Chadar trek diaries

Location: Leh, Chadar trek, Ladakh

Dates: 14^th-22^nd January, 2017

Participants: Dr. Ashok, Rohan, Piya(Rohan's 12 yr old daughter), Kevin, Kiran, Nilesh, Bhavesh, Jimit, Dr. Hanumantha Rao, Dr. Raghava Rao, Ramakrishna, Yella Mandaiah        

      It was by chance that I met Bhavesh at Infinity mall that day. When he inquired what was I upto, I told him casually that I was thinking of going on this trek – the Chadar trek – in the month of January in 2017. He asked for some pictures, I obliged and he instantly agreed to join me on the trek. But hang on, was I ready yet?!! A few days passed and he called me up to know if I had made up my mind to go. I hadn’t decided yet. It wasn’t really a question of whether I wanted to go or not since the very prospect of Chadar had already made me go weak at the knees. But being a family man, I was a little concerned about being disconnected for one whole week, especially considering that I have a son who is just a little more than two years old. While I was contemplating further, Bhavesh informed me that he discussed about the trek with Nilesh (Bhavesh & Nilesh – Two friends from my previous Manali-Leh trip) and even he has agreed to join. They went ahead and booked their flights to Leh. That terrible feeling of missing out on a great opportunity triggered me into action and suddenly everything else fell into place. Tickets and trek itinerary booked, it was Chadar calling!!

      The Chadar trek doesn’t need much introduction today by virtue of being featured on a host of travel shows, travel blogs, “must-do” trek lists, “50 things to do before I die” and what not. I had read about it a few years ago and have already been there virtually (!!) numerous times (much like many other treks J). Briefly, it is a trek undertaken on the frozen (hence “Chadar”) Zanskar river from Chilling to a village called Neyrak and back. The 8 day long trek can be carried out in the peak winter months of January and February. There is also a longer version for those interested. It is a very unique trek across the Zanskar valley that earns you breathtaking views of the mountain peaks, surreal ice formations, lifelong memories and some bragging rights !! Not exactly sure on the last one though based on the no. of fellow trekkers that we encountered throughout the trek. In fact, after a small traffic jam at a tricky patch, a friend even commented whether it was Chadar or Bhuleshwar (a crowded neighbourhood in Mumbai) !! What is a trek for us is a way of life for many Ladakhis who have no alternate route for transportation and livelihood during the winter.

      Now that I was going to be at the Chadar pretty soon, I started serious preparations about the hows and whats – travel sites / blogs, IndiaHikes helped a lot in those regards. Not a fitness freak otherwise, I even stitched up an exercise routine that I followed reasonably well for a month or so. For many trekkers, a visit to Decathlon is almost like a pilgrimage that they make prior to a long trek. No, I am not being paid to say this. A couple of weeks away from the trek date, I too visited the Decathlon Thane store to buy all the essentials – backpack, shoes, trekking pole, headlight  being the key ones. As any trekker would attest, the Quechuas, Ospreys, Deuters and Wildcrafts of the world rule the mountains. I already had some of the stuff like a thick jacket and a fleece type courtesy my earlier year and a half long stint in Lithuania where we experienced sub -30 temperatures. Of course, as they say, it is more a mental game than a physical one when you are up there in the mountains. All the preparation does help but at the end of the day, it comes down to how well your mind deals with the distance you walk, the load you carry and - particularly in case of Chadar - the temperatures that you experience. On the 12^th of Jan, we finally took off on what was going to be a magnificently enriching experience.

Day 1 : 14^th Jan - Leh

      As expected and eagerly awaited, the Delhi-Leh flight provided excellent “white-washed” views of the mountains. As Leh approached, those translated into sandy desert mountain views. “Viman ke bahar ka taapman -17 degree hai” – Announced the Jet Airways pilot just after landing at Kushok Bakula airport in Leh at 8 am. Since it was sunny and no snow around at all, it was hard to believe the announcement looking outside from the plane window. Only a few moments later, I couldn’t help but start shivering (with only a sweatshirt and an inner layer of shirt) in the transit bus which carried us to the airport. Most of the passengers were Chadar bound and the scene at the airport was one where all of them were gearing up with additional layers of clothing before venturing out on way to their hotels.

