“After leaving the Karakoram Pass, our next big hurdle was the Dapsang Maidan. This maidan is approximately 20 miles in length and and was completely snow-covered at the time of our crossing it. The snow had completely obliterated the path and had also covered the skeletons of dead animals. I mention the skeletons because they are strewn along the side of the trail all the way from Kargalik to Leh and are a remarkably good signpost for the traveller since they tell him whether or not he is on the right trail. Anyway, as a result of this heavy snowfall on the Dapsang Maidan, we lost our way and kept wandering about for hours on end until one of the caravan men recognized a familiar landmark. That night every single person in the caravan was so overtaken by tiredness that at about 8 in the everting my wife insisted that we camp where we were. It was lucky she had insisted on not going a step further that night. We camped only two hundred yards from a cliff over which we would have certainly walked had we carried on in darkness.

After leaving the Dapsang Maiden we descended into the valley of the Shyok river. It was good to see running water once again after the fearful experience of the Karakoram Pass and the Dapsang Maidan. The Shyok river does not have the natural beauty of the Yarkand river. At the place where we joined the Shyok river, the river had already taken the proportions of the mighty Indus which it joins further along its course. It seemed as if the Shyok, aware of its mightiness, insisted on keeping aloof. The Yarkand river on the other hand had been a friendly stream.

We followed the Shyok river for about six days and finally reached the village of Shyok. It was good to see human beings again. For 26 days we had not seen a single human being other than those who formed part of our caravan and we had begun to get on each other’s nerves. In honour of our having reached civilization and partly to vary our diet somewhat we bought and killed two mountain goats. That night we feasted right royally and even partook of the Vodka which my wife had thoughtfully brought along all the way from Kashgar.

After leaving Shyok we crossed the last of passes—the Changla Pass (17,000 feet) – and reached Ranbirpur. From Ranbirpur, where we joined the Indus, the journey was a pleasant one. It reminded me more of the casual week-end trips we had made around Kashgar in order to toughen ourselves for the journey.

A few miles outside Leh, the Commander of the Leh Garrison, Col. Kaul came out to meet us. In true Stanley-Livingston fashion, Col. Kaul greeted us by asking, “Mr. Sathe, I presume?” It did not take long to convince the Colonel of my identity and soon he led us in a triumphal procession along the streets of Leh. A memorable trek had come to an end.”