It all started
with the Kanyakumari motorcycle ride and post that, we decided that we (I,
Parag Gujarathi and Deepak) would try and do one adventure per year. This year,
after a lot of deliberations, we zeroed in on a Himalayan trek and eventually
settled down on Buran Ghati in Himachal Pradesh. My previous high-altitude trek
experience was zilch but I was enthusiastic and wholeheartedly signed up for
this. Little did I anticipate that it would be an experience where some of the
most practical tips would come from Paresh Rawal’s character ‘Baburao Ganpatrao
Apte’ in the movie ‘Hera Pheri’.
Now, a lot of
people say that they are sick of their desk jobs and feel chained and need to
liberate themselves, even if it is for a few days. I don't belong in that camp. I like
my day job and hell yes, that day job is the reason I’m able to afford
trekking. Anyways, after a lot of planning, including about 3 million light
years spent by Parag in Decathlon choosing the right colour for the sun cap, we were all set
for the trek, or so we thought. Parag was also majorly worried about taking a
bath and when I broke the news to him that no bath for a week, he was as disappointed as a mosquito being refused entry into a nudist beach. He had probably packed in a
shower cap as well and must have been sad to remove it from the backpack. Parag
also packed in some sturdy rain pants, in case it rained, just like he did for
the Kanyakumari motorcycle ride. It was a shame that we never needed to use
those rain pants on the trek. For more details on Parag Gujarathi’s adventures
with his rain pants, read my ‘Pune to Kanyakumari on a motorcycle’ blog.
Deepak had a more serious problem on his hands. He was constantly beaming messages akin to - Houston, we have a problem. He had earned points on some credit or debit or whaddyacallit card. They were enough to buy either a bigger backpack or a grill (yes, you read that right. G-R-I-L-L used to barbeque stuff). He was in two states as to what to do. The thought of hot paneer tikka and chargrilled spicy potatoes in the snowy campsite was enough for me to push him to go for the grill and get it on the trek. But, after a lot of deliberation and, much to my disappointment, it finally dawned on him that carrying a grill might present some logistical problem on the trek. So, no paneer tikka :-(
Deepak had a more serious problem on his hands. He was constantly beaming messages akin to - Houston, we have a problem. He had earned points on some credit or debit or whaddyacallit card. They were enough to buy either a bigger backpack or a grill (yes, you read that right. G-R-I-L-L used to barbeque stuff). He was in two states as to what to do. The thought of hot paneer tikka and chargrilled spicy potatoes in the snowy campsite was enough for me to push him to go for the grill and get it on the trek. But, after a lot of deliberation and, much to my disappointment, it finally dawned on him that carrying a grill might present some logistical problem on the trek. So, no paneer tikka :-(
Anyways, a non-descript
flight to New Delhi, bus ride to Shimla and we were ready to crash for the day.
The next day was spent taking in the sights of Shimla. Climbed all the way up
to Jakhu temple of Hanuman Ji. A signboard near the start of the climb gave
indicative time of how long one should take based upon age and boy, did that
really get us charged up. Now, without going into details, all three of us are
30+ and ideally, we should have punched thru to the top in 45 minutes max. But
I was challenged and actually made it to the top in 26 flat. Parag and Deepak
took 19 and 25 respectively. Came back to Shimla Mall Road and ate THE most amazing
hot gulab jamun there. It was the thought of this gulab jamun waiting for me
that kept me going on this trek when the going got tough.
Day 0: Jeep
ride from Shimla to Jaanglik village
This was a
crucial day and getting up early in the cold was of utmost importance. Not just
because the jeeps were scheduled to leave from Shimla at 6 am-ish but because
this was the last day when we would be able to bathe during the entire trek.
The next shower was 8 days away !!! Anyways, got everything sorted and hooked
up with the local guide and some of our fellow trek mates at the old bus
station in Shimla and were on our way.
