These curious (and common) ground birds dropped by. Are they Chukar partridge?
Sergei packs up his small cycling tent.
We were surprised when a Tibetan woman appeared asking for 150 rupees each. It had seemed the campsite (dirty and without a toilet) was closed for the season. Apparently not.
Official campsites seem to cost 600 Indian rupees in 2015. Unofficial ones 150 Indian rupee. Both overpriced compared with homestays, we felt. (900 rupees including 3 meals)
UP and off.
I tried to keep up with Sergei. It wasn’t easy. Especially since I had been exhausted the day before keeping pace.
On the other hand, we were fairly compatible. Both keen and very independent hikers.
I found the dry Markha valley gorgeous. Sergei missed trees.
River crossings were actually a relief. Heat emergency is a real risk here.
I changed footwear. Sergei plunged through.
We’d anticipated Markha village 3806m to be somehow more impressive than the other villages. But it was very quiet. Harvest was in progress. Everyone in the fields.
So we continued.
Horses are the most popular pack animal here. Followed by donkeys.
I didn’t once see a Yak or Yak hybrid used.
The geology here is stunning.
Sergei is an alpinist, having summited Lenin Peak. He was interested in these formations.
Though there are many impressive stupas and monasteries, it seems Ladakh does not have many monks.
This particular monastery does impress, however. Umlung Gompa 3890m, impossibly situated.
The parachute camp was closed. So we carried on.
Seabuckthorn berries are everywhere. Used for jam and other local products.
Higher and drier.
We considered stopping near Hankar 3990m. But Sergei likes to walk until dusk. So he can set up his tent in the dark (for free) and not be hassled by passing locals. Everyone who walks past asks for 150 ruppee, even a monk … though the monk actually seemed to have “receipts” in his robes for the camping fee.
Exhausted and with sore feet, I finally put down my tent in the official camping at Thachungtse 4250m.
Sergei, lacking firewood to cook his dinner, decided to stay as well and use my gas stove.
Though I managed to get myself lost for 8 hours, this was to be the best day of the trek. 🙂
Was I carrying too much? Missing anything?
As it turned out, carrying 3 books was crazy. Instead I should have brought some sort of power supply for my iPhone. Audio books are best on the trail.
Around one corner I stumbled into a big herd of Blue Sheep.
Lucky me.
Actually, the boys at this parachute camp were providing a salt lick.
These parachutes are seasonal restaurants. They all serve hot and cold drinks. Few provide hot food.
I stayed some time snapping pics.
It’s here that you either ascend to climb Stok Kangri 6153m (20,182 feet) … or head for the Markha circuit via one of two passes.
Up and up.
Beautiful and somewhat mystical.
My lunch for the first few days was peanut butter on Naan. I’d purchased these flatbreads from outdoor Muslim bakers near the mosques in Leh. Less than $1 for 10. They keep well on the the trail.
One very good reason to come to Ladakh end of season is to enjoy the autumn colours. It reminded me of Yukon in the Fall.
These odd high altitude plants are mostly leaf.
I finally reached Stok Pass. Alon from Israel arrived same time from the other side.
We were both happy to get some weather. It made the crossing more memorable.
Just behind Alon were 3 more hikers, not quite so enthusiastic about the snow.
Gorgeous.
Dropping down the weather cleared.
This is an extreme desert. Precipitation is rare.
I love desert landscapes.
Arriving to the other side my plan was to shortcut – skipping Rumbak village. Why descend when I could traverse the mountain?
A series of cairns seemed to confirm my off-trail route.
I left a Summit Stone in this sentry.
Climbing high I ASSumed I’d be able to traverse towards Kanda Pass in the next valley.
I ASSumed wrong. I was nowhere near Kanda. 😦
Daylight failing, all I could do was set up my tent well above 5000m.
Nothing lives up there. But a couple of vultures did fly-bys. Hoping I was dead.
It was an impressive campsite.
If needed, I could melt snow.
I listened to Jack Reacher on audio through the night.
