chander
Member
DAY 6 : Khardun-La DAY : That was The day to cross Mighty Khardun-La to reach Leh - 70KM of cycling with 32 KM to KardungLa and then 38KM to Leh, 1600mt ascent and 2200mt decant. It was expected to be a similar climb as Changla.
Thank you, Sun J , Weather was wonderful with blue sky till North Pullu. Everything was on schedule till noon , after that , weather started to turn bad, the sun disappeared and the weather turned cold. After all, my trip had to be made memorableJ J.
At this stage , the fatigue of the last 5 days , low temperature, altitude and pressure to cross Khardung-La (K-TOP) in time ( not later than 3pm) were adding up… But I was excited to reach K-TOP from Nubra side. (I had been to K-TOP multiple times from Leh side in summers)
After crossing North Pullu, road to K-TOP turned icy and started to be windy, still 15Km to K-TOP. It was becoming tough with every KM due to drop in temperature and no sun but less windy than ChangLa, fatigue was catching up fast. Due icy roads, it was getting difficult to ride up. Thanks to the BRO , they were sprinkling rough soil on ice patches to maintain the traction. All military vehicle had chains on the wheels , which were making surface rough enough for my cycle to get a grip.
I reached K-TOP after 4PM. Temp was below -20C ,(on standard mercury temperature reader it was -24C, my electronic reader was stuck at -16C J), whatever it was , it was damn cold. Another worry was frostbite due to low temperature & headwinds. I think I barely escaped that, though, I started to experience severe pain in my finger and toe.
At K-TOP, Thanks to our Army, they offered hot tea /water and biscuits and very warm place. In 10-15 minutes , It gave me enough energy to start downhill.
Downhill was tough, very slippery icy road. Slipped a few times, luckily nothing serious, thanks to helmet and cycle disk brakes. Icy roads continued till South Pullu. It was a bit scary to ride. In few patches, I decided to walk, similar to what I did in ChangLa downhill.
It took a long time to get down to South pullu , it was nearly dark but the full moon seemed like another sun to me. It was cloudy but moon light was enough to navigate with a head lamp.
At South Pullu , temp. was around -16C and no ice on road which was a great relief, and trust me -16 C felt like 20 C J.
Finally managed to reach Leh (-10KM) safely by 7PM in one piece J.
Took one short video while cycling downhill but after that no picture…
I can’t recall much of the last night I spent in Leh, just remembered packing my cycle with my eyes a little wet. I was thanking ‘my cycle’ to have done this journey with me and not only carried me but also all the things I needed throughout and the help I got from everyone when needed including weather ..
Is it the first time anyone covered this route solo, self-supported in December?
Well the jury is still out on that
On 27th Dec. took morning flight to Delhi ….And missing Ladakh since ….
If you are not already in love with this place….. you surely will be
Special thanks to my daughter, Sara for editing this article to add life to it ….. otherwise it was filled with numbers and facts ……
Thank you for reading
View after Khardung Village , going up to K-TOP
Towards South Pullu , First View of K-TOP between those white mountains
Left side of K-TOP
1KM from South Pullu and 14KM to K-TOP,K-TOP getting closer and visible ... Road starts to be icy and clouds are gathering
Sun is still shining
Getting cloudy and time to keep moving , no more pictures or selfies
K-TOP getting closer and clouds getting darker... surely no more pictures till K-TOP
Finally at K-TOP
Cycle is in good shape and ready for down-hill to Leh
But I am not in good shape , frozen breath .. tired , cold ... ( Pic from Video)
Might KhardungLa is surely MIGHTY , takes best out of you .... ( Pic from Video)
Down towards Leh
Looking up to K-Top from leh side ( Pic from Video), very slippery road , like ice sheet with dumps ...
My digital temperature meter stuck at -16 from south pullu. Temp at K-TOP was lower ... below -23C,
Finally reached Leh , thanks to Mr. Tashi for wonderful stay and food...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Details
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Logistics :
Cycle : MTB Cannondale Trail 6 , 12KG
Clothes:
Tent : Weight 1.2KG ( Backup, not used)
Water bottle:
Home-Made Energy Food :Mix of Carb+protein+butteroil +nuts +fats, aka Mithai. 100g=600-700 cal , Total 2KG
Carrying weight 12-13KG.
Trip Statistic:
Route: Leh-Sakti-ChangLa- Durbuk- PangongLake , Phobrang-Shyok-Khalsar-Diskit-KhardungLA-Leh
Total Distance covered : 457KM,
Total Ascent : 8100mt
Total Decent :8100mt
Highest elevation :5400mt ( KhardungLa is debatable 5680mt)
No. Of days :6 ( 21-26th Dec 2018 cycling , 20-27th Total Duration)
Temperature Experienced : Day -3C to -22C ( Cycling), Night -10C to -21C(sleeping at warm place @ 10C)
Mobile Connectivity :
Airtel 4G at Leh, Karu, Sakti.