Long winding
roads, stunning scenery and Deepak’s beatific face with a sheepish grin pasted
on it 24-7 were constant company during the ride. Stopped for breakfast and
lunch at highway side restaurants. Loads of locals selling Himachal apples. Saw
an ingenious way the locals have devised to transport apples which used a pulley system to transport apples from the orchard across the valley.
Towards the end
of the jeep ride, the road was nothing but gravel and slush wide enough for the
jeep to scrape thru. No way to reverse if there was an oncoming vehicle. Then,
Mr. Sanjeev, our local guide, asked us to get down and walk up to Jaanglik.
Apparently, there was a road till the village but a bridge spanning a river
collapsed many years ago and put paid to our plans of taking the jeep up to the
base camp. Loaded our backpacks on our backs, got out the trekking poles and
started walking. After a steep climb, reached Jaanglik base camp. This was to
be our last night under a roof and where we had running water and electricity
and cellphone coverage. And also, a toilet with a latch. Trust me, one doesn’t
realize the importance of these small things till they are taken away. I will
explain in detail later in the blog.
The broken bridge
There were a few
donkeys lazing around the village near our base camp and we were to learn later
that our offloaded backpacks would be carried by them on most days. But, the
donkeys had their own way of having fun with us city dwelling trekkers. Someone
was hanging out near the base camp when a donkey came charging at him at full
gallop. He managed to scamper out of the donkey’s path in the nick of time but
the donkey hadn’t had enough fun and came for a second helping too. The donkeys
probably high fived each other later and the charging donkey must have become a
hero of sorts.
Intros were
done, forms signed and dinner served. Post that, we got our first taste of
washing our plates with icy cold water. Still, it was better here as the water
was not frozen. Read on for more details.
Pre trek briefing and at the start of the trek
Day 0 base camp
Highlight of
the day: The charging donkey
Day 1:
Jaanglik to Dayara
I started the
day at 4 am in order to finish my morning business before serpentine queues
built up in front of you know what. Slept a little more and then woke up again.
Breakfast done. Walked a little and AMS hit me. I decided then and there to
offload backpack. In hindsight, it was a really good decision on my part.
Gathered for the morning briefing and then started walking. About an hour into
the walk, AMS hit me big time. I’d taken Diamox in the morning but the effect
was yet to kick in. Couldn’t walk more than 10 minutes before I had to rest for
15. Took me forever to reach base camp. But Parag and Deepak stayed with me
throughout and also one of the guides. I reached base camp about an hour after
everyone else and crashed in the tent. However, I managed to recover by evening
and was back in spirits.
We had passed
lush green virgin forests and streams and saw stunning scenery but my AMS did not
let me enjoy it. Anyways, I will just let the pictures do the talking for this
day.
Highlight of
the day: No highlight as my AMS did not let me
enjoy anything.
Day 2: Dayara
to Litham
Now this
morning, I was over my AMS and was all pumped up for the day’s trek. Woke up
when it was dark and went to do morning business. Now, a helpful tip: If you
are going on such a trek, don’t ever forget a head torch. You need your hands
free and need to see also. Anyways, the toilet is nothing but a small tent with
a zipper. Reminded me of Paresh Rawal in Hera Pheri when he says – Ya to
darwaza pakad ke baith nahin to gaana ga. Nahin to 2 km dur railway ki patri
par jaana padega.
I will leave it
to that. Anyways, we were fed and watered handsomely and were off for Litham.
Took several pit stops, and then had one river crossing to do. The trek leaders
tried to find rocks using which we could cross safely but it was difficult.
Eventually, we had to take off our shoes and socks and wade in. The water temperature
was a notch above freezing point but our legs were several notches higher. The
result is something that I need not put into words. Our superhero Parag loved
the water so much that he took a dip in it but made it look like a fall. I
think he wanted to take a bath or was missing his shower cap badly or both.
