Kang Yatse 2

Airport Pick up from Leh Airport, the trek starts from Leh, which is a headway into Ladakh that is home to some of the highest peaks in the region. It is also a very popular tourist destination and hence fairly accessible.

Day one is reserved for the climbers to make their way to Leh and get settled into their accommodation. Since climbers will be coming to this altitude from sea level, the body will need time to get comfortable with the mountain air.

You will spend the night in Hotel.

Day two is reserved for rest and acclimatization to the altitude, too. This is important to allow your body to adapt to its new environment and reduce chances of adverse health conditions. You can go around and explore the city market, delve into the colors and culture of this high-mountain city and visit some places nearby. A little movement around the city would be good for acclimatization. Also, use this time to go through your checklist and do some last-minute shopping for what you might be missing for the expedition. Leh has the best market for trekking essentials.

While the body acclimatizes, we take this time to get together with the group for a debriefing session where we get to know each other better and delve into the happenings of the next few days – schedule, what to expect, basic do’s and don’ts in the mountains, how to maintain the sanctity of the environment and other such matters of importance.

The drive from Leh to Chilling is like entering the ocean of barren, brownish yellow yet stunning region of the Himalayas. In the first half of the journey, major monuments Gurudwara Pathar Sahib and Spituk Monastery will quaintly welcome you. The silent and vibrant Magnetic Hill also passes by as you make your own way. Through the views of color changing rocks, dry grasslands you will cross the confluence of Zanskar and Indus rivers. Chilling is a popular village of Leh known as the Base camp for Chadar in winter and river rafting in summer.
The trek ahead incepts with a steep ascent going through Zingchen gorge. Amidst you will also cross the river on a trolley at Kaya-Do place. The trail many times comes across Indus River. Skiu will mark the first camping in the tents.
It is located at the confluence of rivers Shri Nala and Markha. The village has fairly 10-15 houses. They are also good for homestay and tea breaks. The habitat also has an old monastery. End your first day of the trek in Skui, looking forward to the upcoming thrills.

We start as early as possible. Right after an early breakfast, we pack up our tents and get moving towards Markha Village by 08:30 AM. Mornings, in this terrain tend to get a little chilly; don’t forget to layer up accordingly. The trail today is easy and mostly straight with a few sections of ascent. The pointed rocky peaks, the poplar trees, and the muddy trail, they seem like a constant picture through which we walk for 5 days to get to the camp of Kang Yatse II – quiet and still. The river shining silver in the bright, harsh sun is the only thing that mimics movement in this otherwise static landscape – snaking through the bed of the valley in gushing streams. Two and a half hours into the trek, we cross a small wooden bridge over the aggressively flowing murky stream. And within an hour from then, we reach Sara, which is a halfway mark to our destination for the day. The trail is mostly dirt roads and the rocky sea bed.

We reach the campsite latest by 4 PM. After setting up our camps in this campsite in the midst of the tall green grass with a backdrop of barren mountains, we go for the acclimatization walk in the evening. The rest of the day is to explore the setting and rest our weary selves.

Wake up all fresh and be happy as today will be an easy trek. The upcoming trail meets streams and Markha river several times serving as a refreshment. Umlung village is a tiny village, which can be recognised by houses and a monastery on the route.
After Umlung the Kang Yatse peak comes to visibility and keeps calling you! Hankar village will be the next short break point. You can notice the Tacha monastery, skillfully placed on such a height. Hankar is also a camping site and one can have a night stay here.

We pack up our tents and leave the campsite by 08:30 AM. Fifteen minutes of sharp ascent and a 100M altitude gain later, we will reach Upper Hunkar – a small hamlet with houses nestled right in the middle of bright green fields bordered with flowers. Every village in this valley is adorned with prayer flags which add to the colour palette of the otherwise dichromatic color scheme. Also, you will find religious boulders called Mani stones in every village and on the trail between the many villages. These are stone plates and rocks inscribed with Buddhist mantras adding to the inimitable vibe of the valley. Mani stones are placed alongside the roads and rivers or sometimes placed together to form a mound as an offering to the spirits of the place. The beliefs of the locals dictate that these structures be crossed from the left as a continuation of their belief of the universe revolving in a clockwise direction forming circular patterns which are seen as a repetitive pattern in all Buddhist customs.

