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

He's in the video if you look closely...

HI Richard,
Hope that you host a presentation event of your Ladakh at Whitney Portal Hostel when you come back.
I have been following a YouTube video called "ITCHY BOOTS" by Noraly, a Dutch lady, for many years.
She is in Gilgit area in northern Pakistan now travelling same area being able to see K2. Ride over Karakoram mountains and say "HI".
Have a great trip.

BTW, it’s pretty interesting when you review the track and the elevation variation is 13528 - 15870…

Gave a Road Crew Worker a ride to work on the way up to the Umling La:

We’ll have a lot to talk about over our next burger together…whether at the WPS, or another joint…fascinating place with lots of super intelligent people…had dinner the other night with the equivalent of a CIA District Director…

Rode yesterday with an MD, a Documentary Maker and a Solar Engineer…

Very much enjoying the account of Richard's travel among these high peaks. Looking forward to more photos.

Shin mentioned K2. Not far from K2 lies Tajikistan. When I once mentioned to Bob R that I was in Tajikistan during the Summer of 1972, Bob noted that he spent a month there in 1986 climbing the Soviet Union's tallest Peak, Communism Peak, 24,590'/7495m. He also reached other Summits on his month long outing.

Bob published an article in Summit climbing magazine on the trip which is reproduced in his photo album on the Communism Peak Expedition in the WPSMB Photo Album collection. There is also his daily log.

Bob and I both had positive interactions with the Soviet people. We both wished that the politicians and those selling conflict/wars for profit would dial down their activity.

Seems like Richard (our Ambassador) is making friends on his trip. Awesome.

Jim

Thanks Jim...

It's definitely a different society...the 3 young men I rode with were sincerely concerned about my safety...I'm pretty sure it's a "Respect For Elders" thing...
At first, they kept stopping every few minutes..."Do you need a rest?"...when I assured them I was OK and asked for them to ride the way they usually do, it turned into a great ride...dang, they were FAST...and we enjoyed a second day of Lunch and Dinner conversations...I'm trying to convince the MD to move to America...he's already got a Long Term Visa...he'd be a great addition to the Medical Community in this country...

I was without a connection for more than a full day...but now that I'm back in Leh, I'll get to uploading photos and then posting some here...

BTW, Nepal may end up being put on hold...the season is changing...it's getting cold...and I'm getting tired of dealing with it while riding...

Looking at the forecast for a few of the villages I'd want to visit in Nepal, it isn't cold yet, but the Monsoon doesn't seem to have broken yet either...my first 5 days (the extent of the 10-day) are expected to have rain...

Here are a few photos from the past few days:


Road conditions on the way to Hanle (staging area for the Umling La).



They have a high-altitlude optical telescope in Hanle...it all remote controlled from down south...



Coffee and tea in the shop at the top of the Umling La.



The road down to Demchok on the Tibetan border...1/2 India, 1/2 Tibet...Friends of the Solar Engineer caused an Internation Incident when they rode through to the "China" side of the village...Chinese soldiers were dispatched and in reaction to a threat to Indian Citizens, Indian soldiers confronted the Chinese soldiers...apparently all of this was broadcast live on Indian TV...the couple involved stated it lasted about an hour before they were told they were free to go...



If you watch Itchy 'Boots, you've seen this before...Photi La...the pass with a million switchbacks...It's actually much more impressive on the other side, but the photo I took seems to have disappeared...



Tso Moriri.



Dramatic mountain image...



Yaya Tso.



Pangong Tso...More Tibet on the other side...



And another...

Starting off with having to confess that I'm a NumbNut...stopped for a break...took the pack off and set it on the rack...finished the break and rode off with the pack still sitting on the rack...rode quite a few Ks before realizing that I wasn't wearing the pack...turned aroung and hauled @$$ down the mountain...as I approached a slow-moving truck crawling up the mountain, his right arm came out the window with my pack...he stopped and handed it to me while I was thanking him profusly...about a K of camera gear and cold weather gear in that pack...OMG, am I relieved I'm hanging out in a country with good people...


Yesterday was another 17k+ pass...today was a ride part-way through another massive canyon...
BTW, I'm now riding Itchy Boots bike...better known as the RE450...better than I expected...I've helped wear out the KTM 390, so it's in the shop being worked on...

