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Kinnaur - A pioneer trekking over Listigarang- and Kashang pass


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Old Nov 12th, 2005, 18:26   #1
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Kinnaur - A pioneer trekking over Listigarang- and Kashang pass

Kafnu (Bhaba Valley) - Listigarang Valley - Khasyan - Listigarang pass- Yulla (Bagain) Kanda - Rora Kanda - Kashang Kanda - Kashang pass - Pangi

Ways develop only when going!!! - This words became after this Trek so correctly conscious! "Nobody goes these ways, except a few shepherd..." was the answer when we asked for the way.

18th August 05 Wangtu/Tapri: The road to Reckong Peo was still closed behind Tapri after the Sutlej flood! And the "narrow road" Tapri - Urni - Reckong Peo was not feasible for our "Tata SUMO"... Thus there was only one possibility - RUNNING!!!

From Deepak Sanan's and Dhanu Swadi's vague description in "Exploring Kinnaur & Spiti" is the idea to run on old footpaths the "Intermediate Trails" .







Journey by jeep: Manali - Aut - Gushaini (Tirthan Valley) - Jalori pass - Rampur - Sarahan - Wangtu/Tapri - Kafnu

14.8. Meeting with my friends in the Kullu Valley, buying, preparations etc..

15.8. Jeep into the Tirthan Valley to Gushaini, overnight accomodation into "Raju's cottage", a Guesthouse, which the Indian journey magazine "OUTLOOK Traveler 9/2005" deticated a "cover story". – Excelent cuisine again! - Hmmm, also no more a secret tip!

16.8. Thaw and monsoon arranged at the beginning of July devastating destructions here. The fish farm in Gushaini was completely destroyed!





The road over the Jalori pass was released for traffic after several days barrier again. Landslides near Khanag made a coming through not possible. - We should have luck!





Everyone helps everyone here, but not everyone managed it...



Jeep travel over Ani and Luhri to Rampur. Behind Rampur branches of the NH22 a small recommendable road to Gaura/Mashnu. A little detour to Sarahan with gigantic prospects into the Sutlej Valley! But we had unfortunately bad weather. Camp after Gopalpur at a picknick place.

17.8. Jeep over Mashnu to Sarahan with an excursion to Daranghati (2900m). Camp in Sarahan. Rain again!!!

18.8. Jeep to Wangtu/Tapri. Here the travel for our jeep is to end. A landslide blocks the road to Reckong Peo.



We turn around and drive into the Bhaba Valley to Kafnu. Camp at the artificial lake. The weather improves. Tomorrow is full moon! My planning seems to work out well...

19.8. Rest day. We sent our jeep back and are pedestrians from now on. Attendance of the village Yangpa and inquiry about the way over the passes to Asrang in the Taiti Valley. - "No one goes this ways, only a few sheperds you‘ll met" was the answer. Ok, we try it nevertheless!

Trekking

20.8. We hiked over the villages Yangpa (2600m) and Grawa (2725m) through fields and orchards over a small hill (2800m) to Surcho in the Listigarang Valley. Camp in the proximity of the bridge over the Listigarang stream (2620m).


Rest at the valley entrance to the Listigarang Valley


Surcho

21.8. Crossing of the Surcho bridge on the other valley side. 45min ascent up to an individually standing house "Somade" (2710m).



Over bridge again on the other valley side. Ascended direction Khasyan (3400m). The paths in the Listigarang Valley are used hardly and grow over to approx. 3000m with „Jumping herb“ (Impations glandilufera) and Shivas favourite plant (Cannabis indica)...


Listigarang Valley - in the background the Pandoshwar comes into view

Khasyan, at the foot of the holy Pandoshwar (5806m). - Here it requires some orientation, in order to find the correct way. The Listigarang stream bends here to E/SE into the valley with the waterfall! Before must traverse the two tributaries, which flow from N and NE into the Listigarang.
First one on a temporary bridge (3300m) and the second with "wet feet" (3350m). Afterwards a short, steep ascent into the valley with the waterfall. Camp at the way to the Listigarang bridge (3400m)


Pandoshwar


Khasyan pasture with Pandoshwar

Steep ascent to the Listigarang pasture (4000m). I need nearly 4 hours for 600 elevator meters. It is enough for today! The place is also too beautiful.



23.8 Rest day. My morning pulse says to me: Acclimatize you still another day here!!!


Listgarang pasture - a botanical jewel...


