June 16-18, 2013: Delhi
June-July, 2013: Ladakh, Jammu-Kashmir
Leh Palace and Stok Kangri (~6130m)
Royal Enfield motorbike, Leh (sweet ride)
Parachute tent teahouse on the
Markha Valley trek.
Mani wall along the Markha Valley.
Barbara and our intrepid guide Thinley
trekking ever higher into the Stok Range.
Teshe, Greg, and Barbara at the summit of the
Kanda La (4900m)
Rare snow leopard footprint near Skiu in the
Markha Valley. No, he didn't drop his watch!
In the magnificent Markha Valley.
Markha Fort and Shamunatha Gompa,
Markha.
Barbara and herdswoman along the Sham Trek.
Likir Monestary along the Sham Trek.
Greg at Likir Monestary.
July 6-9: Stok Kangri
Spectacular geology of the Stok Range, Ladakh.
Yaks graze in the big valley above Stok Kangri base camp.
Note the large terminal moraine. What lurks behind? A proglacial
lake? ponds? ice?
Morning tea from my tent.
Frosty morning at Stok Kangri base camp.
The Stok Kangri expedition team: L-R
me, Badal my capable guide,
Sonam our horseman (we used 5 horses),
and Sameer our cook.
High Asia for Aphasia flag flies over
Stok Kangri summit (6137m / 20,134 ft)!
Aphasia awareness knows no limits!
Base camp celebration.
JuLY 10-28: Kun
Shafat Valley approach to basecamp.
Z1 peak in background (6155m).
Pony support into basecamp.
Mingma conducts basecamp Puja ceremony for Kun mountain blessings.
Meanwhile, back in Tucson at the University of Arizona Speech Sciences Department, the Adult Aphasia Group displays High Asia for Aphasia support in the form of new t-shirts!
Three climbing Sherpas ascending "the Wall", the 700m sub-vertical climb from Camp 1 to Camp 2.
On the Wall!
It's icy...hold on.
Cuppa-soup for lunch...mmm
(L-R: Anna, Anirudh, Greg)
Subsiding storm at Camp 2 (6000m).
Nun in background.
Camp 2 tent-bound during 2-day storm.
(L-R: Arvin, Subbu, Greg)
Camp 2 with Kun in background.
Stars over Kun and Camp 2
Marching across the icefield to Camp 3 (6300m).
9pm, super-alpine start for the Kun summit.
Fine ridge-line to the summit.
Approaching the Kun summit.
It's very cold....air is scarce...
High Asia for Aphasia flies over
the summit of Kun (7077m; 23,354 ft)
The top of Indian Kashmir. Distant background mountains
are in the Pakistan Karakorams, including Nanga Parbat (8126m).
All together atop Kun.
Safe again under the starry skies of Shafat.
On the way to Srinagar we negotiate the treacherous yet spectacular twists and turns of the Zojila Pass highway in Kashmir. This roadway is in a constant state of gravity induced decay!