Travel partners wanted for a trip to Ladakh

Yogesh Sarkar

Hi every one, our group is next month going to Ladakh. We are planning to take a MUV/SUV with us as well for those who don’t like to ride on motorcycles.

The vehicle is most probably going to be an AC Scorpio, Safari or Innova with four-five persons in the vehicle apart from the driver. Following is the trip schedule we are planning to undertake:

Day 1 2nd September 2007: Delhi – Manali

Day 2 3rd September 2007: The ride begins from Manali, target to reach Sarchu by night fall.

Day 3 4th September 2007: Start early morning from Sarchu and reach Leh by evening.

Day 4 5th September 2007: Arrange for permits and visit Thiksey and do some local sight seeing.

Day 5 6th September 2007: Climb the highest Motorable road in the world and visit the picturesque Nubra Valley.

Day 6 7th September 2007: Do some sightseeing in Nubra Valley and return to Leh.

Day 7 8th September 2007: Climb one of the steepest passes in Ladakh and reach the largest salt water lake in the world, Pangong Tso.

Day 8 9th September 2007: Attempt the highest Motorable pass in the world, Marsimik La and hang out at Pangong Tso.

Day 9 10th September 2007: Time to pack the bags and get back to Leh.

Day 10 11th September 2007: Reach Suru Valley by nightfall.

Day 11-14 12th September 2007 to 15th September 2007: Hard riding in Zanskar Valley.

Day 15 16th September 2007: Reach Drass by nightfall and visit Drass war memorial en route.

Day 16 17th September 2007: Cross the famous Zoji La and enter Kashmir.

Day 17 18th September 2007: Jammu by nightfall.

Day 18 19th September 2007: Back to pavilion i.e. Delhi

Cost per person for transport for the entire trip would be less than Rs. 10,000 and accommodation and food shouldn’t exceed Rs. 5,000-6,000 per person on two people per room sharing basis.

Most of us are below 30 years of age (with a few exceptions) and few of us have been to Ladakh previously as well. Due to few cancellations there are a couple of seats available in the car, so if you are interested in joining us for the trip then please do let me know.

Those interested would have to pay 30% of the transport cost at least a week before the trip starts so that we can book the vehicle and the money would be nonrefundable.

You can also check out the official link for this trip, click here.

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rangers

Hi Yog,
Great Plan Yog,
Are the list of names in your official site forms the group?
cheers
Sanjay

Yogesh Sarkar

Thanks Sanjay, yes the list of people in that thread are the people who have confirmed for the ride.

amarshah

Sounds interesting... Yogesh working if it possible for me to tag along...

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Cheers

Amar

Year 2008 Trips - http://amards14.googlepages.com/

theshutterbug

Sounds great ... can u pm me your phone number ...

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Yogesh Sarkar

Okie

Sent you my number.

amarshah

any one else from joining you'll?

vistet

Anyone who is thinking of making this in to their first high altitude experience should be aware of that an itinerary like this may have serious health implications .

Going higher than Leh for the second nights sleep is strongly advised against . Climbers don´t move this fast , nor does the army in peace time - and under other conditions they medicate.

Even locals are not immune to fast ascents to 4000+ , last time for example I saw a young Lahauli vomiting in Sarchu which is more than a thousand meters higher than Keylong.

If you on top of that get delayed on the Sarchu-Leh leg , around 5000 meters , you are in dire straits. Not too uncommon , I´ve been in that position twice.

Bottom line : read up on AMS and safe ascent rates before checking in at The Vomit Hilton at 4290 meters on the second night.

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Yogesh Sarkar

Do you mean from Mumbai?

As for second night in Sarchu, well its either that or second night at Darcha and third night at Pang. In either way you will be sleeping at 4000+ mtr, so my advice would be to read up on as much AMS literature as you can. Then decide for yourself if you are ready for Manali - Leh, else either take the aerial or Srinagar route or take 7-8 days to reach Leh from the Manali side.

vistet

No one has to sleep at Sarchu. We did Darcha-Leh fairly comfortably last time in one day .. on a bus. Keylong-Leh admittedly was a long haul on bus , but manageable .