Anyways, reached
base camp. Had lunch. We were advised by our trek lead, Nikhil, to not to sleep
in the noons. So, a lot of us took to playing mafia in the large tent where we
all could fit in at once. Won’t describe the game here but it involves a lot of
back-stabbing and ‘How could you’ and other expletives that cannot be
reproduced here. It was fun beyond belief and we ended up played this game every
single day of the trek. The back-stabbing and deceit had got us all hooked!!!
Treacherous water crossing and vistas en route
Mafia in action
There were
several puddles around the camp site. They were big enough for someone’s foot
to go thru them. Visible easily during the day, these would freeze during the
nights and would be invisible until someone stepped into them. Why am I telling
you all this? Read the next paragraph 😊
Fed and watered
handsomely again, we tucked in for the night. Now, I would like to draw your
attention to midnight loo breaks that most need to take. It used to be freezing
in the night time and opening the tent zipper for even a second would elicit
cries of – Whatcha doin’ #$%&*. Close the zipper – from the tent mates. So,
imagine someone opening the tent zipper when two people were sleeping soundly.
Yeah, you got it. It led to the other two rubbing their eyes and looking at the
third with an expression that said…. well, I leave it to your imagination.
Whenever one of us woke up for a midnight loo break, the other two would also
join in because – tent zipper would need to open only once, safety in numbers (like
African wildebeest) against charging donkeys and the eternal curiosity of
watching someone’s leg go thru a frozen puddle.
Anyways, one
good thing about midnight loo breaks was that the sky was so clear and amazing
and one could see so many stars and the milky way that it was worth risking stepping
out of the tent.
Highlight of
the day: The water crossing and mafia.
Day 3:
Excursion to Chandranahan lake
A bit of an easy
start to the day with slightly late wake up calls. Did the usual rounds of
brushing teeth with frozen water and an ode to Baburao Ganpatrao Apte and some
chow inside our tummies, we were ready for an excursion to Chandranahan lake.
Campsite in the morning
Campsite in morning and Chandranahan Lake
Learning how to setup a tent
Now, a bit of
history here. A few years ago, I and two other friends of mine, one of whom was
on this trek, had gone to a farm and there was a lake there. We were stripped
down to our underwear and wading in the shallows, no one around. Suddenly, one
of the other two has a bright spark and says – let’s do pushups guys – and actually
proceeds with doing so in the shallow, murky waters. Now, the same person was
on this trek and I was curious beyond belief about whether there would be
repeat show here at Chandranahan lake. This very thought kept me going pretty
much near the top of the pack as I could not afford to miss it.
Meal time
Had to cross the
same stream as we did the previous day and we instinctively knew that we would
need to cross it back again later in the day. Amazing scenery with wild horses
galloping around. Steep ascent. Tired beyond belief but kept punching as I
could not afford to miss you-know-what. Reached the lake. Mind blowingly
beautiful. The two local trek guides offered us jaggery as prasad as the lake is
sacred for the locals. Sadly, no push ups this time round. Sha !!!
After spending
about half an hour near the lake, started the descent back to the base camp.
Crossed the stream again and were back. Chow in our tummies, everyone was
charged up for a round of back-stabbing (read: mafia). Played till almost
dinner time. Ate. Slept.
Highlight of
the day: The welcome jaggery at Chandranahan lake. Also,
the astoundingly beautiful lake and its surroundings.
Day 4: Litham
to Dhunda
Won’t write a
lot about this day. The usual early morning routine and we were off. The name
of the camp tells about its weather. This camp is shrouded in mist in early
mornings, as we were to find out the next day. Tough ascents with plenty of
breaks and we were at the camp site. Had lunch and started with the usual
rounds of mafia. We were prepared to play late into the night when the trek
leader, Nikhil, came in and informed that the next day, we were to wake up at 3
am and start walking by 5 am. So, we had to stop playing, eat and sleep early.
Tomorrow would be the toughest and scariest day of the trek. Read on.
Highlight of
the day: Stunning scenery along the route.