Himalayan edelweiss


Blue poppy


Saussurea gossipiphora - Snow Flower


Saussurea obvallata - Brahma Kamal

Ascent to the Listigarang passport (4680m). A shepherd said to us: " you are in 1,5 hours on top." - Hmmm, I needed with breaks 4.5 hours! Orientation was also not simple here. There was no ways or way signs. Well, the sheperds know the ways! We followed the left Listigarang stream to his spring over 3 plateaus to the pass. To the south a further pass leads back to Tapri into the Sutlej valley! Stones, stones, stones! We try to orientate us over endless rubble fields. The ascending clouds made orientation more difficult. 12:30 o'clock I reached the pass. The weather was too uncomfortable, in order to stay here longer. Wind and clouds organize a race. My already tired legs drive me further and I concentrate me only on the next step.

800m steep descent over boulders. - 4 hours later I pitched my tent on the pasture Yulla Kanda (3890m). - Sleeping sleeping, sleeping...



25.8. Yulla Kanda - my muscular strain holds within limits! - Rest day. We become acquainted with the sheperds on these pasture, which want to hardly believe that we come from Kafnu. "You could have been lost to it..., We didn‘t have foreigners here ever! Yes, one was here times ago alone, that we found later death at the glacier! We had warned him not to go alone and he should not photograph our holy mountain, Pandoshwar. He didn’t heard of us!" - That makes courage! The day before I photographed naturally its holy mountain too!!!!

26.8. Yulla Kanda - Rest day - Evening before Janmashtami (Krishnas birthday). The first village pilgrims comes to Yulla Kanda, in order to camp under rock shelters, with the sheperds or in our tent. It becomes a long evening!


We have attendance...

27.8. Yulla Kanda - Janmashtami, a celebration in the mountains - "Incredible India"!!!


Holy lake on Yulla Kanda


Krishna temple


The first pilgims comes...





28.8. Although the sheperds want to persuade us to remain – it‘s Sunday and no humans starts on Sunday a route... - We went on the way again!


From Rora Kanda branches a valley to NW into glacier territory - an unknown trekking territory...

The next pass is already in range of vision. Again a steep "rubble dump", which makes me duly respect!


Kashang pass

We crossed the Rora stream on a bridge, moved over Rora Kanda the side valley upwards and furnished after cosy 4 hours our "base camp" on 4250m. A thunderstorm with hail holds us on breath in the late afternoon!

At night it continues to snow. Well then, good night!

29.8. 10:30 o'clock: Late start! At first, our tents had to thaw out after an ice-cold night.



We look for "our way" by a 45-50° steep, fatiguing rubble slope to the pass again . - "Run-joy-technically" a disaster and not harmless! Where I climbed one moment ago, falling rocks to down! - Phew, I had luck !!! This pass is also not very hospitable, wind and clouds runs again around the bet. A cold valley with enormous snow field (or glacier?) lies before us. - OK, we must down there!

On the snow, we could be "driven off" fortunately well, but then stones, stones, stones again...
We reached the first flat place with drinking water after further 2 hours on 4480m and pitched our camp here.


Camp in the "cold valley"

30.8. After an ice-cold night: 7:45 o'clock arouses the first sunbeam our vital energy again.



We descend to to the confluence at the Kashang River on 3985m. - Stones, stones, stones... It is enough! On approx. 4100m height I step first time into Sheep shit again, discover like a path and such a "thing" as green grass "flatter" my trekking shoes! About which one can be pleased in such a way? - My legs feel anyhow safer again.

31.8. Kashang Valley river downward to Kashang Kanda - Camp at the river (3450m)


Upper Kashang Valley

It is still laborious even here to recognize the correct goat path as our way. We look into the side valley to the Nibling La.



I wanted actually still cross this pass to the Taiti Valley to Asrang. But I could not motivate myself any longer. - No further "stone dump" more! In addition, I didn't know whether the Taiti Valley is attainable by traffic again.

1.9. Kashang Kanda to Pangi (2780m) - The civilization has us again!


Lower Kashang Valley with Kinner Kailash in the background

Camp on the roof of a private house in Pangi

2.-5.9. Pangi - Phulaich festival and relaxing


Phulaich - Flower festival in Pangi

Heare the local musik: (MP3; 2,10 MB): Kinner Kanthi

6. - 8.9. Jeep Pangi - Taiti Valley (Asrang, Lippa). Camp in Asrang - back to Kalpa

Journey at home

09.9. Jeep Kalpa - Reckong Peo - Rampur - Camp at the Tannijubbar Lake near Narkanda
10.9. Jeep to Narkanda - Shimla - At last a hotel again. - SHOWER!!!!!!
11.9. Reserve day in Shimla, night bus to Delhi
12.9. Delhi
13.9. Flight over Vienna - Munich to Germany

I thank my Indian and Nepalese friends, who made this trekking only possible.



