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Report name	Broxbourne School - Nubra Valley, India 2005
Date submitted	Oct-05

A bleary eyed team from Broxbourne School met at Heathrow airport and eventually set off for Delhi to start their expedition to Ladakh. Whilst in Delhi, we explored some of the sights of the city, including the Red Fort and enjoyed the chaos of travelling about by rickshaw. The immense heat got the better of most of the team, who spent the afternoon cooling off in the YMCA swimming pool and adjusting to the different time zone.

At 4am the following day, we started our journey to the mountains and away from the rush and bustle of Delhi. The views from the aeroplane over the Stok range were stunning as we approached Leh, with clear skies and snowy peaks jutting out from the dry sandy landscape below.

After several previous discussions about altitude illness and prevention prior to our departure, the team were now experiencing this for real and learning how to let their bodies to adjust. Taking it easy in the garden of the Mogul Hotel and drinking water wasn’t so hard! We spent a few days exploring Leh with the help of our guide, Kamzang, and enjoyed a terrific day's rafting on the Indus River. After this, we were all fighting fit and ready to start the journey to the start point of our trek further north at the village of Hundar. To get there we had to drive over the Kardung La at 5,200m in 4WD vehicles, stopping to enjoy the view and take photos whenever the road allowed.

The Nubra Valley proved to be an excellent new venue for both trekking and mountaineering, providing us with pristine campsites with only the sound of birds and Broxbourne students to break the silence. The route follows remote valleys and steep gorges, climbing up to several amazing viewpoints to take in the enormity of the peaks around.

As we moved closer to our goal, Samgal I, a 6,000m peak that has only be climber recently, the team became really excited and focussed on reaching the summit. From high camp, we moved up to the glacier and spent the day practicing snow skills and moving together in rope teams in preparation for the following day's ascent. Later that day, back at camp, team members excitedly prepared themselves for the early start by packing rucksacks and laying out equipment ready for the morning.

Summit day started with an early breakfast at 1am, everyone managed to eat and set of steadily towards the summit by 2am. The line of head torches wound up the steep side of the valley towards the glacier hoping for a dramatic dawn to inspire us. Unfortunately this was not to be and a few team members were taken back down to base camp, still in good spirits but exhausted. At the col, the tough decision had to be made about who would come up for the final push to the summit, this was an emotional time as the team split and I continued with three students who were feeling strong. As we moved up to the summit ridge, the winds increased and the weather deteriorated further, stopping up from reaching our summit but providing an exciting first time experience of high-altitude mountaineering for the students.

Slowly we descended, retraced our steps and after reuniting with our team began the walk out. As we travelled south we could see the Lasermo Pass in the distance, our last obstacle before reaching our transport back to Leh. Crossing the pass was straightforward and very enjoyable with the entire team reaching the top together for photos and a huge snowball fight.

We prepared to say goodbye to our support team the following day and gifts of clothing and tip were exchanged and lots of heart felt thanks. They had cook team had rustled up no less than four huge cakes for us to celebrate various birthdays, one being at 5,000m!

As we approached Leh, the food discussions started and after being in town for a couple of hours a huge amount of pizza had been consumed and only partially digested in some cases. Whilst in Leh the team took their donations to the Lions Club Orphanage and spent a thoroughly enjoyable evening playing games and sharing experiences with the children there.

Our return journey was plagued by delays due to striking airline companies, which meant we missed the opportunity to visit the Taj Mahal. Despite this, the team remained in high spirits and took it all in their stride.

I would like to say thank you to the students of Broxbourne School for being such an enthusiastic, fun team to lead. (And for teaching me to play poker!). Also a big "thank you" to Derek Clarke and Barry Lawrence for all their hard work in preparation.

Expedition Leader
Deborah Laugharne