A WALK THROUGH THE GREAT HIMALAYAN AND ZASKAR RANGES FROM KISHTWAR TO LEH (LAD AKH), 1968

SHEO RAJ SINGH

Shri K. F. Rustamji, the Director-General of the Border Security Forces, wanted us to undertake a trekking and climbing venture in the mountains. Why not indeed! Professionally, we often have to operate in the mountainous and hilly regions of the North-West Frontier (Jammu and Kashmir Indo-Pak border). While more ambitious plans of attempting high peaks were shelved for better weather in the future, we decided to embark in July/August 1968 on two long-range training tours from Kargil to Kishtwar (190 miles) and Kishtwar to Leh (275 miles). Thanks to the author's past experience of planning mountaineering expeditions he was entrusted with the responsibility of organizing both tours and was leader of the team that trekked to Leh. This account pertains to the Leh trip only.

Special kit and equipment, light in weight but warm enough to meet the challenge of cold and inclement weather, were procured partly on hire from the Jayal Memorial Fund of the H.M.I., Darjeeling, and partly purchased from the trade. Personal clothing including bedding was packed in rucksacks, each of which weighed between 20 and 25 kg. Each member carried such a pack and many were heard to exclaim, on reaching their destination, Leh, on the 23rd day, that they would miss this inseparable companion for quite some time and doubted how they could march in step without it.

There were 27 members of our team and it consisted of eight gazetted officers, four non-gazetted officers and 15 other ranks which included three wireless operators. Our members were drawn from the various training establishments of the B.S.F. and represented all three frontiers guarded by the Force, i.e. Eastern, Western and North-Western. For those members who hailed from Gujarat and Rajasthan, this was to be a novel experience.

Everybody was given a specific job with individual responsibility. The custodian of our health was Shri S. R. Ghosh, Assistant Commandant, 86th Battalion Border Security Forces, who possessed the high professional qualification conferred by a pass in a first aid examination during his school-days! He was, however, so serious about his assignment that our D.I.G. member believed him to be a qualified medical practitioner.

We set off from Kishtwar on 25 July. Broadly speaking, our route ran through the great Himalayan Ranges, Zaskar Mountains and Ladakh Ranges. Some 20 miles out from Kishtwar one enters the region known as Padar, and the people from this area have their centre at Arthal (Athali)² which is about 50 miles from Kishtwar. Padar extends as far as Bugjan Hiwan, some 85 miles from Kishtwar. The population is Hindu by religion and follows an agricultural way of life. They are a simple and hospitable people. Young artists of Chishoti village entertained us with folk-songs and dances. Our boys also joined in with the famous Punjabi Bhangra dance and this was led by Shri S. P. Ahuja, Assistant Commandant. His youthful good looks made him rather popular with the eligible teenaged girls, one of whom wanted to enlist as a porter for our party. Despite Ahuja's moral support, this offer had to be turned down.

Padar is quite rich in forest wealth and is also known for the sapphire mines of Jammu and Kashmir which are located there. Some of our party did not mind the climb of an extra 3,000 feet to have a closer look at these costly stones. But any plans they might have had to smuggle out a few gems were frustrated by the strong security guards. Nevertheless, they seemed happy enough at the thought of just describing such gems to their fiancees on their return home.

We also saw in this area evidence of General Zorawar Singh's exploits, on behalf of Maharaja Gulab Singh, in the village of Gulab Garh. The story goes that originally this village was in the Chamba State of Himachal Pradesh and was known as Chhater- garh after the Raja of Chamba. However, after its conquest by Zorawar Singh the General renamed it Gulab Garh.

The Himalayan and Zaskar Ranges are divided by Umasi La (17,320 ft.). Locals normally cross over the pass in the months of September and October, whereas we were to do it in July under rougher conditions. The approach to the pass was through a huge snow- and ice-field. With increasing height, some of us began to feel the effects of high altitude. Sleeplessness and loss of appetite were the complaint of the majority at 16,500 feet where one night was spent before negotiating the pass the next morning.

During the descent from the pass we had to resort to step- cutting on the steep ice slope. One member lost his footing and slid down 500 feet; he narrowly missed a fall into a deep crevasse. Another member also had a narrow escape from a crevasse.

