Stok Kangri

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NOTE: Although I do not have any pictures from this expedition, the guys I was climbing with do. If possible I will post a link to their photos as they become available.

What is the difference between a trek and an expedition? Well for starters a trek is basically a long glorified walk. Twice in Nepal I strapped on a backpack, tied up my hiking boots and began to walk slowly but surely around some of the world's highest mountains. I crossed narrow canyons using rickety bridges, followed raging rivers, and admired vistas of distant peaks.

Last week, here in Ladakh I also strapped on a backpack and tied up my hiking boots. This time I was part of a group of 6 guys that I met during the epic minibus ride from Manali to Leh (see the last blog entry for more details). There was Aritz, a Spaniard from the Basque countryside, Albert and Marc from Barcelona, Nick from Scotland, and Sahil, a chemical engineer from Delhi. Together we hired a local guide to climb Stok Kangri, a large mountain just outside of Leh.

My first glimpse of Stok Kangri actually came my very first night in Leh. Leh is part of a high altitude desert, located in a valley at 3500 meters, or 11500 feet. At the south end of the valley looms Stok Kangri, a formidable looking snow-capped peak towering high over the valley below. The peak is clearly visible throughout Leh, and even from tens of miles away it is clear that this is not a climb for the faint of heart.

It was a warm sunny morning when we left to begin our expedition. Although the trip was supposed to take 4 days, we soon decided to add an extra rest day to allow more time for acclimatization. As we started hiking up to the first night's camp, we saw that all of the other groups on the mountain had pack animals to carry the gear - an option that we declined in order to save costs on the expedition. Confident in our strength we slowly but surely hiked upwards, arriving at the first camp at 15000 feet just before dusk.

The next morning we awoke to some unsettling news. A man in the tent next to ours had died during the night from a heart attack brought on by the altitude. The victim was a German man in his 60s - an age at which one must be extra cautious about ascending quickly. Because of the lower oxygen levels at altitude, the heart has to beat faster than normal to bring oxygen to the body's cells. Young healthy people can generally withstand elevated heart rates for longer periods of time, but for the elderly and those prone to heart problems having an increased pulse can lead to serious problems. After our guide spent the morning helping the other expedition take care of the body, we started to slog on again towards base camp. As we made the final climb to Stok Kangri base camp, the effects of the altitude became screamingly apparent. Each step forward was a test of will power as our muscles screamed under the heavy load of the gear we were carrying at this altitude. Luckily we could leave much of the gear at the 17000 foot base camp for the assault on the summit in a few days time.

We spent two days at base camp taking short acclimatization hikes and practicing with our crampons and ice axes. During the two days there we could all feel our bodies slowly but surely become more adjusted to the altitude. For example, when I first arrived at base camp my resting pulse was over 100 bpm - more than double what it is at sea level. By the end of the next day it had dropped to 75 bpm and I could jog around the base camp without feeling out of breath. We ate our last supper before the ascent, a meal of rice potatoes and lentils, and tried to hunker down for a few hours sleep before beginning the attempt on the summit.

We woke up just before midnight to an icy star filled sky. Had it been just a little bit warmer I would have been tempted to abandon the whole summit attempt and spend the rest of the night looking at more stars than I had ever seen before. However, the icy wind brought a sense of urgency with it and we gathered our gear to begin what would be the greatest physical challenge of our lives. Note: expeditions to the summit of Stok Kangri have to leave in the middle of the night to avoid the dangerously high winds that pummel the summit in the afternoon.

The first couple hours out of base camp went relatively smoothly. The deep snow covering the path was frozen solid allowing us to walk across effortlessly. The grade was not overly steep, our bags light, and we were fairly well adjusted to the altitude after two days at base camp. After a lengthy stop to put on our crampons and rope up the route became significantly more challenging. The grade became steeper, the pre-dawn air frigid, and much of the group really began to feel the effects of the altitude. As we walked we had to make frequent stops to catch our breath, and by sunrise three of the six of us had vomited.

