Life on the Roof of the World, Part II

Greetings Everyone,

We’ve been exploring the Tibetan Plateau for animals and birds along with our Greentours group. We’re in Nangqian, the southernmost point on our circuit and about halfway through our journey. On the morning of October 11, we were off to visit nearby Baixha Forest Reserve. We drove down into a canyon stopping where Jesper had spotted a flock of Blue Sheep nimbly negotiating the rocky cliff above the river. The youngsters were encouraged to follow in the footsteps of their elders.

Blue Sheep

While waiting for breakfast, Jesper noticed a very obliging Glover’s Pika sitting on a log to warm up in the morning sun.

Glover’s Pika

The following day we continued our exploration of the southern end of our route in the beautiful Kanda Shan Mountains.

Kanda Shan Mountains

We were on the lookout for White-lipped Deer, a vulnerable cervid that makes these forested ridges home. We located a herd grazing on the open slopes above the road. At this time of year males and females come together for the annual rut. Males jealously guard their harem of females against competitors. 

White-lipped Deer

On October 13, we returned to the main circuit and continued toward the western reaches of our route. We stopped along the way to search for Blyth’s Voles that so far had eluded us. We found a colony but no one appeared to be home. Our patience paid off when Erling spotted a brave fellow who dared to venture above ground.

Blyth’s Vole

We stopped for lunch in the bustling town of Zhiduo where many of the locals still wear traditional dress among a backdrop of modern automobiles. Change is coming fast to the Tibetan Plateau.

Zhiduo

Just outside of town a herd of Argali, the largest wild sheep, was grazing close to the road. They were all females who are much smaller than the males with sport massive corkscrew-shaped horns. We did see a few males a long distance off. They tend to avoid humans as they are hunted for trophies leading in part to their endangered or threatened status.

Argali

One more surprise awaited us before arriving in Qumalai for the night. We were in the lead vehicle and spotted a lone Tibetan Wolf standing next to the road. He saw us and tore off at breakneck speed. Why was he so terrified? When we examined our photos later, Cathy noticed that half of his left rear leg was missing! Although hunting is banned, no doubt he was the victim of a snare set by humans. Wolves are persecuted because they kill livestock. No wonder he fled at our approach. We were happy to see that he could get around just fine on three legs.

Tibetan Wolf 

The next day it felt as if we had finally reached the “Roof of the World” and our day was full of iconic Tibetan Plateau wildlife! Early in the morning, a Tibetan Fox paused to give us a wide-eyed stare. 

Tibetan Fox

Tibetan Gazelle were plentiful and this male gave us a stunning view.

Tibetan Gazelle 

The scenery was spectacular with the Chang Tang mountains looming over the vast Tibetan Plateau.

Tibetan Plateau

Finally, Chiru or Tibetan Antelope, one of the animals I most wanted to see appeared in the grasslands along the highway! There are only 150,000 Chiru left in the world and they reside exclusively on the Tibetan Plateau. Chiru have long been hunted for their soft and warm underfur called shahtoosh. Traditionally this fine wool had been transported to Srinagar in Kashmir, where it was woven into fabric used to make shawls. It takes 3-5 hides to make a single shawl, and since the wool cannot be sheared or combed, the animals have to be killed to collect their fur. Fortunately, hunting is now controlled and the trade in India has been banned. The numbers of Chiru are slowly increasing. We set off on foot to get a closer look. As expected the antelope were wary and moved off. We noticed two males lying down and unaware of our presence. We were able to approach closely to get a great view of their impressive spiral horns and beautiful black faces.

Male Chiru

We arrived at Budongquon, a bustling truck stop at the junction with the main route from Beijing to Lhasa. We weren’t expecting to see much wildlife here but surprisingly there were many animals nearby. When we stopped for lunch, Marc and I set off on foot to check out a small herd of female Chiru a short distance away.

Female Chiru

After lunch, we went off in search of more mammals. Just outside of town a herd of Kiang was lounging right next to the road.

