From Pannikkar to Pahalgam

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From Pannikkar to Pahalgam Greg Aimer & Claire Douglas The tail end of winter still coated were lush green. We sat on the roof the hills around Leh, the 11,500 ft of a supply truck and bounced down capital of the Indian province the Suru Valley towards Nunkun. We Ladakh and the most active Buddhist were surprised to find ourselves stronghold in the world. Ladakh is sitting next to an English speaking mostly high altitude desert and "tourist officer". We enquired about mountain and is sparsely inhabited. snow conditions and the route between Panikkar in Ladakh (just down the Our first tramp had just been abanvalley) and Pahalgam, two passes doned due to high snowfall and lack away in Kashmir. We were told of the of acclimatisation. Retreating, we ease with which the journey could be had our iceaxes stolen by an enterundertaken, (it would not require prising local who presumably would iceaxes or crampons), and that four use them to till his fields. days would be adequate. The guide book indicated seven days travel We pondered our next moves and but our five days food would hopefully decided to move on. After a hicbe enough. The purchase of several cup hitch-hiking effort and a near more bus tickets and the resulting brawl at the bus ticket office, we suspensionless and cramped rides bussed to the Muslim town of Kargil, appeared in our dreams as nighthalf-way back to Kashmir. The marish apparitions, so the gush of altitude was lower and the valleys optimistic information elated us. We

Tikse Gompa (Monastry) in the Indus Valley altitude - approx. 10500' /Greg Aimer decided to head forth into the great tundra and up the steepening unknown and forego monastery visit- The slope came up to 30' and was slopes. very ing. firm, making for some interesting step cutting with the willow stick At the road end we were unable to in icy patches. The sun rose more food so quickly buy and on a very sunny and the tremendous heat quickly meltafternoon, grasping a trusty willow ed the crust, sending us into knee stick each we sauntered off up the deep slush. After several hours valley, the Challong Nallah. We wading across a neve we reached the encountered the first snow bridge 15,700 ft pass, the Lonvalid Gali. after an hour. However, we were startled to hear a policeman's My feet had twice frozen through my whistle but, unable to see the gentlenylon boots and Claire had the unman continued on until shrill calls enviable task of warming them on made us concerned. The third call her stomach. From the top of the came from an opossum sized, brown pass only more peaks and snowbound furred long tailed marmot tucked into valleys were visible. Should we some tussock and during the tramp retreat? The guide book and topo these policemen whistled at us the map (of sorts) did not indicate any whole time, even on the high snowunreasonable nasties and so bound passes. onward! After several hours walking we came After a knee deep descent which took to the end of the tussock and to the half the slope with us we stumbled edge of perpetual snow, and so campdown old moraine and camped at the ed amongst peaks rising to 18,000 ft first flat place. Now we felt and 19,000 ft from the 12,000 ft committed and slightly elated at valley floor. We found we had not having crossed the first pass. Our travelled as far that day as we had 'escape' was working. thought ( a common problem amongst the unfit) and by midday of the In the morning everything was frozen next we were floundering in exhausting again. We skidded down the valley melted snow. We gained height as crossing old avalanche debris and the valley opened out to large came upon a gorge. Travel seemed meadows, grazed by local herdsmen ok and we began the 900 ft descent in the summer but now deeply snowon compacted snow bridge. The bottom bound. Interesting peaks appeared part became a trifle thin and near in side valleys but we were still a collapse. The sensible thing was to long way from the first pass and so climb out over the greasy tussock camped on an island of tussock slopes through some bluffs until we waiting for a spectacular sunset. overlooked the main valley, the Kannital Nallah. The valley was The night was very cold and everybroad, filled with snow and avalanche thing froze. Starting early on rice debris and cut by a "Waiohine-sized" pudding, we marched across the frozen river, which we were forced to cross

Claire on frozen snow descending to the Kannital Nallah - altitude approx. 14500' /Greg Aimer on occasion. The weather closed in The river had joined forces with a later in the afternoon but we stuck tributary, which we were to follow it out to our objective, a place for a while. The whole of the tribmarked Hampet on the map, which utary was bound in a steep rocky consisted of grass river bank. This gorge. We climbed down a snow filled was the first grass we had seen for gulley, crossed a massive snow bridge three weeks and marked the proximity and climbed to a high ridge which of Kashmir. provided a campsite. The camp was very airy and exhilarating because As we packed next morning we saw an of its "eagles-eye" position. I improbable sight - a European donned spent some time collecting over 75 kg in bright red duvet with a badly of rocks to guy the tent down. sunburnt face plodding across towards us. He was an American doing the Next day we shot off down to some trip in the reverse direction and meadows and commenced looking for seemed to be making a hard task of the route to the next pass which we it. He showed us his route which took to be some distance up valley. dismayed us as the valley suddenly After a couple of hours and much plunged into a tight gorge which we brain racking we retreated from our had not anticipated from our camp. far point when it was obvious we had We descended a frozen scree to a overshot. The situation was very snowbridge and crossed the raging disconcerting as foodstocks were river. The ascent to tussock covered nearly exhausted, each side valley bluffs was frozen avalanche debris appeared impassable and all possible which provided a precarious and expaths were covered in snow. We posed path without crampons. The retraced our steps and examined the broken path on the other bank suddenmap in great detail. Lunch was a ly seemed reasonable! The route led miserable affair; hunched in the snow, along a series of bluffs 1500 to fresh bear prints all around, sharing 2000 ft above the river, through out a few crackers and the last of bands of friable rock held together the jam. After a hunt we found a by tussock and scrawny trees and likely looking valley and began the into grassy gulleys, all steep and climb. Our intuition proved correct exposed. By afternoon we were high and we found a path leading to a on a bluff topped by summer shelters gorge. The path disappeared under of Kashmiri graziers = rough built frozen snow and we downed packs stone affairs which appeared to prowhile I kicked steps up a very vide shelter for bears in the winter. exposed slope to some greasy tussock

Camped at Rumbug above the Kannital Nallah - altitude approx 10500' /Greg Aimer above. We followed up the tussock into the neve and climbed slowly to the pass now visible. By late afternoon the snow was very soft and we were exhausted by 4000 ft of climbing. We camped in a cold hole stamped in the snow about 800 ft below the pass. The weather was ominous and it snowed and hailed during the night. The ascent to the 14,300 ft pass, the Gulol Gali, was extremely arduous in snow often around our thighs. It took two hours to climb the 800 ft including stops to thaw our near frozen feet. From the pass we could see a descent in what was soft snow, down a gradual valley. Rounding the valley, we skeltered down to the settlement of Sheshnag, covered in snow and situated adjacent to a large frozen lake. After a suitable celebration, the last biscuits, we bagan the walk to Pahalgam. The weather closed in completely and we walked down the valley in torrential rain, hail, thunder and lightning. The flora became more green and the snow faded. We were firmly entrenched in Kashmir and felt as though a millstone had been released Ladakhi Child /Greg Aimer from our necks. The first habitation was a tourist camp where Muslim pony and sled wallahs hauled Indian tourists around in the snow. We ate and stroll down the lush Lidderwat River drank merrily on dalbaat, chapattis, to the resort town of Kashmiri bread and tea. Pahalgam. Ladakh and Kashmir offer superb The morning was glorious, our 7th, trekking opportunities but one our troubles over it was back to should believe only half of what one Srinagar and our homebound houseboat is told and go prepared for every on Nagin Lake after a very pleasant eventuality.