An odyssey to the Himalayas is all about one’s psychological ability & strength. The physical aspect of it, although essential, comes later. Exactly a year ago, before I embarked on this spectacular journey to the Himalayas, I wouldn’t have imagined myself in a position to be able to take this up. In June 2022, I got entangled in a mishap at my home city in Chennai. This resulted in major injuries to the muscles surrounding sesamoid bone (responsible for knee extension) and muscles in the back of the leg that flexes the big toe. In a major setback, I had to defer my trekking plans for the remainder of 2022. Recounting this terrible incident, occurring just a fortnight away from the commencement of what would have been another magnificent trekking journey in 2022, I had to calm my nerves down for a long recovery period ahead. It is always painful to miss out on something you love, especially after working hard on fitness levels. Completely lost on myriad of thoughts, I was looking at opportunities to tackle the mental chatter to accept this setback in a positive way.
Before I take you further, here’s a glimpse of what lies ahead in this article! Watch this mesmerizing visual! That’s how magnificent this entire journey unfolded!
MEETING COURAGE & STRENGTH:
Mastering one’s thought process is a life skill to transform one’s way of life. During my long recovery period at home, I was determined to get my feet on the ground as early as possible. I would track my progress each day with absolute resolute. Two months down the line, I felt nice to be able to walk with two feet normally. Although, I wasn’t trek fit, there was enough sturdiness to be able go on leisure travel. Do checkout the phenomenal travel tales of 2022 here.
Fast forward to 2023, my rehabilitation phase began. Typically, I would draft my plan of travel for the entire year at the start of each calendar year. These plans are strategically aligned to my workplace responsibilities, probability of lean working weeks alongside the long holiday weekends. In this case, I was certain that my trekking program is likely to be executed in May/June 2023. Hence, my fitness schedule got underway by March 2023. And, as my date of travel was nearing, the intensity of preparedness mushroomed to a larger extent. At the same time, I was cautious with every action I performed to not to redo the past mistakes.
JUBILATION:
The D-Day was, finally, here! It’s a day I have been waiting for so long since 2022! The excitement of wrapping up my office work and getting my backpacks ready was a feel-good factor. Bidding goodbye to the scorching humid summers of Chennai, the Queen of Hills, Shimla, welcomed me with pleasant weather. This was going to be my home away from home for the next 2 weeks. And I was excited about the prospects of yet another high-altitude trek. In fact, my tenth!
SCENIC ROAD JOURNEY:
The next morning, I got introduced to a bunch of like-minded adventurers and we set forth on a day-long road trip to our basecamp. After a long scenic drive along the Pabbar river, we arrived at this beautiful village surrounded by lush green forests and wonderful people. At an altitude of over 9,000 feet, Janglik is a beautiful small village serving as basecamp for the Buran Ghati pass trek.
The happiest of moment is when one learns to appreciate and enjoy the smaller aspects of everyday life.
Just after the last light of the day vanished, faint drizzle and lower temperatures elevated my excitement to its peak. The sound of the falling rain drops, and a cozy wooden homestay is a dream setup to be at. It was a delightful phenomenon.
THE QUAINT VILLAGE & EXICITING PROSPECTS:
Starting from the pretty village of Janglik, the trail to the upper camps is an absolute bliss. With clear blue skies, towering peaks by the sides and a pleasant sunny day, we set forth on an exciting multi-day trek. Ascending our way through the gorgeous forest cover of Oak & Pine trees, gigantic peaks by our side & stunning meadows, the trail was filled with scenic beauty.
A 5-hour long arduous hike brought us to a beautiful campsite surrounded by spectacular mountains. The vast valley, in front of me, was nothing short of a fairy tale rendering of the most beautiful, picturesque meadows I had seen in a long time now. With the towering snow-capped peaks in the distance, seemingly unending lush-green meadows, gentle breeze, and sounds of water streams gushing at a distance, this was a dramatic visual! And the joy of camping is beyond any word could interpret.
CAMPING & SLEEP QUALITY:
While on a high-altitude trek, there are certain campsites where some people have difficulties falling asleep due to various factors. The most likely cases are uneven terrain, drop in air pressure, and sometimes sufferings due to Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). This was one such campsite where I felt my sleep was insufficient. Having said that, sleep duration on mountains cannot be compared to that of the plains. At high altitudes, 4 to 5 hours of sleep is more than sufficient.
