We made our way back down the valley to the roadhead, satisfied with the knowledge that this section of the route could be done. Now to find out about the route up the Sar Di river which would be the descent route for the expedition. It took us two days to cover the 40km to the village of Dong as the early rains had washed away the road. We camped by some hot springs on the banks of the Lohit and put the word out on the bush telegraph that we were looking to hire the services of a local guide and porters.

Just before dark three guys from the Meyor tribe showed up. Their leader Ajo, a quietly confident man, was an experienced hunter and knew the valley very well. He had bought two of his nephews along. They were just teenagers but Ajo assured us that they were very capable. We needn’t have worried as they turned out to be seasoned bushmen and could put the best of us to shame.

We paired our belongings down to a few bare essentials necessary for a two-day recce. The locals stood around as we repacked and shook their heads in disbelief at the amount of useless paraphernalia that we were carting along. All they packed for the trip was a blanket, a bush knife, matches, a cooking pot and a small bundle of food. These guys were hard as nails.

We set out before dawn and crossed the sparkling clear waters on a small suspension bridge at first light. The jungle began on the far side of the river and that’s where the path abruptly ended. We were now on a game trail that snaked it’s way up along the Sar Di river.

The trail climbed up and down along the precariously steep sides of the valley, which echoed with the roar of the rapids. Thick sub tropical jungle, thickets of bamboo, tangles of vines and dense undergrowth covered the hillsides. These jungles are teeming with wildlife; leopards, bears, monkeys and deer; Snow Leopard and Yak inhabit the higher reaches above the tree line.

We had to keep within a few feet of each other otherwise we would loose our way in the dense undergrowth of the jungle. Ajo and his merry gang laughed and whistled their way while we stumbled behind them. We had to cross the river on a number of occasions and the bridges didn’t inspire any confidence. They consisted of a single bamboo pole to walk on with a flimsy handrail lashed together with vines. There would be little hope if you fell into the frigid waters with a loaded rucksack strapped onto your back.

As I was crossing one of these heinous constructions I noticed a fresh leopard turd balanced on the log. I smiled and took solace from the fact that the king of this jungle had to empty his bowels before making the precarious crossing.

We trekked for hours though the jungle, traversing steep slopes and crossing and recrossing the river. Ajo wove his way between boulders, up and down gullies, and across steep rocky terrain like he was strolling in his backyard. There was no real path anymore; he was just picking the line of least resistance. I am glad we had him with us, without him we would have been floundering around in the jungle.

It was starting to get late and we had been going all day. We had covered only around 16 km of challenging terrain. The valley was very steep and there weren’t many suitable campsites. Ajo guided us to a clearing by the river. This was as far as we planned to go on this recce. It had given us a good idea of the kind of terrain we would encounter when we would return to venture deeper into the valley.