He’s used dozens of different stoves in the wild, comparing them in a long opinion piece:
… lighting a stove. Some come with Piezo igniters – in my experience these break after a while. I’d never rely on just one type of lighter anyway. I always carry at least two – a fire steel and a lighter and/or matches. …
Choosing a stove is as much about choosing the fuel as choosing a burner. The availability of fuel, how long a given amount lasts and how well it works in different conditions are all factors to take into consideration. …
The main fuels are butane/propane, white gas (Coleman Fuel and similar), and methylated spirits (meths)/alcohol. Less commonly used are petrol/gasoline, paraffin/kerosene, diesel, solid fuel and wood. Some stoves are multi-fuel, which can be a big advantage. The heat output from butane/propane, white gas, petrol and paraffin is similar but meths/alcohol is much less powerful so more fuel has to be carried. …
The MiniMo upends what we thought we knew about “personal cook systems,” the integrated stove/pot design that Jetboil pioneered in 2004. Like its predecessors, the MiniMo has lightning-fast boil times (it averaged 2 minutes and 21 seconds for 20 ounces at room temp in our controlled test) and efficient fuel consumption (expect about 9 liters of boiled water for a 3.5-ounce fuel canister). But, unlike all its predecessors, it can actually simmer …
I disliked my original Jetboil finding it dangerous. If something boiled over (as it often does) it was difficult to remove pot from flame. And your hand was scalded if you tried to turn off the flame.
But I have to admit, the MiniMo is a huge improvement. Almost as good as the Reactor.
It’s been ten days since a large-scale earthquake shook Nepal. It’s been a hard time for everyone, with the loss of family members, homes, entire savings, and historical landmarks. On the other hand, it’s brought the people of Nepal together in the face of adversity and strengthened bonds with those from outside Nepal who offered aid.
Still, with the death toll estimated at 7500, along with 10,000 injured and 1.4 million in need of food assistance, there is still a need for assistance.
We’ve spent the last few days compiling a list of reliable, effective groups working hard to bring support to the people of Nepal. If you’re able, please consider donating time, money, or volunteering via the links below.
What’s Needed Now
Remote villages are still in need of relief;
Because of sanitation problems, there is a high risk of disease;
Lack of electricity and water supply;
The monsoon season is a month away, making shelter an urgnet need;
Basic necessities like food, water purification tablets, medicine, blankets, and tents are still needed;
Support for the long-term rebuilding of homes, villages, and historical landmarks.
Effective Ways To Donate
If you are in a position to donate, here is a list of local, grassroot initiatives working hard to provide relief. By donating to these groups, your money will go directly to the people that need it most via local channels mobilized by local experts:
Rebuild Langtang Campaign Langtang village, in particular, will need rebuilding support after the first weeks have passed. After first medical care has been delivered it will take large efforts to re-establish community life back in the valley.
Lokesh Todi’s Relief Fund to support and sustain the work of local NGOs and first responders on the ground.
Mountain People’s Initiative to provide assistance to those in need around Kathmandu. They’ve set up a temporary relief centre in Thamel functioning as shelter/store/aid post for local Galdunga people.
Sherpa Gear’s CrowdRise Campaign. 100% of your donation will go for immediate relief on the ground through our Paldorje Education Fund network, already set up to benefit the children of Sherpa families in remote villages.
GlobalGiving’s Campaign to help address the immediate needs for food, fuel, clean water, hygiene products, and shelter. Once initial relif work is complete, remaining funds will transition to support longer-term recovery efforts run by loca, vetted organizations.
Karma Foundation is a non-profit branch of socialtours & Karma Coffee working on responsible philanthropy disbursement to projects in Nepal, now for Quake relief.
Seva Foundation is working to supply tents to those in need of shelter.
To Da Loo Community toilet builders initiative in the wake of the earthquake. Toilets or latrine pits are raised in densely populated communities.
Helter Shelter Shelter relief effort for those left homeless.
Other Ways To Help
There will be long-term rebuilding projects that will need volunteer support. If you’re planning a trip to Nepal in the future, consider volunteering as an option. When the media spotlight shifts to another problem in the world, there will still be people in Nepal working to rebuild and regain what was lost.
