Two days in Leh before you go any higher
Thin air, a slow walk to the market and why the first two days are empty.
Before the Pass
A short letter every Sunday from Leh: one thing about getting ready, one thing to pack and one thing to practise.
Leh
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The road so far
Every stop, newest first
Each letter is one stage of getting ready, from the first training week to the first night up high.
Leh
Leh
What goes in the top of the pack
The short list I reach for first, and the heavy things that stay at the bottom.
Leh
Stairs with a loaded pack, four weeks out
Twenty minutes up and down with a few bottles of water on my back.
Below the pass
Why we turn back at the first bad headache
The one rule on the trail that I never bend, and how I say it kindly.
Leh
Boots that fit before you pack anything else
Toes, heels and a thick sock: what I check in a shop and on a hill.
Indus valley
Planning days that are not too far or too high
How I cut a route into days that a tired person can still walk.
Kitchen tent
Tea, soup and water: eating well when you are high
What the kitchen tent serves at five in the morning, and why it works.
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Trek Training Plan
Eight weeks of plain walking, stairs and rest days, with a place to tick off each one.
About me
I was born in Leh and I have worked on treks in Ladakh for eighteen years, first as a porter, then in the kitchen tent and for a long time as a guide. Most of the people I walked with arrived from sea level full of excitement and short of preparation. The ones who finished were usually not the strongest. They were the ones who had trained a little, packed light and gone up slowly.
Now I teach people to get ready before they arrive. The letters are written in Leh, in plain words, one stage at a time. What I sell are the things I wished every trekker had: a training plan, a packing list, a log for how you feel each day, a route planner and two video courses. I do not lead groups any more. I teach you to plan your own days well.