Camping@ 4600mt
Our time in Kaza has been exactly like we wanted it to be – unplanned.
It has been about camping in the middle of nowhere to off-roading on riverbeds, to cooking pancakes and Nutella for breakfast after a peaceful camping night, to giving a taste of our Punjabi butter chicken to our friends here in Spiti.
These are what holidays are made of!
For the first camping night, our friend Tsering, who is a well respected member of the valley suggested that we drive towards the villages of Demul and Komic and set camp on any pasture land we find. He also suggested that we sleep under the open sky instead of stuffing ourselves into our tents. Wow, the thought was enough to get me going. Excited, Nitish, Nitish’s friend Vishesh and I drove up the mountains, fully equipped with ingredients for making Ghee Murg (chicken chunks made in clarified butter, garlic and chillies). A fun fact – Komic is one of the highest habitable villages of India at 4587 mt. We drove past Komic, further up and decided to camp at about 4600 mt on a small green patch in the middle of huge mountains.
As we pitched our tent and got our equipment out, we saw a red fox cross us a few hundred meters away.
Though spotting a red fox is very common for this area, Nitish and I were excited as kids. We were truly in the middle of action, we thought.
The chicken was set to cook and we sat next to it warming ourselves up to some rum. And that’s when it hit us – we are actually in the territory of the snow leopard and cooking meat. Is that an invitation? To our luck it was a full moon night. Rather a super moon night.
And from behind us, slowly, the moon rose, lighting us, our camp site and the valley beyond. It was a moment to savour, to remember forever.
We hogged on the delicious chicken cooked in ghee under the moon and the stars. It was cold. Super cold. The ghee kept us warm. The rum kept us going. None of us had the courage to wash the utensils in cold water. Locking them in the car we walked up and down trying to warm ourselves. Sleeping in the tent was a challenge, forget outside. I retired early though I knew sleep was going to elude me. I would wake up at the slightest movement and strain my ears for sounds. Vishesh was snoring in his tent next to us. Nitish was snoring next to me. A competition was in play. In between all this I would hear or perhaps imagine rustling sounds.
Outside it was pin-drop silence. No wind. No movement. But every time I would muster the courage to step out I would get a feeling that I am being watched.
The mountains take a different form at night. To me it is as if they open a new world – a world where you are not welcome. The darkness arouses a deep sense of fear. The sheer size commands respect.
The mountains, especially at night remind me of my spec like existence and space in the universe. And that, once again, humbles my existence.
I don’t think I have been outside in temperatures equivalent to -4 or -5 degree Celsius before. At that moment the investment in our sleeping bags was all worth it. Tossing and turning I finally left the tent at 5 in the morning. The moon was about to set and the day break was happening. Simultaneously I could see thick black clouds gradually make way for our mountain. Soon the sun was completely blocked and the clouds were over us. The boys finally woke up from their slumber and we decided to head back to Kaza. Our big girl (read Scorpio) too was super cold and for the first time I saw her struggle to get started. Camping in Chatru was fun. But it wasn’t completely in wilderness. This place truly was. And for beginners like me, it requires lots of courage and mental sanity. I can’t tell you how proud and happy I felt to have pushed myself and having done this!
They say Himalayas have a mind of their own. They give you signals on when you are welcome and when you are not. If you follow and understand the signs, they open out the best for you. If you don’t, Lord save you from their wrath!
We are back in Kaza and ready for another camping adventure!
