Sequoia National Park Winter | Photographs

One of the most beautiful National Parks of the USA but not as popular as Yosemite, Sequoia has its own charm during winter.  It is often visited along with the adjacent Kings Canyon National Park . Some photographs taken during a winter visit a few years ago.

For more photographs on some of the parks in the USA do visit
 http://www.sujoydas.com/West-Coast-USA

Annapurna Foothills Trek | Poon Hill and Ghandrung 2016

The village of Landrung with Annapurna south and Huinchuli

South Col Expeditions did the beautiful five days Annapurna Foothills Trek in the last week of December 2016. The weather was perfect and so were the views Some photographs from this trek are below:

Evening Poon Hill view - Annapurna I, South, Huinchuli and Machhapuchare on the right

Dhaulagiri and Tukuche from the Superview lodge Ghorepani

Sunset at Poon Hill

Annapurna South from the forest between Deorali and Ghorepani

Descending from Landrung - the right fork goes to New bridge and Chomrong while the left
leads to the river and then up to Ghandrung

The group at Ghorepani

To do this trek with us in 2017 do visit  http://www.southcol.com/treks-nepal/annapurna-foothills-trek-december-17th-to-23rd-2017/

Rhenjo La Crossing | Everest Trek

The Rhenjo Pass as seen from the third lake of Gokyo

The trail to the top of Rhenjo La

Rhenjo La  - The crossing of the pass from Gokyo to Thami

The Rhenjo La is one of the three high passes on the Everest trek the other two being Kongma La and the most popular one is the Cho La.  The Rhenjo La can be crossed from the Gokyo side as well as from the Thami - Lungden side. However it is advisable to cross the pass from the Gokyo side as the climb from the Lungden side is extremely long and tiring.

Gokyo 4750 metres  to Rhenjo La 5357 metres 
We left Gokyo at around 6 15 am and headed out towards the pass on a trail that skirted the third lake and climbed gently for an hour. The trail then began to climb steeply following a series of switchbacks for another 45 minutes to one hour until it reached a flattish plateau from where there was an excellent view of Everest and the other peaks including Makalu which started peeping over a rock face.  This plateau can get snowed under and there are cairns to show the way. From the plateau the trail swung to the right and began climbing again through rocks and moraine. The pass can be seen from here with a row of prayer flags strung across the rocks. The climb from the meadow to the top of the pass would be another hour.
Gokyo to the top of the pass 3 to 4 hours

View from just below the pass looking down on the plateau

Looking towards the Lungden side of the pass - the trail below can be seen 

Rhenjo La 5357 metres  to Lungden 4400 metres
The pass has an excellent view both to the north and to the south. From the pass a very steep stone staircase leads down to an emerald lake which can be seen from the top. Pass the lake and the trail swings left following the natural contour of the valley. In about an hour or so there is a large lake on the left side - the trail passes this lake and climbs gently until it reaches some yak herders settlements made of stone. This part of the walk can be extremely cold and windy especially if it is foggy and cloudy. From here the path heads downwards and the lodges of Lungden can be seen in the valley below around 30 to 45 minutes away. Lungden has four or five lodges now so accommodation is not usually a problem.
Rhenjo La to Lungden 2 to 3 hours 

Looking back at the pass from about 20 minutes below on the trail to Lungden

The trail down past the first  lake to Lungden - the second lake below on the left

The last portion of the trail down to Lungden

Lungden 4400 metres  to Thami 3800 metres
It is now a pleasant stroll down the valley following the Bhote Kosi river. In around 40 minutes you reach the village of Maralung which has a couple of lodges. The trail continues to lose altitude and reaches the village of Taranga in another half hour. From here it is about  60 to 90 minutes pleasant walking to the lodges of Thami.
Lungden. To Thami  2.5 hours to 3 hours

The village of Thami

Thami  3800 metres to Namche 3450 metres  3 hours to 3.5 hours

For more information on South Col's treks do visit www.southcol.com 

Likir to Temisgam | The Sham Trek in Ladakh

Harvesting mustard in Hemis Shukpachen

INTRODUCTION
You won’t find an easier trek than this in Ladakh. The passes are all below 4,000m, and the distances between places are relatively short. Plus, there is the added bonus of the Himalayan Homestays offering accommodation in village homes, which means you don’t have to lug tents and equipment all the way.

