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1/7: It's
morning
in Lower
Hankar. I've just started the
tough climb from just below 4000m up to
Nimaling Camp, 4840m. |
A short
while later I pass Upper Hankar, with Kang Yatse 6400m ahead. |
A
while after Hankar the "river" splits, (now a small stream). I think
it's fair to say that Markha Valley ends here. The trail now passes a
narrow gorge.
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we are getting higher, the landscape
gradually opens up. |
A
milktea at the campsite Tachungtse (4200m+) raises the
spirit.
This is the only outpost between Hankar and Nimaling.
I don't
know
how many cups of milktea I drank during this
trek, but they were many. |
After
Tachungtse the climb gets pretty tough. Here is a look back to Markha
Valley, that actually is down there.
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About
one hour later, now at 4600m+. Lunch at a lake with
a view.. |
The
marmots won't cooperate at all. As soon as I get my camera they
dissapear into a hole. This one stopped for a short moment, luckily. |
Better
luck with the Pikas. Here's one sitting on buddhistic prayer
stones. A Pika is smaller than a normal rabbit.
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After
more than 6h of climbing, I reach Nimaling campsite together
with a
czech couple. There is homestay up here,
but in tents. |
2/7: At Nimaling
Campsite (4840m) breakfast is served
07:00 and dinner 19:00. In the tents there are plenty of
blankets and I quickly learn to use
them all. The air is thin
and I don't get much sleep on the first night. |
Today
is a restingday, I can still feel yesterdays climb in my legs. But
I want to take a stroll over to Kang Yatse Basecamp,
it only
takes a couple of hours to get there. Up to the right is now the pass
Kongmaru La 5260m. That's the normal way out of here.
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| Dramatic
views with clouds on Kang
Yatse. |
Almost
at BC, now visible in the valley. I wasn't sure what I would find here.
Nobody has climbed any 6000.meter peak
in the region yet, because of
longlasting cold and unusually large amounts of snow. |
BC
at 5040m altitude. From here it's KY2, 6170m that you climb.The group
that's here is the first one this year. They have climbed
to BC2 a
bit higher up, waiting for the summit attempt in the next morning. I
can only hope for their
success. |
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Fairytale
landscape from 5100m a bit past BC. This is
looking north, where you
can actually see parts of Markha Valley in the middle of the
picture. |
A
cold winter, followed by a cold spring and a very cold beginning of the
summer. Much more snow than usual. In
fact, the summer came
here
with me. These are the first
real summer days here. I now realize that
my primary target, Reponi Mallai Ri 6110m is out of reach for me. It's
in the middle of this picture. This peak would have been a
challange in
good conditions. The fact that no one has
climbed a 6000-er in Ladakh
this year makes me reconcider.
I won't get up there when it looks this
way. |
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