Each trip takes approximately three hours. The Markha is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Himalayas surrounded by high mountains. Participants will sleep two to a tent and toilet and shower facilities will be very basic. The camps will be at about 10,000 feet and the first day or two, participants will do gentle work to help acclimatize to the altitude. The region is sub-tropical and will be warm at the lowest altitudes, but with rising altitude we may extend into snowfield, but no higher than 15,000 ft., and will be working adjacent to glaciers.
Warm clothing is, therefore, essential.
We will be out of the influence of the monsoon, but although unlikely, we might encounter snow and rain at higher altitudes, so waterproof clothing is essential. We will hire the help of local people to cook at the camp, and the food will be basic vegetarian including mainly rice dishes, curried vegetables, noodles, soup and local bread. Participants need to be physically fit as our work involves walking to field locations and mapping. This means that some days we will walk up to twelve miles a day, carrying backpacks. We will be camping all the time, usually in the front of one of the glaciers we will be studying.