The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Bhutan’s Snowman Trek, Part 1: Laya

Lazing in Lanzarote, the Bhutanese Himalayas seem a world away. A change in attitude without much of a corresponding change in latitude (to plagiarize Jimmy Buffett). The motivation for me is higher in the actual doing than in the analyzing. Indeed, I’ve taken far more time reviewing, selecting, editing, and uploading photos than I had imagined, even to the extent of looking over and including some of the photos from my first trip to Bhutan in 2012.

Arguably one of the most spectacular walks in the world, Bhutan’s incredible Snowman Trek follows the spine of the Himalaya between Bhutan and Tibet, from Paro in the west to Trongsa in the east. During the course of this 25 day trek, our group of ten crossed 11 passes in excess of 4500 meters (14,760 ft), including 5 over 5000 meters (16,400 ft), and visited the almost separate mountain kingdom of Lunana, one of the remotest inhabited valleys on the planet.

Tourist/trekking map of Bhutan, showing the Snowman trek route from Paro to Trongsa in Northwest Bhutan.

Along the way we journeyed through fabled villages like Laya, walked beneath 6- and 7000-meter peaks, including Chomolhari, the astounding Jichu Drake, and the World’s highest unclimbed peak, Gangkar Puensum. We also had time to absorb some of the incredible culture of this unique Himalayan Kingdom, with visits to the spectacular cliff-face Taktsang ‘Tiger’s Nest’ Monastery and the picturesque Punakha Dzong as well as two mountain festivals with which our trek was timed to coincide.

The Snowman Trek can easily be divided into two: the first, lower altitude and more traveled portion from Shana (where the road now ends) to Laya, and the second, more strenuous, higher and more remote, from Laya through Lunana, in our variant ending at Sephu. I likewise chose to divide my blog into two parts.

The famous Taktsang (“Tiger’s Nest”) Monastery, the objective of our pre-trek acclimatization hike. Fortunately for all, one manifestly unfit trekker quit after this hike, reducing our number to ten. Almost $10,000 spent for essentially a single hike!
Group photo with our two guides at the start of the trek on day 1. A wide diversity of backgrounds, including Polish, Italian, Swiss, and Australian, as well as American and British, made for an interesting trip.
A stream crossing early on day 1. Note the mani wheel.
Chomolhari, 7326m on the Tibetan border, seen on day 2 (zoom). The first portion of the Snowman Trek follows the very popular Chomolhari Trek route.
The Hermit’s Cave on day 2. The cave is in the cliffs to the right of the temple. Very few Westerners have ever visited – or ever will – as the locals are closing this sacred site to trekkers after this season.
Edelweiss, seen here on day 3. They seem far more common here than in the Alps, though most were past their prime this late in the season.
More flowers seen on day 3. The berries are from a different plant.
Chomolhari Mountain Festival dancers on day 4. This was a small celebration presided over by the minister of health.
On our descent into camp on day 5. Our tents are the orange dots in the valley.
Trumpet gentians. These flowers were ubiquitous, existing (if not thriving) as high as 5100 meters (16,730 ft.)!
Lake seen on our day 6 acclimatization hike with the distinctive Jitchu Drake behind
Local School children and our leader Tshering at Jangothang. We visited this elementary school on the way out of the village on day 7.
A vibrant trail-side flower on day 7.
Blue sheep (Bharal) on day 7, one of two herds of this Himalayan goat (caprid) species that we saw during the trek.
Our day 7 village campsite. Men from this village were having an archery contest with a neighboring village during our visit. Although I’ve avoided including photos showing high tension wires, the electrification of Laya three years ago has made the area seem less remote.
A typical Bhutanese style house leaving the village on day 8. Much of the recent prosperity of many of the villages bordering Tibet is due to the trade in Cordyceps Sinensis, the caterpillar fungus considered by the Chinese (and others) to exhibit aphrodisiacal qualities.
Tiger Mountain (Gangchen Tang) in the clouds on day 8 (zoom).
Spanish Moss and autumn colors below tree line (which is about 4200 m, 13,800 ft). Much of the first part of the trek was in the forest and sub-alpine environment
A wind-sculpted Juniper tree on day 8.
A taste of things to come. The terrain walking towards the Shinge La on day 10.
Shinge La, our first 5000m pass, on day 10. We quickly descended to warmer and less windy climes.
Some of our horses before loading on the morning of day 11. We had as many as 37 horses to transport our luggage and camp equipment.
View nearing Laya on day 11. Our second of three hot water bucket showers during the trek was enjoyed this afternoon in camp. Tshering did not want our smell to offend the locals during the next day’s festival!
Local family at the Laya Royal Highlander festival, day 12. We enjoyed this annual festival on our second rest day. This photo (and the two following) are courtesy of Stephen, who had a much better facility of taking people pics (and a better camera to do it with) than did I!
Laya Royal Highlander Festival, day 12. Note the conical hats the Laya women wear. They all enjoyed having their photos taken.
Another of Stephen’s great photos from the Laya Highlander Festival.