We were now in the Zaskar Mountains. The land and its people changed remarkably. As opposed to the green scenery of Padar, here there was the brown of rugged rock outcrops. The rocky ranges looked identical to those between Gangotri and Gomukh in the Garhwal, massive and awe-inspiring. There were strong forces of erosion at work in this area and one wondered how long it would take to wear down these heights to flat and fertile valleys! Trees were a rare sight. However, there were a few juniper bushes around and the land near the villages under cultivation appeared fertile.

The people are friendly and simple in nature. They live in hamlets clustered around their Gompas. The women wear plenty of silver ornaments; they were not at all self-conscious and gathered around our camp and wanted to join the boys in playing cards. But again this too free mixing had to be discouraged!

Local administrators of this area stayed at Padam Fort—a place also linked with the conquests of General Zorawar Singh. Located on the left bank of the Zaskar River, this village had a police station and a tehsildar's establishment. There was also a block development officer. The population was a mixture of Muslims and Buddhists.

Shortly after Padam we crossed over the river by means of a rope bridge which swung violently. To avoid any mishap, however, we secured all members with strong nylon ropes.

After trekking for four days through the Zaskar Mountains, we reached Zangla, the last village belonging to this region. Here we were the guests of the old Royal Family.

Up to this stage we had changed two sets of porters and muleteers ; those from Padar had left us after reaching the first village of Zaskar where they duly handed us over to the village headman. Subsequently, the Zaskar porters deserted us at Zangla. But, thanks to the intervention of the Raja Sahib, only one day was wasted at Zangla before a new group of muleteers and porters were engaged.

On the way to the Charcha La (17,500 ft.) which divides Zaskar from Ladakh, we had to negotiate the fast and chilly current of the Zomlung nala almost a dozen times ; the crossings were made every 15 or 20 minutes. It was a gruelling, 15-hour continuous march which traversed a horizontal distance of some 16 miles but took in a 6,000-foot climb and a 3,000-foot descent before we reached a welcome camp site—only to be harassed the whole night by rain. However, life was not too bad inside our tiny arctic tents sleeping on air-mattresses and in feather sleeping-bags.

Entering Ladakh after the pass, the boys were extremely happy on the descent into the valley of the River Khurna. They little realized then that the risks involved in crossing and recrossing this river with its wide span and fast current were to be greater than those on the mountain passes. Earlier, we had been warned about the fury of this stream and advised at Padam and Zangla to change our route in order to avoid this obstacle which was considered unsurmountable until later in the year, that is late October/early November.

Nevertheless, the challenge was accepted and ‘Operation River' began. The crossings were made despite much drama with both men and horses getting a soaking and with the cameraman having his equipment submerged and he himself nearly washed away! Soaking sleeping-bags and tents, which were immersed again and again, made subsequent night halts more miserable than the days' march. Yet there were still two more passes, Ruberung La (17,500 ft.) and Kunda La (16,210 ft.) to traverse before we could arrive at Leh.

Fortunately, however, Ruberung La was the most hospitable pass of this trip. In fact, the last 500 feet of climb was so gradual that we actually had to inform everybody that we had arrived at the top. Some four miles to the west stood an unnamed, unclimbed peak, some 2,000 feet higher than the pass. A five-member team consisting of Sant Ram (Assistant Commandant), Ram Kishan (Sub-Inspector), Naik Tara Mani, Constable Ram Phal and led by young Ahuja set out for this peak to try their luck.

But the weather was not good. In fact, it was most abnormal. Ladakh, known for its dry, cold climate, was experiencing nonstop rain for days together; it seemed more like Cherrapunji to us. Nevertheless, in spite of such odds, the summit was reached and the team safely joined the rest of the party, after two nights' separation, at the village of Markha which lies on the right bank of the river by the same name.

The drama of the Khurna-crossing was repeated while crossing the Markha: S. R. Ghosh, our doctor, and the author were given a much-needed bath ; a porter dropped the battery of the walkie talkie set into the stream ; some other small items were lost but this was all part of the adventure.

As we approached the last and lowest pass of the trek, Kunda La (16,210 ft.), the morale of the team was high. However, at this stage we seemed to have exhausted most of our stock of energy and the climb appeared never ending. We eventually arrived at Leh, some 23 days after our start from Kishtwar.

Although 27 of us started out on the trip, it was a pity that two men had to return soon after the start, due to indisposition and a third had to escort them back. The remaining 24 covered 275 miles and traversed four passes at heights varying between 16,210 feet and 17,500 feet. Five of these reached the summit of a 19,500-foot virgin peak on which they were able to hoist the national and BSF flags.

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