Location :
Penzi La pass on Rangdum – Padum route, Zanskar, Western Ladakh, Altitude:
14,000’
We found a
signage indicating Statso/Langtso lakes. One of the two lakes could be
recognized by gray outline on the base of a snow covered hill. The lake was
totally frozen – all white. The azure
colored lake at its pristine glory can be seen only after the snow totally
melts around the lake in late summer.
As for now,
we caught up with the spectacle almost missed very near the road. This could be
an early summer phenomena. The narrow trenches by the road side, collecting
snow melt during day time and re-solidifying during night created ice mass
mostly milk white and rest of it transparent.
The mud road track with marks of vehicle tyres and boot marks of
tourists create muddy patch. After sedimentation, the clear water lying at top
solidifies into ice ripples at night time.
Untouched by anybody, the puddles of snow melted water near the
road, with borders showing ice ripples, in non-symmetrical patterns is a
spectacle in itself.
A close-up of the ice ripples captured in diagonal composition
can be seen in following frame.
A patch of thin sheet of ice, near circular in shape, if seen carefully,
concentric waves can be seen. It is comparable to transverse waves generated if
a stone is thrown on water pool.
Following frame captures water mass surrounded by ice ripples.
Note
for the viewers: Ice Ripple phenomenon is something which I had never
experienced before in all my tour of Himalayan destinations and trekking at
many snow bound locations in early summer. My search through net has not
yielded any worthwhile result. If any reference can be given by viewers so that
I can have a reasonable scientific explanation for this phenomenon, it will be
greatly appreciated.
Date:
1.6.2012
We started
from Rangdum at around 7.30 am with ambient at minus one degree. Bypassing
Rangdum monastery, we took to the gradient through mud-stone track, arriving
for our first halt at Penzi La. Unlike other mountain passes of Ladakh, this
one is on a flat land as far as eyes could go. The snow splattered hills and
the snow covered flat land, in early summer, as seen from road, was picture
post card of a beauty.
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