Members of the Fit@50+ Women’s Trans Himalayan Expedition will assemble in Garhwal Himalayas in October to train for the 4,500 journey.

The expedition, which was scheduled in May, has been put off to March next year in view of the Covid 19 pandemic. It will be organised by Tata Steel Adventure Foundation (TSAF) in collaboration with ministry of youth affairs and sports under FIT India programme. The expedition will be led by legendary climber Bachendri Pal.

The 10-member expedition team, which comprises three Everesters, will stay at the base camp in Kaflon and will trek 13,615 Darwa Top. Kaflon, which is located along Uttar Kashi-Gangotri Highway, is the place where participants of TSAF’s annual outdoor leadership programme camp.

The base camp has a kitchen, store room, audio-visual hall, instructors' room and an office-cum women instructors' room.

The week-long training will be conducted under the leadership and expertise of Padma Bhushan Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to annex Mount Everest in 1984. The expedition team also includes Jamshedpur-based tribal Payo Murmu.

The elite Jamshedpur-based adventure outfit has the required set up at Kaflon and the training can take place without any hassles whatsoever. The expedition team members have been indoors owing to the Covid and it was felt necessary to train since things have now opened up, a source at the TSAF said on condition of anonymity

Hemant Gupta, head of TSAF, said the training will take place in October and the team will camp at Kaflo. “Dates for the training will be worked out in due course of time,” he added.

The team will commence the journey of an ultimate human endurance starting from the misty mountains of Arunachal Pradesh at Bomdila and then enter Bhutan. From there, the expedition will traverse through Bhutan cross over into Sikkim and cover Chitrey, Kala Pokhari and Sandakphu.

It will then move into Nepal, where the route enters Dhaulagiri range and cover Salpa Pass, Lamajura Pass and also cross Thorang la (17,769 ft) around Annapurna Massif. From Western Nepal, the trail goes from Jumla and enters Kumaon district in Uttarakhand at Dharchula.

From here, the expedition will cross Lamkhaga Pass (17,320 ft) - one of the toughest passes, which connects Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh with Harshil of Uttarakhand. The team will then traverse to Himachal. From here, they will trek through Spiti to cross Kaza, Kibber and cross Parang La (18,307 ft).

The expedition will conclude in the Leh-Ladakh region where the team will cross Khardungla (18,380 ft), Saser La (17,753 ft), Depsang La (17,869 ft) and finish at Karakoram Pass (18,175 ft).