Hiking 50km Through Himalaya’s Wilderness

What Life Looks Like at 18,000ft

It was in the summer of 2023 when I set out to travel across the world, on my own. I had just graduated high school and I wanted to do something to push myself. Meeting complete strangers in India to go trekking through the Himalayas seemed like a good bet. After a 24 hour travel period from San Francisco to London, then to Delhi, I finally arrived at my destination in Leh, Ladakh, the northernmost region of India bordering on Nepal. The airport sits at around 11,000ft and is one of the highest in elevation around the world. This makes it challenging to acclimate to the elevation coming from Delhi, which sits at sea level, but is a great entry point to the mountains in the Himalayas.

Here, I met up with eight other travelers at a homestay on the outskirts of Leh. We sped past street dogs and vendors, in an area that has no cell service and is entirely cut off by the mountains. We had a few days in town before setting off, but those were packed with preparing gear and getting to know each other. We had a chance to visit a Tibetan Buddhist temple, situated on the top of a peak, and did training hikes on the outskirts of Leh to prepare for the expedition.

The individuals who I joined up with were from all over the United States, and all of us ranged from 18 to 23. We bonded over our experiences traveling solo and recollecting past adventures. Many of us were surprised by how young the others were, as it was a pure coincidence that we were all so close in age. This made for an immediate bond and an exciting time on trail. It almost felt like a sense of home around the world. We spent our days roaming the streets of Leh and the bustling downtown area. Leh is a destination for mountaineers and hikers who want to experience the mountains, and is filled with gear stores and spots to pick up food and supplies. We met individuals from all areas of the world, here to see the Himalayas.

The Journey From Miru

After a few days of acclimation, we packed up and sped towards our starting destination, in a town called Miru a few hours away from Leh. The temperatures that day were the highest they’d been throughout the whole trip, and without shade we baked in the heat with harsh UV rays penetrating us at this elevation. 

Once dropped off with all the gear we’d need for a few weeks, we met up with a group of nomadic shepherds and horses who would guide us and assist with gear. Our first day on the trails was almost euphoric. Everyone was so excited about finally being out in the mountains of the Himalayas, something that we all had been dreaming about. 

Our route on the first day was short, mostly used to get acclimated to the gear and the process of moving slowly at elevation. After setting up camp near a dried up stream bed, we scrambled up rocks to watch the sunset cover the valley in a layer of shade. We made a group meal then headed to bed early, excited about the next day’s journey.

On the second day we made it to our first pass, Shapodak La at 15,300ft (4,670m). We stumbled our way up switchbacks covered in sand, baking in the heat. At the top, we were overcome with exhaustion, and the cool breeze was a welcome change from the sun and high temperatures down in the valley.

We followed this trajectory for the next few days – waking up early to make breakfast and get on the trail, packing snacks for the way, then setting up camp as the sun was setting and cooking a group meal, recollecting memories from our hike over the past few hours.

We got to know so much about each other. Our histories, goals, why we decided to come all the way to India to meet up with a group of strangers. I still keep in touch with many and will never forget some of the moments we shared together. Bonding on a trail, out in the wild, is like no other.

Day three offered us a turn of fate with unforeseen high water levels at three river crossings, delaying our overall time and mileage for the day. With the extreme amounts of snowfall in the Himalayas, much of it is still thawing in mid-June, so water levels increase throughout the day with the sun. After chaining together to get through these rivers, some water reaching our thighs as it rushed past us, we came upon a nomadic shepherding community and their dog greeted us, bringing a lot of joy and excitement to the group. These dogs know the mountains so well that they’ll wonder for days looking after cattle and always know the way back. It’s uncommon for them to have visitors, so they get very excited to show us back to their camp.

After a rest day on day four, we started out on a journey that would soon be one of the most memorable days on trail. We crossed snow covered rivers and valleys, watching as the ground fell away from us just a few feet beyond the cliff, dropping over a thousand feet to the next gully. We were met with a sudden storm that lasted over 24 hours, leaving us scrambling on muddy cliff sides and soaking wet once we got to camp. We set up our high elevation mountaineering tents in the rain, then all piled into one to play cards and get out of the weather. Typically, we’d have only two in a tent as these are made for harsh conditions up in the mountains and are pretty small, yet somehow all eight of us seemed to fit as we laughed and recounted the day’s adventure.

We went over Shang La pass on the fifth day, then Matho La pass on the sixth, gearing up for our most challenging day on trail on day seven, as we scaled Namlung La and Stōk La pass that day. It was the peak of our journey.

Returning to Leh

Stōk La pass is the highest elevation pass in this area, and acts as the start and/or end point for many treks. Beyond this pass is a small village, cut off by winding roads and rivers, that many travelers frequent as homestays when preparing for their departure. We spent one night here, enjoying the warmth and the food, getting to sleep on real beds, before returning to Leh.

On our last day on trail, we departed from Runbaq and wove around the mountainsides, before reaching our final destination. That night, we’d all go out for dinner, relishing the last few moments we had with this incredible group of people.

After promising to stay in touch, we departed the next day from the Leh airport, all heading different ways. Some going on to travel for months on end, others going to start a new chapter in their lives either going to a new university or moving across the country. It was a transition point for many, and we all got to share it together.

 

Find more articles by Ella here.