The Sham area of Ladakh is quite dry and hot and although you can trek this route anytime from the beginning to end of Ladakh’s tourist season (late May-late September), When I trekked this route around ten years ago , the link road from Likir to Temisgam was just being built. Today, it is a full-fledged ‘pucca’ road, albeit with little traffic. So much of the journey can be done comfortably following the road all the way.

ROUTE

DAY 1 LIKIR-PHOBE LA-CHAGATSE LA-YANGTHANG

DISTANCE 9 KM TIME 4-5 HOURS LEVEL MODERATE

Young lamas at morning prayers at school in Likir Monastery

 We will drive in the morning to Likir from Leh ( 90 min). After visiting  the Likir monastery we will start our trek. Although the distance today is short, the route is hot, without any shade or water and you must traverse two passes, so start early with water bottles filled. For Ladakh, these passes are low, but do not underestimate them. From Likir,, take the road heading west up to Phoebe La (3,580m). The climb is gentle and you will top the pass in an hour. From the pass, you can scramble down the short-cut tracks and meet up with the road below, avoiding the longer loops of the jeep road.

 The road continues west to Sumdo, a small settlement where you can stop for tea. Just before Sumdo, you will need to cross the stream over a bridge. From Sumdo, follow the main road that climbs steadily upwards, winding its way to the west for a little over an hour. From Chagatse La it is another 30 mins down. The village of Yangthang (3,630m) is on your left through the fields.. If you reach early and have the energy, check out the Ridzong Monastery, which lies about an hour south of Yangthang. This quiet, secluded gompa is over a hundred years old and nestles in a narrow gorge.

DAY 2 YANGTHANG-TSERMANGCHEN LA-HEMIS SHUKPACHEN 

DISTANCE 8 KM TIME 3-4 HOURS LEVEL EASY

Descending from the pass of Tsermangchen La

 Today is an easy walk despite the pass because both the approach and the descent are of gentle gradients. From Yangthang Village, head back through the fields onto the road that brought you here and turn left, or west. The road heads north, descending for a bit, crossing a stream before climbing up west again to Tsermangchen La (3,750m). Take a break at the pass before heading down to Hemis Shukpachen. The village, named after the grove of cedars (shukpa in Ladakhi) is one of Ladakh’s prettiest. There are plenty of sparkling streams surrounded by shady willows and large barley fields that add the much needed dash of green to the otherwise desolate, rocky mountains. 

Day 3 HEMIS SHUKPACHEN TO LEH

Chortens and statues at Hemis Shukpachen

The car from Leh will come around 11 am to pick us up and we will be back in Leh by lunch time.

For more photos of Ladakh and Zanskar do visit  http://www.sujoydas.com/Ladakh-and-Zanskar

For our treks in Ladakh in 2017 do visit http://www.southcol.com/treks-nepal/rumtse-to-tso-moriri/

Markha Valley | Hindu Business Line Blink April 30th 2016

The Markha Valley is one of the most popular treks in Ladakh. It is relatively short, located close to Leh, the walking is mostly below 4000 metres with  night stops around 3500 metres and has the best of Ladakh thrown in: Sculpted canyons and fantastic rock formations, medieval villages,  Buddhist gompas and snow-peaks. When approached from Chilling there is only one pass to cross the Kongamaru La which comes on Day 8 of the trek by which time most trekkers are properly acclimatised.  The photos below give a description of the trek which I wrote for Hindu Business Line Blink for the April 30th 2016 issue.

