Day 1 – Lohargunj to Didna (8600 ft), 31st Aug

Day one, we woke up to a cold morning! As we prepared for the trek to Didna village, we were aware that for the next 6 days, we could not possibly have a good wash, forget a bath. While I was waiting for my turn at the washroom, I was amused to hear Deepika shout out to Sridevi to ask if her facial makeup looked alrite. Sridevi, who was standing at a good 50 ft, answered back that it was perfect and resumed shooting from her video cam. Well, for the next 6 days, it would not matter how we looked. 


We handed our medical certificates & declarations and got our trekking passes.
Then packed our trek bags - these would be transported to the day's camp by mules - which was a luxury. Took out our day bags, filled them with the essentials – water, chocolates, sun glasses, sun screen lotion, and a sweater and left behind all the things that we would not need on the trek, esp. mobile phones! I had passed on the twitter link to my family and asked them to follow it and not expect me to call till I came back. Being completely cut off from the known world is such a welcome change!


Arjun had briefed us that the first day’s trek would be the most difficult trek of all. Our route for the day was through a 5 km flat road to Kuling Village, then 4 km downhill, across Wan river - first by foot and then by a bridge - and finally 5 km up on the next hill to Didna village. With a quick group picture at the camp, the first rope set off with Sridevi, our rope leader setting the pace. Rope 2 set out after 20 minutes, with Rajesh tailing all. The rest of the indiahikes team was made up of Narendra, Sardar, Bhisht, Dhano, Bhupal, and a few others who followed with our luggage and equipment on mules. Mothay and Abhinav kept the group spirit alive in our rope. The path was full of lovely Rhododendrons and tiny & medium waterfalls. The slightly slushy path was still motorable and we could see jeeps zipping past us. Though the locals zipped away while we trudged along, the thrill of bipedal exploring did give me a sense of perceived superiority. 

We stopped frequently for bio breaks, chocolate breaks but few photo breaks - unlike rope 2, which we discovered later, stopped very frequently for photo sessions. As we approached Kuling village, Sardar handed us nice and strong wooden sticks. Though we could manage the first leg well without the sticks, it was only during the downhill descent after Kuling that we realized that we had got the walking aids on time. The steep climb down, strewn with small stones and pebbles, coupled with water trickling down the path in many places, made it difficult to maintain the body balance on our own. 

Pic - En route Didna - Srini
At Kuling, we rested for a few minutes. There we saw huge bails of raw wool being dried out in the Sun. A few minutes later, when rope 2 reached Kuling, we set off for the next leg. After a quick descent, we braced ourselves for the climb to Didna. It was not as difficult as expected but because of the sun, we were exhausted. Not to forget the pain points in the toes after the constant pressure in the downhill trek. It is interesting that muscles and nerves that you would never know existed, come alive on a trek and make their presence felt and how! Is this a way to connect to your physical being as well? In that sense, isn’t a trek the perfect prescription to connect to one’s body, soul, heart, and mind! 

As we ascended up, we could see colorful flowerbeds dotting the scenery. Much as one wanted to laze around the scene, one had to move up and keep the pace of the climb steady. As we reached Didna, we remembered Arjun’s instructions to skirt the core village and keep to the outer path. Our camp was a little above the village, on a picturesque mound overlooking the Wan valley, right next to a clean stream. On reaching the campsite, it was a sight to see the ones who reached before us, lying there on mats, oblivious to all else. I followed suite and so did all others who came after us. As we all lay down there, there was no chitchat, no small talk, just a comfortable silence, building kinship among all the trekkers. We were perhaps silently absorbing the nature of the trek, and learning to respect the terrain, our purpose/objective, and the spirit of the indiahikes team.  Pic - Camp at Didna - Sri

We got up to collect our trek bags and check the tents that were put up for us. Ritu, Sridevi, and I settled in a tent. After a quick wash, which would be a luxury later, we prepared to enjoy the rest of the day. Had a delicious lunch and were all set to explore the area, when all of a sudden, rain set in. Later learnt that this was a common phenomenon - sunny bright mornings followed by rainy afternoons. The view from the tent as the clouds gathered and spilled out was fabulous. The rain made it difficult for us to interact with the rest of the group, except in the form of occasional shouts across the tents.

Towards early evening, it was fine to step out and enjoy the air and the view. It was then that we heard a loud thud: a huge tree had collapsed at the outer periphery of the campsite. We were fortunate that no one was roaming around at that point. On the lighter side, the tree provided  good cover to people who did not want to venture too far for a leak.

It was an absolute pleasure to watch the valley from the camp. I just sat and stared at the mountains, enjoying the enormous presence of the elements around.

