HIMALAYAS : A WAY OF BEING
It was 3 AM on a Sunday morning, but it didn’t mattered. It was completely dark and freezing cold at 0 C, but it didn’t mattered. 16 people were on a mission that day, a mission that had kept them going for the last 5 days, a mission that now put forward one last hurdle. It was a test, a challenge, a game. There were no opponents. They were ready to beat themselves.
Background
I had heard a lot about Roopkund trek in Chamoli district of Uttrakhand, about how it was one of the best treks in the Himalayas. My passion for adventure and trekking thus placed it on the top of my list. After convincing 3 of my college friends, I finally planned to do roopkund trek through the company — Trek the Himalayas (TTH) on their June 7 batch. Earlier we were thinking of doing the trek ourselves as it would have costed less, but since this was our first major Himalayan trek, and because it was categorized as a difficult and high altitude trek, we thought it would be better to use some experience and knowledge in an unknown territory, and decided to went on with TTH — A decision we now commend due to numerous reasons.
Day 0
On the night of 6 June 2016, we boarded a private bus from New Delhi to Kathgodam. This marked the beginning of our unforgettable week which gave us much more than any of us had expected. The bus was managed in a very poor way and the 4 of us had an uncomfortable journey throughout the night. But I was still very calm as I knew that in a few hours I would be where I had wanted to be from the past couple of months. What I didn’t realize then, however, was that this uncomfortable bus journey was nature’s way of getting us out of our comfort zone, and making us ready for the Himalayas.
Day 1
The next morning we reached Kathgodam at 7 am. Two TTH vehicles were waiting for us there, and we met the other members of our group. Our group was rather demographically uniform — 16 males, all engineers, all aged between 18–25. We started our long journey towards Lohajung, the base camp for the trek, earlier part of which involved beautiful ghats of the Kumaon division. I was surprised by how quickly all of us became so close friends. After only 30 minutes of meeting for the first time, we were having discussions over breakfast like we have known each other for years, and that was the first time I realized that I am going to take back much more from this trek than what I had earlier imagined. Those discussions and stories continued as we moved closer to our destination. We travelled through the towns on the foothills of the Himalayas like Almora, Ranikhet, Kausani and finally entered the garhwal division of the Himalayas, which was going to be our home for the next 6 days, a home which I now miss very much. As we traversed a bit into garhwal, all of us left our phones and sleep, and gazed out of the windows where we got the breathtaking views of snow-laden Nanda ghunti and Trishul Peaks. The idea that roopkund lied very close to those peaks excited all of us deeply from within. We were now ready to take the challenge.
We reached Lohajung in the evening and were welcomed at the TTH guest house. After the evening tea, we met our trek leader who briefed us about the trek, the risks and precautions, and the do’s and dont’s. The excitement within me was rising rapidly as the evening progressed. All of us were now starting to feel the Himalayan weather and its rich culture, its tempo gradually starting to resonate with our heart. After the dinner, I quickly finished all my packing for the next day and went to the balcony to gaze at the clear sky filled with shining stars, which gave me a mixed feeling of pleasure and gratitude, and I started loving our planet even more.
Day 2
After a good night’s sleep, we were all ready in the morning, filled with energy and excitement to start the action we came here for. After a strong breakfast and the energy chants, the 16 of us began the trek which will remain in our memories for a very long time. The day’s trek seemed to be a rather easy one. It included 4.5 km of descent and 2 km of ascent to reach Didna village which was our destination for the day. The descent was gradual and had a rocky terrain, and was marked by the presence of a large variety of Himalayan flora and fauna. The path had a few natural sources of drinking water which originated from the pindari glacier near the Nanda Devi. After easily completing the descent, we reached the Neelganga River which marked the beginning of our ascent for the day. About 2 km of the ascent through the forests led us to the small yet beautiful village of Didna.
We were strictly briefed not to sleep during the day, hence the process of college stories and fun making continued through the day. In the evening, we went to our first acclimatization walk, which is meant to adapt the body to the rising altitude. On our way back, we had our first encounter with trekking in the rain. A lesson to learn for all of us : Never undermine the unpredictability of the Himalayan weather. The experience at Didna had many cherishing moments that involved interaction with the local staff there, and playing with the little kids. I am still amazed by the kind of humane beings I met there.
At the same time, I started pondering over many philosophical questions and especially the differences in the urban life and the life at the Himalayas. It felt as though the whole of urban lifestyle was a moving piece placed in a well-built industrialized system, and everyday all of us are falling further into that trap. It felt as though we are forgetting our culture, our way of living, our home; And the Himalayas is our home.
Day 3
I had a bad habit of waking up late before I came here. Ironically, I woke up at 5 am without any alarm. I guess the mountains were calling me to wake up and get ready for the day’s action. Some of us were a little nervous regarding today’s trekking after getting updated with the numbers. Today we had to reach Ali Bugyal, which meant an altitude climb of 3000 ft. We were leaving at 8 am and estimated to reach around 2–3 pm after a climb of 10.5 km, which meant it was a bit long trek. But our motivation and unity was above anything else, and we went through the forest like a roaring lion.