      We took a pre-paid taxi (charges range between 250-300) from the airport to reach Naaz guest house. Apparently, Leh was in a yet-to-wake-up mode with completely deserted streets, understandably so given the weather and the tourist off-season. We were given welcome tea after which we were ushered into our room. The room was a basic one with a double bed, couple of quilts and blankets and a cupboard. Although bathing was out of question, whenever needed, the helpers would provide us a bucket of hot water upon request for freshening up purposes. The best location to be in the guest house most of the times was the kitchen due to the warmth that it provided.

      After having some home made stuff as breakfast, we headed out in the town. It is highly recommended to carry snacks from home, not only do they help provide you a fill when it is most needed but also alleviate potential home sickness (which you could encounter after spending sometime in the outdoors). Being Gujaratis, in our own right, we carried a liberal dose of theplas, chakris and gathia et al. At just a 5 minute walk from the guesthouse, we saw a frozen pond which was being used by the Ladakhi youth and kids for skating (with local hit numbers being played in the background). It was encouraging to see the kids skating effortlessly on the pond. On the Main Market road (which reminded me of MG Road in Gangtok due to the nice clean walkway interspersed with seating places and shops and restaurants on both sides) we were hunting for gumboots. Although I did buy a Quechua Forclaz 500 pair, gumboots are the best bet while on the Chadar. On the way, we met a shopowner who advised us on why we should not venture out much since we had just landed in Leh a few hours ago alongwith some not so pleasant stories of trekkers without appropriate acclimatisation. Point taken Sir, but with due respect I felt some of what you mentioned was a little too much to digest (Upon completion of the trek, we did meet him again and also bought souvenirs from his shop). Eventually, we did find a shop selling gumboots of two brands – Columbus (INR400) and Diamond (INR350). We used both the brands and were satisfied with the performance. Though as we observed later on the trek, the cold took a toll on them too with the boots gradually getting deformed and a little uncomfortable getting into and out. Post all the walking and exploring, we were feeling sleepy and decided to head back and dose off for sometime. The evening was accompanied by a decent meal comprising of piping hot soup, mix veg, roti, dal and rice. That was also the time when we met fellow trekkers and exchanged introductions. The guest house did provide a gas based heater which was switched on at around 9 pm and was switched off after an hour and a half. The heating was effective and after packing our bags for the D-day, we called it a day.

Day 2 : 15^th Jan - Leh-Chilling-Tilad Sumdo:

       After a decent breakfast at the guest house and cries of “Ganpati Bappa Morya”, we began our journey. En route, we stopped since some of us had to buy / change gumboots from the local store, for the porter staff to load up on groceries and lastly to pay the wildlife conservation charges (INR2000). We were told ours was the first batch who had to pay this charge (additional charges for the trek also included a payment of INR300 to the local tour operator association - LTOA). The journey from Leh to Chilling (the starting point of the trek) took us around 3 hours. The roller coaster ride takes you along the Indus, covering the village Nimmu (where you witness the confluence of Zanskar with the Indus). It was paradoxical that during an earlier trip here in July 2015, we engaged in rafting on the same river on which we were now trek bound. After about an hour and some stunning views of the mountains, we reached Chilling where we got off the bus and readied ourselves for the trek. It was a dusty walk of around a little more than 1 hour and we landed our feet on the Chadar for the first time. This was also the very first campsite known as Tilad Sumdo. It was a wonderful experience, what was more interesting (and was going to be throughout the trek) was the variety that we witnessed for the first time in the ice formations. What also amazed us is the stark contrast - on one side lay unusually structured ice, snow to give it company and also the flowing river alongside while on the other, there was this rugged terrain engulfed by sand and rocks. We sat, lied down and embraced the Chadar and got numerous clicks. It was equally relaxing to rest on the cool sand and gaze at the sky.

      There was a heavy rush of trekkers that day and as a result our guide (Namgyal) couldn’t find a good camp location at the popular spot and we headed for an alternate spot uphill (from where we originally descended). The tents were setup by our team of porters and helpers (1 porter per person and additional ones hired by a few fellow trekkers) There were separate tents for kitchen, dining, toilet and for participants (twin sharing). The Quechua tents were very comfortable and provided good insulation. What also helped matters were the sleeping bags (two per person). Once inside the tent, we didn’t feel the need for the thick jacket and we would give anything in the world so as to not give up the cosyness. Of course that doesn’t include getting out of the sleeping bag to answer nature’s call. The temperatures usually ranged between -5 and -15 during the day. After sunset till early morning of course, they dipped further (-25 to -30 showed some of the apps). After dinner and rounds of bonfire and stargazing, we retired for the day.

