"In a hundred ages of the Gods I could not
tell you of all the glories of the Himalaya." - Old Sanskrit Poem
The first time am attempting to blog a trek maybe
due to the following reasons :
·
For the amount of fun we had
·
For the kind of realization/s which
has dawned on me
·
To maintain a log – which I can read
at any time and take a trip back !!!
Day 1 : 07th May 2012 - Reporting
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| Parvati river through the Kullu valley |
Early in the morning reached Kasol from Chandigarh
via Bhuntar. On the same bus from Bhuntar were Pramod, Vaibhav, Mahesh, Priyanka
and Priyanka but then it was not time to know them yet. Reported to the base
camp and threw my stuff in the tent after a good breakfast. Was clear that I
was heading to Manikaran and have a good hot water bath. Met Khyati and
alongwith Palani and the rest of the telugu gang headed towards Manikaran.
Pradeep, Vinod and Vishal were supposed to join us but knowing that we had
plans of walking all the 5 kms – they opted for the bus. At manikaran had a lovely bath in the hot
water spring and then lunch at the famous langar – the kadhi pakoda was par
excellence. Following lunch, went around
the area to have a look at the hot caves and the hot water spring. The rice
which is served at the langar is entirely cooked in the hot water spring - No
gas, No electricity. Returning through the market of Manikaran, we took a bus
to Kasol.
Day 2 : Acclimatisation & Orientation
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| YHAI Base Camp @ Kasol |
A day when friendships were forged and leaders were selected. After a good breakfast headed onto some level of acclimatisation. The walk was all of 4 hours with a decent climb, having to carry the rucksack with some sort of weight. Mithun Das - the lively camp leader - was with us and gave certain tips regarding trekking. Second half of the day was a bit more tardy with Satyanand giving the orientation. Lecture after a lovely lunch (of Palak with Soya - no wonder I devoured 8 rotis !!!!) was third degree torture. Quick round of introductions (where Vinod identified self as 'Indian') followed by selecting the group leader. I had to bribe Palani, Vinod, Pradeep & Khyati to ensure that I don’t get struck with the job. The job of conducting the camp fire was with SP-7. Having different people from different states – managed to get a group for ‘Mille sur mera tumhara’. Felt pretty good when a couple of folks came over and mentioned that they remembered me from the Goa biking expedition (Reason being the kanchi re song ) .
Day 3 : 09th May 2012 – Rappelling and Rock Climbing
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| Himachali House |
As a part of the extended acclimatization regime, we had the rappelling and rock climbing training today. While rappelling was compulsory for all, rock climbing was time boxed to one hour with just a few number of lucky one trying it out. In both the cases, there is a standard procedure – 2 ropes – one which is known as the Biley (this rope is the most important which ensures that in case of a slip you are not rocked to the ground) and the other one is known as Rappel using which you can lower yourself or pull yourself as the case might be. I have tried both these things before but the rock used for rock climbing this time was a fairly tough one. I wasn’t very happy about the way I completed the rock climbing but then a second chance was definitely out of question.
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| Traffic Jam of a different kind |
On return again went to the stream side which we had been yesterday and this time more people were in for the conducted tour . Walked around to the top point – known as Magic café to watch the lovely sunset over the mountains. I have always felt a strange feeling when the sun sets in the mountains – when the different layers of the view are drowsed in the dark as time passes. I find it rather symbolic in many ways. The campfire conducted by SP-8 was really good and different due to the silent act. Tucked in soon as tomorrow we are supposed to leave for the higher camp.
Day 4 : 10th May 2012 – Kasol to Kanchani Thatch
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| Bus top ride - awesome experience |
The day started off in leisure with no exercises. The routine changed a bit and we were supposed to catch the bus from kasol at around 9:15 hrs. Not many to see us off due to the delay in bus and the other groups having their acclimatization or rappelling. The bus arrived and in line with the tradition managed to sit on the top – something which has always fascinated me. The gang was fun and with lots of shouts of “duck” and “watch out” alongwith songs like “hoga tumse pyaara koun”, we reached a point around 17 kms after Manikaran from where we were supposed to walk.
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| Our adda - spent quite a good amount of time here |
The walk to Kanchani Thatch was a very simple one. Reached the lunch point within 15 mins of walk and yes – we were quite disappointed as we knew that the camp is around 30 mins walk from the lunch point. The lunch point for the day was near some abandoned cabins. Had our lunch, took a short walk and just as we were about to leave – it started drizzling. So had the opportunity to make use of the cabin where-in we had to wait for around 10-15 mins. A spectacular thing which we encountered throughout the trek was the sudden change in the weather in a matter of minutes. Just when you think that its nice & sunny, God has a way of saying that He holds the trump card !!!! The campsite was a neat place with a small stream flowing downside. In the evening played a game of kabaddi to pep ourself up. Playing after a long time, it was difficult to garner points but enjoyed the speed overall. Walked up to the place where we saw some glaciers. The camp had a couple of huge rocks – one of which became our adda ! Lying down on the rocks – looking up at the clear sky was an absolute bliss of an experience – one which you have to feel to believe. Spotted a shooting star – KD says she saw 2 – and an artificial satellite. The resource person was a computer guy by profession but an astronomist by hobby. Under the clear night sky he explained the stars and constellations – heard it till we started feeling really very cold and then crashed for the day.