BSNL at Durbuk, Tangtse, Khalsar.
Luckily no problem with cycle during this trip.
What is different in Winters:
Landscape :
- All landscape is either brown or white, not a blade of green grass.
- If there is water, it is frozen like rock.
- If you are flying from Delhi , you feel and see freshness from AQI of 350 at Delhi to 0 at Leh.
Leh and around:
- Life looks normal at Leh and around but very few tourist and locals.
- 90% shops/hotels are closed compared to July-August.
- Food options are very limited, but you relish almost everything, if you do what I did everyday
Accommodation:
- You need to make sure that you book your stay (guest house) and talk to the person for facilities.
- Very basic facilities are available, except one or two expensive hotels.
- Going beyond Leh , make sure that you have confirmed your stay , nearly all guesthouse and hotels are closed.
Taxi :
- Available
Challenges compared to Summer cycling
- Body need to overwork to maintain body temperature in addition to peddling
- Very cold air to breath which is very painful (may lead frostbites). Covering face reduces air flow which in turn reduces oxygen volume , which is already at 70%-50%.
- Inhaling cold air makes your inner body cold, body need extra effort to maintain body temp.
- Risk of frostbites at hand and foot when there is no sun, at passes or downhill with wind-chill factor.
- Roads are icy near passes, which are some time impossible to cycle or walk , need crampons .
- In case of emergency , help may be delayed due to less/no traffic during winter time .
- Days are very short max. 9-10 hr day light, compared to 14hr in summer. You plan you stays very carefully and delays can be very very risky..
In return :
- Different and beautiful Landscape.
- If you love solitude, it is a lot there, hardly any tourists and very few locals.
- No traffic on roads , you can be on your own whole day
- Lots of Adreline
- Know locals better and wonderful experience to know them better to learn a lot about there simplicity, kind, helpful and loving nature.
Thank you, Sun J , Weather was wonderful with blue sky till North Pullu. Everything was on schedule till noon , after that , weather started to turn bad, the sun disappeared and the weather turned cold. After all, my trip had to be made memorableJ J.
At this stage , the fatigue of the last 5 days , low temperature, altitude and pressure to cross Khardung-La (K-TOP) in time ( not later than 3pm) were adding up… But I was excited to reach K-TOP from Nubra side. (I had been to K-TOP multiple times from Leh side in summers)
After crossing North Pullu, road to K-TOP turned icy and started to be windy, still 15Km to K-TOP. It was becoming tough with every KM due to drop in temperature and no sun but less windy than ChangLa, fatigue was catching up fast. Due icy roads, it was getting difficult to ride up. Thanks to the BRO , they were sprinkling rough soil on ice patches to maintain the traction. All military vehicle had chains on the wheels , which were making surface rough enough for my cycle to get a grip.
I reached K-TOP after 4PM. Temp was below -20C ,(on standard mercury temperature reader it was -24C, my electronic reader was stuck at -16C J), whatever it was , it was damn cold. Another worry was frostbite due to low temperature & headwinds. I think I barely escaped that, though, I started to experience severe pain in my finger and toe.
At K-TOP, Thanks to our Army, they offered hot tea /water and biscuits and very warm place. In 10-15 minutes , It gave me enough energy to start downhill.
Downhill was tough, very slippery icy road. Slipped a few times, luckily nothing serious, thanks to helmet and cycle disk brakes. Icy roads continued till South Pullu. It was a bit scary to ride. In few patches, I decided to walk, similar to what I did in ChangLa downhill.
It took a long time to get down to South pullu , it was nearly dark but the full moon seemed like another sun to me. It was cloudy but moon light was enough to navigate with a head lamp.
At South Pullu , temp. was around -16C and no ice on road which was a great relief, and trust me -16 C felt like 20 C J.
Finally managed to reach Leh (-10KM) safely by 7PM in one piece J.
Took one short video while cycling downhill but after that no picture…
I can’t recall much of the last night I spent in Leh, just remembered packing my cycle with my eyes a little wet. I was thanking ‘my cycle’ to have done this journey with me and not only carried me but also all the things I needed throughout and the help I got from everyone when needed including weather ..
Is it the first time anyone covered this route solo, self-supported in December?
Well the jury is still out on that
On 27th Dec. took morning flight to Delhi ….And missing Ladakh since ….
