Stok Kangri Trek Blog | Touching the sky @20182 ft

I was in Ladakh in Feb 2016 for frozen river trek / Chadar Trek thats when i found out about Stok Kangri trek. Its 20,000 ft of glory – mostly a non-technical trek. Stok Kangri trek blog also happens to be the first blog i have ever written on TheFreeBird and since then my writing style has changed a lot. In this blog you will find detailed story of Stok Kangri. Its a bit lengthy so grab a cold coffee and enjoy the ride. 

Skip Trek Prologue &Acclimatisation & go directly to the trek

Stok Kangri Prologue

Damn, I was bored in office !!!!!
Who isn’t ????
I did what I always do – think of wonderful things I could do outside office .
Thinking about that Mt. Everest dream of mine ( All fired up, but still Rs. 45 Lakh short ) .

Suddenly an idea pops in my mind of visiting the dreamy land of Himalayas once again.( Completed Chadar trek in 2016 Feb).

At the top of my mind are few options Rupin Pass, Pin Parvathi & Stok Kangri trek. 20,182 ft of sheer height & beautiful peaks make me decide for Stok Kangri 🙂

So now I need to get a plan in place as quickly as possible since its June now (and the stok season is only for July-Aug i.e. when there is more likelihood of snow)

For a holiday you require two things
a) Location –Check
b) Leaves – Hmmmmm……Enter Mission Manager…

MISSION MANAGER

The trek still hangs in the air (Have typed till this before getting my leaves approved).

1.Dropping the hint to the manager: Flights: To & Fro cost 18K
I was present at Manager’s desk discussing User stories of a module. Another colleague happened to enter her cabin to ask for leaves to visit his hometown . I just joked if I could join him. Manager yelled as if i threw a cockroach on her . And I quote verbatim, “ You have just been back from a big leave , now you wont get leaves for like forever”

2.Setting up for the leaves request: Flights: To & Fro cost 19K
I am the most optimist person you will ever meet . If I was a transformer I would be “ OPTIMIST PRIME” .
I did my basic research and finalized three groups (decided against going solo since it would prove to be costly).Decided on dates as July End (to be finalized, if and when the leaves get approved). Waiting for the proper time to pitch manager. Not a good week , Not a proper time for pitching….week passes by.

3.Judgement Day (High time to ask for leaves): .Flights: To & Fro cost 20K
Manager pretty busy till Thursday. Friday was to be the judgement day. For the first four days did my research on things to do , probable groups, points to & fro to going solo and stuff…
Manager doesn’t show up. Against all my good senses decided to watsapp her . And I quote “ Need few leaves for next month , have to plan an outing”. Curt reply followed after a grueling wait “ Will discuss On Monday”

4.Judgement Day 2 (Monday): Flights: To & Fro cost 20K +
Good Timing: Check
Guts: Getting there. After googling pics, reading thro blogs. Guts check.
Me: “ Hello Mrs. XYZ, I need few leaves in the next month”
XYZ: “ How many”
Me:” 5 Days”
XYZ: “Ok , as long I dont have to do any work on your behalf “
Me: (Mind : that’s it ??????? Really !!!!!) “All my work is upto date. No arears”
XYZ: “Ok”
Me: “OK, will let you know the exact dates as and when I book” …….Giggling like a child being given a chocolate.

5.The Haggle 🙂  Flights: To & Fro cost 22K +
Groups checked , mails dropped ,quotations asked and vacant batches info received. Permutations & combination of dates available for different groups vis-à-vis their costs vis-à-vis the flight costs in progress. Brain going bonkers. Finally decided on a group & the dates.

Problem: Need to add another day of acclimatization for better chances
Issue : Need to get another day of leave approved.
Another round of world war 3 with manager ensued. Pro’s & cons exchanged between the two parties.
Promises asked .Promises Given. Matter settled.

6.Dates checked: 23 July -31 July . Flights: To & Fro cost 23K

Wondering whether 23K of flight is worth it.
Heart beats increasing.
Brain is getting shot at by all sorts of arguments.
Does this trek justify the cost.

When in doubt google. Few searches, few pics , few blogs later …..
F*** This S*** ,YOLO .

Tickets booked. Trek price paid. 40K Burned.

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Stamina Check

Excited, but waiting patiently for the last 30 days. Time to check up on that stamina.

PAST– Karate black belt , An avid Sahyadri trekker ( Done some 40 odd treks ). Regular GymShark
PRESENT– Had an injury 8 months back, stopped gym ….but then continued with treks , need to get back to regular gym schedule.

