Final – Trekking from Camp to the Gata Loops

2. October 2024

 

4.160 m -> 4.380 m -> 4.050 m / 8 hiking hours / 19 km

 

 

Maps.me said 8.5 hours and 19 kilometres. That was quite long. Now it depended on my legs and how tired I was. Because – I was already longing for the end of the trek. I hadn’t seen anyone other than Lobzang since the morning before the big passes. Nor had I communicated with anyone. I was also a bit curious to see how my friends etc. were doing. So I set off. Luckily, the two missing passes were right at the start, so I was still strong and keen to go.

 

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In the meantime, there was another sand colour: dark grey.

 

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It took a while for the shady section to pass, but I found that rather pleasant. It wasn’t as cold as I had expected. Normally you’re shivering at 4,000 metres at the end of September/beginning of October at the latest and the first snowfall could already be coming. I had taken a new down jacket and hot water bottle luxury with me – and hardly used either. The hot water bottle was only in my sleeping bag for 2 nights.

 

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Then it was down and straight ahead, with only minor inclines/slopes. Fortunately, the path didn’t harbour any other nasty pitfalls. Nevertheless, it was long….

 

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There were still ruined houses and what looked to me like a very good snow leopard/wolf trap:

 

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A kind of campsite. Around the corner is another valley – another trekking route. But nobody was walking there that day.

 

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And then I packed the camera away. The landscape was still impressive, but somehow the motifs kept repeating themselves. And when I saw the Gata Loops (the Manali-Leh highway leads up a steep mountain slope in 21 bends) and all the little cars on it, I really wanted to go there.

 

Lobzang, however, didn’t think it was a good idea and had already set up camp far in advance. He pointed to the road: 1 hour to go! Oh no, with your speed it’s more like 2 hours! I looked at him energetically, said 1 hour – and mobilised all the energy in me and actually made it in 1 hour. The prospect of sitting in the car and sleeping in bed was too attractive!

 

We said goodbye warmly – and he plodded back to camp. He would be travelling home a different way and had planned 3 days, which I paid for. In principle, things were going quite well with us.

 

And then I was standing on the dusty road. It was now late afternoon and there were far fewer cars. With my tent, thick mat etc. I had quite a lot of luggage with me. Some nice people stopped (including curious motorcyclists), but they didn’t have enough space. The empty cars simply drove past me. It was getting cold and I pulled out my down jacket.

 

The cars became even fewer, sometimes it looked as if there wouldn’t be any more. Would I have to spend the night by the road? The nearest accommodation was a long way off in both directions. Incidentally, I was open to both directions: either Leh and then a probably expensive flight to Delhi or Manali and from there onwards by night bus.

 

How would it go on? Would I spend the night in a cosy bed or on the icy dust road?