If you are not already in love with this place….. you surely will be
Special thanks to my daughter, Sara for editing this article to add life to it ….. otherwise it was filled with numbers and facts ……
Thank you for reading
View after Khardung Village , going up to K-TOP
Towards South Pullu , First View of K-TOP between those white mountains
Left side of K-TOP
1KM from South Pullu and 14KM to K-TOP,K-TOP getting closer and visible ... Road starts to be icy and clouds are gathering
Sun is still shining
Getting cloudy and time to keep moving , no more pictures or selfies
K-TOP getting closer and clouds getting darker... surely no more pictures till K-TOP
Finally at K-TOP
Cycle is in good shape and ready for down-hill to Leh
But I am not in good shape
, frozen breath .. tired , cold ... ( Pic from Video)Might KhardungLa is surely MIGHTY , takes best out of you .... ( Pic from Video)
Down towards Leh
Looking up to K-Top from leh side ( Pic from Video), very slippery road , like ice sheet with dumps ...
My digital temperature meter stuck at -16 from south pullu. Temp at K-TOP was lower ... below -23C,
Finally reached Leh , thanks to Mr. Tashi for wonderful stay and food...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other Details
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Logistics :
Cycle : MTB Cannondale Trail 6 , 12KG
Clothes:
- Down-feather jackets -- 2 ( but used one at a Time, one was enough)
- Warm flees Jacket -- 1
- Sweater wool (thin) - 1
- Thick Cotton full sleeves T-shirts - 3
- Standard Running T –Shirts (Decathlon) -3
- Warm Pair of Socks (Decathlon) -4
- Leg warmer (Decathlon) -1
- Jeans -1
- Neck Warmer (Decathlon)
- High Quality warm Cap – 2
- Balaclava -- 2 ( but not used)
- Basic woolen Gloves -2
- Warm Gloves ( rated -20C) – 1 ( worn along basic gloves for layering )
- Trekking shoes (rated -20C) (Decathlon – 4 Star warmth) -1
- DSLR Camera --1
- Medical Kit
Tent : Weight 1.2KG ( Backup, not used)
Water bottle:
- Insulated water Bottel - 2KG ( with 1lt water)
- Plastic water bottle – 1KG ( with 1lt water )
Home-Made Energy Food :Mix of Carb+protein+butteroil +nuts +fats, aka Mithai. 100g=600-700 cal , Total 2KG
Carrying weight 12-13KG.
Trip Statistic:
Route: Leh-Sakti-ChangLa- Durbuk- PangongLake , Phobrang-Shyok-Khalsar-Diskit-KhardungLA-Leh
Total Distance covered : 457KM,
Total Ascent : 8100mt
Total Decent :8100mt
Highest elevation :5400mt ( KhardungLa is debatable 5680mt)
No. Of days :6 ( 21-26th Dec 2018 cycling , 20-27th Total Duration)
Temperature Experienced : Day -3C to -22C ( Cycling), Night -10C to -21C(sleeping at warm place @ 10C)
Mobile Connectivity :
Airtel 4G at Leh, Karu, Sakti.
BSNL at Durbuk, Tangtse, Khalsar.
Luckily no problem with cycle during this trip.
What is different in Winters:
Landscape :
- All landscape is either brown or white, not a blade of green grass.
- If there is water, it is frozen like rock.
- If you are flying from Delhi , you feel and see freshness from AQI of 350 at Delhi to 0 at Leh.
Leh and around:
- Life looks normal at Leh and around but very few tourist and locals.
- 90% shops/hotels are closed compared to July-August.
- Food options are very limited, but you relish almost everything, if you do what I did everyday
Accommodation:
- You need to make sure that you book your stay (guest house) and talk to the person for facilities.
- Very basic facilities are available, except one or two expensive hotels.
- Going beyond Leh , make sure that you have confirmed your stay , nearly all guesthouse and hotels are closed.
Taxi :
- Available
Challenges compared to Summer cycling
- Body need to overwork to maintain body temperature in addition to peddling
- Very cold air to breath which is very painful (may lead frostbites). Covering face reduces air flow which in turn reduces oxygen volume , which is already at 70%-50%.
- Inhaling cold air makes your inner body cold, body need extra effort to maintain body temp.
- Risk of frostbites at hand and foot when there is no sun, at passes or downhill with wind-chill factor.
- Roads are icy near passes, which are some time impossible to cycle or walk , need crampons .
- In case of emergency , help may be delayed due to less/no traffic during winter time .
- Days are very short max. 9-10 hr day light, compared to 14hr in summer. You plan you stays very carefully and delays can be very very risky..
In return :
- Different and beautiful Landscape.
- If you love solitude, it is a lot there, hardly any tourists and very few locals.
- No traffic on roads , you can be on your own whole day
- Lots of Adreline
- Know locals better and wonderful experience to know them better to learn a lot about there simplicity, kind, helpful and loving nature.
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