THE ONE MONTH PLAN

5 days a week gym plan:
– 2 days cardio
– 3 days weight training two muscles a day (chest + triceps; back+ bisceps; shoulder+ legs)
– Satuday/Sunday : Rest or a stroll to a near by hill

AIM: “To get as fit as possible”

22 JUNE Day One :
cardio : 20 minutes treadmill 2.5 Km, 10 minutes elliptical at high resistance, 25 jor ,25 push ups

23 JUNE Day Two:
legs: squats: 25 reps ( 2 sets) weighted squats : 25 reps ( 2 sets – 5 kg)
lounges : 15 reps ( 2 sets) leg extension : 15 reps ( 3 sets)
leg curls : 15 reps ( 3 sets)

24 JUNE Day 3 overslept due to chilly conditions , day 4 -5 off

27 June Day 6- Killed chest and triceps today

28 JUNE day 7- Cardio: 20 minutes treadmill 2.8Km, 10 minutes elliptical,20 jor . crunches

29 JUNE day 8 –shoulder and legs :
squats: 50 reps ( 1 sets) weighted squats : 20 & 15 reps ( 2 sets – 5 kg)
lounges : nill leg extension : 15 reps ( 3 sets)
leg curls : 15 reps ( 3 sets) calves- 2 sets
Totally killed the legs. When I walk I feel like I am jello zombie waddling my way through life 😀

30 JUNE day 9
Legs are aching . Thinking of doing some basic cardio, but once I start running on the treadmill I get back on ROCKY mode.
Cardio: 20 minutes 2.9Km; treadmill 10 minutes at endurance level 12-13 out of the max 20 ( hardly anyone in the gym goin above 7-8 endurance)

1 JULY Day 10 Back & Biceps

2,3 Weekend rest

4 JULY – had lower back pain , rest

5 July –Tuesday did chest and biceps, instead of trisceps probably got carried away at the site of a beautiful gal in the gym

6 July- Cardio 20 minutes 2.9Km; treadmill 10 minutes at endurance level 12-13 out of the max 20

7 July- back & trisceps , since I forgetfully had biceps day two days back

8 July – Cardio 20 minutes 2.9Km; treadmill 10 minutes at endurance level 12-13 out of the max 20
No legs training this week as I was planning a trek on the weekend and did not want to feel numb legs on the hills

9-10 July – Sahyadri trek – Ramshej & deher gad. Check out my blog on the same. Too muh rain, it was almost flooding in Nashik . Rainproof clothes my ass , I was wet through the day. As a result didn’t go to gym on Monday

11 July Monday- NO GYM , woke up at 9

12 July Tuesday – NO GYM, had sore throat with hints of cold

13 July Wednesday- Hopefully the medicines will do the trick.
No exercise till the D day since not feeling well. Two week without any sort of exercise.

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Over the last few months apart from increasing my stamina I tried to get all the things required for trek. Read about the Things to carry for Stok Kangri HERE

All set for the trek. Next  day I flew to Leh.

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22 July 2016 – Acclimatisation Day 1- Fly away on my Zephyr

The flight to Leh is at 04:00 am .Reached Mumbai airport at around midnight.

Travel motivation:

Met a Slovakian guy ( Norbert Kiss) and a Chinese guy ( Fenni ) at the Mumbai Airport. Fenni had been to EBC 5 times , it was his probably 8 th trip to Ladakh.
Norbert on the other hand was a Landscape Manager, 37 yrs -self employed. He tavels when he feels like !! The perks of being an entrepreneur. His passport had stamps from Cambodia,Japan, Singapore, Thailand, India, Europe, Costa-rica and plans to add more In the coming days. He had taken 6 big holidays this year, each lasting 3-4 weeks i.e. He has almost travelled through the year. He plans to go around Leh till 10th of August. We exchanged our contact details to go around together for atleast the first three days when I was available. For the lack of network on our mobiles in Leh the plan didn’t materialize.

– The airport always gives me sleepless nights. Didn’t sleep at all. The flight was on time. At around 5 am the view from the plane was mind boggling.I was in heaven.

Stok Kangri Trek Blog | Acclimatistaion Day 1 LEH Arrival

Leh Airport is very beautiful surrounded by mountains. I was here 5 months back in the middle of winter for Chadar trek. That time it was -10 degrees. Compared to that it was pleasant in July. Had a sleepless night & flight hence decided to rest till evening in my hotel room

Acclimatisation is a bitch !

 After about half an hour, I woke up with a strange feeling in my tummy. I got up and headed towards the washroom. The washroom was 3-4 steps from the bed.1 step in I started to feel a bit powerless,2nd step and I had a worsened urge of vomiting with a sharp pain in my tummy. Another step and I felt that someone had unplugged my batteries. I had collapsed on the floor sweating profusely.In my mind , “I am a rockstar this can’t be happening to me”.

After few powerless moments, I garnered some energy to sit up on the bed with my hands against my head. I remembered the words I had read before I came here
“ Drink lots of water, Eat dry fruits, energy bars, sleep properly”
Over the night I had not followed a single rule. Soon enough I had an energy bar, sandwich, a litre of water mixed with ORS. Felt good after a while.

Slept through the afternoon. Felt hungry after waking up. To my dismay the hotel didn’t have a working kitchen. Had to head to the market in search of food. The blackout incident was still fresh in my mind. Garnered enough courage and self-motivation and headed to the market. After walking a few 100m my confidence level increased drastically. I decided to take it easy on my stomach and hence decided to have normal yellow daal –rice. I searched the entire old market / Tibetan market for that elusive dal/rice, didn’t find it. Had to settle for an alu paratha. Back to the room. Had a 2 hr nap. By evening I felt much better.

