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The expedition was one of the most powerful experiences of my life. Although we did a fair amount of research prior to leaving
the US, in reality there were many unknowns.
The frozen river or the Chadar Road is the only winter access to the remote Zanskar Valley. Would the sixty-mile stretch
of the Zanskar River be frozen long enough to hike in and out? Or would we be trapped in the Zanskar Valley
for three months waiting for snow to melt.
Would we be able to find local people willing to make the treacherousjourney to help carry our supplies?
And would these people be friendly to outsiders, especially Americans?
These people are of Tibetan descent and followers of Buddhism. Would they allow us to observe and film their monasteries
as well as their daily life?
One of our objectives was to ascend unclimbed frozen waterfalls. Would there be any waterfall ice to climb once we entered
the gorge?
The answer to all these questions was YES!!!
There were many hardships along the way, post holing through three feet of fresh snow, avalanches, wading through thigh
deep slush in the river,extremely cold temperatures, terrifying bus rides, a bout of the flu, Muslim extremists, Chang (the
local beer). But the amazing landscape, people and culture filled us with awe.
Ant Chapin, Andrew Chapman and myself trekked over 150 miles in our journey. We hiked up the Zanskar River through a two-mile
deep river gorge. We climbed some of the frozen waterfalls, which poured out from drainages and seeps in the metamorphic canyon
walls. As the river broke out of the gorge, we entered Padum the capital of Zanskar. There we stayed wth a new friend Pun
Sock Tashi and his family. We learned about butter tea, Chang and Momos and a host of other ediblles.
We also learned of the various challenges facing the Zanskar people. The effect of the summer road from the Muslim dominated
town of Kargil. The drought and it's affect on agriculture. The choices young people face; stay in Zanskar, join the army
or move to Delhi. How the practice of Buddhism has changed over the years. We watched people struggle with modernization.
Advances like electricity, gas-cooking stoves, telephones, have all been introduced to Zanskar in the last 20 years. In contrast
the Western world has had almost 100 years to get used to such conveniences.
We journeyed to the seldom visited, Phutkal Monastery. Built in a cave high in the mountains it is an amazing mud and
stone building clinging to a cliff 500 feet above the Zanskar River. Four days of arduous hiking through deep snow and cold
temperatures put us at the steps of the monastery. When we arrived, the monks told us two days before a helicopter with three
Americans had visited the monastery for an hour or so. At the monastery we were invited in for tea. The sun had been locked
behind a gate of steel gray clouds that intermittently spit snow down upon us. As we emerged from the tea room a beam of light
illuminated the whole Phuktal monastery. Ant, Andrew and I raced around the structure, snapping pictures, joining the young
monks playing hide and seek and throwing snowballs.
Money can buy many things these days, but it is the process that truly makes the experience. As the sun drew smiles across
our faces we looked at each other knowing the worth of our experience.
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