Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Ladakh & Nepal 2025

13 1/2 years since I've been to Nepal...Clmbed Gokyo Ri with Akichow (sp?)...I think that was the last WPSMB Gang group climb I was on...

Planning on posting some photos and links to videos...

DJI is banned in India and they state you can't even bring a drone into the country as a foreigner, but you know me...I bought a used drone (Not DJI) for a couple hundred bucks...(hard to believe you can get 8k that cheap)...we'll see if customs confiscates it...lots of drone footage on YouTube and the word on the street is that you may get away with it...really was looking forward to flying the good drone in the Himalaya...but not willing to risk it...

Ladakh is all about Moto Touring...ended up hooking up with a really good company...Itinerary created based on 3 weeks in Ladakh...I browsed the schedule a while back and asked some questions about areas I've heard about...revised itinerary provided within hours...looking forward to the part of the trip up towards Pakistan...hoping K2 will show itself...also looking forward to seeing what happens to a KTM at over 19k'...

BTW. supposedly, it rarely rains in Ladakh...it's a (high) high-desert...Monday and Tuesday have rain in the forecasst...paid extra for a Window Seat on this leg of the journey, but may not see anything...

31 Aug - 02 Sep: Flying to Leh, Ladakh, India

I'll start off this post by confessing that $$$$ did get confiscated by Indian Security...but not the Drone...
Made the mistake of leaving a couple of mini-tool kits in my Riding Day Pack...
They made it past US TSA, Hong Kong TSA and got flagged by Indian Airport Security...
They didn't buy my excuse that they didn't pose a threat (mini-tools???)..."Take it back and check it in." "No thanks...take it home...they're good tools..." (Ugly smirk on the Officer's face...)

The weather forecast turned out to be right...rain when I arrived in Dehli...rain as we were boarding for the flight to Leh...thick, double cloud layers all the way to Leh...no views until we were well below 5000m...

Interesting (Military) runway...runs uphill...sort of like Lukla in Nepal...only much longer because it supports Military Heavy Lift and Commercial aircraft...

Drizzle on the ride to the hotel...heavier rain as I went out for some exercise...backtracked to the hotel to get my rain gear...

(Backtracking) We stopped at 2 ATMs so I could get some Rupees...both failed to give me any money, so I asked the Taxi Driver to stop at a Money Changer...interesting how these Independents ALWAYS give you a better rate than Banks do...and no add-on transaction fees...Anyway, it turns out we stop a Travel Shop...Manager of the place is just too cool, so I told him if he's willing to put up with my non-stop babbling, I'll be back...

I walk down into town a stick my head through the door..."have the time to talk"..."Yes, come in..." I tell him about my plan to ride and acclimatize up to 19k'+ (he allows me to talk feet, rather than meters...) He gives me the option of 4 20k'+ mountains that we can climb in 3, 4, 5, or 6 days...WoooooooHoooooo!

I tell him about my whoas with US Mobile and that I need a local eSIM (another highly controlled thing in Ladakh)...he tells me I need to go to the Official AirTel office...it's closed due to weather...

He also gave me the lowdown on hiking up to the Ancient Palace and that I can continue up to some other relics of the past...

It took me nearly 2 hours to get to the start of the ridge up...not because of distance, altitude, or steepness...but because I passed a Jewelry Shop on the way...another long BS session with another Ladakhi...no hard sell...just a really nice history lesson on their traditional stones...BTW, it was at least 3 times that I told him I needed to get on to the hike...

I did about 10k of walking...rain the whole time...here are a few photos:




Mutlple layers of clouds on the flight to Leh.



Leh town from above.



If there's a hilltop, or mountain top in a Buddhist Region, there are going to be lots of Prayer Flags...

04-Sept-2025

I went to breakfast earlier than most people around here get up...I find late-rising to be the case in a lot of these cold places...

The clouds started to break while I was eating...my face lit up...this is what I came here for...BIG Mountains popping out...

They had closed in by the time I finished, but I finally went for a ride a got a few good photos:



From the Hotel rooftop.



From a school yard way up the hill from my hotel...you'd have stories to tell about your trek to school if you lived down in town and "walked uphill both ways..."



The picture doesn't do this justice...it is a deep canyon...and I wouldn't want to drive off the road here...



Gotta prove I'm riding...








I got stopped by Indian Security again...I don't know the area very well yet and I was entering a "Permit Required" zone...kinda like Whitney...

