A 700K Self supported run through the beautiful Himalayan valleys of Spiti & Pangi
Peter Van Geit
The elevation profile was perfect for gradual acclimatization, starting from Shimla at 2200m, running through the beautiful Narkanda national park, dipping down into the Sutlej river valley near Rampur at 1000m and then slowly climbing up to the Kunzum La at 4500m separating Spiti and Lahaul. From there it is all the way downhill initially along the Chandra river which joins the Bagga river near Tandi to become the Chenab river flowing through a lesser known part of Lahaul, Pangi and Jammu ending our run near Kishtwar at 1600m. Every 10-20km we would pass through small hamlets which would be candidate food stops during the day. Carrying our own camping gear we were free to settle down wherever the sun sets down.
We disassembled the cycles and boxed them up for the flight to Chandigarh. With 15kg check-in luggage and 7kg carry on we could easily take them along. Each cycle had a pair of saddle bags for carrying the luggage of one cyclist and one runner adding up to not more than 7kg. At the airport we transferred the boxes straight onto a taxi to Shimla where we got off near Kufri, a peaceful little village beyond the main tourist center. There we reassembled the cycles with an allen key, size 15 spanner and hand pump and loaded our bags. We were ready to go! The tiredness from all day travel got overtaken only by the excitement of running freely in the mountains for the next 2 weeks! We dreamt off in our tents below a zillion bright stars in the dark skies above.
The first day we were contouring high above the valleys periodically switching sides of the top ridgeline and getting treated to magnificent views of the majestic valleys below. At 2000+ meters the climate was chill and air rich in oxygen and running was comfortable even under the midday summer sun. We were running gradually uphill till Narkanda at 2700m altitude from where we dropped down steeply to Kumarsain in the Sutlej valley. Here we entered through mesmerizing pine forests in the enchanting Narkanda national park with no human settlements and absolute peacefulness. Physical tiredness was instantly obliviated by our spirits elevated by the virgin natural beauty surrounding us.
Once we touched down into the barren Sutlej river valley at 1000m altitude we hitched a ride till Rampur skipping the double lane traffic exiting from this major valley. The total distance Shimla to Kisthwar is around 820km and – having only 12 days / 700km mileage at our disposal – we had planned to skip two plain highway sections in between focusing our journey on the more serene stretches. The next few days we were running deep inside the majestic valley above the mighty Sutlej river gradually increasing elevation. Steep cliffs of intermittent rocks and green were rising high above us into the heavens. The mid summer heat at these lower altitudes in a barren valley was definitely more draining than running through a pleasant climate in the 2000m+ high up lush green valley slopes around Shimla. That called for a periodic refreshing dip in the side-streams flowing down from the slopes above.
Running further upstream towards Kunzum La the Spiti river becomes smaller as it originates from the same pass which separates Lahaul from Spiti district. We now run at higher altitudes towards 4550m through a moonlike landscape – a barren rock desert, highly eroded with unusual color gradients. We pass through the check-post of Losar, the last village in Spiti valley where we pack up final rations as we head out for a complete day in no man’s land on both sides of the pass. Plan is to run up to Kunzum La and then get into a small trail which directly takes us to the beautiful Chandra Taal lake, a crescent shaped high altitude lake at 4300m.
At the top of the pass we find a few stupas with colorful Tibetan prayer flags and piles of mani stones engraved with prayers to the Gods. From here we climb up further to the Balchamo pass at 4680m from where we head into the Chandra river valley flowing down from Chandra Taal. We now run on a scenic rocky single trail 400m gradual downhill through a desolate landscape passing a few fertile meadows and shepherd shelters along the way. The eyes get treated on majestic snow capped peaks in the background separating Lahaul and Kullu. The Chandra river valley originates all the way from the Baralacha La – a 2 day interior hike from Chandra Taal which I would be doing the next summer in 2018.
We finally step into a fairytale setting – thick wooly sheep grazing lush green meadows around the steel blue lake bordered by snow capped peaks, a green/blue oasis in the barren brown/orange desert. The thought to take a refreshing dip quickly fades as we feel the ice cold clear waters of the lake. After soaking up the enchanting sights we continue our run now towards Batal, a seasonal settlement of dhabas at the base of the Kunzum La in Lahaul providing food and shelter to travelers between Spiti and Lahaul. The cyclists have gone straight across the pass and are waiting for us near one of the dhabas. My co-runner Saba falls down exhausted after a long tiring day running sunrise till sunset at the end of the first week. We also regroup with our third co-runner Mani who has been having trouble with running / eating / high altitude and vomiting along the way for the past several days. The signs of pushing the physical limits of your body while running through this desolate high altitude environment in extreme weather conditions starts showing.