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 [View with PicLens] 123456► We were all excited to finally get out of Imphal into the surrounding hills. We had chosen the destination of Ukhrul a town in the northeastern hill region of Manipur inhabited primarily by friendly Tangkhul Nagas. Few foreigners make it to Imphal and even fewer to Ukhrul. Three foreigners [...] 10/27/2010 to 10/29/2010 | Himachal Pradesh , India  [View with PicLens] 1234► I had come to the Chamba Valley with the intention of trekking to Manimahesh Lake, a lake holy to Hindus set in the high Himalayas at 4,080 m (13,390 ft), and dominated by Manimahesh Kailash. I was hoping to add this Kailash to my Kailash collection, which now included the grand [...]  [View with PicLens] 12► One of the reasons Tam and especially Kip had come to Ladakh was to do some trekking in the high mountains. The rains that brought such havoc on Leh had also washed away many trails and had swollen rivers to the point that they were impassable, not to mention [...] 12/4/2009 to 12/5/2009 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 123456► The day I had chosen to head back to Lukla from Deboche was an eventful day in the Khumbu. It was the day of the Everest Marathon for those who think marathons at sea level on well maintained roads are just too easy. The marathon follows a 26.2 mile [...] 11/29/2009 to 12/3/2009 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 1234…101112► Essentially being thrown unexpectedly back up into the Everest Region I wasn’t really sure what to do. I did like the Gokyo Valley last time I was in the region (see original Gokyo post) so I had decided to return there, since there were still a few places in [...] 11/23/2009 to 11/28/2009 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 1234…678► I woke up figuring it would be just like any other day in the past couple weeks, I’d go down to Kili’s office browse the internet, drink copious amounts of milk tea (chai), and do a bit of website work. Little did I know, I’d leave the ground that [...] 9/22/2009 to 10/16/2009 | India , Uttarakhand  [View with PicLens] 1234…789► Descending from Kinnaur via Shimla, I passed through Delhi, on my way back up to the mountains of western Uttarakhand. Not the most direct route when viewed on a map but the quickest and easiest when the topography of the region, roads, and bus quality is taken into account. [...] 9/17/2009 to 9/22/2009 | Himachal Pradesh , India  [View with PicLens] 1234…8910► “How will you know the way, the weather is bad, there is a lot of snow,” the senior officer said. “I’ve hiked all over the Himalayas, I hiked the Pin-Paravati pass in a snow storm,” I retorted. “Ok, I’ll give you the permission if you write a statement that [...] 9/1/2009 to 9/5/2009 | Himachal Pradesh , India  [View with PicLens] 1234567► I left Ladakh for the Spiti Valley for the second summer in a row; though this time I would go by bus rather than hike in as I had on my last trip. My previous trip to Spiti was ended by an early snow storm, I hoped this time [...]  [View with PicLens] 1234…101112► I arrived in Panikhar from Sanko in time to hike up the ridge behind the village, catching the setting sun illuminate Nun and Kun for my first of what would many impressive views of the twin 7000 m peaks. I also found a nice family run guesthouse in Panikhar [...]  [View with PicLens] 1234► There is something satisfying about hopping off a bus full of tourists at a small little known village and walking off into the mountains on your own. In this case the bus was bound for Kargil nearly half of those on board were foreigners headed to see the Dalai [...]  [View with PicLens] 1234567► 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 [...]  [View with PicLens] 1234…789► 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, [...]  [View with PicLens] 1234…111213► 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 [...]  [View with PicLens] 123456► 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. [...]  [View with PicLens] 123456► 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 [...] 5/22/2009 to 6/2/2009 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 1234…91011► Fifty hours on 4 different buses along the hot Bhramaputra Valley of Assam and the sweltering plains of Nepal’s Terai brought me at last to Kathmandu. I had trekked the Annapurna Region and the Everest Region on my previous visits to Nepal, this left Langtang as the last of [...]  [View with PicLens] 123456► May and I returned to Shillong where we met up for a last time with Phejin at her sisters’ place. After a few days of rest and relaxation May and I headed off to see one last wonder of the northeast, the living root bridges near Cherrapunjee. The villagers [...] 11/2/2008 to 11/7/2008 | India , Uttarakhand  [View with PicLens] 1234…789► legacy gallery with captions “I only take the Rajdhani, the other trains are no good, Rajdhani is good train.” Indian trains, hardly the first topic of conversation I would have expected from a holy man who lives most of the year in solitude at the inhospitable altitude of 3600 [...] October 2008 | India , Uttarakhand  [View with PicLens] 1234…161718► Legacy Gallery with Captions Having escaped the snows of Spiti, I headed for the neighboring Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, formally known as Uttaranchal. The state’s most famous destination for foreigners is the Meditation/Yoga/Asram/neo-Hippi meca of Rishikesh made famous by the Beatles’ stay in 1968. For Indians the state derives [...] 10/15/2008 to 10/17/2008 | India , Uttarakhand  [View with PicLens] 1234567► legacy gallery with captions I reached Joshimath in the evening after a long series of jeeps and buses from Wan, although relatively close geographically the poor roads and transport connections made it a long day of travel. My primary purpose of visiting Joshimath was to hike up to the [...] 10/10/2008 to 10/13/2008 | India , Uttarakhand  [View with PicLens] 123456► legacy gallery with captions The mysterious lake of Roop Kund sits below the towering 7120 m (23,350 ft) face of Trisul, on the western edge of the Nada Devi Sanctuary, mountainous region surrounding Nada Devi the highest peak solely contained within India. The lake draws its notoriety from the [...]  [View with PicLens] 1234…91011► legacy gallery with captions We awoke in Korzok, the village nestled along the northwestern bank of the high altitude sailine lake of Tso Moriri, to a mass exodus. Anyone with any mode of transportation, horse, donkey, tractor, jeep, motorcycle, truck, anything that could move a person to some where [...]  [View with PicLens] 1234…202122► legacy gallery with captions I walked up Chanspa road in Leh towards the Sandwich Bar where a group was meeting to discuss the logistics for a self organized trek to Zanskar. I had planned on doing the Lamayuru to Darcha trek across the remote region of Zanskar, so when [...]  [View with PicLens] 123► The most common way to enter the Nubra Valley is via the 5602 m (18,375 ft) Khardong La which the Indians love to tout as the highest motorable road in the world, a title which is apparently somewhat debatable. In any case, I decided to hike in via the [...]  [View with PicLens] 12345► legacy gallery with captions Stok Kangri rises like a white sail above the Indus valley opposite Leh. Looking up at the snow covered peak watching the last rays of the setting sun bathe the white massif in a golden glow, I found it hard to believe I had stood [...]  [View with PicLens] 1234…91011► legacy gallery with captions As I slid down the glacier my speed increasing with every passing moment I struggled with all the might my oxygen starved lungs could muster to slow my acceleration, thrusting my trekking pole into the ice with as much success as one might have in [...] 5/28/2008 to 6/4/2008 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 1234…678► The previous day’s phenomenal weather at Knobby View was not a fluke but rather the beginning of a trend. The sky was yet again spectacularly clear the morning we hiked westward over the Renjo La (5417m/17,772 ft pass) from Gokyo to the neighboring Bhote Valley. From the prayer flag [...] 5/24/2008 to 5/27/2008 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 123456► Knobby View Panorama It snowed most of the day I hiked to Dzonglha, the last lodge before the 5420m/17,782 ft pass to the Gokyo Valley known as the Cho La. At the lodge in Dzonglha I met, Ben, an outdoor enthusiast from Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the accent to match. [...] 5/20/2008 to 5/23/2008 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 1234…789► As I hiked towards Gorak Shep, at the foot of Kala Pattar, and the last lodge settlement on the route to Everest Base camp, I struck up a conversation with a friendly Nepali man, named Kili Sherpa (pronounced Kee-Lee). I ended up hiking with him and his cousin most [...] 