Legendary climber Bachendri Pal will lead a 15-member team for the Sham Valley trek in Ladakh from August 24 to 29.
The team, including six women, will arrive in Leh on August 24 before driving to Likir located at an altitude of 11,548 ft the following day. The trek will start from Likir and head to Yangthang (12,073 ft) via Phobe La and Chagatse La (12,171 ft) by taking a 4-hour journey.
The trek team will proceed to Hemis Shukpachan (11,909 ft) via Tsermangchan La (12,715 ft), Temisgam via Mebtak La (12,467 ft) before returning to Leh.
“The participants from different parts of the country have been included in the team after they showed their Covid-19 test report and have taken one or two dose of vaccine,” said Hemant Gupta, head of Tata Steel Adventure Foundation.
Each participant has paid Rs 25,000 for the trek.
The 67-year-old Pal, a Padma Bhushan awardee and the first Indian woman to annex Mount Everest in 1984, will take the opportunity to prepare herself with the Ladakh trek before she leads the FIT@50+ Women's Trans Himalayan Expedition in March next year. This will be her first trek after the second wave of Covid.
"Madam (Pal) will like to prepare herself for the arduous Trans Himalayan journey. She is expected to take further treks with the Trans Himalayan expedition team members in the months to come," a TSAF official said requesting anonymity.
The 5-month-long expedition, being organised by TSAF in association with ministry of youth affairs and sports undfer the FIT India programme, involves traversing Himalayas from Arunachal Pradesh to Karakoram Range (east to west) covering around 4,500 km and cross 40 mountains.
