[VamshiV]

Excellent travelogue and pictures. I always wanted to do this trek when I was in India. Even though I live in one of the coldest places in US where lakes and rivers freeze most of the winter, I still want to do this trek. All the best for your future travels.

[zurura023]

Lovely travelogue. This brought back all memories of this trek. Very well written and presented mate.

Originally Posted by sayakc

Two, the Chadar trek gives a very limited set of colours. Sky and the river is blue, ice is white, the rocks along the gorge are yellowish brown to purple. And thats it!

Can't agree more on this. The terrain remains the same and to be honest got slightly boring after 4 days on the ice for quite a few members from our trek group.

Originally Posted by sayakc

Nerak.
Attachment 1730764
Yamzor, our guide. Notice the rope he is carrying to be used for climbing rock walls where the Chadar hasn't formed. We didnt have to use the rope, but there were a couple of difficult rock climbs where a slip would mean you hurtle down 30 feet to the river.

They generally don't have a fixed line or use the ropes while climbing as the rocks on those slopes are not perfect for it. I guess the rope is more for rescue in case if someone falls in the gushing water. Even our group did the MI style climb staring at 20-30 feet of rocks & river. And to top it there was an enthusiastic 73 year old lady in our group who did that as well.

Originally Posted by SJM1214

An excellent travelogue with amazing photographs. Chadar and EBC( Everest Base Camp) treks are my dreams, but I don’t consider myself fit enough to do that.

Thanks for Sharing!

Chadar doesn't need much fitness compared to other treks as the distance is limited and the walk is sedate on a gradual gradient. But Chadar needs tons of endurance to cold. Not sure about your prior trekking experience but please do not consider Chadar as a first trek. It takes certain trekking experience to complete this trek added with the altitude and the cold.

[vikas2211]

Excellent TL! Great photographs!

The way you took us through your journey is commendable. Its a great effort not only to complete the trek but also to capture things with such pictures and details.

Completely agree with points on sustainability of such natural wonders specially in India. The only place I experienced being maintained well from humans is Dudhsagar water fall. I think locals have a huge role to play in controlling the mess.

Really inspiring stuff. Thanks for sharing.

[sayakc]

Thank you Sujoy! You revived a very old thread of mine

Originally Posted by Sujoy76

Brilliant Travelogue. The way you started the TL is praiseworthy. It really sets the tone for the entire travelogue. The pictures are out of the world. It speaks about the effort you've put in to capture those beautiful moments. Really admirable.

Thanks VamshiV for the nice words. This trek might cease to exist in a few years because of the road construction - so the sooner the better!

Originally Posted by VamshiV

Excellent travelogue and pictures. I always wanted to do this trek when I was in India. Even though I live in one of the coldest places in US where lakes and rivers freeze most of the winter, I still want to do this trek. All the best for your future travels.

Thanks zurura023 !

Originally Posted by zurura023

Lovely travelogue. This brought back all memories of this trek. Very well written and presented mate.

Thank you vikas2211!

Originally Posted by vikas2211

Excellent TL! Great photographs!
The way you took us through your journey is commendable. Its a great effort not only to complete the trek but also to capture things with such pictures and details.

Completely agree with points on sustainability of such natural wonders specially in India. The only place I experienced being maintained well from humans is Dudhsagar water fall. I think locals have a huge role to play in controlling the mess.

Really inspiring stuff. Thanks for sharing.

[haisaikat]

One word reaction would be "heavenly", the place, the visuals and the icing would be your narration. I had bookmarked this long back but could only complete the reading today.

Instead of following a regular chronological order of presenting events you came to the best part and then took the reader back in time on how you arrived and then again continued on the rest of the journey, leaving few intentional gaps to the imagination of the reader, such a unique style.

And the photos gave an apparent impression as if its a Nat Geo documentary on Himalayas. What an awesome 5 star composition.

Loved this line too : The end of the trip is near. And the pace of the return is invariably faster. That 'pace' also, finds its way into this post

[scorched_earth]

Thank you Sayak for sharing your experience.

I can relate to your mother's feeling about Darjeeling, the last time I visited that place was in 1984, I didnt visit after that because I know it's not what it was now. For the last couple of years I am developing a similar feeling for the Himalayas, once my solace is on a path to destruction. Over tourism, human-nature conflict and piles of trash felt behind by the tourists.

What is alarming in your pictures is that in some places the water is not frozen, it should not be like that. A decade back it used to be solid ice and felt like a glacier.

If you dont mind my asking, how is the trash managed now? Do we carry it back to Leh?

I think most of the trash (mainly plastics) are either burned or left as is. I think the administration is planning to start garbage processing units soon. It's time they do because there is a huge influx of tourists since 2015.

[sayakc]

Thank you Saikat! Chadar, indeed is an experience - but I will refrain from terming it a "visually beautiful" trek. The walk on ice, the bone freezing cold, the sometimes challenging terrain are all a part of that.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

One word reaction would be "heavenly", the place, the visuals and the icing would be your narration. I had bookmarked this long back but could only complete the reading today.

Yes, I do sometimes resort to a 'back and forth' narration type - only to break the monotony - but I know that it can be confusing at times!

Instead of following a regular chronological order of presenting events you came to the best part and then took the reader back in time on how you arrived and then again continued on the rest of the journey, leaving few intentional gaps to the imagination of the reader, such a unique style.

Hello scorched_earth,

I think there are certain stretches which never freeze, no matter how cold it is - thats because of the current.

Your concern on the trash is valid - I believe they burn most of it. Plastics definitely arent thrown in the river. Back in 2018, I felt that the 'touristic explosion' of Chadar might be detrimental - amidst all the global warming factors.

Originally Posted by scorched_earth

Thank you Sayak for sharing your experience.
What is alarming in your pictures is that in some places the water is not frozen, it should not be like that. A decade back it used to be solid ice and felt like a glacier.

If you dont mind my asking, how is the trash managed now? Do we carry it back to Leh?

I think most of the trash (mainly plastics) are either burned or left as is. I think the administration is planning to start garbage processing units soon. It's time they do because there is a huge influx of tourists since 2015.