5/16/2008 to 5/19/2008 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 1234…678► My principal goal in Chukhung was to climb the near by peaks of Chukhung Ri (5559m/18,238 ft) and Chuckhung Tse (5857m/19,216 ft), the highest point in the area not requiring an expensive climbing permit. On my first day I climbed up Chukhung Ri to test my acclimatization and see [...] 5/6/2008 to 5/15/2008 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 123456► Everest, it’s a mountain that has fascinated the western world ever since it was determined to be the highest point on the planet in the mid-19th century. It has drawn travelers and mountaineers to the region surrounding it, known as the Kumbu, ever since. Seeing Everest for the first [...]  [View with PicLens] 1234…121314► Sikkim is in northeast India and it sticks up like a little peninsula into the Himalayas. Bordered on the west by Nepal, the east by Bhutan, and the north by Tibet its culture and landscape is closer to these regions than most of the rest of India.. I was [...]  [View with PicLens] 123456► The Ghats are southern India’s mountain range which stretches from its southern tip northward. Before branching into the eastern and western Ghats which create the boundaries of the central plateau of India the Ghats run along the boarder between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It was this region in which [...] 10/23/2007-10/26/2007 - | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 123456► After Poon Hill I was trekking on my own, heading off towards Annapurna Base Camp. In the area right around Poon Hill there had been muggings in the past, and not wanting to have a repeat of my episode in Tibet I kind of hung around other groups during [...] 10/19/2007 to 10/23/2007 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 1234► We moved a little slower through this section not because of weather this time but because Tom developed blisters on his feet. The slower pace was not a problem as it allowed us to spend a little longer in Tukuche sampling the various brandy flavors at the local distillery [...] 10/17/2007 to 10/18/2007 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 12345► Arriving in Muktinath was a welcome change after two days at the rather rustic High Camp. Noting on our arrival that there was a lodge in town called Hotel Bob Marley, there was really no other place to stay given that my Canadian trekking companion was even sporting the [...] 10/14/2007 to 10/17/2007 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 12345► From Manang, the second time (courtesy of my snow blindness and need for sunglasses), we took two days to hike up almost 1500 m to High Camp at nearly 5000 m {16,500 ft}. High camp is a couple of lodges at the foot of the Thorung La pass the [...] 10/10/2007 to 10/13/2007 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 12345► From Manang we deviated off the typical circuit route to visit Tilicho Lake. At 4914 m (over 16,200 ft), and depending on your definition of a lake, it qualifies as the highest lake in the world, a title which seems to be clamed by a number of high altitude [...] 10/3/2007 to 10/9/2007 | Nepal  [View with PicLens] 123456► For the longest time, I had wanted to come to Nepal and hike the famed Annapurna circuit. When planning my journey I had tried to time my arrival in Nepal for the best possible time to do the trek, just after the monsoon when the air is clear and [...] 9/17/2007 to 9/19/2007 | Tibet  [View with PicLens] 1234► According to Tibetan Buddhists completing the kora (walking) around the sacred Mt. Kailash rids one’s self of the sins (negative karma) accumulated over a lifetime. It’s a bit tougher than walking in to a confessional at your local Catholic Church, but then again Tibetan Buddhism is not a religion [...] 9/5/2007 to 9/9/2007 | Tibet  [View with PicLens] 1234► As of September 1st “the powers that be” here in Tibet (i.e. the Chinese Government) decided that it would now take 10 days to get a permit for Mount Kailash instead of the previous 3 days. Having been to most of the attractions around Lhasa on my pervious trip [...] 3/2/2007 to 3/5/2007 | Laos  Akha woman, Muang Long, Laos pdf version of this post with pictures I went to the town of Muang Long in search of some off the beaten path trekking. The small town of Muang Long, or perhaps a better description is overgrown village, is two hours along a dirt and gravel road past [...] | ||||
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