Continued News, Updates, Photos…
Kathmandu Living Labs has been crowdsourcing technologies and social platforms to map the relief effort and access to local villages.
Gallery of photos taken by Lokesh Todi who has been documenting the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake on the ground.
Photographer Thomas Kelly is actively documenting the aftermath of massive Earthquake that rattled Nepal on 25th of April, 2015.
Thru hiker Carlie Gentry, who works at REI, put together a funny photo essay on the habits and rituals of her kind on the trail – A Scientific Explanation of Hiker Trash (in 25 Images) 🙂
… Although I love hiking, I also love comfort so I started searching on-line for an “Everest Luxury Trek” and found the Yeti Mountain Homes, a group of luxury lodges located on the classic trekking route in the Khumbu area. I contacted them and as from that moment I was blown away by the Yeti Mountain Home experience … a lovely lady called Pasang patiently and very professionally answered all my questions and created a customized itinerary for us. …
Unfortunately there are no Yeti Mountain Homes (yet) all the way up till Everest Base Camp but Pasang made sure that we had the best possible accommodation in every place. …
We were up before the dawn, wanting our best chance of success climbing Mt Bwahit.
Our guards had slept outside beside the tents, despite the cold.
The day before our arrival a young Swiss couple had had their daypack stolen. Cameras, money … passports. 😦
It happens all over the world. It happens here, but not very often. Best guess was that one of the mule drivers had grabbed it. Might have been a young shepard boy, though they are chased out of Camp right quick.
I had my valuables strapped to my waist in a passport case, as always.
Our guide had said that our best chance to see Walia Ibex would be this morning. We weren’t disappointed. We saw a number up on a ridge. And later down by the road. They are not shy.
… only about 500 individuals survived in the mountains of Ethiopia, concentrated in the Semien Mountains, largely due to past poaching and habitat depletion. If the population were to increase, the surrounding mountain habitat would be sufficient enough to sustain only 2,000 ibex. The adult walia ibex’s only known wild predator is the hyena. …
I was still feeling weak though I had not lost my dinner from the previous evening.
I’d not slept much. Happily, as we climbed, I seemed to get stronger.
Though we ascended about 800m in less than 3 hours, it wasn’t all that cold. The sun helps for sure. We added and removed layers frequently.
Disappointingly, the road winds up close to the top of the mountain. At times we walked it.
There’s not much traffic, of course. Clouds rolled up the escarpment early. We’d need to reach the top before the clouds did.
We were very surprised to see snow on the top.
This is one of the few spots in Africa where snow falls regularly.
Nadine found snow in Africa
Mt Bwahit (4430m) is the third highest mountain in Ethiopia and the 13th or 14th highest in Africa.
This is as far as we got following the escarpment. But the road continues to Mekane Berhan, 10km past the Park.
In fact you can keep going 17 days all the way to Lalibela, if you like.
Nadine turns back. She’ll be reunited with her husband later in the afternoon.
Neither Nadine or I felt many altitude symptoms. Lucky. She gave some medication, on the trail, to one of the other hikers who was feeling rotten.
Obama is wildly popular in Africa though most distrust the American government.
We saw many more baboons on the descent. We’d left too early to see them on the way up.
The decent was quick. Psychologically, I was ready to go. The Simien a success.
In most high mountains lammergeier (bearded vulture) stay far away from me. But here they float right over your tent. After many attempts, this was the best photo I got. They have up to nearly 10ft (2.83 m) wingspan.
Here’s Josh’s best photo.
In Ethiopia, they’ve become more tolerant of people, now common near trash piles on the outskirts of small villages and towns.
We saw wild chickens on the way down, too. Nur told us that when he was a shepard, age-5 to age-10, he loved to try to catch one for dinner.
Heading out, I risked eating lunch.
Nadine was the one of the few hikers who completed ALL the original planned itinerary. But she was ready to head back to Gondor.
It’s a long, bumpy ride back to the Park gates. The roads are bad even in a Toyota Landcruiser.
The closest good hospital is in Dabark. If you crash like this 😦 … they have an ambulance. Another ambulance, I mean.