BTW, the Restricted Area Permit was waiting at the Hotel when I got back from the ride...so no more "Turn your @@@ around..."

2 more from my balcony:







I think this is Stok Kangri...

I went to a local pizza place on Friday afternoon. Soon after entering, the music changed from Indian to Classic Rock...I would have been fine with the Indian music...Yes, I was the only customer at the odd hour for a meal...

Caught a portion of one song that has the answer Yes to the question asked:

Song during a late lunch.

BTW, the pizza was outstanding...which brings me to my "Breakfast Place." Almost all of the restaurants in Leh (at least the ones that cater to Tourists) open late by my standards...one opens at 7:00am...I tried it...they cook really good omlets...and the best Veg Burger I've ever had (did 2 meals there one day)...no beef or pork here...

Photos from yesterday were disappointing, so none posted today...I did do a video call with my Wife in front of the Stok (town) Buddha...which reminds me how cool Indain (at least here in Ladakh) telecom is....$6.80 for a month of service that includes 1.5GB of data A DAY...and unlimited calling and texting to Indian numbers...no worries about no mapping while riding...

And, a BTW 2...met an Australian guy who's going thru an epic adventure...landslides prevented their group from going overland to Manali...(alternative plan) flew to Leh a day late because their original flight was cancelled due to weather (more reminders of Lukla in Nepal)...he's an Oz Flatlander and told me he got dizzy when they opened the plane doors in Leh...I asked why his group leader didn't arrange for a van to take them down to the lower valley (it's really short to there)...no answer...I hope the rest of his trip goes better...he has 3 weeks of trekking on his schedule...

06 Sept 2025

Khardung La Ride...
This is what I came to Ladakh for...17,982 feet on a motorcycle! And, it's not the highest pass I'll see...

Jim will probably like this...tons of Indian Runners doing to pass (on feet obviously)...
Also tons cyclists...
Also plenty of tourists in autos and vans...
Also plenty of other motorcycles...
Also loads of transport trucks...

Had an interesting conversation when I asked an Indian Runner if we could have a discussion of International Politics...I'll stop at Modi in China here...

Here are a few photos:























BTW, the Indian Army runs the small cafe/souvenir shop at the pass...interesting...

A ride like this and I arrived back at the hotel in time to watch MotoGP and later tonight the First Round of the SMX Championship...

And to think, I nearly cancelled this trip...multiple times...

And another BTW, I saw a headline that there's violence in Nepal right now...I hope it doesn't ruin that portion of the trip...supposed to travel on the 24th...

10 September 2025

More Internet Myths busted…
I had read that K2 is visible, depending on cloud cover…
No so, according to the owner of the hotel here in Turtuk…

BTW1: the food here in Ladakh scores so much better than other places I’ve traveled in Asia…maybe 2nd to Thailand…

BTW2: I’ve got a ton of photos and some GoPro video…been spending too much time in remote places where it wouldn’t be right to suck up that kind of bandwidth…

BTW3: I’ve lost count but I think I’m at 5 5000m+ passes…1 repeat today with snow and ice on the road at the top…it’s been raining much more than it should at this time of year…

Amazing how rules seem to get bent when you’ve given an Indian Soldier a ride to his Post…

Uploaded 2 photos…
Thought of Jeff the minute these popped into view…







He needs to plan a trip for a few FAs…those are Karakoram Peaks…Spires really…

The Classic Rock song with the lyrics about 4 dead in Ohio come to mind this morning as I read about 30 dead in Nepal…many at the hands of another (probably) overzealous military organization…

Probably going to stay in Ladakh until my visa expires and then go ride my bikes in Thailand…Bummer…

Advice from a very smart man is to stay clear of Nepal…I did see that the airport has reopened…

The Ladakh Marathon is happening https://ladakhmarathon.com/race-information/ so I can’t cross the Khardung La until Saturday…and the road to the Wari La is closed for reconstruction…which is a bummer…the restrictions placed on foreigners in this area makes it pretty boring…turned around on 4 local roads today…they wouldn’t even let me walk one of the popular trails in the area…being sarcastic, I asked one of the cops if I could have a very young boy Guide me to a store just past the checkpoint for a drink…

It is a great place to chill at lower altitude if your body needs a break…

I did find this Army climbing training area:




On the way back from dinner a man, who turned out to be a hospital administrator, walked over to start a conversation…turns out his hospital is one of the main sponsors of the marathon…5 doctors spent the day doing volunteer work in the area…900 patient visits!!! That’s some pretty busy Doctors…

Back in Leh after a few days riding up in the far north of the country...Very strict for Foreigners...I mentioned giving a ride to an Indian Soldier who had been walking to his post...Here's a look at the guy:



He did save the trip...because of him being on the passenger seat, I was able to ride past his base and really close to the Pakistan Border...

