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Latest news:
27th August 2001

Location:
Surmur, Nurba Valley

Tomorrow, we really set out on our expedition when we start walking up a rocky hillside at the side of a deep cut valley leading into the heart of the Arganglas Massif. We have been warned that it is rough going with dense scrub through which we shall have to hack a trail for part of the way and as a result a journey of little more than 25 kilometres will probably take us three days.

Our journey up to now has been a delight. Yesterday we drove over the 5,300 metre high Khardung La from Leh into the Shyok Valley, the highest road pass in India and one of the highest in the world. Through the occasional light flurry of snow we could just glimpse the peaks of the Arganglas Massif but could not pick out any detail. Dropping down into the Shyok Valley, it was a bit lower than the altitude of Leh at 3,300 metres and very warm.

The Shyok is one of the large rivers draining the Karakoram, joining the Indus in Pakistan and continuing on to the Arabian Sea. At the point that we met it, it is heavily braided and occupies a wide flat valley of silted sand and green oases of cultivation where side streams come down from either side through the sun baked mud and rock of the valley sides. It is a bleak but strangely beautiful place.

This morning four of us visited the local brigade head quarters to pay our compliments. We find it difficult to believe that a shooting war is going on just a few miles away on the Siachen Glacier.
After spending the afternoon packing we went up to the local monastery. It's called Tsamtaling, has over a hundred monks and is right off the tourist trail. It is very old and the Buddhas in the main Gompa chamber were both magnificent and beautiful. They performed a special set of prayers for us, something that we all found very moving and afterwards gave us salted butter tea in their kitchen.

And so, tomorrow, our adventure really begins. We all very excited.

Our route from the road head in the Nubra Valley up the Tirith Phu into the Arganglas Massif. Local people take their goats up there but are told it is tough going and will take three days with mules carrying our baggage to reach the site of base camp near the snout of the Phunangma Glacier which leads into the heart of the massif. The peak in the back ground is an outlying mountain of the Arganglas Massif.

We visited the local military commander, Brigadier Ashok Duggal were treated very hospitably and promised aid in the even of emergency.

Our first view through the clouds of the Arganglas Massif from the Khardung La