The dramatic valleys to the North of Kailas were walked by a seemingly never-ending stream of pilgrims.

Leaving Dira Phuk Gompa around eight in the morning catches the rising sun, and that mornings early pilgrims, already five hours walk out of Darchen. It was this stretch up to the Drolma La that presented the best scenery, the best photos, the best weather, and the hardest walking.

Kailas from the climb toward the Drolma-La

The climb commences, initially gradually, through the broad green valleys. A thin line of pilgrims snakes behind, gaining relentlessly on us, impervious to the altitude. A fellow traveller - perhaps betraying his North American roots - called this a spiritual Disney, a fair description. Pilgrims of four distinct religions walked these valleys, more in the spirit of a bank-holiday escapade than a serious or arduous pligrimage. Bunyan it was not! The pilgrims curiosity and concern for our wellbeing was evident. Tibetans offered Tsampa, yak cheese or other indeterminate foods, thick with dirt. Indian pilgrims called from behind their stoves to offer sweet Indian chai from the precariously balanced aluminum kettle. Food was shared, offers of help made, clothes and bags tried, group photos taken, and friendships sworn.

Spot the monk!

Back on the serious business of pilgrimage, the path climbed ever higher toward the 5600 metre Drolma-la. Upward out of the green, we climed into the rocky, exposed moraine of a glacier. As we ascended, the landscape became ever more alien, and the rock formations assumed ever greater significance. Pilgrims tested their karma, conviction or honour by putting their finger blind into an age-old hole in the rock, or by trying to crawl through an improbably small gap between boulders. Prayerflags and personal objects surround the path, left by pilgrims eager to gain merit long after they've departed.