The Chadar Trek

Mission 1: The Chadar Trek

Ladakh can be a difficult place to travel.  The mountains are steep and in the winter snowfall closes many of the mountain passes and makes the few roads treacherous. Some villages become completely inaccessible between November and March.  One method of accessing snow-bound villages during the winter is trekking on top of the ice of  frozen rivers. The Chadar trek is one such route, connecting villages in the Zanskar valley (deep in the mountains) with Chilling (on the road to Leh) along the frozen Zanskar river. This route has been used for centuries for trade and transportation, and is most reliable in February when the ice is most stable.

Now, I should make it clear that the Zanskar river is big and fast-flowing.  For most of its length between Chilling and the Zanskar valley the river is confined within a steep canyon.  If the idea of walking over frozen river ice with a large pack on your back and very cold rushing water a few inches below your feet is terrifying, then you are not alone. People sometimes die on the Chadar trek, usually local porters who carry goods on the river for their livelihood and can't afford to be conservative. The hike from Chilling to the Zanskar valley takes more than a week, and at night porters usually sleep in caves in the canyon walls.

Needless to say, having a good guide is critical on the Chadar trek.  Samstan was the man, and with him and four porters we set off from Chilling one chilly February morning.  Trekking on the ice was intimidating.  A covering of snow made it difficult to assess its thickness.  At times we had to walk along a narrow margin of ice, constrained by the canyon wall on one side and deep rushing water on the other. Slipping in or falling through would not just be cold; it could be fatal. The water was deep and fast, and you would likely be swept under the ice in seconds.

The first night we slept in tents on a spit of land on the side of the river.  It was cold, but perhaps not cold enough, as we discovered the next day.  Shortly after setting off the next morning, we encountered places where the ice was thin or non-existent, forcing us to climb up the canyon walls to get around the bad patch.  Reaching a vantage point we stopped to discuss the advisability of going on. Just below us on the river a huge ice dam of broken-off ice chunks seemed to be building up, suggesting the ice upstream was becoming unstable.  And as we watched, rising water upstream of the ice dam flooded out our only path forward, within minutes obscuring the footprints of a group that had passed that way just minutes before.

And that quickly, the decision whether to go on was made for us.  There was no path forward, and it may have taken days for the ice to stabilize again.  Despite all the planning and preparation that had gone into the trek, I was not so very disappointed to be turned back.  Over the last day I had fully realized just how dangerous the Chadar trek can be, and was not prepared to continue with an activity in which adventure could turn to tragedy in seconds.

For better or worse, the Chadar trek is an endangered activity and within 5 years will cease to exist in it's current form.  A road is currently being blasted out of the rock face above the river.  When completed, winter access to the Zanskar valley villages in the interior will be relatively straight-forward. The road will certainly be safe and more convenient than the river, but its completion will mark the end of an ancient local practice.

Porters heading down to the river

Preparing for a cold night

Where we turned back. Notice the flooded ice along the center left of the river

Beating a hasty retreat