Yurutse: Ama Yangchen Tsomo.

Ama Yangchen Tsomo le  belongs to the only family residing in Yurutse, making the family name virtually synonymous with the settlement itself.

Before the construction of the motorable road through Zingchen Rong, Yurutse was connected to the surrounding regions by a network of seasonal routes. In winter, the main route ran through Zingchen Rong to Spituk. From there, travelers crossed the frozen or shallow Indus River on foot to continue their journey to Leh. However, in summer, when the glacial melt made Zingchen Rong impassable, villagers took the route over Stok La, descending to the Choglamsar Bridge before reaching Leh.

Other trails led southwest from Ganda La to Shingo, then to Skyu in the Markha Valley, opening access to Chilling and Nimo, before finally approaching Leh from the west. Some travelers took a more southerly route through Nimaling, crossing Kongmaru La to arrive at Shang Sumdo, and from there continued to Martselang and Kharu in the Indus Valley. Another path branched off from Zingchen Rong toward Rumchung, eventually descending to Tsogti, north of Chilling and the Indus River.

During the winter months, Yurutse villagers engaged in the trade of firewood and charcoal, which they sourced from the Markha Valley. Transport was by donkey, horse, or yak. Charcoal was prepared in Markha by burning thorn shrubs, then sprinkling them with water to arrest combustion. If overburned, the material turned to koktal (ash), rendering it useless. Once properly charred, the charcoal was packed into sacks and transported to Leh.

Villagers typically began their journey after the evening meal. They would walk down to Zingchen Rong and rest overnight before setting out again before dawn to reach Spituk. Tsomo herself remembered the hardship of crossing the Indus on foot before any bridge was constructed.

In summer, Tsomo’s grandfather journeyed to Markha Valley to collect Talu (Willow sticks) and Dungma (Poplar logs) for sale in Leh, as Yurutse had little wood of its own. The timber was sorted in Rumbak, then transported on donkeys via the Stok La route to Leh. While most villagers avoided Zingchen Rong in the warmer months due to dangerous river crossings, a few still braved the path, passing through Palam and rejoining the main route at Choglamsar Bridge en route to the Leh market.