A couple of problems have cropped up today. The first is the quality of the drinking water we are being provided with. The large water bottles have now all been used and they are being refilled with water from streams. With so many animals about we are questioning the advisability of this. There are a growing number of stomach related problems being referred to Magda that suggest our delicate western stomachs struggle with the change. Alex was not altogether sympathetic and assured us that there were fresh springs at the next campsite.

The lorry took us a short distance this morning, including a crossing of the Kok-Kiya River, to start, what was described as a 6km walk to our next camp. It started with a long and steady climb up a wide path to a pass, followed by a slightly shorter descent into a valley. It was extremely hot with little or no wind to take the edge off it.

This walk was turning out to be considerably longer than the distance promised, and this was exacerbated when the site we were meant to camp at was inaccessible to the vehicles. This necessitated us walking further and including a river crossing for which we were not prepared.

When we did reach camp we were pleased to see that Magda, and two boys who chose not to walk because they were not too well, had managed to put all the tents up. We were more than pleased when the heavens opened just after we arrived and we were able to dive into our tents for shelter.

A problem we will have to face tomorrow is whether the high day where we climb to approximately 4200m is still achievable from this campsite. We now have a longer trek in, being considerably further away from our target mountain. I think we will set out as planned, in order to climb the mountain, but will be aware that it may be too much for some. My feeling is that it is better to have tried and failed rather than not tried at all.

In discussions with my staff colleagues during the walk we aired some of our concerns. For my part this does not feel like a trek in the real sense of the word. It is not a journey that naturally links together but a series of day walks. As good as some of them have been we have always been dictated to by where the vehicles can reach. This has left us with a couple of spare days. What I want to avoid is doing something for the sake of doing it in order to fill the time. There has hardly been an opportunity for spending some of the cash that is burning a hole in the student’s pockets.

As a result of these discussions, I used the satellite phone to ring Natalie in the Asia Mountains office to see if it would’ve possible for us to end the trek a day early, bringing forward our night in Naryn and allowing us two nights in Bishkek. It appears that it will not be a problem. I have the money in hand to pay for any extras.

I then told Alex what our plans are, reassuring him that it was not a reflection on him or the crew.

While all this was going on the group had a good playtime in the river.

Our last objective day dawned bright and sunny. Alex had earmarked a 4200m dome shaped peak for us to climb, one that would afford us excellent panoramic views. Magda, still not recovered from her chest infection, remained in camp, while the rest of us travelled a short distance in the lorry to get us a little closer to the mountain. I had little intention of going to the summit, having a milder version of Magda’s infection. Instead I was going to find a spot to sit and watch their progress while looking after any kit they did not need to take to the summit, water shoes etc. I found the perfect spot; my own little castle, a band of limestone rising like a tooth out of the surrounding moorland. I explored my castle, had a nap and waited, enjoying the peace and tranquility, the solitude and the sheer magnificence of the countryside.

Nobody gave up and returned to keep me company and eventually, after five and a half hours the group returned as one, triumphant, happy and pretty tired.

Thank goodness we were ahead of schedule and the group climbed the mountain yesterday. As we awoke this morning it began to rain, lightly at first, but with increasing intensity as we ate breakfast. Today, we drove down to a lower altitude for a couple of nights of warmer camping and a walk in a different area.

By the time we loaded the kitbags and tents into the lorry they were properly wet. Then, twenty-four damp people scrambled aboard, squeezing into their seats. There was literally no room for any more, we were sardines packed into a tin can. Added to the tight squeeze was the fact that there were leaks everywhere, from the windows, the roof lights and every screw hole in the roof. It was going to be a damp, bumpy journey. Because of the weather we chose not to visit another canyon but head straight to our camp via the two border check points. In the first three hours the only time we could extricate ourselves from this crushed environment was when we came across a weak bridge where it was deemed safer for us to walk across.

After the second check point we descended steeply down a series of hairpin bends into a land of trees; we had been above the tree line throughout the duration of our trek. It is only when you see them again that you really appreciate that you have missed them.

By the time we reached camp, a flat plain by the side of a muddy brown river, the rain had ceased and through the bands of heavy cloud that still lingered we could see glimpses of snow capped mountains. Hopefully the weather will clear and we will see them in their full glory and that our walk tomorrow, wherever it takes us, will be rewarding.

After a stormy night both outside and inside my tent, rain and high winds outside and coughing fits inside, I decided not to walk on our last day but to give my lungs a rest. It was a disappointing decision as I realised as the group was setting out for the ridge behind camp, that this was to be my last Himalayan Club walk. I had made my decision and it was too late to change my mind. Instead I relaxed around camp, enjoying warm sunshine, peace and quiet.

The group had barely been away for three hours when they were back.

The rest of the day was spent enjoying camp, playing a few games (them, not me, I refereed a long game of ultimate frisbee, a game I invented a few years ago in India). It felt that the wind down to returning home had started. We had achieved everything we set out to achieve, giving nearly $5500 to two children’s homes as well as some of our time and energy, completed an at times demanding trek in a part of the world that sees very few tourists. I am sure, as Kyrgyzstan gears itself up for tourism and the world becomes more aware of its possibilities, that it will become more popular in future.

The game of ultimate frisbee prompted Alice to be poetically creative.

There are aspects of this trek that have not quite worked to plan. I was expecting a continuous trek but it was one punctuated by rides in our very cramped lorry. How the trek evolved very much depended on whether the lorries could get to each camp. We became too dependent upon them. In a land of horses, there surely is the possibility of using pack horses to transport all the kit needed. Much of the walking was on open hillside with no tracks, hence we found ourselves walking across tussocky grass with many hidden marmot holes. This was very energy sapping, particularly at altitude. Camp did not always come up to expectation. We had to erect and take down our tents. I don’t mind, but some do. There was never any washing water, only rivers. Some days we had afternoon tea, others not. It needed a consistent approach. Dinner times varied, sometimes 7.00pm, at others 8.30pm without explanation. For several days we were served stale, moulding bread, until they acquired an oven that allowed them to make fresh bread. At times, however, the food was excellent.

Despite these comments it has been an excellent trip. There have been some genuine highlights, the feeling of doing something worthwhile for a disadvantaged group of children, the Kok-Kiya River gorge, Kol-Suu Lake, climbing to the pass and the peak, the friendliness of the people, the remoteness of the region, particularly the lack of other tourists, and the company of such a good group of young people. I would certainly entertain the idea of coming back to Kyrgyzstan again, perhaps not to this particular area, but with a country that has 90% of it land area above 1500m and 71% above 2000m there is plenty of scope.

Now we move on to Naryn and Bishkek before returning home to a, hopefully, good English summer.