Walking on the Moon PT. 2

We set off on Day 1 of our journey across the mountains.
The sky shone brilliant blue with scatterings of puffy clouds, the sun beat down strong on our skin. 12,000+ ft and above tree line there is little shade to be found. The landscape is incredibly barren, boulders and rocks strewn everywhere yet there is a unique beauty in its serenity. We walked for hours not seeing another soul following the old silk road trails. We trudged through dried up riverbeds, along sheer cliffs all en route to our first day's destination. After a full day of walking we arrived in a small village which was home to some relatives of our guide, Scarpa. We were pooped. Unbeknown to us, this would be our first and only "luxurious" day. We were warmly greeted by the relatives and taken in to there home where we were given tea and invited to share a meal. We sat, we drank, we ate, and played with the children all the while taking in the Ladakhi language and deciphering the meanings. It's amazing how through some common threads of various languages, hand signals and expressions we can all communicate. It was a good day and a good night sleep was definitely in store.

The next day we awoke, had out breakfast and bid our gracious hosts adieu.
We walked and walked. You learn quickly how to read the landscape. what to spot and listen for to look for a spring for water. since there are very free trees and shrubs, you learn to collect Yak dung for fuel. We traveled sparsely. We had no extras. Everything got used and re-used. Our guide, Scarpa like most Ladakhis was extremely resourceful. After we used up a can of condensed milk it became out ladle for the entire trip. A discarded plastic ramen bag left by a past group of trekkers became his wallet. Nothing gets wasted. Hmm, I thought we could be a bit more resourceful back home. I imagined if I could transport a Ladakhi and place them in a huge Western Grocery store what would they think????
We reached that's days destination and camped out in a small oasis. A group of school children walked past our campsite stopped and shared their homework written on a small slate chalkboard. We smiled, we laughed as we shared words. what a wonderful day. Time to make a fire, eat some barley and go to bed. We had many days ahead.

The more we walked, the more remote it became. Villages were few and far between. The landscape seemed like an endless range of mountains, rocks. The Indus River would appear and at times we had to cross. Icy water, bare feet and a steady gate. The next night we came across a small house with a few animals. Scarpa negotiated with the woman of the house to let us crash on her rooftop. I was tired and suddenly became itchy all over my arms and legs. Eeek, I cou'ld sleep. I was not interested in eating the bit of bad quality basmati rice Scarpa had brought to cook. The woman sold us some Yak milk cheese which didn't sound appealing to me. I couldn't sleep. all I could do was try not to itch...Holy s^&t. Here I was smack in the middle of nowhere, no doctors, no medicine to relieve the itch. What happened? Why was neither Steve of Scarpa itching? Did I get some crazy bacteria? Will it go away? all I could do was curl up, look at the brilliant night sky and focus on the journey. I must let it be. It will pass. Unfortunately it lingered for about a week, but somehow I just dealt. Later I met a European fellow who complained of the very same thing. Turned out we both were bitten by fleas and just have a crazy reaction. Most of the rooftops we stayed had animals and fleas were rampant.. I had forgotten how ultra sensitive I am regarding insect bites...

Next day was to be a doozy. We were to ascend one of the 16,000 ft passes. It would be a long journey upward along the shale trails winding around to the summit.

TBC