Your Kinnaur explorer
Andreas Wagner

Last edited by AndreasW : Nov 13th, 2005 at 00:06.
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Old Nov 12th, 2005, 19:10   #2
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Thanks Andreas! That looks fantastic!
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Old Nov 12th, 2005, 19:59   #3
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Very Well Shot, My Lord !!

Call me over the next time you plan something like this...thanks
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Old Nov 12th, 2005, 21:09   #4
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phew .... sexy
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Old Nov 12th, 2005, 21:47   #5
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Nice report.. and congrats on ur trek!
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Old Nov 13th, 2005, 18:50   #6
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Thumbs up Botanist?

Hello, AndreasW, you have posted this again. I recall seeing the same photos in an earlier thread.

Lovely write up, very professional map work; much admired. I am still figuring out how to use photoshop [i have irfanview] for my Parvati-Pin-Bhaba trek. It might take me at least a year [working spare time] to reach your level of picture editing.

Are you a Botanist? I mean you have written the Latin names like Saussurea obvallata and all. I ask coz I have some fifty flower photos without a single name to caption them. If you are not, how did you identify these flowers?
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Old Nov 14th, 2005, 12:06   #7
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Great trip and great photos

hi andreasW,
Thanks for sharing the pictures, Really fantastic. Marvellous Job !!
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Old Nov 14th, 2005, 19:24   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AvidTrekker
Hello, AndreasW, you have posted this again. I recall seeing the same photos in an earlier thread.

Lovely write up, very professional map work; much admired. I am still figuring out how to use photoshop [i have irfanview] for my Parvati-Pin-Bhaba trek. It might take me at least a year [working spare time] to reach your level of picture editing.

Are you a Botanist? I mean you have written the Latin names like Saussurea obvallata and all. I ask coz I have some fifty flower photos without a single name to caption them. If you are not, how did you identify these flowers?
Hi AvidTrekker,

I have posted only a link to a German forum in this thread
Yes, I use PS for picture editing after slide scanning...

No, I'm not a Botanist! But I know some famous Himalayan flowers and search for them on my ways through the mountains. I have found the Latin names in books or in the WWW!
Can't help to determine the names of your 50!!! flower photos. Sorry! Look in a library for a good book...

AndreasW
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Old Nov 14th, 2005, 20:38   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreasW
Hi AvidTrekker,

Yes, I use PS for picture editing after slide scanning...
Do you scan the slides yourself? What scanner do you use?

Quote:
No, I'm not a Botanist!

AndreasW
Why don't you become one? you are pretty good at taxonomy!!
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Old Nov 14th, 2005, 20:55   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AvidTrekker
Do you scan the slides yourself? What scanner do you use?
NIKON Coolscan LS 30

Quote:
Originally Posted by AvidTrekker
Why don't you become one? you are pretty good at taxonomy!!
OK, I become a "Hobby-Botanist"...

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Old Apr 7th, 2006, 19:52   #11
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Brilliant brilliant adventure Andreas..was almost travelling with you reading and looking at the awe inspiring pictures.

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Old Apr 9th, 2007, 01:37   #12
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Mind Blowing ! Thanx for the visual treat, Andreas. I am planning to do Listigarang and Kashang passes thru the trail u took. Kindly, tender ur suggestion and info...

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Old Apr 9th, 2007, 13:17   #13
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Originally Posted by uttam View Post
Mind Blowing ! Thanx for the visual treat, Adreas. I am planning to do Listigarang and Kashing passes thru the trail u took. Kindly, tender ur suggestion and info...
Hi uttam,

welcome at IM... What do you want to know?
"No-one goes this ways..." told us the villagers!

You'll need the knowledge from shepherds on the pastures at Listigarang and Yulla or Rora Kanda... Go ahead!

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Old Apr 10th, 2007, 01:37   #14
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Hello Andreas,
I would like to know how did u Orient urself on this trek? Did u have any villger/spherd with u or u just met a few sepherds in the way and advanced.
Andreas, although it is quite late since we (JNUMC) did Manirang Pass. But i saw ur mail about sharing fotos of it only yesterday. Our club website carries very few fotos. If u please, u can visit this link (uuttam.multiply.com) for some more.
Regards!

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Old Apr 10th, 2007, 19:01   #15
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Amazing trek and writeup Andreas,cheers.
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