Day 5: Buran
Ghati (Holy Grail)
3 am wake up,
ode to Baburao Apte in the freezing cold, hot breakfast and a packed lunch
later, we were off at 5 am in the darkness. The stars were bright and if anyone
saw us from a distance, she would have seen a dozen odd flashlights moving up
the mountain side. We were setup in formation so that the entire group moved at
a steady uniform pace instead of people getting scattered. It was a tough climb,
the toughest so far. Patches of ice started appearing along the route and then,
the ice cover got bigger and bigger. After about 3-odd hours of steady
climbing, we reached the holy grail, i.e. Buran Ghati itself. This was what we
had been toiling for all these days. It is breathtaking and I will just let the
pictures do the talking.
Now, we had two
technical climbing experts with us, Raka and Raju. They were needed especially
for the descent from Buran Ghati, which involved walking along a narrow, ice
covered traverse. The previous day, about 1,000+ sheep and their shepherds had
gone from that path and because of the pressure, the snow had hardened into ice.
Slippery beyond what words can describe. It was only because of the technical
guides that we were able to even attempt the descent. The overnight snow had
made what was left of the traverse disappear and our guides actually carved it
out, one step at a time, using their axes.
Everyone was
walking at a very slow rate. And then, one guy slipped. We all watched it
happen. His boots didn’t get grip, he lost his bearings and started sliding
down the snow into the valley and was headed straight for some large rocks. Raka
actually jumped after him and started sliding. In the nick of time, Raka managed
to kick him out of harm’s way but the guide himself hit a rock. We all watched
in stunned silence, unable to say anything. The heroism showed by Raka is
beyond words. He put someone else’s life above his own. Thankfully, neither of
the two were seriously hurt and Raka actually made it back up to the traverse
to help the rest of us.
Nobody kept
track of the time but it took us about 2 to 3 hours to cover a distance of 500
metres. Once the snow/ice patch was done, both Raju and Raka headed back to
Dhunda base camp to help the next batch the following day. They and all the
guides who help trekkers are unsung heroes. Hats off to them.
We walked for about
12 hours that day and reached River base camp by late evening. I managed to
fall a few times on the snow (only damage was my shoe laces coming undone) and once
on a large boulder (damage was a bent trekking pole). Nevertheless, we all were
grateful for making it back to base camp. Hot samosas awaited us there and I
don’t think any meal tasted better in my life.
No energy left
to play mafia, we all tucked in for the night for the last time in the tent.
Highlight of
the day: The astounding bravery displayed by all
the guides, especially Raka.
Day 6: River
camp site to Barua village to Shimla
Last day of the
trek. Started with a late wake up and we left base camp by 9 am-ish. Tough
patches along the route but we all navigated thru them. Gradually, signs of civilization
started appearing. We could see huts and a few locals. All these days, the only
people we saw were our own trek mates. It was welcome to be back in civilization
although it was sad to leave the adventure behind. We saw many apple orchards
and at one, a local woman kindly gave us freshly plucked apples that we ate
with relish.
Apple orchards en route and trekkers walking
After a few
hours of walking, reached Barua village where jeeps were waiting to take us
back to Shimla. Said good byes to all and got into jeeps and reached Shimla
late in the night. The first thing on my, Parag’s and Deepak’s mind was –
SHOWER. The hotel had amazing hot water and it was an amazing feeling to shower
after so many days. Ate in the hotel restaurant and crashed for the night.
Back to civilisation
Highlight of
the day: Hot shower
The next day, we
headed to New Delhi and then to the airport. I would have put a handsome wager with
anyone betting that the sniffer dogs at the airport would have fallen
unconscious had they sniffed our bags. There were none at the airport. Slept
thru the flight and came back home, with adventure still lingering in our
hearts.
Photos courtesy: Deepak Bhosle, Avik, Sunaad, Vasanth, Darshita, Jayesh Panat, Shridhara, Swaroop
Photos courtesy: Deepak Bhosle, Avik, Sunaad, Vasanth, Darshita, Jayesh Panat, Shridhara, Swaroop
