I arrived in Houston on Thursday, and have been spending a few calm days with my family.
In a few hours, I'll be catching a flight to Mumbai1
I'm taking this trip with my dad. We've been hiking partners since 2001, and are embarking on our biggest adventure yet.
After visiting relatives, we fly to Kashmir, the long-disputed region in northern India. We land in the Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, one of the fifteen highest airports in the world.
After a few days of altitude acclimatization, we set out for a 5 day hike through Markha Valley. Our trail passes primarily through a cold desert, but it would not be fair to call the landscape bleak. We'll be passing through high altitude pastures and Buddhist monasteries, and hope to spot some blue sheep and alpine ibexes. Should the immediate landscape get boring, we'll be surrounded by Himalayan peaks to gape at.
Next, we head south to Hemis National Park. Here, one peak towers over the rest: Stok Kangri. At 20,000 feet, it will be the tallest mountain we've ever seen. It will take a day of hiking from the nearest village to reach the base camp. We'll rest here for a short while, and will wake up at 2am to attempt the summit. The trek to the summit takes 5 hours, and our hope is to see the sunrise from the tallest mountain of the Stok Range. Should we have to turn back, we have one more day allocated to attempt the summit.
I'll be in India for a month, and the hike will take just under 2 weeks. I won't have electricity or internet for much of this trip, so unfortunately I can't blog on it.
This just arrived in the mail, however:
With this solar panel, I'll be able to keep my camera alive for the hike. I will be posting a few photos when I get back!
1 This originally read New Delhi. Figured out my mistake when I landed in Mumbai...