Herd of Kiang

Amazingly a large herd of Wild Yaks was grazing under a power line quite close to the main highway, another species that I most wanted to see! I was thrilled by our close encounter. Much larger than their domestic cousins, Wild Yaks have long shaggy black coats and in males especially, the undercoat may form a long "skirt" that can reach the ground. Horns on the males are much longer than those of domestic yaks. They are considered vulnerable by the IUCN with less than 10,000 individuals left in the wild.

Wild Yaks

What an amazing day of wildlife viewing! Jesper tallied 647 Tibetan Gazelle, 31 Tibetan Fox, 224 Kiang, 325 Tibetan Antelope, and 149 Wild Yak! 

The next day we went off to explore “Wild Yak Valley” and Jesper warned us that the gravel road may be a bit bumpy. I joked that it may very well be paved since it had been two years since Jesper had been in the valley. To our surprise, the road had been paved! More change had come to the Tibetan Plateau. While eating breakfast we heard Tibetan Wolves howling. Erling was the first to spot them on a ridge a great distance away. A pack of 7 wolves reunited with a lot of tail wagging and muzzle licking. We wanted to get a closer view but an icy river blocked our path.

Blocked by an Icy River

We opted to take a walk to look for voles instead. We found one but amazingly it was in the jaws of an Altai or Mountain Weasel!

Mountain Weasel with a Vole

There were many Woolly Hares scampering among the bushes and we finally got good views and photos.

Woolly Hare

We stopped to check out a small herd of Tibetan Gazelle. Phil and I were watching one end of the herd and completely missed the two sparring females that Marc was able to capture in an amazing photo!

Tibetan Gazelle Sparring 

The next day’s drive from Golmud to Dulan wasn’t very eventful as far as mammal viewing was concerned. We did manage to pick up a new species, Black-tailed or Goitered Gazelle. We had seen them earlier on our trip in Mongolia but these were the first spotted in China.

Black-tailed or Goitered Gazelle

On October 17 we set off on foot to explore the Dulan Mountains. We struck out on the Chinese Red Pika but Marc spotted a lone Tibetan Wolf high on a ridge. It was the rutting Kansu Wapiti that stole the show. The same species as our North American Elk (Cervus canadensis), Kansu Wapiti stags sporting massive antlers were bugling across the valley to attract potential mates. At one point 3 stags had come together ready to rumble but a serious confrontation never took place.

Kansu Wapiti Stag

During our last drive from Chaka to Xining on the Tibetan Plateau we didn’t encounter many mammals but by now we had seen so many amazing species that we were thoroughly satisfied. We were happy to see so much wildlife coexisting alongside humans and their livestock but we also realized that big changes are coming to the Tibetan Plateau. We were surprised to pass through many large cities connected by newly constructed 4-lane motorways. A high-speed rail now cuts across the plateau and there are many more herders grazing yaks, sheep, and goats on the grasslands. All this will pose new challenges to the wildlife who now have to compete with livestock for dwindling resources. Highways and rail lines cut off traditional migration routes and more people mean increased hunting or poaching. 

The Chinese Government is starting to acknowledge these threats to wildlife and hopefully will put in more controls to mitigate their harmful effects. The Tibetan Plateau is truly a magical place with animals found nowhere else on the planet. May humans find ways to coexist with these magnificent creatures!

Our sincere thanks go to our Greentours trip leaders Jesper Hornskov and Phil Benstead and to our intrepid drivers who worked hard under tough conditions to get us to all our destinations.

Our Drivers

We hope all is well with everyone.

Peggy and Marc

Our route map:

Around the Crystal Mountain

Greetings All, 

We are back in Nepal, one of our favorite places on the planet.  We flew into Kathmandu on September 24 and spent 2 nights here before flying west to the Dolpa region where we would attempt to follow in Peter Matthiessen's footsteps.  Every since reading Peter's book, "The Snow Leopard", decades ago I have been intrigued with the area and have wanted to see it for myself.  In Peter's day he had to drive from Kathmandu to Pokhara where he began his epic trek to Dolpa.  Nowadays most trekkers fly to Nepalgunj and on to the tiny airstrip at Juphal to start the hike.