Rajesh had earlier told us that we could have a bonfire if it did not rain in the evening. We had a great bonfire. It warranted some music. As we belted out numbers one after the other, the porters poured kerosene every few minutes to keep the fire alive. With the touch of the fuel, the fire would flare up to a huge ball before dwindling into ambers in a few minutes.

By then the makeshift loo tent was put up for the ladies. It saved us the trouble of scouting for a secure place. At this point, one guy said that they were told that out of two tents, the right tent would be for the men. The reply he got was, what was now ‘left’ out there was the right one! ;-)

Tea at 5 followed by an early dinner at 7:30, and we were ready to tuck in for the day. Next day, we were headed - through a dense Oak forest first and then meadow lands - to Bedni. Listening to the mellifluous music of the bells tied around the mules, I dozed off.

Pretrek Day 3 – Nainital-Bhowali-Lohargunj (8497 ft), 30th August

Woke up to a cool morning. The lake was wrapped up in a blanket of fog and slowly the clouds were lifting away from the city. We quickly set off in a cab to Bhowali, where we met Arjun of the indiahikes team and more of the trek group. The rest of the trekkers were Andrei, Benny, Deepika, Laxmikanth, Ramesh, Rohit, Sridevi, Srikanth, and Subbu. From here on, we were a cavalcade of three Tata Sumos. For breakfast, we stopped at a nice dhaba, had stuffed paranthas and tea, in an open verandah facing the mountains. The land near the dhaba was dotted with cauliflower, legume, and green leafy vegetable beds. Ritu decided to take some rest in the sun for a while and settle her motion-frayed nerves. Well, she took rest, we tucked in hot paranthas. :-)

The day got hotter in the next leg of the drive. En route, we stopped at the Baijnath temple, located on the bank of river Gomti. The temple dates back to 9 -12^th century AD and is supposedly built by the Katyuri rulers of ancient Kartikeyapura. The shrines are built in the Nagara style, the main attraction being a standing statue of Goddess Parvati, made of grey schist, with tresses of 26 miniatures images around it. We were not allowed to photograph all the shrines. 

Pic - Baijnath Temple - Achin

Once done with marveling at the shrines, most of us cooled down (our heels!) in the Gomti River and watched tiny fish scuttle around.

Lunch at Gwoldam village was simple and delicious. After that, when Ritu and I wanted to walk a little before setting off on the last leg of the drive, we were warned not to take the right road at a fork ahead because they were infested by leeches. Thus, we saved our blood!

The last leg saw the day becoming cooler. The sound of the Pindar river gushing down below and an occasional tweet of a bird, the sight of green mountains all around, the smell of wood, pine, rain in the air - is this not balm to urbanized souls?

The cab drivers informed us that it had rained the day before and hence the roads were slushy. We took a less travelled road after a point. Because it took us time to maneuver the serpentine curves, it helped the ladies recover from MS.


It drizzled a little and one could feel the hill chill. Slowly, Ritu regained her form and we sang along the meandering ways. The most apt song was “Yeh wadiyan, yeh fazayen, bula rahi hain humein (these valleys, this atmosphere, is beckoning me/us)", with encore requests from Srini and Abhinav. Guess Sahir Ludhianvi was in some such place when he penned these lines. Suddenly, there were joyful shouts and excitement all around - we had spotted Trishul! The sight of the snow-capped peak melted away tiredness from the day long drive and enticed us with the promise of more. Pic - En route Lohargunj - Vikrant

Reached Lohargunj village by early evening. The market in the village supplied provisions to the base camp. We heard the driver quickly check with a supplier for a sack of potatoes and other vegetables.

The hustle and bustle in the market made for a different sight from the landscapes that had been unfolding in front of us. One could not help but marvel at how the folks live up there. One young lass implored our driver to let her ride with us till the next village. He was reluctant and by the time we told him that it was fine with us, she had stepped to a nearby vegetable shop and when we beckoned her, she had changed her mind!


Reached Lohargunj on time. The camp is at an excellent location in the village, commanding a great view of the mountains, with the village on the right, valley in front, and our coveted peaks to the left. Arjun showed us the Nanda Gunti peak. It was shining incandescently on that cloudy and moonlit night. Trishul was not visible at that time.


Briefing from the indiahikes team was simple yet poignant. We would be faced with three opponents - the weather, our body, and ourselves. If we battled these well, we would be victorious. We were told that everyday we would be divided into two ropes (or groups), each with its assigned leader. These leaders would set the pace and at no point was one supposed to overtake them.

After dinner, ventured out to look around the base camp. On a stroll down the road leading to the village, tried out the torch that Abhinav had supplied us with. Its radius was such that we could not see more than 10 ft at a time! We wondered how it would work up at the camps.

Settled down to an early night. With benedictions and a fervent appeal for strength, I closed my eyes and found that I was actually sleepy! Slumber came in fast and uninterrupted. The silence up there in the late night calmed the senses immensely. It was as if time had stood still and wanted me to live in that moment, blanking out everything else from the mind.