With the improved acclimatization level decided to go to the Leh palace in the evening with another trekker Hardik.

Still had doubts regarding acclimatization and how my body would hold up to this climb, palace was at a sleight height. After few conscious steps with mind focused on not stressing my body, we were on the way to the palace.

It was late in the evening and were the probably the last people allowed inside. After the short trek, came back to the room and soon enough headed to the market for dinner at about 21:00 hrs. Doubts regarding acclimatization were now firmly buried. The elusive search of daal-rice continued. Had to settle for rice and veg alu mutter gravy.

I thought of the times when I had taken the dal – rice for granted through the years . Moved around in the market enjoying the light from the glass shops and the soothing wind whistling past the bylanes. 

Found this differently named shop 😀

Found a café, Rendezvous Café bustling with foreigners. Had hot chocolate. Felt superb. Went back to the room, slept off at 2300 hrs

Acclimatisation Day 2 | Stok Kangri Trek Blog |  Getting used to Leh

Woke up at 0200 hrs for no reason. Intermittent Sleep. I hate acclimatization !! Tried to sleep again woke up hungry at 0330 hrs. Had a chocolate, felt even more lively now. Saw Leh palace in moonlight. It really looked out of the Harry Potter World. Its 0430 hrs ,wide awake, decided to lay back and think about nothing. Slept for another hour. Was up till 0630 hrs. Slept again. Had a good 3 hrs sleep.

Woke up with our third trek mate knocking on the door. Karthik Reddy had just landed from Houston. He decided to rest for half the day owing to his sleepless flight. Hardik and me headed to famous Gesmo Hotel for brunch. Playing it safe: Alu paratha and Fruit Juice. Headed to shanti stupa for todays acclimatization walk.

The steps looked normal, but climbing them was a huge task. Apart from elevated heart beat, the climb was completed without any hiccup.Finally reached the top at the Shanti Stupa

Later that evening went for another acclimatization walk to the castle of Tsemo. It was late in the evening, but we still made a dash to enjoy the City view in the evening

Apart from elevated heart beat, the climb was completed without any hiccup.The view from the top was really beautiful. Climbed a bit forward to a higher place where lots of prayer flags were tied together. Leh with Stok Kangri in the background looked brilliant from here. Even the dog had its eyes set on Stok Kangri

At night headed to another famous food joint, Lamayuru Hotel where I had the elusive Dal-rice. Two days in and I still had not had non-veg, felt bad on so many levels, still had to be strict to prevent any stomach mishaps.

Day 3 | Last Acclimatisation Day | Stok Kangri Trek

Woke up at 0300, was up till 0430, woke up at 0630 again. Getting bored of this sleep deprived state. I hate acclimatization !!

Met our guides in the morning who broke the news that we 3 wont be the only ones trekking , but few other trekkers from other organsiers would be joining us. The group strength increased from 3 to 21 all of a sudden. Felt a bit mad at the organisers, but then again I would be making new friends, whole lot of them. After introductions and briefing the 3 of us headed for brunch and then hotel room.

All of us felt a bit lazy on the last acclimatization afternoon and decided to get acclimatized with our beds. I couldn’t sleep, so watched a movie instead Kung Fu Panda. Kartik and Hardik also joined me in the movie. Who can resist the Panda. The golden words resonated in my head , “ There is no secret ingredient,  Its You”. These words kept me in high spirits during the trek. Next , while we were surfing the channels, found VERTICAL LIMIT- the movie on one. This would provide the exact motivation required to conquer Stok Kangri. Looked out of the window towards the formidable nemesis

In the evening went for budget shopping. Super Market is the place to be to get cheap items. This is a shopping complex consisting of atleast 5-6 shops where we get cheaper goods. If you are walking on the main lane of the old market towards the stok kangri mountain and away from the main majjid , this complex would be at the right side of the road. There would be a small gap in the row of buildings with a small title Super market.If you are not careful enough , you would miss this easily.

Bought
•Walking Stick: Rs 500
•Gaiter: Rs 450
•Woolen Cap/ Beanie cap: Rs 200

Wondered around the market to buy some souvenirs .
•Tarchok/ Prayer Flags ( medium size 6 piece for Rs 200)
•Pashmina Silk Stole( 2 piece for Rs 550).

Celebrated the last day in Leh before the trek with a sumptuous & scrumptious dinner. Reached Rendezvous café ( it is the opposite of the road where the old market starts). Ordered Tangy Pasta, A exotically named pizza, and plain old Veg pulav. The food was good & filling. Had lots of dry fruits in the pulav. We were full, still ordered another tasty looking chocochip pie. Couldn’t finish it .Still regret it . Chocolate should never be disrespected.
Went to the room . slept off.

The next day the actual trek starts.

END OF PART 1

Over the next days we gain height to reach subsequent camps at Chang Ma 3988m, Mankorma 4328m, Base Camp 4900m & Summit 6153m

Click to read about the next part at Chang Ma Camp 3988m – first camp for Stok Kangri