guide quickly got me back to my feet and I realised just how close I’d been to going off the edge. I decided it was best not to dwell on what might have been while the guide got out the infamous rope. Yep – with the worsening conditions and our lack of downhill confidence it was time for us to be roped together.
Presumably the idea is that the other 2 dig in if one person falls but all I could think of was ‘one down, all down’! We gingerly descended from the peak with the snow gathering momentum. Boy-oh-boy, were we happy to get back to the ridge! Picture the scene; exhausted, wobbly legs, nervous, no path, snowing and all at 6000m. It was the most nerve wracking 300m descent we’ve ever done. As were neared the ridge there were groups of trekkers still making their way up. So, just to add to the fun we had to find room for groups roped together to pass each other. We had another break back down on the ridge and it was interesting listening to trekkers debating whether or not to carry on in the ever worsening conditions. On the whole most decided to put their trust in their guides and carry on. I’m not sure what we would have decided but luckily we didn’t have to make that decision – we’d successfully made it to the top and got a view too.
Obviously fine weather would have been ideal but since it was still bitterly cold it meant that the snow hadn’t started to melt so was still nice and hard for walking on. About a third of the way down, we met up with the girls still plodding their way to the top. Even though one of them was having breathing difficulties they were both determined to carry on and at least we could hand over the rope. We took the chance to look back towards the top but it was completely covered in cloud. We really couldn’t imagine being up there in those conditions. Of course by this time it was fully daylight and we could see just how steep the snowfield section was. No the wonder it was such hard work and to look at it, it’s amazing we got up there at all. There’s something to be said for climbing in the dark and in relative ignorant bliss! Walking back down the snow was quite good fun and it was made all the more exciting because it was snowing. We had to follow the guide’s steps carefully, as it was easy to disappear up to your knees, as Steve discovered on wandering off the path a bit. Once we got back down to Advanced Base Camp it was time to remove the crampons. At that point in time I swore that if I never had to wear them ever again I’d be happy!
The walk back to the tent, although long, was accomplished quite speedily as we had a positive spring in our steps. Well it’s not every day you get to climb a 6000+m peak in the Indian Himalayas. Back at the campsite our team greeted us with hugs and congratulations and said we’d made excellent time. If you knock off the pointless waiting around time we’d been up and down in a straight 9 hours and all before breakfast. We were too nervous on the top to even contemplate food so our guide had carried the lunch boxes up and down for no reason. Well not quite, we very quickly tucked in and devoured the lot plus some extra rations that Tashi rustled up for us.
We went to crash out but in actual fact couldn’t get to sleep immediately as we had far too much to talk about. We came to the conclusion; going up was by far and away the toughest thing we’ve ever done and getting down off the peak was the scariest thing we’ve ever, and ever hope, to do. The girls didn’t return to camp until 3pm making their summit day a 15 hour extravaganza – we certainly admired their sheer determination and willpower. We spent the afternoon lazing around, reading and looking for marmots. The weather hadn’t improved, and it was gradually getting colder, so we assumed our little furry friends were tucked up in their burrows. We took their cue and huddled up in our sleeping bags until dinner time.
We were leafing through the guide book reading about possible side trips we could do on returning to Leh but ended up re-reading the trekking sections. Maybe we should have looked at his part more carefully before setting off. To quote our Trailblazers guide:
“While not technically difficult, you must be proficient at using crampons and an ice axe on steep snow, relish ridge scrambling on snow and rock and be able to cross glaciers safely with knowledge of crevasse rescue techniques.”
Err – none of the above!
Speaking of which, the lads pulled out all the stops and we had the best meal yet. Tomato soup and veggie momos followed by paneer pizza – a first for us but it was delicious. Dinner was a little later than usual so it was going dark and we needed to light a candle to be able to see what we were doing. Little did we know the candle was also lit to herald the arrival of a home-baked chocolate cake. It was truly scrumptious and how on earth they managed to bake it with only an open flame I really don’t know. It was lovely to all tuck in together (the rest of the time we’d eaten in 2 sittings) and for Steve and me to let the team know just how much we’d appreciated all their care, work and effort.
