Himalayan Trekking: Rupin Pass (15,279ft) — A Test of Grit, Endurance and Overcoming Fear
Rupin Pass stands out as a major inflection point in my life. Often, the toughest and most challenging situations are the ones that teach us the most, pushing us to grow, become stronger, and learn what we’re capable of.
I embarked on the Rupin Pass trek with Indiahikes not once but twice this year — the first shot in May 2023 during spring, and a second attempt in Sep 2023. May was a bit of a letdown; the weather went rogue, and our entire group had to bail midway, missing out on the summit. I was devastated when I returned home, especially because I had dubbed 2023 as my ‘Year Possible.’ There was no way I was letting that dream fade away, so just a week later, I signed up for Rupin Pass in Sep 2023.
This blog dives deep into the valuable lessons I learned about mental endurance, overcoming fears, tackling tough questions about life choices, and, most importantly discovering who I am. It’s more than just recounting the 14 days of trekking; it’s a 9-month journey of Rupin Pass that has transformed my life in profound ways.
This is blog is divided into 4 sections
- Trek Facts
- Rupin Pass 1.0 — May 2023
- Rupin Pass 2.0 — Sep 2023
- Life after the Rupin Pass trek
Rupin Pass is labeled as a ‘moderate-difficult’ trek, hitting Level 4 on a scale of 1–10. Kicking off from the 7,630 ft Jiskun base camp in Shimla, we conquered altitude up to 15,279ft, completing the round trip back to base camp in just 7 days.
Facts
· Difficulty Level — 4
· # Trekking days — 7 days.
· Distance covered —~ 60 km. (Avg daily trekking hours- 5–6 hours. On summit day, we trekked ~16 hours)
· Trek route- Starts from Jiskun, Shimla (7,630 ft) -> Jhaka (Hanging Village) -> Saruwas Thatch -> Lower Waterfall -> Upper Waterfall -> Rupin Pass (15,279 ft).
Most of the Rupin Pass trek is along the Rupin river. On Day 4, we get to see U-shaped glacial valley and at the end, there is a 3-stage waterfall as shown in the picture below. You go upstream to the source of the Rupin river traversing from lower to middle to upper waterfall.
· Trail — Route from Jiskun to Lower Waterfall, some sections have steep ascents, and challenging terrain like walking over snow bridges and river crossing which requires a lot of support from trek guides who open the route. From Lower Waterfall onwards route gets challenging, with longer steep ascent, and trekking over hard, rocky boulders.
· Adventurous Rupin Gully– The final climb to the Pass through the gully is the steepest section of the trek. The Rupin gully is a half tube cut out of the mountainside angled at 70 degrees. As we begin to ascend, we refrain from looking back as the mountain seems to steepen, creating an illusion of a near 90-degree incline. The climb is 200 meters, on steep hard boulders and loose stones constantly shifting underfoot. This climb is as thrilling as it gets and it takes 45 mins to cross such a short distance. Finding a foothold on this terrain is difficult and thus, one has to identify stable, non-moving boulders while ascending and descending.
This is the 1st time, I didn't opt for offloading and carried my backpack throughout the trek weighing approx. 11–12Kg. Lesson learned — I should pack light!
Rupin Pass 1.0 — Tandav in the Sky, Tandav in my Mind — May 2023
The trek didn’t kick off on a good note for me — I was not in a good emotional state. Add to that, the mountain threw some serious challenges my way, hence the name “Tandav”.
We reached Jiskun basecamp. It was raining non-stop. Our trek leader updated us on how the previous batches fared and the weather forecast didn’t look good. Over 80–90% probability of heavy downpour on all 7 days. No one had summited so far in the May 2023 season. Trekkers had to return from various points along the climb. However, this couldn’t deter our team’s spirit. Day 1, we kicked off from Jiskun basecamp with full-on enthusiasm — “No matter what, we’ll stay positive and we will be the 1st batch of the season to summit”.
Day 2 — Jhaka Village to Saruwas Thatch campsite
We got an update that the first batch of the season had to retreat mid-way (Lower Waterfall) due to bad weather. We started late around 11 am when the weather cleared up briefly allowing a narrow window to start the trek to the next campsite — Saruwas Thatch. We trekked for a solid 4–5 hours straight, soaked to the bone, clothes clinging to us like a second skin, all in the hopes of reaching Camp 2.
