Incredible Beauty, Incredible Tragedy: Part 1

By now, a lot of people have probably heard about the devastating floods in the Ladakh area. In fact, you likely know more than I do. We have spent the last 3 days escaping from the area and are just now in Delhi, piecing it all together. One thing I know, though, is how lucky we were to get out, and travel such a long way to safety with few problems. Including the hike, a lot has happened in the last week, both adventurous and tragic. It will probably take a few postings to get it all down.

On August 2nd, four of us left Leh by bus, traveling to Likir to start a 4-day hike in the Sham range. Philip, a young guy from England who work with our team while he is completing an internship with the NGo we were associated with, had done the leg work to arrange the hike. Also joining Doug and I was another Ross, 'American Ross', who had been staying at the same guest house while he volunteered in Leh.

The bus dropped us off in, literally, the middle of no where, around noon. The bus didn't actually go to Likir, so we had to walk from the highway. The area is desert and the altitude as well as the intense Himalayan sunshine made the relatively easy walk that much more difficult. We had a fairly long walk from Likir to Yangthang, where our first homestay was located. The scenery was amazing and the walk was made that much more exciting by a couple of river crossings. The second river crossing involved balancing across a 10-inch log that marked the entrance to the home we were staying in. The 20 foot span over a fairly raging ice cold river required all my concentration, but for the family who lives there, it is their front walkway and even the kids scamper over it without a second thought. Later we were talking to the father and he was telling us how he walks, each day, down the valley to Saspol, a town on the highway, to work in the bank. It is three hours each way. I guess they get used to it early in life, though, as his young son walks two hours each way to school. Tough, and kind, people.

The homes are really interesting. Each one we stayed in had a big kitchen and eating area. Along each wall were many many silver and copper cups and pots. Some of the copper pots and bowls were huge and each obviously served a specific function. These large collections are a sign of wealth for Ladakhi families. There is also a large ornate stove on which the cooking is done. They use wood but also dried dung from yak and cows as fuel. Everywhere you go in Ladakh, you can see dung drying on walls and roofs. Dung from the fields is gathered in the summer and stored.

Following a night in this great guest house we set off for Ulle. Walking was initially a bit stiff, having not really hiked with the pack much for the last couple of years. Ulle is a very small village, only a few houses, higher up the valley and deeper into the mountains. This is a spot I was looking forward to visiting as it is well known for the population of snow leopards that inhabit the area.

The hike up to the village was not as grueling as I was expecting as much of it followed a new jeep path what is being put in. When we arrived in the village, a young guy came out to meet us and inform us that the owners of the home in which Doug and I would be staying was not home. He took us to his home for tea and, during that visit, we got to see his grandfather making curd using traditional methods. This involved pulling back and forth on a length of hide which was wrapped around the stick in the churning bowel. It was really interesting to see traditional ways still being used.

After about an hour rest, the young guy told us the owners of the house had arrived and went with us to show us where to go. I was a bit shocked when we pointed across the massive gorge that splits the village, to a small looking dwelling off in the distance. I was even more taking aback when he indicated the start of the trail, which really was nothing more than loose dirt and rock down the steep side of gorge.

We managed to scramble and stumble down the side until a more distinctive trail appeared. From there, it was down the several hundred feet to the river below, across a rickety bridge, then back up the same several hundred feet to the top of the other side. Of course, when we got there, the owners were no where to be seen and the house was all locked up. We kipped under a tree, in shade and discomfort, for a couple of hours until we decided to bail and try the guesthouse that the other two were staying at which, fortunately, was on the same side of gorge as we were now on. A half an hour march and some negotiating with the kids who lived in the house and were the only ones around and we had a place to stay. This was convenient as we were now all staying in the same place and we had arranged for a local guide to meet us there the next morning to go searching for snow leopards....