Trek to Roopkund

To my Dad.

Dream, dream, dream, dream ... All I have to do is dream.

When you want something badly, the Universe conspires to give it you. This rang absolutely true for me apropos the Roopkund trek. Though it looked like pure chance that I made it to the trek, I believe it was my destiny. So it was that I found in July that some colleagues were planning a trek to Roopkund. By the time I decided I would go, the team was complete. What the heck I thought, I would go to Ladakh or the Northeast. The plan never took off because of logistics issues in my group. There I was, back to square one, desperately seeking to travel but no clue where to. Then Ritu's IM came as a heaven-sent. Someone decided to drop out. Would I be interested? Interested?? I grabbed the opportunity! And this is how my first medium-difficult trek materialized. 

The destination, Roopkund Lake, also known as the Skeleton Lake, located at an altitude of 16,500 feet in Uttarkhand, and a part of the Greater Himalayan range, would be worth all the travails and the trek itself could be counted as one of a lifetime. With Lohargunj as the base camp, we would go up to Didna, Bedni, Pachar Lauchani (also called Ghora Lotani), Kalu Vinayak, Bagwabasa, Roopkund, and if possible, Junargali. All the while, we could gaze at the snow-clad peaks - Trishul and Nanda Ghunti - and see various types of landscapes. Tough yet appealing!

Pic: GPS trail of our trek -  Benny
                                                                      

Though I filled in the vacant trekker's slot, I could not sit and enjoy the adrenaline rush till I set off to board the flight to Delhi. The days before that were filled walking around with a printout of the things to pack, then ticking off items as they were dug out or bought in trips to the Hypercity, Chermas and Big Bazaar in Ameerpet, City Centre, Adidas showrooms, not in that order. Add to that, incessant rain and traffic jams, and you have a perfect recipe to want to scoot out of the city into the lap of Nature. Only envisioning the calm and quiet of the mountains sustained me through those days of non-stop shopping and mental note making, in addition to handling deliverables at work.

Now comes the most pertinent part of preparing for the trek - the mental preparedness for the difficulty of the trek and assessment of one’s physical fitness. When I browsed the discussions on the indiahikes forum, I had my moments of doubt. Here were guys preparing for the trek for around two months and still worried about their lung capacity. Where did I stand then? I slowly ticked off the checklist and rescued myself from a potential panic attack! One, I had been regularly working out in the gym. I could run 4 km in a little over the 30 minutes prescribed by the indiahikes team. Two, I was used to climbing the stairs at a good pace (also lugging the laptop bag along). The tricky part - could I climb up a 4-5 flights of stairs in 3 minutes or less, without getting breathless? And repeat the set, if possible, within the 3 minutes? With a pounding heart, I timed myself and to my satisfaction I was within the comfort range. Three, I was not worried about water my consumption. This, in turn, would take care of dehydration. Then the one thing that remained was AMS. This had to be left to itself. Que sera sera.

Pre-trek Day 1 - Hyderabd to Delhi to Kathgodam, 28th August 2009

Off I set then to catch a shuttle to the airport. Till then, the people I knew from work were Abhinav, Ritu, and Srini. Chatting with Abhinav in the bus helped fight the sudden overwhelming adrenaline rush. Met Srini, Ritu, Vikrant, Raghu, and Arthima at the airport. Ritu's narration of her experience of chasing the shuttle bus in a cab was hilarious. While the rest waited to board a flight one hour after ours, Srini and I boarded our flight. Though we were tired after the hurried packing the previous night, we both chatted away to glory, much to the discomfiture of our neighbors, I am sure. One thing which was pending for him was to get a bigger pair of shoes from a Woodland outlet in Delhi. What a pain to have big feet! ;-)  

I thoroughly enjoyed the view from the window seat and abandoned all plans of re-reading my colleague Sujata’s journal on the trek. After a couple of hours, as we approached the air land of Delhi, I was struck with an overwhelming sense of joy. Dilli meri jaan! There I was, about to step down to my city after a gap of four years. The joy was cut short with one gust of hot wind that blew across as I stepped down the plane. It was searing hot. And to think that Srini and others wanted to go around shopping and hanging around. I quietly stuck to the original plan of going to Ritu's place in Gurgaon. Ritu's parents came to pick us up. We loaded all the trek bags into the car and chugged away to Gurgaon. The wide roads, the greenery, and the general air of happening added to the sense of adventure looming on the horizon. Ritu and I then sub-consciously must have decided to not compare Delhi roads to Hyderabad or dwell on the traffic woes.