Landing at Juphal!

Our journey began with a 1400-foot climb down to the Thuli Beri Khola or River through the village of Motipur perched on the hillside.  Here people grow a variety of crops, rice, corn, tomatoes and buckwheat on terraced fields and tend to their herds of livestock.

Descending into Motipur

We took it easy on our first day stopping at the tiny hamlet of Rupgad where we would camp for the night.  Supplies are limited in this remote area so we had to bring everything with us including tents, food, kerosene, cooking and eating implements and personal clothing.  Our trek crew was comprised of Chet our leader, Pemba our cook and his two assistants Chahndan and Biendra, Shree Dhan, our ever helpful Sherpa, and Damar, our mule man, who with Putchay his horse and 4 mules would carry most of our gear.

Our First Camp in Rupgad

Early the next morning we headed up a valley, stopped at an army checkpoint and entered Shey Phoksundo National Park, established in 1984.  It is the largest and only Trans-Himalayan Park in Nepal.  We trekked through a narrow canyon lined with massive juniper, pine and spruce trees keeping a watchful eye out for musk deer and monkeys which Chet told us inhabit these forest but we saw none.

Forests Along the Phoksundo Khola

On our 4th day of trekking we climbed a series of cliffs and encountered our first herd of Blue Sheep on the ridges above.  These agile sheep keep to the steep cliff faces to avoid their main predator, the snow leopard!

Blue Sheep on the Ridge Top

We reached the outlet of Phoksundo Lake where Nepal's highest waterfall plunged over 500 feet to the valley floor.

Nepal's Highest Waterfall

We passed through the Village of Ringmo or Phoksundo before arriving at the stunning turquoise waters of Phoksundo Lake. If you ask a geologist, a landslide that occurred 30,000 - 40,000 years ago formed a natural dam that created the lake.  According to Peter Matthiessen's research, the lake was created by a mountain demoness who was angered by villagers who divulged her whereabouts to a Buddhist saint pursuing her and flooded their village under turquoise waters.

Phoksundo Lake

The next day we visited Thashung Gompa, a 900-year-old monastery built on the shore of Phoksundo Lake.  At first we thought it was vacant but a lone monk was in residence and invited us inside.

Monk Inside Thashung Gompa

We climbed high above the Gompa and were rewarded with a glorious view of Phoksundo Lake and Ringmo Village.

Ringmo Village and Phoksundo Lake

The next morning we awoke to rain which delayed our departure.  We were experiencing more clouds and precipitation than expected as the monsoon should be well over.  The rain abated and we were able to continue our journey along the lake, past a gauntlet of yaks and eventually to the northwest end of the lake where we stopped for lunch.

Passing the Yak Gauntlet

We continued up the Phoksundo Khola and made camp under the towering face of 21,819-foot Kanjirowa Himal which was partially obscured by clouds.  Matthiessen and Schaller camped near here during their travels in the early 1970's.  

Kanjirowa Himal from Near Silver Birch Camp

The next day we resumed our journey toward the daunting Kang La.  At 17,600 feet it would be the highest point on our trek and the last obstacle before reaching the fabled Shey Gompa and the Crystal Mountain.  With all this recent rain would there be snow higher up?  Would the pass be too treacherous for us and our mules to cross?  We would soon find out.  We started climbing in earnest through a rocky canyon where we had to cross an icy stream numerous times.  We brought our river sandals and socks in anticipation of fording the frigid stream but fortunately were able to hop across on rocks.

Chet Helping Marc Across the Tuk Kyaksa Khola

We finally arrived at high camp at around 15,300 feet on the 8th night of our trek.  Matthiessen dubbed this place as "Icefields Camp."  We set up our tents near a cascading waterfall which lulled me to sleep that night in preparation for our pass crossing the following morning.