We did it!
Day 4
Stok Kangri Base Camp (5000m) – Stok (3690m) – Leh (3500m)
The last day started with the usual bed tea, breakfast, pack and get going. The only slight variation today was taking team photos – including the ponies of course. We’d dealt with the potentially awkward tip giving the night before, as one of the guides was going back up the mountain at midnight. Luckily it really was tips this time, and not wages supplementing like on Kilimanjaro. We entrusted Tashi with the task of sharing the money out fairly (as we weren’t sure of the hierarchy) and everyone seemed happy.
We were most surprised to see the guide there too – could this be the fastest ever summit and return? No! They’d set off at midnight but by 3am the ever worsening conditions had got the better of them and they decided to try again the next day. I can’t say I blame them – the cloud line was very low, it was bitterly cold and was even trying to snow at base camp. The walk back down was uneventful but it was nice to gradually get warmer. There were a few trekkers making their way up but not many at all. You can see Stok Kangri from Leh and we suspected that the bad weather had made people change their plans. As it turned out we didn’t see the top of Stok Kangri for the next week so we’d caught the last window of opportunity.
We reached Leh at about 2pm and had a few things we wanted to sort out. We thought being back in civilisation would be great and rewarding but we ended up being thwarted at every turn. First of all we had to find somewhere to stay as we thought Dreamland was rather over-priced for the standard. We wandered down a quiet back lane and found Yasmin Hotel which was of a much higher standard for substantially less. First things first – a hot shower for the first time in 10 days! It was cloudy, solar panel only, so a lukewarm shower had to suffice. To be honest it was just great to feel clean, refreshed and get into normal clothes. You can get a little fed up of wearing the same old trekking gear!
Next task – text the parents and let them know that we got up and down and were safe and sound. No signal. Okay, there’s always the Internet – the connection was down. Hey ho! Last and most importantly find somewhere to have a tall, cool celebratory beer. We were most alarmed to discover we’d returned to town on a dry day – some celebration was occurring so we all had to be vegetarian abstainers. We wanted to celebrate too and alcohol free was not going to cut it – we were not about to give up! We tried restaurant after restaurant until finally thought to pop into the local’s bar. Even though we couldn’t drink in they would let us have a carry out. Result!
Luckily the hotel we’d moved in to have a lovely balcony and garden area. As we were quietly drinking a well earned toast to each other one of the staff came to inform us that they had beer too. All of that wandering around town and it turned out we needed have bothered leaving the hotel! So we didn’t! Lying down later in a bed with clean sheets was heaven. ZZZZZZZZZ
Travel Information
We flew to Leh from Delhi on Kingfisher Airways http://www.flykingfisher.com
We organised our trek through Dream Ladakh http://www.dreamladakh.com/about.htm
A local company in Leh who organised everything at a reasonable cost. Great guides – especially Tashi, amazing food, answered all our enquries promptly. We highly recommend them for your Stok kangri trek.
Our main guide was Tashi,says he can organise treks throughout Ladakh, thereforeyou will cut out the middle man and get a better deal. You can contact him via email. tashi_skithla@yahoo.co.in We can highly recommend him and will use him if/when we head back to Ladakh.
We stayed at Dreamland Hotel – owned by the tour company. It was ok but a little over priced for the standard. http://www.dreamladakh.com/hotel.htm
When we got back to Leh after the trek we moved to Yasmin Hotel. Much better standard than dreamland and half the price with a nice garden and some views. www.yasminladakh.com
Lots of great restaurants in Leh and they all basically do the same stuff. Great Pizzas, veggie burgers, Tibetian food and cakes. Not easy to find spicy Indian food. Try – The Penguin German Bakery, Zen Garden restaurant and ladakh View Restaurant.