The earlier part of the climb was through the forests and was very gradual. We made slightly longer stops in that part which had the effect of cooling our body down which in turn made the incoming steeper climb much difficult for some of us. The climb was steep and continuous without much breaks, and from the front I saw big gaps between the group members. All of us finally completed the steep climb, and from here we clearly saw the rapidly declining tree line. This was the beginning of Ali Bugyal : The highest meadow in Asia. Since we went there in the pre-monsoon time, I was imagining the bugyal to be less greener, but the Himalayas always overdelivers, there were lush green providing an excellent landscape view. After having lunch, we began our journey again. Some of the people looked a bit tired, this coupled with light showers ensured that there was again a big gap between the frontrunners and the people who fell behind. This was a major thing we failed to achieve as a group this day. After climbing a bit more, we were at the top point of the bugyal, and here our eyes once again encountered the mammoth peaks of the Nanda ghunti and Trishul. The view of standing hundreds of feet above the tree line and dozens of Himalayan horses grazing the green grass made those views unforgettable. After 1.5 km of easy trek from here, we reached our camps at about 2:30 pm.
The feeling I was having was amazing and I don’t know why but the simple dal-rice we eat there felt like a feast. In the evening we went down to collect dry wood for our plans for a bonfire. All of us sat around the fire as our trek leader told us many stories of Roopkund and the Himalayas.
Sitting in the lap of the Himalayas, breathing the fresh air, watching those burning twigs, quietly listening to the Himalayan stories, it felt nothing less than heaven.
Day 4
After a strong breakfast, we started our journey for the day which was a 5 km trek to Patar Nauchani. The first part of the trek was gradual ascent for about 2 km. We left Ali Bugyal and followed a mountainous trail that gave us amazing views of the valley and the Himalayan wildlife it contained. This trail then combined with another trail coming from the bedni bugyal. At this point, we were excited to see a huge no. of other groups of trekkers, some of them climbing, some of them returning, our 2 days of isolation was suddenly broken. From there we continued for about 1.5 km on a steady path to reach our next checkpoint — Ghora Lotani. Ghora Lotani was a spectacular place with deep valleys on both sides and clear views of the himalayan peaks including Chuakhambha, Nanda Ghunti and Trishul. From here, we trekked downhill for about 1.5 km to reach the green fields of Patar Nachauni, our camping site for the day.
The TTH staff at Patar Nachauni was amazing and we had a great time there. We played Cricket and Frisbee near the campsite for hours. But as the sky darkened, cold winds started rising. We had heard beforehand about the strong winds at patar nachauni, but what we saw after the dinner was traumatizing. The winds were so cold and fierce, none of us could dare come out of the tents.
All in all, Patar Nachauni gave me many unique experiences in a matter of hours, Be it playing cricket at 13,000 feet, or sharing quality time with the local staff, and not to forget, attending nature’s call in the open green fields amidst disastrous winds on a cold night below the cloudy sky armed with nothing but a torch and a toilet paper.
Day 5
After surviving the violent winds of last night, we woke afresh and all ready to move one step closer to our final destination. Today was the penultimate day and the trek was supposed to be a small but a difficult one. We had to reach Bhagwabasa today, which was our last camping site for the Roopkund trek. We started a bit late, at 8:55 am but quickly started gaining altitude. We could easily feel the air getting thin as we climbed, which meant a decrease in oxygen and an increase in the amount of water intake the body required. The absence of any water source during our trek today was an additional factor to be kept in mind. But none of this could hamper our unshakable spirit as we continued our climb steadily. The climb became steeper in the last few hundred metres as we approached the temple. At about 12 noon we reached the Kalu Vinayak temple, which is a highly regarded place within the local Garhwali community. We stopped at the temple for about 40 minutes and then continued our journey. From here, a steady rocky terrain of about 1.5 km led us to the Bhagwabasa camp. We were surprised that the campsite was completely rocky and that we had to sleep on such a terrain.
As usual, we enjoyed the lunch way more than what we do at expensive restaurants; another evidence of how much fulfilling the life in mountains can be. In the evening, as we started walking for our last acclimatization walk, the excitement and passion for the summit day was clearly visible in everybody’s eyes. After that, we met with the TTH technical team which was going to accompany us to Roopkund on the next day. They briefed us about all the risks involved and the do’s and don’ts and gave us crampons for walking on the snow. We were given dinner at 6:30 pm and all of us were back in our tents at 8 pm to get a good sleep before the real action day.
Day 6
It was 3 AM on a Sunday morning, but it didn’t mattered. It was completely dark and freezing cold at 0 C, but it didn’t mattered. The 16 of us were on a mission that day, a mission that had kept us going for the last 5 days, a mission that now put forward one last hurdle. It was a test, a challenge, a game. There were no opponents. We were ready to beat ourselves.