Shortly after sunrise one of the six turned back because of altitude sickness, and the remaining five of us started to bicker about our pace and the frequency of stops. Having recently spent two months at altitude in Nepal I was feeling the altitude far less than my teammates and was becoming irritated about having to stop so much, as my muscles started to cramp up when I stopped moving. Aritz, also a seasoned climber was itching to go a bit faster, while Sahil felt that we weren't stopping enough. With the sun now up and the path ahead clearly visible, we asked to remove the rope tying our group together so we could take the summit at our own pace.

After de-roping I saw a steep but straight shot to the top. Although the gradient was very steep (close to 80 degrees), I was only a few hundred vertical meters before the summit and this motivated me to continue pushing forward. Using my ice axe and crampons I began to push upwards little by little, having to stop every few meters to catch my breath. Although my heart was pounding through my chest, I surprisingly felt no pain or exhaustion and continued to climb at my slow but steady pace. Before I knew it I was on the ridgeline just below the summit, the rest of my group far behind me. I waited for the rest of the guys to catch up and we hiked the last twenty minutes to the summit together.

Exhausted but exhilirated we finally made the summit. I was now standing higher than most people get in a lifetime. The sun shone piercingly bright across a deep blue sky. Off in the distance I could see hundreds of undulating peaks and valleys. Far off near the horizon I could see mountains that I was told belonged to China and Pakistan over 100 miles away. Tired and cold yet amazingly content I posed for pictures on top of my first Himalaya summit at an altitude of nearly 6200 meters, or well over 20000 feet. I was now higher than the highest point on five of the seven continents. Only a handful of peaks in the Andes, and other mountains in the Himalaya were higher than I was now standing.

I would like to say that the trip back down went smoothly and for the most part that's true. However, when I got back down to the top of the 80 degree ice wall I immediately started to panic. How the hell had I climbed up this monstrosity? Looking down from the top the drop looked to be completely vertical. The guide told be to start sliding down feet first and to use my ice axe to control my speed. How could I use an ice axe to control my speed when I was falling straight DOWN?! The guide offered to let me belay down by rope, but after a few minutes of this I realized that I much preferred the sliding ice axe method. After a couple minutes of absolute fear I realized that I could in fact control my speed with the ice axe and by the end of the ice wall I was enjoying sliding so much that I was actually disappointed to have to stand up and start hiking again.

After another night at base camp, we all hiked back down to Leh thrilled and empowered by our climb to the summit of Stok Kangri. It was only after arriving back in Leh and chatting with the owner of the mountaineering company that we found out that we did not take the typical route to the summit. Apparently there is a relatively easy ascent to Stok Kangri that requires a minimal amount of climbing and where the ice axes are used as an extra safety measure rather than a necessary tool. Apparently our guide had thought we were all experienced mountaineers rather than beginners to the Himalaya peaks. When we asked to be de-roped shortly after sunrise the guide thought it was because we wanted to find our own path to the summit rather than take the normal way up. So ... the path we took to the summit was not a beginner's route at all, but rather a far more technical climb. Despite this Stok Kangri is not considered to be a particularly dangerous peak because the glacier is soft rather than hard (hard glaciers are much more dangerous because ice axes can't dig in so easily). While we were probably not in serious danger at any point during the climb, we did take a far more difficult route than necessary to the top.

Having climbed a 6200 meter peak I feel like I have reached the quite literal high point of my time in the Himalaya. While there are other treks and expeditions I can do now, most seem seriously anti-climatic compared to what I just did. I spent the last few days in Leh hanging out with the guys from the expedition, but we have now gone our separate ways in our travels.

Because my camera is now officially broke I do not have any pics from the expedition, but the other guys all took pictures so I will post links to the photos if possible, as they become available.

Stay tuned...

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Comments

[Sahil]

Brilliant!
Brilliantly written Steve! I share your views on this. This expedition is a solid high point of my blessed 23 years on planet Earth. And it was great spending time with you (and all the other guys) too!