Indrahar Pass Trek

carlaeb

We are considering the Indrahar Pass Trek from McLeod to Machetar staying three nights along the way at Lahesh Cave, Chatru Parao and Kuarsi. We are trying to plan this from the Internet with the help of LP guide, but are having trouble finding detailed information. We will be taking the trek around 15th of July. Here are my questions so far:

1. How heavy is the snow on the ground? I'm alarmed to read on this forum that it is knee-deep, but my guide book makes no mention of that. This will be a deal breaker.

2. What special gear do we need? We have typical hiking gear (down sleeping bags, tents, waterproof boots, rain gear, warm clothes, etc) but nothing specialized for extremes of snow or ice. I was working under the assumption that conditions in July would not require such things. Do you need ice and snow gear? This will also be a deal breaker.

3. Is it necessary to take a guide? We were looking forward to going alone.

I've read that this is only a moderate trip. We are experienced hikers, having done long term moderate to difficult trips, but we have no experience with ice and snow. Is this trek biting off more than we can chew?