Here are some photos:


It's Festival Time...wondering whether it coincides with a new moon (I think we're in that phase)...



And, there were a lot of people in attendance...



View from Tanglang La...



'The KTM at Tanglang La...zoom in and read the number of High Passes you have to cross to get to Manali...



Mystical waters flowing from rock...



The Itchy Boots bike...yeah, there's so little traffic in the canyon that you can get away with parking in the middle of the road...



See, the season is changing...



The confluence of the Zanskar and Indus Rivers...


A couple of BTWs...

The Ladakh stay has now been extended to 20 October, so I'll be only doing 2 weeks in Nepal...high costs compared to Ladakh and 23 days of rain forecast for October in Nepal...If I was back home, instead of here, I'd have been throwing things last night when I checked prices for food and stays and the October forecast...

I know I comparing Ladakh today to Nepal 13 years ago, but this place is so much better...of course, if seeing 8000ers is your goal, Nepal, Pakistan and the other side of India are the places to go...been there, done that...at least in Nepal...

I think you swapped a couple pics with the Cerro Gordo Road and the Father Crowley Overlook...

Tibet would be another country where you can see eight thousanders...
Yes, much of Ladakh and Tibet remind me a lot of CA and UT...

In some ways, Holy Cows are just like us...



A Cow standing broadside to the sun, in the middle of the road, shortly after sunrise...I've done this many times on cold mountains...

My application for a visa extension was rejected ("Your visa cannot be extended and you must exit."). There's one other option...the Ladakh Police Department has the authority to grant 2 week extensions...I'm going to try that tomorrow...If not, it looks like I'll be using my 29th reservation to Bangkok...

Today, I tried to ride to the Lamayuru Monestary, but there was a landslide about 3km from there and it was late, so I couldn't afford the delay...BRO is pretty amazing in how fast they can clear these things...I was stuck above a slide on the Khardung La and the delay there was only about 20 minutes...

Here are a couple of photos of the Indus River...cool colors...

I wonder what's going on...

Large Army presense on the streets this morning...

And, the season must be winding down...none of my usual Breakfast Places are opening at their usual time...

Lots of political unrest. Protesters pushing for Ladakh statehood. A good time to wind down yourself...

Into the second day of really limited / no Internet…
Didn’t the $%#@!! in charge see what happened in Nepal…
I’m into this game of $%#@!! Up Country Hopping right now…
Sad end to a really wonderful trip…

Thanks. I did pull up the headlines before things went dark…

On the way to the District Police Station a Protester tried to grab me…I gave him a look like I was going to put a bottle up his ass and he backed off…

Police only have the authority to issue an Exit Visa which is good for nothing except getting out of the country without the risk of jail time for a visa overstay…

So, I heard at least 4 gunshots (sounded 30 cal) yesterday afternoon…
Locals are saying 6 are dead…

So I headed up to the Stok Buddha for some peace and tranquility…
Yeah, right…a group of wild animals (young kids) training with Monks…fun…they’ve learned I’m dumb when it comes to Foreign Languages…good they speak good English…

At least there’s Internet up here…

I wake up to dinging phone and tablet...the Internet is enabled again...bless the Authoritarians...

Here are a few photos:


The Wild Childs that I was hanging out with at the Stok Buddha...the one on the right is definitely the leader of the Gang...



S curves and stadium seating for the Monastery...actully I think it's a retaining wall...



The route to Stok Kangri...a Guide told me you are allowed to walk about 4 hours towands the mountain before the closure...there are some Trekkers on the right by the building...



Coolest MX Park I've ever seen...



...with a cool, old car parked out front...


The Army Checkpoints you had to deal with to get out of the city was crazy...I'd say a minimum of 5...interesting no ID Check...just questions as to what I was doing...returning to the city, things seemed to become much more lax...at 2 I was questioned and the rest were just wave-throughs...

Oh, and BTW, in the Army's defense of their actions...the Protest did turn Violent...burned Army vehcles along the Highway back into town...I'll leave it at "When will they learn..." Maybe antifa has a cell in Ladakh...

The city is still a mess...

I rode another pass today, but it was a puny 13,477'...

Here are a few photos: