TheFreeBird
Stok Kangri Trek Blog
Trek Day 6 | The Descend to Basecamp | 7 kms
One Last pic at the summit, before the risky descend
The descent was tricky. The summit motivation was gone and what remained back were weary bodies.
Bro Tip:
You think the climb was tough. The descend is tougher. So plan you food and water such that you still have atleast a litre of water left with you for the descent. As well as enough dry fruits and ORS (oral rehydration salts).
Vedant in front of me was suffering from nausea. And on the descend he was constantly slipping and pulling the rope. I was worried for him and for us. This impacted the descend and slow speed drained us further more.
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If you fancy my CAMERA
Waterproof cam
My DSLR
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It took us a while before we were back to the shoulder.
We rested for a while. The packed lunch saw the light of the day.10 minutes of rest and finally i felt that surge of energy which i lacked during the ascend. The DSLR was finally out and then flurry of pics.
If you watch closely , u can feel the divine presence
We started our descend from the same route we came up. It felt totally different this time around.
From here onwards there are two ways to descend. Either You walk all the way down or you take the shorter sliding way down. The short cut
And if you do it wrong you are bound to be screwed bad time, which i was. This is me in flight mode before crashing head first and then rolling of all the way, with my camera thrown apart, my glares off.
Bro Tip:
Dont keep you knees & feet stiff , this might and will likely get your shoes stuck in the rough surface and catapult you like the Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva. Fold your legs and try to keep them as afar as possible from the ground
I took almost an hour to walk down which should have taken 5 minutes if done right. After that was a long way to base camp
When I finally reached the base camp after almost 15 hours my body was screaming for rest. So after having some warm water I slept off. I slept for 3 hours without any dream ( the longest i have slept on the trek at one go ). After this sound sleep I woke up and had some snacks, indulged in some photography followed by dinner. This was one lengthy and memorable day.
I slept peacefully that night
Trek Day 7 | Basecamp To Stok Village | 13kms | 4900m to 3500m
Next day we celebrated our successful summit with a cake at the base camp and started off for the Stok village.
On the way to the Stok village I saw a Mountain goat/ Ibex/ Blue Sheep. Chased it for a selfie. Got this instead.
Last pic with Stok Kangri summit and the all rounder guides
Last pic before the stok village
On reaching Leh we decided to celebrate the summit by a dinner in Gesmo. I ordered Steak, it wasn’t that good. The street food outside the hotel was awesome though. There is a man who sells kebabs at the intersection near by.
we bid each other good bye and decided to stay in touch. Its been two months and even the watsapp group is not showing any activity. Hopefully my blog will re-activate the group. 😛
Next morning took an early morning flight to Mumbai ( via Delhi-Indore). Back to the city that never sleeps. Its been second time i am bidding leh goodbye this year without riding a bullet.
But as the governator says,” I will be back”.
Adios !
If you have read so far you are definitely a badass adventure monkey like me and you will surely love to read about my Basic Mountaineering Course in NIMAS, Arunachal ( Click to Read).
During BMC
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Good one man…
Thnx man
Awesome Niraj! Sounds like a great experience. And knowing how tough you are, this sounds way too tough for folks like me.
Hey Swati, it’s a brilliant trek.
Its a difficult trek owing to the lack of oxygen.
Real test of your mettle.
YOu can definitely try with the a fit body and motivated mind. 🙂
Loved it! Hope to be able to add my own spin to your story soon! 🙂
Sup Susan,
Good to see your interest.
I hope to put up your Roopkund trek soon 😛 😀
you’re really a good blogger. you’ve done a wonderful job about this tough trek!
Thnx a lot Shelly.
Hope this provides you good insight
Hello Free Bird!
I would like to know how is it like for a smoker to attempt this trek?
Thanks
Hey Aakarsh,
First i would like to say that NEVER EVER has smoking done anyone any good.
Breathing is always a problem at high altitude for a healthy person. Smoking can only make it worse.
I would recommend that if any smoker wants to sucessfully summit this 20000ft monster, its better to stop smoking all together atleast two months before the trek
The sun shines, the wind speaks and the bird is off to another adventure..
Hope u enjoyed the blog NiTiN 🙂
Awesome bro … Keep it up 🙂
thnx man
Great account. Planning to do this summer 2017.
Who was your outfitter and would you recommend them or key things to ask while negotiating a guide/outfitter? and how much did it cost?
Hello Vikas,
The things you would like to check before confirming any organiser is
1) whether they would be organising it themselves or sub-contracting.
2) what would be the batch size of the trek . Smaller the group , merrier the trek.
3) I had selected an organiser who had sub contracted to the local guys.
4) Also need to check on the expenditures incurred if one decides to return back from the trek in between.These costs are mostly not mentioend anywhere on any organisers site
You can go ahead with any trusted organisation. However i believe that the real fun in doing such a trek is with the local agencies.
Once u book the seat, just get your stamina to the mark & carry lots of dry fruits with you. Drink plenty of water
Hope this is useful.
Cheers
Outstanding description of the trek..!!! Congratulations..!!! Brought back memories of my stok kangri trek..
Can you share the name of treking agency that you in this case.