After a sumptuous breakfast, we bid goodbye to the beautiful campsite, in our pursuit of experiencing another adventure-filled day. To my surprise, it indeed, was. The objective for being surprised shall be perceived as you follow this narration to its fullest. Halfway through our ascend to the next campsite, the weather was clear and a perfectly fine day for pleasant hike. Just when we were nearing the campsite, there was a change in pattern of weather. What started as faint drizzle soon turned into hailstones. We were, now, at an altitude of above 11,500 feet.
After an hour of uphill walk in the windy and freezing temperatures, we arrived at our next campsite. By this time, the intensity of hailstorms and rains increased manifolds. The entire campsite was slushy, but that didn’t hinder my inner joys. Neither did anyone else in the group. The remainder of the day was spent chit-chatting with fellow members.
AN ADVENTURE-FILLE DAY:
The weather was, once again, in a mood of playing hide-and-seek. There was a large canopy of clouds hindering the sunlight, keeping everyone in dilemma. However, a decision was made to venture out for an adventurous hike to an alpine zone. At an altitude of approximately 14,000 feet, Chandranahan is a glacial pond, in fact, a constitution of 7 ponds at varying altitudes, fed by several springs & melting snow. The collective water from these ponds forms the basis of the Pabbar river to the downstream villages.
Beginning the hike from our campsite at 11,800 feet and taking the steep elevated trail was nothing short of a climbing expedition, albeit a baby expedition. I should say we were fortunate to have reached the lake during an inclement phase of weather. Due to the prevailing snowfall, the entire landscape around the lake was under the sheet of fresh snow, with the lake being frozen and indistinguishable from the terrains. It was a sight to behold.
Keeping the weather pattern in mind, I did not venture into the far regions of this spectacular lake region. From my past experiences I can, certainly, infer that going down the trek is far more threatening & perilous. One must possess the right skill of placing foot on hard snow, else it will result in stumbling. And, in some cases, could cause serious injuries due to falling over the boulders. After carefully surpassing the snow segment, there came another challenge. This time the skies opened, and it rained relentlessly. The slushy trails and low visibility meant that I had to be careful with each step. While I did slip, I was fortunate to have not stumbled. By the time I reached my campsite, I was completely drenched from head to toe. I, almost, emptied my backpack when I put on the dry clothes reserved for another day of this trek. In the meantime, other campmates had made their way to the camp.
The rains had not relented yet. And the rest of the day was all about hearing, from the fellow trekkers, about the distressing downhill trek of the day. Although I loved this downhill adventure and the degree of risk involved, the wet and damp clothes were a cause for concern. The night fell and so did the sumptuous dinner filling our bellies, but the snowfalls & rains did not relent. For the first time ever, there was an element of fear in me as I went rolled into my sleeping bag. That entire night, the rains continued with massive lightening & the sounds of thunder rattling the entire valley with fear of triggering avalanche at the adjoining mountains. Fortunately, the nightmarish thoughts of an evacuation did not happen.
SNOWY WONDERLAND:
As the first light of the day illuminated the elongated lowland, I was blinded by the visuals of the entire valley. The scattering of sunlight on the endless snow-fed valley was unimaginable. It was a fabulous visual and a paradise. Wasting no time, I piloted by flying camera around the campsite, across the river and as far as I could capturing the stunning landscapes.
I was in a deep state of dilemma. The thoughts that were doing the rounds in my mind provoked me with the challenge – “If I should term the inclement weather a boon or a bane“? In my opinion, it was this weather system, that brought in incessant snowfall in the region and provided an opportunity to capture the stunning landscapes. In contrast, this obstructed the team’s objective to go past the Buran pass at 15,000 feet. I would consider this to be a boon. Why? Firstly, the snowfall was spectacular and fulfilled the rationale of my visit to this Himalayan region. I hope you guessed it right! It’s Photography. Secondly, although we couldn’t get to the other side of the pass, our soiled shoes and clothes were filled with much needed adventures. Practically, there was no point in going ahead to the higher camps. With up to 4 feet of snow and a fluctuating weather system, it was impossible to proceed further. That would have been a risky affair. The entire group spent another day at this beautiful campsite relishing the sumptuous food all day.
MIXED MOODS:
With a heavy heart, we bid adieu to the wonderful kitchen staff for making our stay at this snowy campsite a memorable one. Today’s day was a long way back to the base. Although long, it was another opportunity for me to take home mesmerizing photographs and stories from the Himalayas. Among the 10 Himalayan visits I have had, this one will go on to highlight the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayan Mountain ranges and the need for policy makers to refrain from overburdening of needless infrastructure projects and focus on bringing down over-tourism in the Himalayan states in the country. The weather patterns have gone wild. Having said that, the summer of 2023 will always be remembered for all the adventures and spellbinding travel tales.
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