to Pang - 4522m: Over Lachulung La (5077m) - Racpat RTW 2015-2017

June 9, 2016

to Pang - 4522m: Over Lachulung La (5077m)

A cold wet morning. The tent has frozen moisture on the inside and outside. We both make a trip to the fairly exposed outhouse (more like a hole in the ground with a two foot cloth wall around it and the pile of dirt from the hole in front blocking the view). After packing up, we warm up with chai and a chapatti omelet in one of the parachute dhabas.

The pass is mostly visible from Whiskey Nalah, we only have to gain another 250 meters, but it is a long slog with bad surface, mud and rocks. Fortunately there is not much traffic. It takes about 2 hours for us to do the 8km to the top. Prayer flags and a marker with the altitude give us a nice view into the valley on both sides.

The clouds are back and it is spitting snow again. Down the other side the road surface does not improve until we get to Pang, but the landscape is spectacular. First we descend through a snowy valley with tall mountains on all sides. At several points it appears the river we are now following has led us into a dead-end valley, but then there is another narrow passage around the corner. Then suddenly the river drops about 100 meters in a series of cascades with a tall red rock spire standing guard at the entrance. The road then switchbacks down to the river and though slopes of red rock. Next we follow the river past eroded hillsides full of hoodoos.

A short climb gets us to Pang, behind it we can already see the road climbing up to the plateau we’ll have to tackle tomorrow. Dan has secured a nice large tent for us. It normally sleeps 8, but for 1000 rupees we can have the whole thing. We meet the Indian and British motorcyclists at the dhaba across the road and a little later the two British cyclists also arrive.

Storms are brewing again though. There is a little sun which we use to dry our tent, then the clouds move in and it rains / snows all afternoon. Fortunately the tent doesn't leak.

Next morning we start our climb up the pass.

After a couple of hours climbing we can still see Whiskey Nalah below us. On the other side of the valley is Nakeela La.

Finally reached the summit. Dan did this yesterday in a snowstorm.

Awesome rock formations on the downhill from Lachulung La.

We come to the end of a valley and drop down through a narrow gorge into a completely different landscape. From the mountains into a desert.

Desert landscape with snow covered mountains on the horizon.

Entering Pang. A little oasis in a lot of nothing. There is warm food and dry tents.

Today's ride: 28 km (17 miles)
Total: 18,004 km (11,180 miles)

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