On The Trail.....

The twin Peaks of Shivling with the East Pillar in front seems close enough to touch but as usual its foreshortening at work.. Very difficult to get the true scale of these mighty peaks..

There is an old saying (which is specially true in the mountains) : DO NOT MISTAKE A CLEAR VIEW FOR A SHORT DISTANCE ...

The peak is still around 20 miles away as the crow flies and the trail climbing up from Gaumukh (the once traditional source of the Ganga but now retreated higher) to the meadows of Tapovan winds through some of the most dramatic scenery .. huge boulders, loose rocky hillsides and finally over the lateral moraines of the Gangotri glacier itself, which is covered with numerous glaciated boulders and crevasses and mainly made up of shattered rock

The whole locale looks something like Mordor out of LOTR...

Everywhere destructive forces are at work, with nary a sign of anything growing .. The shale and slate moraines are the remains of boulders crushed by the most erosive force in the world - a glacier - a slow moving river of ice, which decimates everything even mountains as it inexorably tumbles down to the valley floor below..

All this time Shivling looms on the right, until it passes out of view and you begin a steep ascent which finally culminates at the meadows of Tapovan, the contrast to the trail is total, here verdant hillsides, lichen covered rocks and wild flowers in profusion and it's such a joy to see things growing again and a grand vista of mighty peaks come into view those peaks which make up the great crique of the Gangotri Group of Peaks.. (Bhagirathi, Karchakund, Sumeru, Kedar Dome, Shivling, Meru, Bhrigupanth, Thalay Sagar)

The view alone is worth the toil of the trail...

Across The Changthang {On The Rupshu Trek}

Across The Changthang, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

A group of Changpa Yak herders cajole their herd across the Changthang Desert in search of greener pastures.

Changthang is a high altitude plateau in eastern Ladakh and western and northern Tibet, with vast highlands and giant lakes. From Eastern Ladakh Changthang stretches approximately 1600 km into Tibet. It is the home of the Changpa nomads

The Changthang is a smaller version of the Takla Makan and the Askai Chin, which lie at the other end of the Tibetan Plateau, these two deserts were one of the main reasons why Tibet (and to a lesser extent) Ladakh remained in relative isolation from the rest of the world.

Very few survived a journey through them as it can be an unforgiving place and these nomadic herders and their flocks lead a hard life in such a harsh terrain.

Often their life is a hand to mouth struggle in which the desert dictates the rules but its a way of life now coming to an end due to the march of roads as deserts once uncrossable are bridged by the long black ribbon which marks the new highways crisscrossing them.

During the day the harshness of the terrain is evident as the sun beats down relentlessly sapping strength and resolve but in the evening light this country can be beautiful, desert and all: the harshness becomes subdued; shadows soften the hillsides; there is a blending of lines and folds until the last light, so that one comes to bless the' absolute bareness, feeling that here is a pure beauty of form, a kind of ultimate harmony rarely seen elsewhere.

Last Light on the West Ridge of Mt. Pandim.(6191 mtrs)

Last Light on the West Ridge of Mt. Pandim.(6191 mtrs), originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

The West Ridge is lit up with Alpenglow as another day sets over Mt. Pandim, viewed from the huts at Zemathang and the terminal moraine of the Onglakhing Glacier. This is the base for climbing attempts on Pandim. It also marks the beginning of the climb up the moraine to Samiti Lake (4200m) the sacred source of the Prek River..



Early Explorers:

John Claude White: White traveled extensively in Sikkim and Bhutan. He was mainly responsible for opening up roads and bridges which made access easier for later explorers. In 1890 he crossed the Goecha La to the Talung Glacier south-east of Kanchenjunga and followed the Talung valley to the Tista, being probably the first European to investigate the gorges between Pandim and the Simvu group.”

The first Europeans to come to this area to climb were Von Dechy the Hungarian Mountaineer in 1879, who fell ill and so little climbing or exploration was done.

He was followed by the Englishman W.W. Graham. *(his accounts of his climbing exploits were so full of discrepancies that they have been a source of argument to this day. He reportedly claimed climbing Kabru, an 18000 ft peak, though he was forced to return to Darjeeling after only a week, of having set oout from Darjeeling not enough time to get to the mountain let alone climb it.)

Douglas Freshfield set out with his party in 1899. He was to be the first mountaineer to trek in a circle around Khangchendzonga, from the North. He was also the first mountaineer to examine the great western face of Khangchendzonga, rising from the Khangchendzonga Glacier.

He also traveled to Green Lakes along with the famous Italian photographer Vittorio Sella’ who had photographed Siniolchu from Zemu Valley. Freshfield has described Siniolchu as “The Most Superb Triumph of Mountain Architecture and The Most Beautiful Snow Mountain in the World”

His travels resulted in one of the classic books in mountaineering literature
Round Kangchenjunga: A Narrative of Mountain Travel and Exploration,

He always traveled with two Swiss Alpine Guides and the whole trip which was made along with a party of 60 including 7 Europeans & the rest local Coolie's cost him a then lordly sum of 200 Pounds

When he finally arrived safely in 1899,at Dzongri after 8 weeks , he lit a big bonfire, which was visible as far as Darjeeling. The Governor of Bengal ordered 10 Gun Salute to be fired in his honour.



The modern trek routes followed by thousands today are the same routes pioneered by Freshfield and though many things have changed the mountains still have the same allure and like sirens call out to your soul.

Ridges after Ridges of the Singilla Range

Ridges after Ridges of the Singilla Range, originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Perched on a hillside lies the idyllic village of Tshokha in Sikkim, It has a small gompa and a small oval lake and reminded me the first time I visited of the village of Nako in Spiti HP.. Both seemed eerily familiar.. Had a hearty breakfast here and lolled around for a rest day here before continuing on with the trek. It was one of the most pleasant of days without too much cloud cover, so the views to be had were excellent on all sides.