The trail wasn’t a cakewalk and some sections it was barely wide enough for a single foot. Traversing river streams and snow bridges required careful techniques to maintain a secure foothold; otherwise, slipping was a constant risk. In certain dangerous sections, a misstep could lead to a hazardous descent of 100 to 200 meters down to the bottom of the river stream. It was still raining continuously and the trail was slippery. I slipped and fell down multiple time realizing I couldn’t manage this solo. The trek guide played a crucial role, assisting me through the slippery stretches. My confidence was totally shattered. I needed a miracle to complete the trek!
River Crossing video below. Video and Pic Courtesy — Shiva
At 4 pm we reached the campsite — Saruwas Thatch and had lunch. Inside the tent, it was chilly and cold. At dinner time, our trek leader lays out three options for the team.
- Descend back to base camp tomorrow.
- Stay back at this campsite for a day and then assess if the weather permits us to ascend further.
- Hike up to Lower Waterfall Camp 3 tomorrow morning and test our luck.
Decision time. The group is divided. The majority preferred Option 1, while 2–3 brave trekmates preferred Option 3. I wanted to descend and re-attempt this trek next time.
Siddhant Doshi, one of the youngest trekmate said — “Even if there’s a 1% chance, we should hit up Lower Waterfall tomorrow and then figure it out.”
After a round of discussion and votes, we decided to descend back to base camp tomorrow. That night, I dreamt of reaching Bangalore and narrating to my friends how horrible and dangerous this trek was. However, the mountains had a different game plan in store for me.
Day 3 — Ascending to Lower Waterfall Campsite. Questioning life choices
There are so many variables when you are out there in mountain. Weather is very unpredictable in the mountains. One moment it’s all cloudy and rainy, a few minutes later, it’s all clear skies.
Day 3 hit differently — the weather did a complete 180, and bam, a bright sunny morning. Ready to pack my bag and head to base camp, I got hit with a surprise bomb — we’re heading to Camp 3 — Lower Waterfall. I was shocked. The trek leader tossed the decision back to the group — 4 out of 20, myself included, wanted to bail and head to base camp.
The trek leader, visibly upset, questioned me about my decision to descend. My response — Straight-up honesty. I spilled, “I’m not mentally prepared to move ahead” He wasn’t thrilled with my answer. He drops, “You haven’t even hit 100% of your potential. Your SpO2 is rock solid, no high-altitude sickness symptoms, physically fit to complete this trek. What’s the deal?”
His words started echoing in my brain — “Haven’t tapped into my full potential”. While prepping for this trek, I was running 3 km at least 3 times a week. As I was new to running, my pace was 8–9 min/km. My mind and legs were in constant battle. Running is more of a mind game. After running for 1km, my mind was always the 1st to quit whereas my legs screamed — “Why are you running at a recovery run pace? Run faster. Speed up. You’re not even utilizing my full potential”.
Tandav in my mind — Back to Saruwas Thatch camp — With a few minutes to start the trek, I found myself staring at the opposite mountain, the river beneath flowing in full force. Tears streaming down, I’m questioning my life choices. “Why do I always select hard things, where there is a path of no return? Why do I keep making hard choices, riskier choices both in my personal and professional life? Can’t at least one thing be easy? Why can’t I choose simpler life?
The final decision was that the entire batch decided to go to Camp 3 — Lower Waterfall. The trail, however, had other plans — more snow bridges, and narrower paths. I struggled to take each step and slipped multiple times. I regretted my decision to move forward. Trek leader told me — “In mountains and life you have to adapt to changing circumstances. It’s ok if you fall. Don’t let fear hold you back”.
Tandav in the sky — As we reached Lower Waterfall campsite, we could see mini avalanches on the upper waterfall. The weather continues in its ominous ways. We’re in for one of the mountain’s scariest nights. Thunderstorms, cloudbursts, and an encore of rain and snowfall at an altitude of 11,700 ft. Even the simplest tasks, like taking off shoes or tying laces, felt like battling a storm inside the tent.
Technical trek guides who were at the higher campsite descended to the Lower Waterfall campsite as they couldn’t open the route to the pass. They informed us that it was dangerous to go ahead and so, we should start descending back to base camp tomorrow. It's not worth the risk. At least we made it here!
Reaching a summit should never gain precedence over making it safely back to the base. So, be respectful of the signs the mountains give you. Words of Anatoli Boukreev echoed in my mind — “The last word always belongs to the mountain.”
Back to Bangalore
After six days of trekking, I reached Bangalore around Sunday midnight. Despite being relieved that the trek was over, I couldn’t sleep the entire night. I thought ‘Mountains had ditched me’. I had witnessed a darker side of the mountains — dangerous and frightening. Perhaps, challenging treks aren’t my cup of tea. Staring at my vision board which had big goals post-Rupin Pass, I felt like I lost everything.
