7/29/2009 to 7/31/2009 | India , LadakhBy Micah Hanson, on July 31st, 2009 123► After a day of rest and recuperation in Korzok following my previous climb, I still had another day before the tri-monthly bus to Leh. The weather had improved over the last two days and I was eyeing the peak directly to the north of Korzok, marked 5098 m (20,000 ft) on my […] 7/25/2009 to 7/28/2009 | India , LadakhBy Micah Hanson, on July 27th, 2009 1234► There are several 6000 m peaks within easy striking range of Korzok. But when it came down to deciding which peak I would attempt first there was really no question, I had my sights set squarely on 6622 m (21,725 ft) Chhamser Kangri (also spelled Chamser Kangri). After all, I couldn’t continue […] 7/24/2009 to 7/25/2009 | India , LadakhBy Micah Hanson, on July 25th, 2009 123► We had arrived in Korzok for the annual monastic festival held at the local gompa. Another Tibeatan monastic festival with the requisite Cham dances, trumpets and drums. While the Cham masks were not as spectacular as others I’d seen, the main interest for me were the locals who flocked to Korzok from […] 7/18/2009 to 7/24/2009 | India , LadakhBy Micah Hanson, on July 24th, 2009 12345► After a week of rest in Leh, following the departure of Karin and Jeff, I returned to the trail. This time would be a new experience for me, as I would be accompanying a trekking group organized by my friend Mohan. I was going in the capacity of an officially unofficial guide, […] 7/4/2009 to 7/9/2009 | India , LadakhBy Micah Hanson, on July 9th, 2009 12► I looked at the massive yellow duffle bag at my feet. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I thought, “The thing is bigger than my backpack; maybe it’s not as heavy as it looks.” I lifted it into the waiting taxi. Nope, it was as heavy as it looked. When I had […] 7/2/2009 to 7/3/2009 | India , LadakhBy Micah Hanson, on July 3rd, 2009 123► The next morning we gave our legs a break and took a bus from Shang Sumdo to Hemis. The monastic festival of Hemis is the largest and most well known of the many monastic festivals that take place throughout Ladakh and Zanskar. Its fame, proximity to Leh, and timing (falling during Ladakh’s […] 6/25/2009 to 7/1/2009 | India , LadakhBy Micah Hanson, on July 1st, 2009 12► I had already done the Markha Valley Trek on my previous trip to Ladakh but it is a good short trek and easy to do without camping equipment so it was the trek I decided to take Karin and Jeff on. In addition we would finish at Hemis in time to catch […] | Currently in:Chicago, Illinois, USA |