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| One of our camps on the trek |
The trek from Kanchani Thatch to Khordu was a simple walk as well. We left in the morning at around 8:30 AM and trudging along slowly reached Khordu at around 3-ish. The camp had a spacious tent which was not taken by anyone. Vinod, Praddy, Abhishek and Nevile occupied it immediately. After a while we understood that it was empty due to 2 reasons – entire camp is totally sloped and it slips like hell in front of the tent. So much so that each one us had fell down hard or were about to fall. Just before the camp site is a beautiful spot where we did a lot of photography. The high point of the night was the number of ghost stories that was shared in the tent. With the kind of chillness in the air, no one thought of a campfire at any point of time.
Day 6 : 12th May 2012 – Khordu Thatch to Zirmi
A day with no strenuous trek – started out late in the morning due to the fact that we will not be allowed the next camp prior to 3:30 PM. The day when we had the first glimpse of substantial snow – little that we realize that in 2 days we are going to have enough of the snow. The first time – it was an exhilarating experience to pelt one another with snowballs. Took a pretty long break at the lunch point to ensure that we don’t reach the camp too early. A recurring problem that we faced was that the long lunch breaks invariably lead to hurrying up in the second half due to changing weather conditions. The Zirmi camp was located on the slope – rather a beautiful place. A mini world war ensued for the alu bondas which was the evening snack for the day. The gastronomic juices of our stomachs were actually raging high and low with the change in the food – a lovely change from the biscuits that we used to get every day. Our gang (Harshad, Bhakthi, Vinod, Pradeep, Khyati and Myself) of course ensured that we got much more than the standard quota of 2 bondas per person !!! How we managed that would remain a secret J Post the alu bondas and the chiwda (thanks to Pramod and gang) – we started with a round of antakshari and then rapid fire songs with connecting words. This was followed by an impromptu dance session, which actually induced sweat in all the dancers !!! Sweating at a height of 10500 ft is an achievement in itself. As was the case with the last 2 days – we had dinner by 7 followed by a singing session in the tent.
Day 7 : 13th May 2012 – Jhirmi to Thilalotni
A day where-in a good amount of trek was in snow, the famed camp in Thilalotni was at a height of 12500ft. The day’s trek was not very strenuous but with the disappearance of the tree line, breathing was a bit difficult. The key was to have a lot of liquids and with snow all around one rarely feels thirst but then – have lots of liquid else altitude is gonna get you !!! Reached the thilalotni camp after a good walk on the glaciers – in fact it was a pretty long walk after we saw the yhai banner announcing the camp. As we reached the camp, snowflakes began to fall. It was the first time in my life that I have been in an actual snowfall and so it was for many others – obviously major celebrations around. With the dinner being served at 6:30 pm and the fact that tomorrow is gonna be a long long day, decided to retire for the day. Just then, noticed a set of locals chatting around a small makeshift fireplace and Pradeep and myself joined them. The fireplace was strategically placed between the crevice of rocks and was a very warm place. They were more than welcoming and we spent a good amount of time sharing our lives with them – understanding their routine, their interests and singing some pahadi songs !!! We could have gone out and called our gang but then it was too cosy for us to venture out J Following the chit-chat crashed out for the day to ensure a 02:30 Am wake up call.
Day 8 : 14th May 2012 – Thilalotni to Biskeri
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| Crossing Sarpass |
The longest day of the trek – and D-Day in Sarpass which each one of us were eagerly looking forward to. Majority of the day was a trek on the glacier. Climbing to a max height of 13800ft and crossing over Sarpass was supposed to be the highlight. With a wake up call at 2:30 AM – we left Thilalotni at 4:00 AM to ensure that we cross a major portion before the sun shines down to melt the snow. Instead of the standard 2 guides – we had 4 guides and 6 sherpa helpers today. The trek during the sunrise was just awesome. Though we were late – as in we had not maintained the time which we intended to – we were at Sarpass by the time the sun was up. The frozen lake on the top was an absolute sight to behold and the silence there was something which I am sure none of the cities would have. The tough part of the trek started once the sun was up and the snow slowly began to melt. No matter where we put our feet, the ground would sink beneath the feet – not dangerous but it does get some time to get used to. Moving on, reached a point where there was a ultra-steep climb. With the help of a belay rope, each one of us climbed slowly to the top.