Day 3 : 16^th Jan - Tilad Sumdo-Shingra Koma :

      In many ways, this was actually the first day when we would trek for a considerable time. This day also introduced us to the routine that we were going to follow for the next one week. The day began at 7 with the helpers bringing “tent tea” to us. Freshening up (under the open sky J) was then followed by a breakfast at around 8. We packed our bags and handed over the tents to the helpers for winding up stuff. Considering the morning cold, we also used to spend time around the camp fire in the morning. The helpers would then help fill our bottles with boiled water and we were ready to begin the day.

      Being the “first day at school”, we started off by walking slowly on the Chadar, observing and listening to our guide, observing and learning from others, recollecting stuff we read about how “penguin walk” is the best way of walking on the Chadar and so on. But you gradually develop your own style which is also influenced by your footwear (gumboots / trekking shoes / with or without crampons etc.) Not only were we slow because of the pace at which we walked but also due to the innumerable photo opps that we encountered. Since it was the first day, the novelty factor was huge and we grabbed every “clicking” chance that come our way and as a result the guide and other members of the group used to be ahead of us by a considerable distance. Another reason (and one we like to believe more J) was also that all participants except the notorious group of 3 (G3) – Myself, Bhavesh and Nilesh - had hired porters to carry their loads and that helped them to walk faster. Namgyal had a tough time urging and convincing us to walk faster J. And everytime our reply was – Its not us, it’s the brilliant Chadar !! By now, we were completely in awe enjoying and capturing every unusual sight (of which there were plenty) – the world underneath the frozen sheets of ice where you could see each and every stone, the unevenness of the ice at places, little pools right in the middle of grand ice formations, pancake ice in the river to name a few.

      The breaks that we took were usually at places with great views and accompanied by chocolates and/or dryfruits to refresh ourselves. Lunch was en route where the helper team and trekkers settled down at a suitable spot (after around 3 – 3.5 hour walk from the previous camp site). Lunch involved black tea and biscuits, which was followed by piping hot soup and noodles / pasta. You have some hot water at the end of it all and off you go again !! After about 3 hours more of walking, we reached Shingra Koma, which was our camp site for the day. Talk about accomodations with excellent views and we had camped right in front of the river. Honestly, the first day was tiring and also pretty cold since we were still getting used to the conditions. At dinner that night, we came to know that four of our team members wanted to discontinue and were planning to return to Leh. They would be provided a porter and would begin their return journey next morning. One important thing to note – If you are on the Chadar and wish to discontinue the trek, it is advisable to decide asap as the farther you go, the more difficult and time consuming it will be for a return trip.    

                  

Day 4 : 17^th Jan - Shingra Koma-Tibb:

      Chadar and more importantly, ourselves were getting to know each other well by now. We put our trekking poles to good use on each step, testing waters literally. We were also getting accustomed to the baby step walk. We reached the camp site of Tibb at around 4pm. Tibb is a huge campsite with the caves acting as a dwelling for many of the porters. This also happened to be the coldest day of the trek till now. After freshening up, we got into the dining tent which turned out to be one of the better places to be in considering the freezing conditions. Dinner was a hot soup followed by a menu which changed every day. What needs a special mention is the variety of delicious food that was served during the trek – Chole Bhature, Paneer Chilly, Rajma, Noodles, Fried rice, Momos etc. and not to forget desserts like Churma, fresh lychee, kheer. Did I forget to mention that today we were treated to onion pakodas and chai upon reaching the camp??!! Before you wonder if this is a food blog post, I would like to diverge and mention a note of thanks to the helper staff for taking very good care of us.