To read the article on line please visit http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/cover/a-himalayan-trek-is-always-a-rewarding-escape-from-the-scorching-plains/article8532688.ece


To trek the Markha with us from July 15th to 24th 2016 do visit this link for all information  http://www.southcol.com/treks-nepal/the-markha-valley-trek/

Click on the photo to enlarge

Click on the photo to enlarge

Nar and Phu | The Lost Valleys of Nepal

The trail to the village of Phu

"On the eastern side of the valley, sunlit pastures mounted towards the 23,000-foot summit of Kang Guru, a massive sugar-icing dome flawed by shadowy crevasses and ice-falls. Yaks grazed on the hill; the chiming of the bells they wore drifted down to us. To the west, our maps told us that the village of Nar stood on a shoulder of pasture land that ran up from the river, but the village was still hidden behind Pisang Peak. Northwards, the valley narrowed again between mauve and ochre precipices veined with glittering quartzite." 
Windsor Chortlton, The Cloud Dwellers of the Himalaya, The Bhotia

If you are walking on the famous Annapurna circuit in Nepal you will pass the small village of Koto Qupar. Right of the main trail there is a non descript track which plunges down into a forest and crosses a bridge over the  river. This is the trail to Nar and Phu villages, part of the restricted area of upper Nepal. A rewarding trek is to visit Nar and Phu villages and re- enter the Annapurna circuit at Ngawal crossing the 5320 metres Kangla Pass with it's dress circle view of the entire northern sweep of the Annapurnas.

South Col Expeditions trekked this route with a small team in late September-early October 2015. Here are some black and white photos from the trek.

A trekking team on the trail to Kyang from Phu from Kyang

Walking above Phu village with Kangaru peak in the background

Porters carry planks of wood for construction from Meta to Phu

The abandoned Khampa settlements at Kyang 

A yak descend on a rocky trail above Kang la Phedi

Village roof top at Nar

Main street of Nar village

Panorama from the Kang la pass 5320m

For more information and photos do visit http://www.sujoydas.com/Nepal-Himalaya/Nar-and-Phu-Valleys-of-Nepal/

South Col | International Womens Day

Happy International Womens Day to all our South Col Trekkers! May you climb from peak to peak and go from strength to strength!

Everest Trek- Updates November 2015

I spent seventeen days in the Everest region in November 2015 and here are some updates from the area:

In addition to Tara Air, Sita Air and Simrik Air, Goma Air is flying to Lukla with two Czech planes every day. The planes are new and that makes a big difference from the old Twin Otter Aircrafts.



 There is a Herman Helmers branch now operating in Phakding just after you cross the suspension bridge on the way  to Benkar and Monjo. It has all the apple pies, doughnuts, premium coffee and breads that are available in Namche! The prices are the same.

The last suspension bridge below Namche has been replaced by a new bridge which is about 50 feet higher so there are presently two suspension bridges over the river the lower one not being in use.

The bridge over the Imja Khola below Devoche and on the way to Pangboche has collapsed in the earthquake and a new bridge has been built further down on the east bank of the Imja river.

The Chukung Resort in Chukung has been totally renovated and there is also a new swanky Khangri Resort with plenty of rooms. The popularity of the Island Peak climb has possibly been the reason for the  lodge boom in Chukung.

There is a new lodge in Lobuche with 35 rooms located right next to the Eco Lodge. The lodge is called Oxygen  and was open for just a month when I visited on November 14th 2015. The young and energetic owner who also works at the Pyramid research station is trying to attract trekkers and given the number of clean bathrooms he should get good business for the next season. However the dining hall was like an ice box as the heating was not working too well. He hopes to fix this for the coming year.

There are five  lodges in Dzongla now as well as a number of permanent tents so accommodation in the peak autumn season should not pose a problem. The new lodge which we stayed in was Mountain Home.

In addition to the old and trusted Yak Lodge at Dugla, we now have the new and swanky Kala Pattar lodge. So with two good lodges accommodation should not be an issue in Dugla any more.

Some of the lodges in the Khumbu have a wifi internet  card , Everest Link which allows you to use wifi. It is a prepaid card with an expiry in terms of time or capacity whichever is earlier. However I found that the card only worked in the lodge which had sold it, possibly linked in some way to the router which the lodge was using.

The Gokyo Resort which was earlier being run by S D Sharma has now being leased by Maya Sherpa who runs the ever efficient Hotel Namche at Namche Bazar. The lodge is being run by Maya,s brother Nima and is back to the same levels of friendly and efficient service.

South Col Expeditions runs treks to the Everest region every year. For more information do visit www.southcol.com