I attempted a video of a dance from the festival. Even though I compressed it, it may take a few minutes to load…

Stay tuned for the Snowman Trek, Part 2: Lunana in a few days.

The Vagabond Hiker

Lago di Garda, Italy: walks and ferratas

While Riva del Garda, at the north end of Lago di Garda, is most well-known for its world-class wind surfing and sailing, it also offers an amazing variety of walks and via ferratas, ranging from woodland strolls to a couple of very challenging ferrata routes. My Airbnb apartment above the town had a nice city and mountain (and a bit of the lake) view, featured a 25m outdoor pool (at least until it closed in mid September!), direct access to nearby trails, and less than 1/2 hour walk to the lake front and many restaurants in town. What’s not to like?

Evening view from my balcony above Riva del Garda
Part of the Lago di Garda medium trek near me. (There are low, medium, and top trek paths around the lake, referring to their average elevation). Some paths are frequented by mountain bikers, one of the area’s most popular sports.
Cyclamen by the gorge near my apartment. Most flowers had faded by September, but I spotted many cyclamen early in the month.
Riva del Garda view from the Via Ferrata Cima Sat. This was the nearest ferrata to my apartment, about 75 minutes’ walk to the start.
Ladders on the VF Cima Sat. There were 8 ladders altogether, some quite long and vertical.
View north to the Brenta Dolomites (in the background) from the summit of Cima Sat. See my blog post from September 2018 when I traversed this group.
A butterfly on wood scabious
Maggie on VF Colodri. It was a great short ferrata to get your equipment dialed in and a local equipment rental shop for ferratas and climbing was conveniently located at the start in the town of Arco.
A lizard on the VF Colodri. On warm days we saw and heard tons of lizards.
Goats on the top plateau of Cima Colodri. We could smell them before we saw these friendly critters.
Lago di Garda view from the Cima Colodri. Riva del Garda is in the background by the lake and Arco is directly below.
Castello d’Arco tower. The castle was only a few minutes detour during the descent from Cima Colodri. Well worth the effort, with a short film and numerous buildings in various states of disrepair. There was also an outdoor bar to quench your thirst and take in the views, which sadly several days were obscured by haze.
A fresco in the Castello d’Arco showing court life. Note the incorrect orientation of the chess board.
Cima Colodri from Castello d’Arco. The black cross against the blue sky marks the high point. The terraces below are predominantly olive trees.
Maggie on the VF Rio Salagoni. While it is highly artificial, it was also quite challenging in parts, with overhanging walls to traverse. As a canyon ascent, it was unique.
Rio Salagoni view where the canyon opened up for a short distance.
The Castello Drena where we emerged from the Rio Salagoni canyon. Another worthwhile cultural diversion at the end of a ferrata.
Monte Baone summit cross with an artistic Jesus. This was the end of the way-marked scramble route up from Arco. Although not particularly difficult, sections where quite exposed – enough so that I didn’t take many photos.
The Arco Arboretum is only a short distance from the start/end of the Monte Baone scramble. Here are a few of the many turtles in the pond. It was a worthwhile (and free!) hour to spend in town, featuring dawn redwoods, varieties of bamboo, and yew trees, among many others.
Cima Capi from the VF Susatti. This ferrata was probably the most enjoyable I did in the area, with lots of World War I tunnels, trenches, and buildings. Although not particularly hard, it had an enjoyable – if long – wooded approach from the village of Beicesa and featured fantastic views of the lake and mountains.
Maggie on the VF Cima Capi
Another view of Maggie on Cima Capi, pulling over a steep section with Lago di Garda behind.
The Vagabond Hiker on Cima Capi. Photo courtesy of Maggie.
Lago di Garda view from Cima Capi. This was taken on my recon climb two weeks earlier. Fortunately the rains held off until later in the day.
Piccolo Dain from Sarche, about 15 minutes’ drive north of Arco. The VF Rino Pisetta climbs up this peak.
The VF Rino Pisetta from near the start of the cables. This is the hardest ferrata in the area, perhaps the hardest outside of the high Dolomites. I soloed it on my last day before returning to the UK.
View of Lago Toblino from the ascent of Piccolo Dain on the VF Pisetta. The northern-most olive trees in the world grow here due to the mild micro climate.
Hanging off my lanyards on the ascent of the VF Pisetta. Here the cables traverse and then ascend another vertical section. My arms were definitely ragged out by the summit.
View of the valley and Rio Sarca from summit of Piccolo Dain
A forest at the start of the descent from Piccolo Dain. The lower elevations around Lago di Garda (compared to the high Dolomites) make the area’s ferratas great choices in the spring and autumn.
A picturesque fountain in Limone sul Garda. We took a day off from the rocks to do a triangular ferry route around the upper portion of the lake. Limone was the first stop.
Torrente San Giovanni in Limone. This pleasant path leads out of town up through a valley.
Limone lemon trees from which the popular town gets its name. Glass panes are inserted into the larch frames from November to March to protect the trees. They had numerous varieties of citrus growing in this warm micro climate that is well protected from north winds.
Malcesine castle and town from the ferry. In addition to the castle and a large pedestrian zone, Malcesine on the east side of the lake features a cable car up to the summit of Monte Baldo. Unfortunately the low clouds that day precluded riding the aerial tramway.