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| The frozen lake at the top |
Reaching the top – the target was to slide down the other side !!! Around a 700 mtr slide to start off with, the angle of incline was steep and would be around 70o to 75o. Expected to slide with the rucksack on our back, the key to this slide was a good balance of the body with the elbows and heels acting as brakes. Most of the common mistake that people do when sliding down at a good speed is to widen their legs – and get toppled over. Our group was no exception to the rule and quite a good number of people toppled over. Going forward there were more slides and one particular slide which Khyati and me tried out was something to remember. At a point on the slide – both of us were sliding down head-first with Vinod and Harshad staring at us agape !! Luckily managed to get a grip and arrest the free-flow. Following this incident the walk to the lunch point was without any incident. It was Bhakti’s birthday and the same was celebrated by the entire gang with a nice little cake. The amount of snow around was rather tempting and we all made a nice little snowman – one which had a big stomach and we can be proud of J. There were some slides which we did along the way, we consisting of Harshad, Vinod, KD and myself . Continuing to Biskeri we reached the camp at around 4 PM – a real tired but satisfied lot. The camp site was a neat little hillock and the one thing which disappointed all of us was the fact that the real campfire (which Mithun-da at basecamp promised us) was not allowed !!!
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| The snowman team |
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| Snowman |
Day 9 : 15th May 2012 – Biskeri to Bhandak Thatch
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| The stream crossing |
Bhandak Thatch – touted to be ‘The Switzerland of India’ and all of us were keen to see if it lives upto its name. The trek was a good one – one place where we had to rappel down a tricky rock. The most exciting part of the trek was the river crossing fiasco !! Had to cross this stream on just 3 logs of wood. 6 of us – Pradeep, Vinod, Khyati, Bhakti, Harshad and me decided to have a cool snap which we would remember for days to come. Well, the experience would definitely be remembered for days to come. Vinod , Pradeep went onto the log and perched comfortably when I started walking . Dunno what happened – legs started to shiver and then due to the Newton’s third law – the bridge started to shake vigorously. For a moment – Pradeep, me and Khyati thought that all 3 of us will be thrown into the river and would come out at the base camp in Kasol. Thankfully I just sat down on the log and people moved off to save a catastrophe. Had a good laugh when we thought about the overall experience but then it was more like – twice lucky in two days. The further trek to Bhandak Thatch was a good walk but not without incidents. Just when we were in sight of the camp site (still had a good 20 mins walk remaining), encountered a huge hail storm. Pradeep and Vinod ran all the way to the tent but we 4 had no option but to wait for the hailstorm to subdue. The camp site lived upto its promise – a beautiful meadow surrounded by mountains. As we reached the camp, it was raining again and the kitchen staff were actually very considerate in the fact that tea and soup was served directly in the tents !! The rain continued for almost an hour an we lost valuable day light in the bargain. One of the common rituals of Bhandak Thatch is a cricket match and the camp site had a nice makeshift bat as well. Ball was a mixture of all the socks which we intended to throw away and the game of cricket was actually fun. As night fell, we sat in the kitchen talking about the trek and the lovely time we all had together.
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| The camp at Bhandak Thatch |
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| Cricket at Bandhak Thatch |
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| View of the snow-capped from the camp |
Day 10 : 16th May 2012 – Bhandak Thatch to Kasol
Effectively the last day of the trek, as each one of us had different plans and were leaving the base camp today itself. It was known that there would be a considerable amount of trek for the day before we reach Barsani to catch a bus back to Kasol. The walk to Barsani was rather a long walk. Initially there was a very good amount of climbing down to be done, following which a rather uncomfortable walk. By today, we were feeling the advent of the summer again, so the trek seemed all the more long. One last stretch of the trek, which was a steep climb on a motor able road, was made comfortable thanks to a truck driver. Reaching Barsani, we had to wait for quite a while to get the bus which would take us back to Kasol. The hunter shoes were past their prime and so both KD and I gave our hunters a decent burial with full state honours once we reached our base camp at Kasol. Being the time to say goodbyes, checked out of the camp – promises made to keep in touch – and headed onto Bhuntar to take the bus back to reality.
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| The endearing snow-line |
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| Group SP-7 |
For me, the trek was to prove something to self –
which I did. But then a lot of other realizations were part of the package as
well. Quite a good number of things, which we say are ‘necessacities’ are
actually ‘luxuries’ but we put a wrapper to avoid the guilt. Like, out of all
the camps which we stayed, only the base camp at Kasol had electricity but we
survived the entire trek. Life is all
about making the best of what we have rather than going behind materialistic
belongings.
