The Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - a Review

We haven't quite decided whether the Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse was our favourite ever trek but it's definitely up there with the very best.  It managed to combine novelty, adventure, great scenery and excellent company with good organisation

We've got Valerie Parkinson to thank for the idea of going on the trip.  Valerie is the Asia Base Manager for Exodus whom we met for the first time on the Annapurna Circuit last year. Valerie is a trekking legend.  She was the first British woman to summit Manaslu, has been working for almost 30 years in Nepal and Kashmir, and leads for Exodus on the development of new treks in the area.  After listening to the amazing account of her attempt on Everest we asked our usual question "what's your favourite trek" and without hesitation she came back with the "Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse".

So where is the trip and what makes it's so good?

The Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse crosses Ladakh, one of three provinces in the Indian state of Kashmir and Jammu.  Geographically it's in an interesting place.  Kashmir and Jammu is the bit of India that inserts itself into central Asia and, from geological point of view, Ladakh is really part of the Tibetian High Plateau.  It's very high and very dry with long cold winters and short hot summers.  It's also interesting from a geopolitical point of view. With the Indian Army facing up to the Pakistan and Chinese armies over contested borders, it's one of most militarised parts of the world.

Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - Day 15 - Parang La base camp

Second full day in the Parang Chu and another wonderful one.  Essentially the same flat bottomed valley, huge cliffs on either side, occasional snow topped summits and, until late afternoon at least, perfect weather.  It's amazing how quickly you can get used to something.

Climbing the moraine

As usual the best walking is early in the morning when the light is at its best.  Today we had a small climb up onto some light gravelly moraine which almost crossed the valley.  Dwarf like bushes had spread across the surface all perfectly spaced from each.  Great views from the top back down the valley and last night's campsite.

Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - Day 14 - Parang Chu (2)

We are now in the Parang Chu valley.  It's a huge feature, flat bottomed with towering latte coloured cliffs on either side and occasional views of even higher snow topped mountains above the cliffs. The route takes us along the bottom of the valley with side climbs over moraine when the river prevents an easier route.

It's a dramatic valley.  It reminds me very much of the western side of the Annapurna Circuit - the two or three days around Larjung (which the Nepalese claim as the deepest gorge in the world), but if anything, with the light brown cliffs and incredible erosion features and huge scree on each side, this is even more beautiful.  We also talked with Pete about his trip along the Mustang Gorge which he doesn't think is as good as this.

Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - Day 13 - Parang Chu (1)

After yesterday's non-eventful day, today was action packed.

Last night the wind Dilip had warned us about kicked in with a vengeance. It must have something to do with differences in temperature between the air over the lake and the glacier in the mountains (I think you get a similar effect on some Greek islands) but it was like a wind-switch had been turned on by a furious god in the sky. An almost instant gale started to blow down the mountain. Everything seemed to be blowing away and it was all hands to the pumps as the team, in particular Pemtuck the rescue man, rushed around frantically to secure the tents.  The toilet tents blew over several times and were eventually abandoned and the mess tent also had to be taken down.  In the morning everyone had their story.  Most people had struggled to sleep particularly Ralph whose tent had blown down completely.

Of course the next morning the weather was on best behavior, coy and innocent, pretending that nothing had happened.  There was little time however for recriminations - we had to start early as there was a river that needed to be crossed before the glacier melt water built up and made it too dangerous.

Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - Day 8 - Riyul

This is one of the first group treks where I can remember everyone's names.  This might be because of the size of the group (just 11 people) or something to do with how friendly everyone is - either way it's definitely an easy group of people to be with.

The group consists of "Dr Nick" - who we met last year on the Annapurna who is the same age as me (58) and a strong walker; Ralph the German who lives in Paris, early forties and another strong walker; Pete again my age, from Lincolnshire (my home county), a strong walker and a veteran of numerous similar trips; Pauline a solicitor from Dublin who I guess is in her late forties; Amanda and Andrew (besides us the only other couple), who crack jokes all day and are the life and soul of the group; Sven from Sweden who at 34 is the baby of the group; Malcolm from Nottingham somewhere in his early 50s, a strong walker who I think models himself on Wainwright; and Helen Marie from Canada who looks much younger than she is (mid sixties I think).

Walks for 2013

I've had great time walking in 2012 but, based on current plans, next year could be even better.  I've got six trips in the diary with walks in England, Europe and the Himalayas.

The first and most complicated trip takes me back to Spain and the GR1 Sendero Historico. Travelling west to east and parallel firstly with the north coast of Spain and then the Pyrenees, the 700 miles trail will take me through "old Spain", often literally deserted, and wonderful countryside punctuated with traditional towns and villages. As the title of the route suggests, it's a route that's especially rich in history roughly following the most enduring front line between Spain's Muslim and Christian traditions.  It's full of fortified towns, castles, watch towers and other ancient military paraphernalia; Romanesque churches; and paths and trails which have been tramped along for centuries.  Working out the schedule and finding places to stay is a challenge but the hospitality in Spain is good reward for the effort.