At 4 am, we started from the Bhagwabasa camp for the summit climb to Roopkund. Our torches lit the rocky path beneath the sky which was still completely dark. The first 500 m of the climb was easy, but after that we had to continuously cross the slippery paths which were carved out on melted ice sheets. The slope was gradual but the slipperiness of path made it risky. We had very few standing stops and no sitting stops in the first 2 km, we were experiencing real trekking. After completing 2/3rd of the journey, we had to climb directly on the snow covered mountain. The slope was steep and the path was faintly visible. I was getting exactly what I wanted for the summit climb. After covering 500 m, the path became steeper, and tiredness was visible on faces. Till now, the trek had been easy for me, but the last 500 m were really testing all of us physically and mentally. After 2 hours 30 min. of climb, I heard a ringing temple bell, and I knew we were there.
At 6:30 am, we had finally reached the summit. The feeling I had on seeing the lake was amazing. It felt like a great achievement, like I was destined to be there. The hot daliya at 15,750 ft was most certainly the best breakfast I have had in my life. I looked at the faces around me, all the fear, pain, fatigue was gone, it was a short moment of glory. Junargali was just 200 m above Roopkund but the climb was tough and the weather didn’t permit us to go there. After relaxing and enjoying for 40 minutes, we were on our way back to Bhagwabasa. Fortunately, the sky was all cloud covered and the sun didn’t appeared, but even then, the first 800 m of the descent were slippery and a bit risky due to the melting snow. I remember that for 30 minutes, I didn’t saw left or right, my entire focus was on my feet and 1 m of the path ahead, such was the level of caution needed. One bad step could take this journey from heavenly to hellish. We crossed over the slippery rocks, and from there, it was an easy walk to our camp at Bhagwabasa. The pace of our group was very good, and we were back at Bhagwabasa camp at 8:50 am.
We relaxed for about an hour and then had lunch. Many members of our group were tired by now but our journey for the day wasn’t done yet. We had to trek further down to Patar Nachauni. At 11:30 am, we started to leave for Patar Nachauni and at the same time a slight drizzle started. By the time we reached Kalu Vinayak temple, it started raining heavily. We left the actual path as our guide took us through a shortcut. The continuous rain made the path slippery and the dense fog ensured that the visibility was not more than a few metres. However, the short path ensured that we again covered the distance very fast and by 1 pm, we were enjoying maggi in the rain at Patar Nachauni. I was physically tired but still mentally very active, and we once again played Frisbee and Cricket there. We also played poker in the evening. Patar Nachauni once again showed its violent nature at night through continuous heavy rainfall. That night, I had the sweetest and the most peaceful sleep I have had in many many weeks.
Day 7
“The black tea was amazing”, I said to a fellow trekker. “I hope it’s not our last in the Himalayas”, he said. “It won’t be”, I replied with a fake smile and a heavy heart knowing that today was the last day of our trek.
Today we had to trek down to Wan, another Garhwali village, and from there we had to take a jeep and return to our base camp Lohajung which was well connected by roads. We bid goodbye to Patar Nachauni staff and left at around 8:30 am. The trek was very easy and I spent the whole time till Ghora Lotani listening to various stories and mountain techniques from our trek leader. After trekking 1 km ahead of Ghora Lotani, we reached bedni bugyal, the famous meadows which are overpopulated by the local people during the autumn season. We saw the bedni kund and the beautiful shrine hut there. The views of the mountains from bedni were breathtaking.
From bedni, the trail was a steep descent of about 2 km to a place called Gehrouli Patal. We stopped there for 30 minutes and then continued our descent. Since it was our last day, a few of us including me left the well defined trail and started running freely downwards and let gravity take over. We continued our non-stop run for 3 km through the beautiful and dense oak and rhododendron forests. We completed our descent in a flashing time and reached the Neelganga river at 12:50 pm. None of us had taken a bath for the past 6 days, and hence there was nothing stopping us now. We bathed for about 30 minutes in chilling cold water and then moved on. A 1 km ascent from the river led us to Rann ka dhar, where we rested and had lunch. A 2 km descent from there led us to the Wan village. On the path, we met a lot of kids of the Wan village and we shared all our chocolates and biscuits with them. We saw motorable roads for the first time in 6 days and the TTH vehicles there were ready to take us to Lohajung.
I sat at the window seat and gazed out at the mountains just like I was doing on the first day when we were coming here. But it was a completely different feeling that I was having. The air felt much more fresh, the distant forests looked much more greener, the mountains looked much more beautiful. I realized that I now understand myself and the world in a better and a richer way than ever before. The last 6 days were a physical, mental, spiritual journey which tested my body, but more importantly my courage, determination, confidence, trust, team-work, and leadership. This journey had changed me, and the emotions and beautiful moments that I experienced at every point in this journey will remain engraved in the memory until I die. I will never forget that jeep journey from Wan to Lohajung, the cold winds constantly hitting my face, the melodious sounds of the birds, the beautiful fragrance of wet mud. I was myself surprised when I realized that I had tears in my eyes. I was leaving the Himalayas, I was leaving my home.
This is the Himalayas. Am I the same person who came here 6 days ago? I think the answer is NO. I came here for an adventure, the Himalayas taught me a way of being.
Photo Credits : Aashay, Kartik, Kautsya, Pranav, Prerak