Stok Kangri Base Camp Expedition trek with YHAI | ShoeBytes

We decided to fly into Leh, as opposed to traveling by road from Srinagar or Manali. This was primarily due to time constraints. In addition, someday I wish to do the entire road trip from Manali to Leh to Srinagar, on a bike - preferably a Bullet. So flying in seemed logical. Also, we had heard that the views of the snow capped peaks, from the flight, were exceptional, and we were not disappointed, they genuinely were. Pro-tip: To get the best photos on the flight to Leh from Delhi of the snow-capped peaks, try booking a seat on the A-side of the plane. This gives the best views, without the morning sun becoming a hindrance.

The day began at 5:30 am with morning calls to wake-up. Grudgingly, I got out of my sleeping bag at 6 am, and headed out of the tent to check for Bhavini. She was already sitting outside sipping on her glass of tea, I went to the washroom to finish the morning rituals. After having tea, we decided to go out for a morning walk/run. The morning sun, beautiful views of Ladakh, and seeing the military people on their morning run got my adrenaline running, and I managed a decent 5Km run in high altitude all the way to the Hall of Fame - A museum constructed & maintained by the Indian army in memory of the soldiers who lost their lives in the Indo-Pak wars. After breakfast, we were to go to Shanti Stupa as part of our Acclimatization walk. We were required to carry our backpacks with our blankets to make a weight of around 3Kg. The idea was to train your body to climb up with weight, as we would have to carry our own backpacks during the trek. We assembled at 9 am in the morning, and the walk to Shanti Stupa commenced.

Leh palace is a nine-storeyed dun-colored structure. It is a dominant architecture icon that is modeled loosely on the Potala Palace in Lhasa. The dark and narrow walls of the palace enclose few exhibition rooms and a prayer hall. However, the best parts of the palace are the open terrace at higher levels that provide terrific views of the city. We had already seen the views earlier in the day from Shanti Stupa, but taking a few more photos didn't hurt. Since time was at a premium, we soon made our way down, and took a taxi to the basecamp, instead of walking all the way back there.

The second day started off similarly to the first day. We woke up, went for a walk this time towards Skara Market, and then had our breakfastToday's acclimatization walk was on a nearby hill. There was a tiny monastery in between the hill, but the plan was to go all the way to the top. Unlike yesterday, there were no stairs nor were there any trails. We were trekking on the rocks to climb up the mountain in a style we were quite familiar with due to extensive trekking in the Sahayadris. Moreover, our Action trekking shoes, as they provide good grip, were perfectly suited for a trek like this on moving gravel and rocks. The thin air did make trekking in this terrain more difficult than the Sahayadris. Nonetheless, we were on the top in less than 2 hours. And once there, the views were fantastic. On one side stood the airfield, and sandy hills while on the other stood the mighty Stok Kangri. The third side was taken over by the Leh city and its surroundings. We could see Shanti Stupa at a distance, distinctly below us and that gave an idea of the height we had climbed. Its peak was a tiny place, with just sufficient space to hold all 29 of us. We spent a considerable time up there clicking photos, singing songs and making Litchee squash. The climb down was trickier due to the moving gravel. Many people slipped, but not us as we had the mighty Action trekking shoes. Once down, we proceeded back to the camp for Lunch.

We reached the village and alighted the bus. A tiny board clearly indicated the start of the Stok Kangri trek. We followed our trek guide Tashi. In the first few steps, I knew that walking with such a heavy bag, will not be easy but now I had no option. The trail starts along a stream. Behind us was the Leh city, while in front of us, all we saw were huge mountains. Stok Kangri was nowhere visible from where we stood. Initially, I thought the tiny stream would be the Indus, but I was soon corrected. It was just one of the many streams that flow from the glaciers. We were to cross many of them during the course of the trek. This was good, as it meant that we would not require too much water to be carried along with us. We could always fill up our empty bottles from the adjoining streams. However, drinking water from these glacial streams was a challenge as the water was ice cold. Pro-Tip: One should not drink the water from the glacial streams directly, as it would cause a cough and throat aches. Instead, keep the water in your mouth for sufficient time, until it is warm enough to gulp it down the throat. This is difficult at first, but once you get a hang of it, its fun.

On the trail, we saw an ominous looking board, "If you can cross the river, you don't need to climb the pass". I had no clue what that meant. The stream was still quite small, and one could cross it quite easily. Yet, our guide - Tashi, did not seem interested in crossing it. Soon, we saw a might hill and a steep ascend to pass through it. While I struggled to make my way to the top of the hill, I could see people crossing the river and walking along the river bed. Why we crossed the pass instead of the stream I am not quite sure. However, from the top, we got some amazing photos and that was my takeaway. Good photos is a result of great effort. On the trek, it was the promise of some awesome photos, that helped me carry through many steep climbs.