| An opportunity that I had completely ruled out on grounds of my mobility problems - my first ever multiday expedition. Daz Clarkson-King from Pure Land Expeditions had proclaimed that it would be life changing. I'm only just back in the UK but it already feels like he might have been right. My fears of travelling alone with my mobility problems were fortunately completely unfounded as I was whisked through London Heathrow, Abu Dhabi and Delhi airports at top speed in a wheelchair, holding my head low in embarrassment as I was pushed to the front of every queue. |  |
 Expedition packing in the hotel in Leh | Much morphine on the plane journey causing suppressed breathing, combined with the effects of arriving at 3500m above sea level in Leh, Ladakh and the absence of my luggage which was on a holiday of its own somewhere in the Middle East, led to a fairly bewildering first couple of days. I thought I was fairly fit before arriving in Leh but still found myself having to focus on not passing out from the thin air. Once rested and acclimatised however, I was ready to go and excited at the prospect of beginning my expedition. |
The drive from Leh to the put-on of the Tsarap Chu river was far from your usual shuttle. The mountain passes reach over half the height of Everest with Himalayan views of cloud-shrouded mountains to take your breath away. I enjoyed my highest ever 'loo with a view' which also took my breath away from the excessively thin air. I think it was the first time I have ever been out of breath from going for a wee!
As we descended the other side of the mountain pass, the nomad tents came into view. These remote Himalayan yurts would be our most spectacular home for the night.
The following morning was time for action. With boats packed like tanks for a luxury expedition - rice, dhal, spices, popcorn and more - we drove to the put-on and the expedition began.
The put-on for the Tsarap Chu
First impressions of the Tsarap did not disappoint. A series of beautiful box canyons with intimidating horizon lines which at first seemed like the gates to hell but funnelled down into wonderfully clean rapids and brought us to our first camp and then down into the lake.
Camp 1
| From here, the Tsarap's character changed dramatically as the gradient flattened, the water slowed to a stand-still and the thick soup of sediment settled to the bottom of the lake to reveal azure blue waters and a hair wash opportunity. |  |
It wasn't long after finding our flat water paddling rhythm that the roar of the landslide rapid which formed the lake could be heard echoing through the canyon. Here, the river changed character again, maintaining its azure blue waters but steeply twisting and turning between the boulders of the landslide in a beautifully long and committing rapid, perfect to trigger the adrenal glands after the long flat waters of the lake.
A hard day of paddling was rewarded with an experience only offered to those with something about them - some kind of grit and resilience. We camped on the beach below Phuktal monastery, a remote Himalayan community of monks accessible by a 14 day hike or a multiday kayak expedition. A warm welcome from the little 'monkies' felt like the perfect end to a most incredible day of beauty and thrilling whitewater.
As the sun rose over the mountains the following morning and baked us out of our sleeping bags, we felt revived and ready for the steep climb up to the monastery.
Camp 2
With a fair amount of puffing and panting, two worn out crutch-ends and some impressively knotted muscles, we made it all the way to the top. Perched on the side of the mountain, watching over the monks with the Tsarap meandering into the distance was an experience that will stay with me forever. No lazy people will ever get to see that same view in person; it is reserved for those who are willing to struggle.
A short day of paddling followed but we were all glad of its brevity as the Tsarap changed its style once again. Gone were the tight box canyons with intervening sections of fast-flowing flat water and Reru Falls opened up before us - a long, committing, big volume rapid that thoroughly tested my big water roll and my altitude lungs.
A perfectly flat expanse of river beach at the end of the rapid was a welcome relief and an idilic camp spot.
A perfectly flat expanse of river beach at the end of the rapid was a welcome relief and an idilic camp spot.
Camp 3
The following day, from waves to holes, the Tsarap changed again with more defined lines but a glorious continuity of whitewater through Bastard Bastard rapid and in to Padum town. Our arrival in town felt somehow bitter sweet with the prospect of a shower, deliciously sticky walnut cake, a bed and excessive amounts of food very much welcome, yet a night with a roof over our heads meant missing the night sky, shooting stars and sunrise over the mountains.
 Arrival at Panum |  Next size up? |  Shopping for nail clippers |
Fully revived, we set off the following morning excited by the prospect of another night under the stars. The confluence of the Tsrarp and the Zanskar rivers felt truly special with the volume increasing and the walls of the world-renowned Zanskar gorge, the Grand Canyon of Asia, closing in.
Camp 5
Whilst the Zanskar provides great interest and continuity in its rapids, any merits of the following two days of whitewater were far exceeded by the infinite beauty and history of the canyon. Purple and green copper sheer vertical walls with a supremely complex system of faults and folds seemed perfectly preserved from the collision of the Indian subcontinent and the formation of the Himalayas millions of years beforehand.
The waterfall at our lunch spot on the fifth day was particularly special.
The waterfall at our lunch spot on the fifth day was particularly special.
The human history of the Zanskar is just as astonishing as its physical landscape. Blackened caves high in the sides of the canyon showed evidence of the resilient communities living and working in such a seemingly barren landscape, people who use the Zanskar River as a kind of frozen highway in winter. Families for whom a multiday expedition at -40 degrees Celsius is just an accepted part of life and culture, a commute to work, school and market, not a sport.
The opening out of the Zaskar canyon yielded several more big volume and playful rapids before its confluence with the mighty Indus. Whilst our time on the Indus was relatively short, it felt humbling to paddle on one of the world's great rivers - a river that helped to shape the continent, gave life to the earliest of Indian civilisations, continues to support life in the high altitude desert today and indeed gave India its name.
Our camp on the Indus signalled the end of our expedition - 240km, 6 days and about 1km of gradient completed - but the start of several more days of thrilling big volume paddling on the Indus and the Zanskar rivers, and of course several days of luxury living, re-living good flow memories and telling paddling tales.
Vomit comet on the lower Indus
It is with great regret that I had to leave Ladakh and return to life as usual in the UK but I am not sad for I know that I will return and I look forward to sharing this special place with friends and family
View over Leh from Shanti Stupa
As it turns out, Daz was right about everything: I can do a multiday in spite of my disability and my trip to Ladakh was 'life changing' in so many more ways than I might have ever expected: I am officially addicted to multidays, I am now a vegetarian, I have given up alcohol at least for the time being, I can be alone with my own thoughts and my meditation becomes deeper every day, I would choose a night of stars over a night under a roof and a space on the floor over a chair anytime.
More significant than any of those unexpected eventualities though is the fact that my first multiday expedition has chipped away another layer of disability for me. Daz and Pure Land Expeditions never saw my disability as a barrier to my adventures in India but I certainly did. I know now that I am more capable of exploration than I would ever have given myself credit for and I cannot thank Pure Land enough for opening my eyes to this and facilitating my adventures. I leave Ladakh with a strong sense that the things in my life which are most worth doing will also probably be the hardest; that's part of what makes them great; It's part of life's adventure.
More significant than any of those unexpected eventualities though is the fact that my first multiday expedition has chipped away another layer of disability for me. Daz and Pure Land Expeditions never saw my disability as a barrier to my adventures in India but I certainly did. I know now that I am more capable of exploration than I would ever have given myself credit for and I cannot thank Pure Land enough for opening my eyes to this and facilitating my adventures. I leave Ladakh with a strong sense that the things in my life which are most worth doing will also probably be the hardest; that's part of what makes them great; It's part of life's adventure.
Enormous thanks are due to my sponsors, Wave Sport, Canoe and Kayak Store and Paddlers First for their continued support.
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