Here's another Indian Army guy...he collects Foreign Currency and asked me for a US Dollar...I have a few in my daypack so that I can say I always carry cash...I gave him one...a few minutes later he came back to me and asked for another for a friend...I gave him another crisp bill...a few minutes later he came back with 200 Rupees and asked for 100 back...that's quite the exchage rate in his favor (I joked) but appreciated the fact that he didn't want anything for free...Turns out he'll retire in '37 (an Army Lifer)...This is at 17,500+'...




Another destination that would have been a waste of time (Closed to Foreigners) is the Siachen Glacier...when I got back to the hotel in Leh, I saw a headline that 3 Indian Soldiers died in an avalanche a few days ago on that Glacier...


I'll post some more scenery photos as soon as I figure out where I stopped posting them....


And a BTW: I corresponded with the tour company I'm renting the bike in Nepal from...his opinion is that it'll only be a few more weeks, at the most...Seems the Protesters DO NOT want to screw up the Tourist High Season of October...we'll see...he promised more updates in the coming weeks...

Some photos:


The KTM at the Chang La...17,398 feet...



Pangong Lake (English) panorama...that's Tibet (don't let the Chinese know I called it that) on the other side...



There is a famous in India movie that had scenes at this lake with a yellow scooter so now there's probably around a hundred of them spread around the lake...interesting that the rule is "no vehicles within 100m of the lake...



Another view of Pangong Lake...



The KTM at the Wari La...17,415 feet...



View from the ride along the Shyok River...



At the Khardung La again on the way back to Leh from Turtuk...



Khardung La panorama..,

Can’t help myself…
I’m eating breakfast on an Indian Army base in a canyon that reminds me of The Grand Canyon…

Great pics and reports, Richard. Living vicariously over here. (And yes, much appreciation and salivation for those spires.) I'll be in the Canaries and Northern Africa next month. As usual I'll throw some climbing shoes into the suitcase, even though I never have them when I need them. (In Austria visiting Aggstein castle that had a climbing area nearby. I saw a bail 'biner on one of the climbs and wanted a souvenir---castle map still in back pocket, haha...)

15 September 2025

Why, might you ask, do I think Jeff M rather the late, great Uli Steck, or John B…?

A LONG time ago, I was going up, or down, Army Pass and Voices Carried from the South Face of Langley…I recognized one as Jeff’s…and since that day, whenever I see an awesome climbing scene…that may provide an FA, Jeff pops into my head…weird how the brain works…

Gear Retrival…I had crossed a seldom used pass to get to the base of the Nepal side of Cho Oyu…while looking up at the massive peak, I saw a glint…climbed up to it…an retrieved an Ancient Picket and some other gear…


Yesterday was the most fun I’ve had on a ride…massive canyons, roaring rivers and then the scene opened up to the most beautiful valley (Indians call it a plateau)…

Still have a minor headache that I think is more related to Hydration, but I’m not taking the chance, so I’m heading down valley to a couple of rarely visited lakes…then loop around for fuel…

Highest road in the world…probably tomorrow….

High praise for sure---and totally unwarranted! But yeah, I forgot that you were up Langley way when we were doing some of those new climbs on those deceptively overhanging walls. (I still wish you had been able and willing to rope up when we were conga-lining that FA climb in the Hills during the October Full Moon Potluck weekend. Next time .)

Well, I did it!

3 passes…17k on mostly dirt…19k…Umling La…and back to the hotel over an 18k…

Tried (again) to get to a border…Tibet in this case…Army Guard turned me around a couple K before…I made him use his broken English to explain what I was looking at…most of these guys are just too cool…oh, and tell Trump these guys are carrying American manufactured rifles…

I’m trying hard to remember whether I’ve ever seen bluer skies…maybe it’s the contrast with the mostly red and orange rock…

Photos when I get back to Leh in a few days…

BTW, I’m drinking a beer after this one…

What kind of beer?

GODFATHER
LEGENDARY PREMIUM STRONG BEER

The caps are all theirs…
A tall can at 14k+ and I’m wasted,,,
It was good going down,,,

What - no picture???