Ritu's flat on the tenth floor in the DLF 4 apartments was awesome. That I later climbed the ten-flight of stairs in the humid weather did away whatever little apprehension I had about my physical fitness. After a scrumptious meal, Ritu and I sat down to see if we could offload stuff from our trek bags or share common things. The exercise did not help much! And we had Ritu's sis Deepa and her mom first watch us amusedly and then leave us to our own predicament as we struggled to unburden the weight, in vain. Then we went off to the local market for some minor shopping. The evening was glorious with azure skies and the lushness of the DLF made it more pleasant. I could not dwell more on the sights and sounds because there were things to be bought, plans to be thought out and communicated. Deepa helped us with the shopping. After saying our adieus, we set off in a cab to the old Delhi railway station. The Ranikhet express was scheduled to depart at 10:30 and we started at 8:45. The cabbie turned out to be a nice old man who did not bother us much but took us via the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road, AIIMS, Lodi Road, and ITO. Ah the roads of Delhi, again! And the old melodies on FM made it a delightful drive. 

The others were already at the station. After coordinating for the point to meet at the station, when we finally arrived at the station, a hilarious conversation took place between Abhinav and me.

Abhinav: We are at the Comesum restaurant.
Me: We are at the Ticket counter, which is adjacent to Comesum. Come out of Comesum and to your left.
Abhinav: Ok, stand facing the station, now where is Comesum, to your left or right?

And they say women are bad at directions!

Met Ananth and his wife Thara. The train was delayed by half an hour or so. Was dead tired and slept, dreaming of the majestic and alluring mountains. At the Kathgodam station, the indiahikes team would arrange for cabs to take us to Nainital. We chose Nainital to acclimatize to the altitude and also to shop for small items, which we could not have done in the other stopover option, Kasauni.

Pre-trek Day 2 - Kathgodam to Nainital, 29th August 2009

Woke up to a green, cool morning. As we passed the Haldwani station, the mountain life unfolded in all its glory. It was a while since I had been to the hills. And the sight energized me instantly. Coming out of the Kathgodam station, we were welcomed by the sight of mountains looming large over, the grandeur never failing to inspire awe and respect. Nature has so much to teach. In its own silent way, it nurtures life and beautifies the world, repairs her ravages, and unleashes its power when we do not respect or acknowledge its power.

The first leg of the ride from Kathgodam to Nainital was spent in such soulful thoughts. In between I would be brought back to reality by music on Arthima or Thara's mobile phones. Or guffaws from Ananth, Srini, Abhinav, or the banter between Ananth and Thara. I was beginning to know the other trekkers a little. Ritu sat at the window, braced to experience and slay motion sickness.

Reached Nainital in about an hour and checked into the designated hotel. The hotel commanded a good view of the Naini Lake. One look inside our room and Ritu and I were not too happy with the musty interiors and dirty linen. Ritu was vocal about her dissatisfaction. Others only laughed it off saying that we need to be prepared for a rough trek. Roughing out on a trek is different but to rough it out in a musty hotel room is not prudence but self-inflicted punishment! Banishing all misgivings, we set out to the Mall road.

Had breakfast at a lakeside restaurant. Afterwards, while others decided to go for a drive up to the Lover's Point and the Himalaya Point, Ritu and I decided to stroll on the Mall road and soak in the sun. We checked out the fancy shops and bought stoles, monkey caps, gloves, and a coffee mug. This was followed by a boat ride in the Naini Lake with the rest of the gang , a visit to the Naini temple across the lake, a late lunch (of yummy momos, dal-roti, and jeera rice) in the Bhutia market, and shopping in the Bhutia market. Then Ritu and I set out to search for a photo studio to get our passport pictures. When we joined the others at the lakeside, it was a beautiful sight to behold - a huge expanse of the lake, reflecting lights of the city, blue skies above with low clouds blanketing the city. Brings out the eternal romantic in me!

Ananth and Thara had found a fleece shop selling four sweaters for 100. Ritu and I of course made a beeline to the shop. :-)

Now comes an interesting part. There was a huge fair nearby. I wanted to go around in the giant wheel and Raghu joined me. We enjoyed the first few rounds of the ride. Trouble started when Raghu yelled at the control man to take it faster. The result - we could not get down for the next 10 minutes. If I had got sick up there, Raghu would have had it! A field day for the mela men as they must have had a good laugh at 'these tourist folks!’.

Dinner at Nana Nani's restaurant was simple and tasty. Came back to the hotel, rearranged our trek bag contents and settled for the night. A slight glitch was how to let in fresh air into the room - we could not leave the French windows open and doze off, neither could we sleep in a closed room. And to top it, another door that opened out into a corridor, did not have a secure lock, just a thin latch. After barricading this door with my huge trek bag and a chair, I slept off, excited and nervous about the next leg of the journey, to the base camp at Lohargunj.

Pic: At the Naini Lake - Achin