Land of the High Passes - LADAKH !

Ladakh! The intensity of the place begins with the pronounciation! When the like-minded yet physically diverse group i approached, with a mention that an incredible itinerary, including a picturesque trek over 13500ft high passes, had been chalked out for this Trans-Himalayan abode, boasting of the highest civilian airstrip in the world (11500ft), there was a unified squeal of delight!
22 were the bravehearts who set afoot. This was least worrisome. What was, was the age band: 7 to 50yrs. What also was, was the fact the many were first time trekkers, of which a few believed that they could never trek in their life & few others were very seasoned ones. I had yet to figure out how i was to get them acclimatized to hi-alt & confidence, all together. Planning began 3 months ahead. Long walks & laboured hill climb routines were conducted. Sessions on understanding the nature of Altitude Sickeness by an expert were held, co-ordinating breathing while hiking and many such simple yet crucial workshops were conducted.
The group commenced with a practice walk to Vaishnodevi and came up trumps! Was i relieved? But trekking hi-alt is different, i silently thought. We flew Jammu-Leh, perhaps to be regarded as amongst the most spectacular flights in the world! Gigantic peaks burst out of nowhere just below the airplane window..and we were flying at 28000ft!
Crucial are the first 48hrs when one gains altitude quickly. Exactly what we did. 11000ft in 1.5 hrs! Is this what theu call 'fishing for trouble'? The Dawa Stumpa family we checked in with, joined me in literally forcing liquids, water, soups, tea/coffee down the participants. 5-6 liters each! What followed over the days was a lifetime experience. Great monasteries, fantastic drives, simple people, stark, vast and stunning landscapes, stupendous experiences..icing on the cake being the luxury trek over 4 days! Ghosts in the mind were tackled, ego's tamed, benchmarks with the self achieved & surpassed by many too. What a feeling! Sangeeta Pungaliya, 40yrs, participant & first time trekker sums it up: " Given my physical condition, i never imagined i would ever trek. Leave alone in Ladakh! Thanks to Moving Clouds' meticulous pre-departure training, none of us, had any medical condition. Not even a headache. Thanks, Girish, for enhancing my self-belief."
(yours truly in an orange T-shirt, top pic)