I was drowning in disappointment, a void yearning to be filled. The only question that haunted me was — If this is Year Possible, then how can Rupin Pass remain incomplete?
A week later, I signed up for Rupin Pass in Sep 2023. Because some stories just refuse to stay incomplete. The adventure continues!
Rupin Pass 2.0 — Conquering Fear. Enjoying the Adventure
Just 10 steps from the summit traversing through the adventurous Rupin Gully, I found the answer to the question: Why do I choose challenging endeavors in life? Why Rupin Pass 1.0 was important?
Weather is more stable during the autumn season (Sep/Oct). Thus, I completed the trek this time. The journey up to the Lower Waterfall was familiar, but beyond that point, the terrain became challenging, steep, and filled with boulders. On the summit day, we trekked for a grueling 16 hours from Upper Waterfall to Rupin Pass and descended 2 camps down to Lower Waterfall and then Saruwas Thatch reaching around 6/7 pm.
Breathtaking view from Upper waterfall — Source of Rupin River. Video below.
Rupin Gully -> Rupin Pass
We woke up at 1 am, got ready, had breakfast, and started around 3 am from the Upper Waterfall campsite. The steep climb tested my endurance at every step. By the time we reached the base of the Rupin gully, I was exhausted and felt like quitting. My body had shut down. However, I gathered the courage for the final ascent.
The gully looked daunting as mentioned earlier in the Facts section. Its near a vertical climb of 200m which takes ~45–60 mins to get to the Rupin pass. Some fellow trekkers faced breathing issues due to the high altitude of over 14,000 ft. Determined, I cautiously traversed the gully in a zig-zag manner, ensuring each step on the unstable boulders was secure. Make no mistakes. One wrong step and there you go tumbling down.
Somewhere in the midst of the climb, a trek guide offered a helping hand. That’s when it hit me — I was able to manage on my own. I’m enjoying this. The fear was gone. Thrilled and excited. I learnt that I love adventures. Mountain wanted me to summit this time.
With newfound clarity, I covered the remaining distance at an impressive speed. The final push, the last 10 steps, and there I stood — finally, Rupin Pass and I united. A lot has culminated over the last 9 months for this to have happened. As I stood at Rupin Pass, I uttered the following words:
“Rupin Pass 2.0 was beautiful and challenging everything that was written on Indiahikes blog. But Rupin Pass 1.0 was a brutal teacher. I learned things the hard way. I’m so grateful for this experience as I got tested in full force and came out stronger. More than the summits, it’s the supposedly failed attempts that teach the most”.
During my 1st Himalayan trek Kedarkantha in Dec 2021, I was very scared while descending on snow. I vividly remember what trek leader Amritansh told me that day — “Kamini, Tum itna daroge, toh koi pahad nahi chad paoge”.
So, my 2022 New Year resolution was — To reach a state where I am fearless. 1.5 years later standing at an altitude of 15,279ft Rupin Pass, I conquered my fears.
Life after the Rupin Pass trek
Post Rupin Pass, life has taken a different turn. Typically, I refrain from intense physical activity for a month after a trek. However, this time is an exception. On October 8th, I participated in the Wipro Half Marathon, securing qualification for the Tata Mumbai Marathon. With just 4 weeks left, the training mode is in full swing — three days of strength training in the gym, four days of running, and one day dedicated to rest. In October, I ran 127km, followed by 131km in November. As the year concludes, my plan for December is to reach a target of 140km run.
Year 2024 is all about big goals
- Tata Mumbai Full Marathon in Jan
- Pangarchulla Peak trek in April
- Everest Base Camp trek in Oct/Nov
Rewinding to 2023, I ventured into new experiences — Devil’s Circuit, Trail runs, 5+ half-marathons, and two 20-milers (32 km) runs.
When things get tough in life, I remind myself — ‘One step at a time, just like Rupin Pass.’
I would like to express my gratitude to the Indiahikes trek leaders —Rishi and Aniketh, experience co-ordinators Tilak and Nitesh and trek guides — Uttam Da, Jagdish bhai, and Pritam Da those who went above and beyond to guide us through the challenging trek, kept us motivated, and encouraged us to keep moving forward, no matter how tough it got.
If anyone is keen on embarking on a Himalayan trek or shares a passion for marathons or distance running, feel free to DM me! I’d love to collaborate and plan a trek or run together.
