Tuesday, 22 May 2007

Caravans In The Sky

Our annual Caravan trek has been running since 2000, and as I write this in my room at the Kathmandu Guest house just a month before our 2007 trek, I can run through each year we have run it, and remember the high points.

The trek had its genesis in my early travels in what Sven Hedin called the "Trans -Himalaya"...I spent years researching routes and passes in NW India in the 80's, and in 1999 finally got time to cross the Parang La pass from Spiti to Lake Tsmoriri - it was an important trek not just for reaching this stunning lake, but because I met Lobsang and trekked with him for the first time.

I had scouted the approaches to the pass in 1998 after crossing the Pin Parvati pass from Kulu - but it took Lobsang to show me the way!

And in 2007 we reverse that route, crossing the Parang la and going on to the Pin Parvati and Kulu...
Our group, escorted up by one of the 2000 Caravan team, Max Sadler, arrive in Leh on the 22nd of June, the same day our Zanskar spring team get in. After a day in Leh, we are heading over for a night to the Dahanu region on the Pakistan border, before moving on to Korzok at 4500m on the shores of lake Tsmoriri.
From there we trek in easy stages to our high camp below the beautiful Parang la pass...over the top into Spiti, and then on to Kinnaur by jeep for part of the group; while Annie, Anita and Fred join me and Lobsang in a crossing of the Pin Parvati pass into Kulu.
A real himalayan journey.

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