Yak Train & Waterfall at Icefields Camp

It was up and up the next day until our route diverged.  We had two options: the steep route straight up or a more gradual approach along switchbacks.  We chose the more gradual approach but the rest of our crew and our mules headed straight up.  Thankfully there was no snow and after about 2 hours we reached the top.  Nothing could stop us from reaching the Crystal Mountain now!

Us on the Kang La

We headed down the other side toward Shey where we would spend the next 3 nights.  We settled into our campsite where 2 Himalayan Marmots played hide and seek with us outside their burrow.

Himalayan Marmots

It rained off and on and I hoped the weather would clear for our Kora tomorrow but I didn't have high hopes.  Chet told us more about the Kora.  He said it took his last group 9 hours to complete but that they were strong trekkers and that it would take us 11-12 hours!  I returned to our tent crestfallen. This was to be a high point of our trek and the chances of doing the Kora seemed slim.  According to our itinerary the Kora was to take 8-9 hours which I was prepared for but 11-12 hours did not seem possible given the weather and amount of daylight.  I'm sure many of you are wondering what is a Kora and why is it so important to do one?  Roughly 800 years ago a lama named Drotob Senge Yeshe came to Dolpa where he found a wild mountain people worshipping a fierce mountain God. He introduced Buddhism to this remote valley and opened up the pilgrimage route around Crystal Mountain. 

"I flew through the sky on a snow lion

And there among the clouds, I performed miracles.  

But not even the greatest of celestial feats

Can equal once rounding by foot this Crystal Mountain."

-Drotob Senge Yeshe (the lama)

Now I wanted to complete the Kora to send strength and hope to my family and friends battling serious illnesses or recovering from recent surgeries from this most spiritual place!  Chet informed us at dinner that a Korean woman had just done the Kora in 11 hours.  We had renewed hope.  If she could do it so could we!

Early the next morning we started out on the Kora along with Chet and Shree Dhan retracing part of the trail we had done yesterday.  We passed a yak herder's tent and veered off the main trail at a chorten with prayer flags fluttering in the wind.  We headed up a canyon with steep rock walls carved with ancient manis or prayers some 10 feet tall.

Manis Carved into the Canyon Walls

The route was marked with carins or labtses made of chunks of crystals placed here by pilgrims who had trodden this path for centuries.  

Crystal Cairns Along the Kora

As we neared the top of Mendokiing Lek, the high point of the Kora at just over 17,000 feet, I noticed piles of discarded clothes.  "How disrespectful" I thought.  Chet explained that the pilgrims purposely leave them here so they will have something to wear when the get reincarnated.  It got very steep near the top but Shree Dhan was there to lend me a helping hand.

Us on the Mendokiing Lek

The going got easier around the back side of the mountain but we still had a long way to go.  The grueling descent began and after lunch we could see a group of locals catching up to us.  We stayed ahead of them as we passed by the Gamoche Gompa.  We wanted to go inside but it was locked so we pressed on.  We passed a second Gompa, Tsakhang, perched high on a ridge but at this point we didn't have the energy to climb up to it.

Tsakhang Gompa

Finally the locals caught up to us.  They were a wild looking bunch, possibly the ancestors of the people that Lama Drotob Senge Yeshe found when he first visited here.  It turns out that they are from the village of Saldang further north and it was their camp we had passed early in the morning.

Locals Doing the Kora

We could see Shey Gompa, the end of the Kora, far below.  Finally after hiking 15 miles over the course of 10 and a half hours and climbing and descending a knee-crushing 5000 feet we reached the Gompa.  The resident lama was impressed that we had just completed the Kora in a day and allowed us to take a photo inside which is not usually permitted.