      Everyday, the helper staff was the last to move out of a camp after wrapping up and they were also the first to reach the camp and set things up. This involved moving in a quick fashion on the Chadar with heavy loads on their back while the trekkers trudged along. Although they moved swiftly, it appeared effortless and smooth. They went to great heights (literally!!) to get wood for the campfire and made us feel at home by serving delicious food, hot water and tea under not exactly the best conditions. Although they were local Zanskaris and would be habituated to such conditions to some extent, what they were doing was tough. At Tibb, the helper staff communicated and joked (local lingo) till late in the night by shouting across the river settled in camps and caves on either sides. It was their way of letting themselves loose post a hard day at work. The echo of their voices in the gorges of the Zanskar lent an inexplicable zing to the already special atmosphere. Upon conversing with a few of them over campfire where I was making efforts to dry my socks, I came to know that post Chadar season (end of Feb), Siachen became their next “office” where they helped transport essentials for the Indian Army.

      On a different note, I would like to make a humble request to all those who throw away trash in the pristine and fragile environs of Chadar – We do not wish to know which brand of chocolates / snacks you eat, the energy drinks that you have while on the trek etc., so please show some cognisance and respect nature. Though I strongly believe that people like you do not belong there.    

Day 5 : 18^th Jan - Tibb-Neyrak:

      Today would take us to the half way mark of our route. Neyrak is a little village which serves as the last point of the shorter version of the Chadar trek. The longer one involves going to Lingshed and Padum and lasts for 14 days.

      We were soaking in the magnificient views in the deep ravines of the Zanskar. Not only the ice formations which were splendid in their own right, but also the grand mountain peaks which make one feel so insignificant. The natural spectacle could definitely make anyone poetic and it worked its magic on us too. Of course, we didn’t pen down any poem on our way but we did start singing and without realising it, covered a considerable distance in a short time. It was the 4^th day now since we started walking and during that time, we had become familiar with a lot of fellow trekkers and porters belonging to other groups as well – exchanging hellos (or “Juley”), helping each other, sharing moments of rest enroute or just sharing versions of awesome Chadar stories, meeting many couples walking hand in hand, father-son duos who were having a good time bonding over the trek.

      We reached a point where due to the malformed Chadar, we had to climb up a hill and a climb it was !! It was extremely tiring after all the walking that we had already done and we were gasping for breath on each step. But, the bird’s eye view that the climb provided was a sight to behold. You could see tiny “dots” of trekkers treading along on the Chadar. The descent was more challenging than the ascent as it stressed our already tired legs. Finally, making our way to the camp site, we had the option of choosing a “pukka” room made of clay and wood with a traditional heater (Additional charges – INR1300). Apparently, these are maintained by the villagers and provides a source of income to them. We chose to continue our love affair with the tent. It is advisable to inform and agree with the guide in advance if you plan to stay in the room to avoid any disagreements later.

      We settled into our tents and were given twigs from the Juniper tree by our guide as it is believed to be a sign of good luck according to the local tradition. The tree assumes a lot of significance for religious and cultural reasons across Ladakh. The dinner was followed by a discussion with the guide about the plan for the return journey and how we could optimally reach Leh.                

Day 6 : 19^th Jan - Neyrak – Tibb:

      The return journey began today. Homesickness had stepped in big time J and we were all missing our families and in a way were cheering ourselves up that we were already on our way back home.

      After a filling breakfast of Chole Puri we began from Neyrak and our first stop today was at this surreal waterfall which was stunningly frozen and is also a very famous spot in the popular imagery of Chadar. Hanging from the cliff, it went down in the valley but it was hung up mid air. The structure displayed superlative shades of white and with rays of sunlight glistening it up, one would instantly fall in love with it. And that was indeed the case! The different groups of trekkers were vying for the perfect spot to pose for pictures, with some of the more adventurous amongst us even delayering so that they can get clicked in different “costumes”. While all that was going on, I could not help but just stand, stare and wonder (yet another time) in awe of the wonderful spectacle I was witnessing.

   

   The sun-kissed mountain view out of our tents early morning had signalled a bright day ahead, it was very pleasing since the Sun had eluded us till now. What that also meant was this could potentially deform the Chadar and make it slushy and we had to be mindful of that during the trek. Fortunately, today the guide found a way across the Chadar which would help us bypass the climb that we endured last afternoon. We made our way quickly and carefully across that stretch and were through safely thereby helping us save a lot of time and effort. En route, we witnessed pugmarks on the snowy patches which indicated the presence of snow leopards, ibex and foxes, though we did not see any of them.

