Trans Himalaya 2019
Across 120 high passes
Contents
1 Bio
2 Introduction
3 Terrain
4 Gears
5 Weather & Shelter
6 Food & Cooking
7 People
8 Journey
9 Diverse
Disclaimer - Himalayas
I am not an expert
Himalayan terrain
Himalaya weather
Alpine style, solo hiking
Off trail
Thank you
Route planning - Maniraj
Gears - Huzefa, Karthik
Himalayas - Sathya, Pranav, Tarun,
Jean-Claude Latombe
Brands - OnePlus, Salewa, Montane,
Outdoor Research, Black Diamond
Part 1
Bio
Belgium
India, 1998
How it started...
Part 2
Introduction
Route
Numbers
3000 km
3 states, 12 districts
175 thousand elevation gain
120 passes
120 valleys
341 hamlets touched
Thousands hamlets passed
Gears
Shoewear
Clothing
Camping
Technical
Cooking
Electronics
120 Passes
Ranges & Passes
Pass = Saddle or Ridge crossing
Elevation Profile
Passes - ultrajourneys.org
Hamlets
&Passes
Hamlets
Valleys / rivers
Dharma
Ralam
Pindari
Lug
Barot
Chamba
Ravi River
Lungnak
Tsarap
Zara Chu
Toze Chu
Markha
...
Trekking styles
Alpine Style
Commercial Groups
Expedition
Minimalist
Maps
OSM
Contours
Earth
Olizane
GPS logs
SOI
Navigation
Mobile app
OSMAnd
Offline maps
Contours
GPS logs
Fast
Exploration
Known vs. exploration
Mostly new passes
Non touristic
Lesser known
Uncertain route
Unknown challenges
Terrain knowledge
Navigation
Alpine Style
Alpine style vs. group
No Guide
No Porters
No Support
More planning
Self-navigated
Ultra / Minimalist
Less baggage
Faster
Lesser days
Less food
Camping lower altitudes
Less shelter
Less weight
Faster
Solo
Total freedom
Own pace
Own schedule
Peaceful
Hospitality
In-between joiners affects
overall journey
Skills
Alpine style vs. group
Known vs. exploration
Fitness
Map reading, navigation
Endurance
Rocky terrain
Snow, ice
Weather
Mindset/Determination
Technical
Planning a long journey
Altitude
Seasons
Glacial melt
Shepherds
Part 3
Terrain
Paths
Paths
Paths
Trails
Off trail
Trail vs Off Trail
Forest
Meadows
Scree
Scree
Moraines
Moraines
Glaciers
Snow
Snow slopes
Snow gullies
Crevasses
Passes
Passes
Streams
Gorges
Landslides
Landslides
Bridges
Snow Bridges
Glacial Lakes
Shepherds
Shepherds
Shepherds
Shepherds
Shepherds
Part 4
Gears
Managing terrain
Footwear
Boots vs Shoes
Trail shoes
Rugged, protection
Breathable (weather, streams)
High abrasion sole
Lightweight
Clothing
Dry-fit
Breathable
Light
Transpiration
Hot / wet climate
Clothing
Rains
Cold
Night
Poles - Streams
Snow Gullies
Streams
Strength
Poles - Slopes
Poles - gullies
Ice Axe
Frozen snow
Ice
Steep sections
Part 5
Weather & Shelter
Weather
Altitude
Extremes
Fast changing
Intense UV
Wind
Rains
Whiteout
Whiteout
Quilt
Camping
Wind cover
Rule #1 while camping
Caves
Boulders
Kang La 4900m
Ruins
Shelters
Bivy
Rains
Cold wind
Bivy
Part 6
Food
Water
Never carry
Side-streams
Life straw
Melting snow
Hospitality
Hamlets
Himachal-Uttarakhand
Mostly 1 day
Nomads
Higher up valleys
Shepherds
Villages
Recharge lost
calories
Fruits
Edible Plants
Cooking
First 2 days packed food
After cooking
Cooking
Part 7
People
Villages
Fairytale hamlets
Hamlets
Numerous valleys
Countless hamlets
Beautiful paths
Hospitality
Homes
Natural materials
Wood
Stone
Tiles
Mud
Homes
Temples
Hand crafted
Heritage
Seasonal
Ralam
Semi-nomadic
Rali Dhar
Grazing cattle
Villagers
Collecting medicinal plants
Shepherds
Semi-nomadic
Grazing sheep, goats
Better quality meat, milk
Villages
Gujjars
Gujjars
Gujjars
Gujjars
Gujjars
Semi nomadic
Hospitality
Shepherds
Grazing
Farming
Clothing
Loom
Part 8
Journey
Uttarakhand
Himachal
Zanskar & Ladakh
Part 1 - Uttarakhand
1a. Kumaon
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve
Panchchulli
Milam
Joshimath
Dharma
Ralam
Chamoli
Pindari
Cobbled Paths
Connecting hamlets
Dharma valley
Dharma valley
Dat village ~ 3500m
Seasonal
Semi-nomadic hamlets
Uttarakhand
Snow covered slopes in May
Hospitality
Lesser things they have
Richer they are in the heart
Rododendrums
Snow melt
Shepherds
Unexpected company
Ghost towns
Pindari Baba
1b. Garwal
Govind Pashu National Park
Gangotri National Park
Kedarnath
Uttarkashi
Chamoli
Chansal
Sankri
Gangotri
Sonprayag
Temples
Lakes
Toli Taal
High ranges
Rudranath
Villages
Hospitality
Harvest
2a - Great Himalayan National Partk (GHNP)
Tirthan
Sainj
Jiwa Nala
Pachan Gad
Tirthan
Sainj
Beas
Pin
Parvathi
Kinnaur
GHNP
GHNP
Alpine flowers
Jungli nalla
Crystals
Rock quartz
2b - Dhauladhar
Dhauladar range
Kangra Plains
Kullu
Lug
Barot
Chamba valley
Manimahesh
Bara Bangal
Solang
Kugti
Dharamsala
Jogindernagar
Dhauladhar
Dhauladhar
Dhauladhar
Dhauladhar
Kuvrasi
Gujjars
Looms
Fountains
2c. Pir Panjal
Chenab river
Lahaul
Pangi
Miyar
Kang La
Pir Panjal Range
Pir Panjal Range
Barmour
Chamba valley
Tunda Wildlife Reserve
Sach pass
Shepherds
Pir Panjal
Pir Panjal
Pir Panjal
Pir Panjal
Pir Panjal
Mumbardhar
Alpine meadows
Medicinal roots
Yatra
Yatra
3. Ladakh - Zanskar
Nubra valley
Indus valley
Tsarap
Lungnak
Kargyak
Zanskar
Hemis National
Park
Lamayuru
Sarchu
Leh
Stok
Chiling
Canyons
Hamlets
Ladakhi homes
Semi nomadic tribes
Religion
Monasteries
Tradition
Lingshed
Ladakhi marriage
Mani stones
Cairns
Route marking
Ghost towns
Climate change
City migration
BRO
Ladakh infrastructure
Zanskar
Roads & Power
Bridges
Connecting settlements
Across canyons
Milky Way
Wildlife
Part 9
Diverse
OSM contribution
Passes
Hamlets
Campsites, Shelters
Bridges
Trails
Photo blogging
Geo-tagged photos
Power
Storage
Inter pass commute
Share taxi
HPRTC bus
Hitching
Expense
More
Ultrajourneys.org
instagram.com/petervangeit
FB.com/petervangeit
Q&A
Questions?