Inside Shey Gompa

The next day we climbed back up to Tsaksang Gompa with the head Lama's mother as he was away in Kathmandu.  She opened the door and we climbed steep stairs to the shrine.  The inside was dark but the old woman opened a window and lit a butter lamp.  The interior was magical.  A Tibetan carpet and robe lay just as if the head lama had just gotten up and left.

Inside Tsakhang Gompa

There was a little wooden table with ancient scrolls, a jar of rice and a dorje.  A drum hung above. There were old thankas, photos of the Dalai Lama and other monks.  Finally we had to leave this special place but the old woman allowed us to climb to the roof top.  What a view!  What a remote and spiritual place to meditate!

On the Roof of Tsakhang Gompa

We're only half way through our trek but what a start!  We've covered 84 miles so far and have climbed 23,000 feet.  Stay tuned to see what the other half brings including a visit to the village of Saldang close to the Tibetan border and more high pass crossings. 

We hope all is well back home.

Peggy and Marc

Our trekking route so far:

"Gray Ghosts of the Himalaya"

Greetings All,

Our travels have brought us to Ladakh in far northern India in search of the elusive Snow Leopard. We began our journey in Leh, the capital of  Leh district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, with our naturalist guide, Avijit Sarkhel.   At an elevation of 11,562 feet we had to spend a few days here to acclimatize to the high altitude.  

City of Leh

A 2-hour drive brought us to Hemis National Park, quite possibly the best place to see Snow Leopards in the wild.  A short trek brought to to our campsite in  Husing Nala.  Along the way we spotted a small herd of Bharal or Blue Sheep quite close to the road.  This was a good sign as Blue Sheep are the preferred prey of Snow Leopards.  Where there are sheep, the Snow Leopards can't be too far behind.

Bharal or Blue Sheep

That evening we explored the valley but the cats remained hidden.  The next day we moved up toward the Rumbak Valley.  Our guides were surprised at how little snow there was.  "Normally all these brown hills you are seeing should be covered in snow" Dorje, one of our local guides commented.  This meant that the Blue Sheep and hence the Snow Leopards would stay higher.  We had our work cut out for us.  We spent 2 days scanning the high ridges of over 15,000 ft from a plateau at the confluence of two valleys.  We spotted some flocks of Blue Sheep on the surrounding ridges but no Snow Leopards. 

 

Scanning for Snow Leopards

We made the decision to move up higher and stay in the tiny village of Rumbak.  It not only gave us a better chance to find the Snow Leopards but allowed us to spend time with the local people.  We were the guests of Phunchock and her family at her homestay.  

Phunchok Next to a Chulha Stove

  
We were here for just 3 nights but the people who live here have to survive the brutally cold winters. Homes are heated by small stoves burning yak dung or willow branches.  We were fortunate to have one of these stoves in our room to keep us warm.

Peggy in our Room

The fields lay fallow during the winter and the livestock have to forage on the meager vegetation or eat fodder grown during the summer and is now being stored on the roofs of most homes.

Rumbak Village

On our third day we decided to head up the Rumbak Valley in search of the hard-to-find felines. Suddenly Dorje Tsewang, our assistant local guide, shouts "Snow Leopard!"  Somehow he had spotted a Snow Leopard sitting on the top of a ridge about a mile and a half away!

Can you Spot the Snow Leopard?

Through our binoculars and a spotting scope we could get a good view of the cat.  Marc was able to get a reasonably good photo with his new 500mm lens with an 1.4x teleconverter.  Hauling all this heavy camera equipment finally paid off.

How About Now?

We watched the leopard for about 15 minutes before he disappeared behind the ridge.  Oh well, at least we had seen a Snow Leopard!  We sat and waited for him to return but he didn't.  There were flocks of Blue Sheep on the ridge below.  Had he been following them?  To keep warm we walked further up the valley before heading back to the spot from which we had seen the Snow Leopard. Jigmat and Tsering, two of our local staff,  had just arrived with our lunch.  They didn't believe we had seen a Snow Leopard.  Just as we were finished eating, the Snow Leopard returned!  It was about a hour and 40 minutes since we had last seen him.  He walked along the ridge, stretched and began stalking the blue sheep.

The Snow Leopard Returns!

We watched in anticipation as two groups of Blue Sheep moved closer to his location.  One group appeared to be a bachelor herd.  They were oblivious to the Snow Leopard's presence, sparring and even dominance mounting.

Blue Sheep Sparring

Surely we would witness a kill...  The Snow Leopard was in the perfect position and the Blue Sheep were unaware.  "Come on cat make your move!" we all implored.

"Come on Make Your Move!"

Suddenly, all the Blue Sheep ran over the ridge and disappeared.  Had they detected the cat?  Had the cat made a kill on the other side of the ridge out of our view?  The Dorjes went down valley to see if they could see the Snow Leopard again.  We waited for awhile then followed them.  They had briefly seen the leopard again so apparently he hadn't made a kill.  Oh well, it was a thrilling encounter just the same!

The next morning Dorje knocked on our door to tell us a pair of Tibetan Wolves had been spotted on the ridge across the valley.  We threw on our clothes and just outside our door Dorje had set up the spotting scope so we could get a good look at the couple.

Tibetan Wolves

Today we hiked to Yurutse Village to search for Lynx or maybe to see another Snow Leopard.  We headed down to the river valley where we saw lots of wolf tracks but no wolves.  Dorje spotted fresh Snow Leopard (presumably female) urine on a rock and there were also fresh Snow Leopard tracks on the frozen river.

Snow Leopard Tracks

We headed up a side valley toward the village.  It was a glorious day with bright sunshine, snow covered peaks and cobalt blue skies.  The views were magnificent. 

View up the Yurutse Valley

Dorje was constantly scanning but did not spot any wildlife.   We arrived at the village which was only one very large home built a hundred years ago in the traditional Tibetan style.  Only a father and son were currently living there.   

Yurutse Village

We sat and scanned.  A large flock of close to 50 Blue Sheep were grazing low down on a ridge on the opposite side of the river.

Large Flock of Blue Sheep

The following day we left Rumbak.  On the hike back to the car park we were hoping to see one more of these magnificent cats but they remained elusive.   We drove to our next site, Ulley Village, where Snow Leopard sightings have been good in recent years.  Ulley is also a great place to see Asiatic Ibex.  The following morning a herd was spotted high above the village.  We drove then hiked up to get a closer look.  We hid behind some rocks to watch some magnificent males spar.  They were butting heads with the full force of their weight.  Marc actually captured a male on two legs!

Sparring Asiatic Ibex

The next day we drove to Hemis-Shukpachen where a pack of Tibetan Wolves had recently been sighted.  We didn't find the wolves but spotted a big flock of Ladakh Urials on a ridge below the village.

Ladakh Urials

Two old males with massive horns were lounging on the ridge a short distance away. 

Male Ladakh Urials

That night and into the following day it snowed!  We were hoping that the new snowfall would bring the Ibex and Urials lower and that the Snow Leopards would follow but sadly this did not happen.  In searching for the cats we came across other wildlife in the area.  A cute Large-eared Pika scurried between the rocks stopping briefly for Marc to get a photo!

Large-eared Pika

All too soon it was time to leave Ulley and return to Leh.  The freshly fallen snow made for a spectacular return drive.

View on the Drive Back to Leh

The following morning we had an equally stunning flight over the Great Himalaya Range.  From this great height we got a better picture of the domain of the Snow Leopard.  

Great Himalaya Range

With so many mountains, valleys, ridges and rocky outcrops to hide in it's no wonder that finding these cagey cats is so difficult.  At least now we had seen one of these remarkable felines and know first hand that ghosts do exist!

We hope all is well back home.

Peggy and Marc

A very sincere thanks to our local guides Dorje Skiu and Dorje Tsewang for their constant scanning and spotting some of Ladakh's elusive wildlife!

The Dorjes Scanning

Our route map:

Route Map