      For someone like me who finds peace in the mountains, treks gives one plenty of opportunities. For long stretches on the Chadar, one can be completely alone and enjoy the solitude listening to what the mighty mountains and the flowing river have to say or decipher the multitude of ice patterns. On one particular occasion though which was solitary and haunting too, there I was walking across the Chadar and suddenly a portion of Chadar not too far caved in producing that typical cracking sound - almost as if someone thrashed a window - I looked around and found nobody. I paused and waited for the silence to return.                     

      Being the 5^th day of walking, all that “penguin walk” and walking on rocks was definitely talking a toll on my legs – ankles in particular. My speed had reduced and I was running a mental countdown and motivating myself to reach the next camp. Every step became challenging and since I also fell down today, I was exercising extra caution and that only added to the tiredness.            

Day 7 : 20^th Jan - Tibb – Leh(!!):

      For today, the plan was to make it to Shingra Koma, camp there for the night, leave early the next day and attempt to reach Leh by 3 or 4 pm in the afternoon. We would then have some time for shopping before we leave Leh on Sunday.

      We started at 8 am and like men on a mission, were walking with our heads down covering as much distance as we could and soon enough, we realised that we had covered around 12.3 km in 3 hours. The snowfall the previous night provided good grip and helped us to move faster. It felt very strange - the Chadar was still captivating, the ice formations still extraordinary, the canyon still overwhelming, the lofty mountains still majestic, the blue and clear waters of the Zanskar still very appealing – but maybe the visual monotony and the desire to get back home soon had gotten to us. After an early and a quick lunch, the team deliberated if we could actually target Leh that same day itself by walking double the planned distance. The team agreed and made it to Tilad Sumdo at around 3 pm. The guide had already arranged for a return bus to Leh.

      After six days of an enthralling experience, the trek was finally coming to an end. We shot a farewell video featuring messages from our entire group. The last leg involved trekking uphill for about half an hour – it turned out to be extremely tiring, more so because we knew that it is all coming to an end.

       We reached our guesthouse in Leh at about 6 pm. No prizes for guessing that the first thing we did was reconnect with our families. At the Silverline guesthouse that evening, we were sitting in the dining area in the company of people who were Chadar bound in a couple of days. The three of us (G3) were celebrating the trek completion with cold (rather chilled) drinks. The others around were surprised to see us doing that, our reply to them was that after drinking hot / warm water on the Chadar for one whole week, they would also do the same upon return. On a few occasions during the trek, we actually drank the icy water sourced directly from the Zanskar. The celebration was then followed by hot onion pakodas, dal rice and interesting conversations about each other’s trekking sojourns.

      The feeling that one experiences upon completion of the trek is definitely one of contentment and achievement.

Day 8 & Day 9 : 21^st Jan & 22^nd Jan- Leh - Mumbai:

      It was going to be a day of rest with some shopping to be done. We started off by soaking sum sun on the guesthouse terrace. Closer to the guesthouse, there was a pond which had frozen and was used for ice hockey games. Apparently, there was a game between a Canadian team and the Indian team today. With a decent hindi commentary going on, it was good to see the crowd turn out in good numbers considering the ambient temperature. A banner with the following message was proudly displayed – “Guinness World Record – Ice Hockey match at the world’s highest altitude” After making video calls home from a local café (free wifi, nice soup & noodles) we roamed around in the market area in search of a South Indian restaurant. We couldn’t find one but what we did find was worth the hunt. We lunched at the Red Sauce restaurant in the Main Market which serves delicious Chinese and Italian stuff (we only tasted these). We quickly went about shopping things to take home for our families since by 6 30 most of the shops are closed for business in winters.     

     The following day brought an end to our trip. Sitting in the AI flight to Delhi, I was revisiting the entire trek and going through the awkward transition now to the mundane world. Between all this, Bhavesh just asked me “Jimit, when are we coming back to Chadar again?”

PS - Apologies if the pictures don't do complete justice to the write up and for any gaps in proofreading. Got really lazy towards the end !!
Am collating all the pictures and would post all of them online and share a link shortly.


Anyways,  for a nice video of the trek do visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLdVlc8cVPc
(Thank You Dr. Ashok Kolluru for the video and pictures used in the post)