Another thing to remember is that after Darcha the best laid plans often dissolve in to thin air. Once you go past that point you can´t be sure where you´ll end up spending the night - something I found out the first time enroute to Leh , as we arrived in Pang with one unconscious passenger.

The second part of the above itinerary relies on some measure of luck , so that you come down to Leh´s altitude before the effects of hypoxia catches up with you. Luck will run out , maybe not this time , but in a not too distant future : I´ve been snagged twice around 5000 meters , and you won´t find it hard to locate others with the same experience. These will be mostly non-bikers though , since bikers most of the time can work their way around the landslides that traps the rest of the people on the road.

Start with the basics .. the ascent guidelines that are formulated by the International Society for Mountain Medicine... which emphatically rule out ascent rates as mentioned above :

1. If possible, you should spend at least one night at an intermediate elevation below 3000 meters.

2.At altitudes above 3000 meters (10,000 feet), your sleeping elevation should not increase more than 300-500 meters (1000-1500 feet) per night

These are the basics, that are are adhered to by for example climbers and army units. It is also close to the model that was used for transferring workers during the construction of the Tibet railway , where they used minimum four to five days to move their workers to the highest worksites ... which lie close to Pang´s altitude. They still had to evacuate a few of them with helicopters.

This is not about age ,fitness or attitude , it´s about physiology . Messing with safety guidelines on altitude is in no way different than messing with safety guidelines for diving : diving tables are not open for discussion either.












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Yogesh Sarkar

Vistet I like to debate as well, but debating the same issue in every other Ladakh thread is not some thing I am too keen on and this is going to be my last reply to your posts in this thread.

As for Darcha - Leh run, well that means minimum stoppage for photography and to enjoy the scenery i.e. a commute. Don’t know what Manali – Leh stretch means to you, but for us it’s not just a commute or a “bad experience” that we have to live through to reach Leh. For us its one the most beautiful and essential part of the Ladakh trip. Fear of getting hit by AMS is not going to scare us away from that. As for “luck” running out, well if a person is that worried about acclimatization and safety then Ladakh is surely not a place for him/her, better stick to places that are not located at such an high altitude or take at least a month out for your trip to Ladakh.

As for those who are interested in this trip, well if you feel you are not comfortable with the above plan then no one is forcing you to join us. However if you are ok with the above plan and are comfortable with traveling with us tourers, then you are more than welcomed to join us. Because for us a person’s resolve matters more than any thing else and that only comes if you are comfortable with the itinerary and people you are traveling with. After all in case of even the slightest problem, your determination and resolve is what gets tested and helps you maintain your cool to handle the situation in a calm and collective manner.

vistet

We´ve done this a number of times now , and it´s not my goal to change your outlook or plans. Any would be partners on your road trip that lack high altitude experience deserved to hear from the beginning what you say now : that you replace oxygen with resolve , and that you push your schedule for a photo op , so they can make a informed decision.

The worrier argument I wont go into : yes , I´ve spent many months in Ladakh , if you want to interpret that as a lack of resolve in going high and fast , let it be . For everyone else my advice would be to reduce the pace on the road.. say to just double the speed of army personnel. It will make the experience that much more rewarding.

Some more examples of what is at stake can be seen here from the clinic in Pheriche , which is just below the altitude of Sarchu.

machadinha

Members please see also rules of Mountain trekking and precautions,
Coming down for air...AMS (Manali-Leh)... you better acclimatize!,
Manali - Leh highway, how to avoid AMS?.

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Yogesh Sarkar

If any one is interested in joining in then please let me know by this weekend, beyond Sunday we will not be accepting any new entires since we have to finalize every thing.

amarshah

Yes i meant any one joining in from Mumbai?