So glad you could relive your glory moments. The batch size of only 3 people turned up for our organiser , hence our group was merged with a bigger group from local organiser. To mention there name would be unfair given the small size of our group. what happens on the trek stays within the trek 😛
This is very interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger.
I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your
magnificent post. Also, I’ve shared your website in my social
networks!
thats one hell of a description of the stok kangri trek. It was like a virtual tour for me..pretty insightful and informative…I am planning for stok kangri summit in august 2017. wish me luck TheFreeBird. 🙂
Any more Bro (not literally :P) Tips would be highly appreciated. TIA…
Sorry for the delayed response, i was out of network reach (in Goa and loving it).
I really appreciate your comments. The sleepless nights does help you jot down the nuances of the trek.
I have tried to put in all tips i could personally think of.
Just stay mentally strong, carry enough quick energy food & lots of water. Try to get as much sleep as possible on summit rest day.
May the force be with you. Godspeed. \m/
Heyy Freebird,I am planning Stok Kangri trek this year. Your blog is most helpful so far!!
Had few questions
1)Was walking stick was really helpful throughout the trek?
2)If I am not wrong 8 of 23 people summitted. So what were the preparations done by other members who completed trek with much ease?
Thanks for your kind words.Sorry for the late reply, was on the move.
1)The height does take a toll on your body/stamina. You can breeze past the first two camps without the need of a walking stick. However after that at the last part of reaching the base camp and then onwards to the summit the walking stick does come in very handy. Not necessarily as an aid for walking , but as an extra support for your tired body. During the glacial climb , it is of utmost importance.
2)No one completed the trek with ease. Every one had to put in lot of efforts. A fit body and a strong mind is very much a necessity.
With thanks, Plenty of advice.
I really like your blog.. very nice pics. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you ? kudos
Thanks for your kind words. i did create it my self
Superb blog, the incessant headache, heavy backpack and early morning ascend reminds of my trek to roopkund.!! Stok-Kangri has been on my mind for quite some time now….your blog just gave it a push!!
Thnx Devyani. Go summit. Best of Luck \m/
I loved n inspired by ur blog…awesme.
Wish to be a mountaineer nd nature lvr.
Lyk as u😊😊
Thanks Dinesh for the kind words 🙂
Many thanks for an awesome blog…. definitely motivated me. I’ve booked to do the trek in August this year, so looking forward to it. My highest altitude climb was Everest Base. Regards from South africa
Thanks a lot Sushie for your kind words. Having done EBC trek, I am confident that you will summit Stok Kangri pretty easily.
Best Of Luck \m/
Awesome blog buddy. Felt as if I was along with you all the way in the trek. Kudos to your NIMAS vlog as well, which is what brought me here. Looking forward to more such blogs and vlogs. Cheers.
Thanks Dhairya for such motivating words \m/
Hopefully the adventures will continue.
Hi!
Lovely blog with tons of info.
Pls can you advise if we will need crampons for our Stok Kangri trek in July end?
Thanks!
Hey Anand,
Thanks a lots for your kind words. You will require crampons from the glacier.
Cheers
Hey,
Nice pictures and details.
I also did it and it was amazing!
Hello Gan,
Thanks for your kind words. It was good to read about your experience too.
Keep Climbing,
Cheers
I HAVE DONE 3 TREKS IN PAST 10 YEARS BACK IN HIMALAYA RANGES (PABBAR VALLEY, PANCHACHULI &PUNWALI BUGYAL). I M GOING FOR STOK KANGARI TREK THIS JULY AND ONLY WORRY FOR MY SINUS PROBLEM . I M TRYING TO DO ALL REMEDIES FOR IT. I HAVE CHECK MY FITNESS LEVEL NOT THAT BAD CAN RUN ON TREDMILL FOR 20 MIN COVERING 3 KM. CAN DO CRUNCHES 3SET OF 15 REP . WEIGHT SQAUTS TOTAL WEIGHT UPTO 25 2 SET 8-9 REP AND WITH LESSER WAIT AROUNF 10 -15 4-5 SETS OF 10-12 REP . FOLLOW OTHER GROUP EXERCISE REGULARLY. NEED YOUR SUGGESTION I M WORREID AS I M GETTING ON TREK AFTER 10YEARS AND THIS COLD COUGH SINUS ISSUE.
Hello Ashish,
Sorry for the late reply, I was out on a trek.i think you are on the right path towards fitness.
For the breathing part I suggest you immediately start with yoga – anulom vinulom and omkara. You might want to add other breathing exercises as well.
To combat breathing issues, you can add climbing floors to your training regime. Start with a 10 kilo backpack for 5 floors and gradually increase resistance.
Hope that helps.
Cheers
thank you bro
Awesome dude… Reminds me of my time in first week of August 2017. Julay!!!
Thanks man. Glad it bought back memories. Keep exploring. Cheers 🙂
बहुत ही सुंदर वर्णन । आपकी हिम्मत और मनोबल को सलाम 👏
Thanks Pragna 🙂
In response to Stok Kangri’s rapid degradation, the Stok Village Committee and ALTOA (All Ladakh Tour Operators’ Association) have announced a three-year ban on trekking and climbing on Stok Kangri peak. Stok Kangri will remain closed from 2020 to 2022