The fields in every village form peculiar geometric patterns adding to the atypical aesthetic of the place. We circle around the village of Upper Hunkar to get to the other side and then turn left into the valley towards the side you start to see Kang Yatse. We continue alongside the river on rocks and boulders. In an hour’s time, we leave the river’s side and make a steep ascend on a muddy mountain. The peaks in this region look like cardboard mountains, sturdy but bent in places in strange ways ready to crumble on one harsh blow. Nothing in the valley is in any hurry except that one lost cloud in the otherwise blue sky which is trying to go places. Yellow and pink flowers add to the chiaroscuro as every blind turn revels a different view holding new secrets waiting to be uncovered.

The trails enter into a huge plain of Nimling where sheep, mountain goats, sometimes rabbits are found grazing.
Nimling is renowned as grazing pasture lands and will also be your camping site. The entire setup is extremely pleasant and gives a contemplating experience.

This will be the smallest trekking day. Hence, chill and try to make the most of the beauty around you. The first half of the trek has loose rocks but the stunning views of Kang Yatse. The latter half of the trail is a descend. After 2-3 hours you will arrive at your base camp at 16,700 ft.

Today is reserved for acclimatization to the altitude since we gained quite a bit of height the previous day and have also entered a much different terrain. We use this time to distribute equipment and gears required for the climb and also to practice basic techniques we will require on our summit push tonight. After a late breakfast and equipment disbursement, we go to a nearby slope for training and to get comfortable with our equipment – snow boots, ice axes and crampons. We will learn techniques and calls of roping up and ascending and descending on a snowy terrain. We also learn to use ice axe to facilitate our climb and for safety on such a crevasse-ridden terrain.

Today is the Most Exciting day! We leave for our summit push between 11 PM and 12 AM. It is going to be a cold night and a very long day. We start climbing the slope to the right of Base Camp until we reach the top of the ridge. Although the trail is well marked, the terrain changes here to loose scree and moraine which gets slippery and needs to be traversed with caution. We keep climbing the ridge until reaching the ablation zone of the glacier from the north face of Kang Yatse II. After a short 100m climb up the moraine ridge, we rope up and enter the glacier. We will traverse the north face toward the northwest ridge while steadily climbing upwards. Once we climb around the northwest ridge, we climb straight above a rocky outcropping and follow the ridge to the summit. We should reach the top of the mountain between 7-8AM, wait there to soak in the majestic view and start to head back down. We should reach back to the safety of our tents on base camp well before the snow starts to get unstable and just in time for some hot lunch.

In case of bad weather or other difficulties, Day 10 is reserved for a second summit attempt. This will only get used if unexpected and unforeseeable conditions present themselves at the last minute preventing the first summit push.

With satisfaction and happiness begin to return home. This day is like a bonus to enjoy the fulfilling mountains again.
The terrain goes through the highest Kongmaru La pass. After a strenuous climb of 2 hours to Kongmaru La pass, you will be pleasantly welcomed by the Karakoram range and the excellent array of peaks. Hold your breath for the mind-blowing sight of the huge K2 Mountain, the second highest peak in the world. There are prayer flags moving along the wind. To your surprise, there is a good network connection from the pass.
Further trek of 5-6 hours will bring you to Chokdo. The route has a steep descent and rocky terrain. It will present the amazing side of the cold dessert as you trudge through Indus and Ladhak valley.
The trail changes drastically through the scenery of Indus valley and Ladakh range. This is the last stop of the entire trek, that also has many homestays. Look back and try to fill the salient features of the Ladakh in your eyes that you have just experienced while remembering the Kang Yatse Il trek. Your pick up vehicle will take you all the way down to Leh.