Rich tourists from the highest lodge in Africa take a short day hike to see baboons. Or do a tourist ride. Meh.
We tipped around 10% of our tour cost, aside for the cooks who got almost nothing. If the clients get sick, the cooks didn’t do the job.
I suggested to Mohammad, a super guy, that he and the other cooks put a big bottle of alcohol gel on the dining tables. Every time. And to ask cooks and assistants to use it non-stop while preparing food for foreigners.
About half of the hikers I spoke with had stomach problems. Clearly the cook house is not sanitary enough. Cooks work together. If one has dirty hands, it’s possible that all the food will be infected.
When we arrived at the Four Sisters restaurant in Gondar that evening, to celebrate, there was a large bottle of alcohol gel on the table. But don’t expect to see one on a Simien trek any time soon. Inertia is great in Africa.
I’ll suggest to future hikers that they consider bringing their own stove, cook their own food.
Thanks to Nur and Halie, childhood buddies, who are still working together. Nur Hassan is Coordinator for SimienMountainsTour.com. I’ll be recommending them.
Our cost was $1000 for 3 people for 4 days, all inclusive. The lowest price I heard quoted was $250 each for 7 people in one group.
Day 1: Gondar-Sankaber (3250 m), 3-4 hours walking
6:30am Ethiopian coffee
7am pick-up at the (recommended) L-Shape Hotel in the tourist town Gondar. Room about $13 in 2014.
It was an easy 2hr drive to Debarq, the jumping off point for Simien Mountains National Park. Quick stop at the National Park office.
We had breakfast at the Great Work Hotel. Excellent Mango juice.
Our car returned with gear, guide, cook and … personal armed Park Ranger. They call themselves Scouts. A guard is still required for each trekking group in 2014, though these days it’s more of a make work project for the Rangers.
We drove through the Park gates and continued about another hour.
This road is rough. Though it was being improved while we were there.
I’d joined Josh and Nadine, a couple from Edmonton, Canada who have been volunteering in Burundi for the past 2 years.
Here’s our excellent Guide, Adoo.
And our Scout, Adim.
Immediately we headed for the great escarpment.
It’s a long, long way down. About 800m here.
Local people are everywhere. This is a shared use National Park.
We heard that road and power lines being moved further away from the trekking route. I hope that’s true.
Adoo detoured from the cliff when he spotted a group of 200-400Gelada baboons. (more photos)
Geladas are found only in the high grassland of the deep gorges of the central Ethiopian plateau. They live in elevations 1,800–4,400 m above sea level, using the cliffs for sleeping and montane grasslands for foraging. …
Geladas are the only primates that are primarily graminivores and grazers – grass blades make up to 90% of their diet. They eat both the blades and the seeds of grasses. …
They mate in May, have babies in November. Females were very protective of their youngest. Some looked like newborns.
We sat down and let the group graze past us. Some of the toddlers were curious enough to TRY to touch us.
What a fantastic 2 hours. This might be the best wildlife encounter anywhere in the world. It was my best wildlife encounter ever. 🙂
Simien was one of the first sites to be made a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (1978). Due to serious population declines of some of its characteristic native species, in 1996 it was also added to the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The word Semien means north in Amharic. But the name Simien and the word simian do make a good mnemonic for this hike. Geladas are the highilght. 🙂
Elated, we shuffled another hour or so to Camp 1. Talking about the baboons.
poison tomatoes
It’s a very easy half day, yet everyone was huffing and puffing due to altitude.
Popcorn and hot drinks on arrival were much appreciated.
I rested an hour. (I opted to use my own tent. Not the one supplied.)
We headed over to the ridge for the sunset, surprised how cold it was in Africa at night.
Josh got some great pics.
Dinner was impressive: soup, bread, fish, salad, spinach, deep fried banana. I skipped the salad (worried about my health) but tried some of everything else.
We checked the full moon, then retreated to our tents. There was no campfire. I climbed into 2 sleeping bags. The one provided. And my own. Everyone was surprised how cold it was at night in Simien.
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