I’m back in the UK until Tuesday next week, then off to Bhutan to do the Snowman Trek, which has been on my bucket list since I first visited the country in 2012. One of the most challenging in the world, the trek covers more than 200 miles over 25 days (including rest days) through some of the most remote valleys in the world and features 11 passes over 4500m (14,760ft), five of those more than 5000m (16,400 ft). My Snowman trek with KE Adventures is timed to permit us to observe two local festivals, the Chomolhari and the Laya Royal Highlander. If you’re interested, a book published a few years ago on the trek is Kevin Grange’s Beneath Blossom Rain.

The Vagabond Hiker

Italy: Via Ferratas of the Gruppo del Catinaccio

Late in August I joined some friends of mine for a guided hut-to-hut via ferrata trek in the Gruppo del Catinaccio of the Dolomites. Also known as the Rosengarten Group, it is located about an hour drive east of Bolzano, the capital and by far the largest city in the province of South Tyrol. The entire trip was 10 days, but I climbed only on the first 6 as I had done some of the later ferratas only last year (see my blog from 15 September 2018). (For those who aren’t familiar with via ferratas, they are cables attached to the mountain that you clip into with caribiners using a special ferrata lanyard attached to your harness).

While many of these photos are similar to the ones I shared last year, the stupendous scenery of the Dolomites never tires (at least for me!) and of course there are several photos of my Utah friends included here. Enjoy!

Our day 1 approach to Roda di Vael. A short and easy route in dry conditions.
Common Monkshood. We saw a lot of Monkshood, one of my favorites.
Other climbers on the Roda di Vael crux, an ascending traverse. It was raining by the time we reached it, making it even more difficult.
On our day 2 approach to Vael Majare
Csilla climbing Vael Majare
Vista from Vael Majare. Some beautiful shades of green!
On our day 3 approach to Via Ferrata (VF) Santner
Me (with others behind) on an airy traverse, I believe on VF Santner. I usually climbed the rock rather than the cable if it was possible. Photo by our guide Tomas.
Looking back on our VF Santner descent route, the large crack in the middle of the photo
Our lodging for the night, Rifugio Re Alberto Premier. Most rifugios are in unbelievable locations.
Bob, Denise and Robert topping out on one pitch of the VF Antermoia on day 4
Bob, Don, Leslie, and Csilla on the summit of Antermoia. It seems nearly all peaks in Italy feature a cross.
Bob, Robert, and Denise on the descent of Antermoia, with Rolando behind the lens.
Antermoia vista. I stitched together 6 photos for this panorama.
A lake near Rifugio Antermoia on the fourth night. Unfortunately, too cold for a dip.
Morning light with Rifugio Antermoia, day 5
Csilla (seated) and Rolando on VF Laurenzi, day 5. Laurenzi was the most technically difficult of the 6 via ferratas I climbed.
View towards Sasso Piatto from VF Laurenzi. The rest of the group was heading in this direction after I left.
Potentilla nitida (Dolomite cinquefoil), seen on VF Laurenzi
Bob on a VF Laurenzi traverse with Tomas, our lead guide, behind
Rifugio Alpe de Tires, a welcome sight after our longest and toughest day. VF Maximiliansteig, our day 6 objective, is behind it.
View along our traverse of VF Maximilianstieg on day 6. Not technically difficult nor long, it was quite airy nonetheless.
Saxifrage (Saxifraga caesia) on VF Maximilianstieg day 6
Leslie on VF Maximilianstieg
Csilla and I on the Maximilianstieg. The Rifugio Alpe de Tires is in the right background. Photo by Rolando.
A “Monkshood” meadow seen on the descent of VF Maximilianstieg
Likely Black Vanilla Orchid, seen as I was heading back to the valley and on then to Bolzano on day 6 after the Maximilianstieg

Thanks to Bob for organizing this fantastic trip and to all who joined in climbing in this special area of Italy!

Speaking of which, I’m still in Italy, above Riva del Garda with views to the town, mountains, and Lago Garda. My next blog will be in 2-3 weeks, featuring lower elevation hikes, scrambles, and via ferratas nearby here.

The Vagabond Hiker

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