Sunday, July 27, 2014

A trek through a wonderland: SAR Pass Trek Part-II

The trek was long and so is the blog entry. Out of experience I can say that attention span and patience are two things we are losing very fast. In order to make it easier I have divided the trekking experience into three parts. The first part contains how I came across the idea of trekking, planning the tour, itinerary of the trek, few things about Kasol and my experience in the first three days in the camp. The second part is about the trek, which lasted 7 days and 6 nights, starting from the base camp till the return. The third part is about few things which should be kept in mind during planning for the trek, and some other thoughts/information. The link to all the parts are given below. 

Part-I
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek.html
Part-II
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek_38.html
Part-III
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek_27.html

Photo Blog:
http://coloursinarainbow.blogspot.in/2014/06/up-above-world-so-high-sarpass-trek.html

Happy reading.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Part-II

Day-04: Kasol Base Camp to Grahan.
A stream between Kasol and Grahan
Finally, the day had come for which we all had waited so eagerly. The 1st good thing in the morning was that we didn't have to go for the morning exercise. And since we already had packed our back packs, we did not worry about packing. We were ready to leave for the trek at about 8:00 am. The morning did show the day for us. It was slightly overcast and later we found, it rained through out the day till Grahan. Total trek distance for the day was 9.00 kilometres. We started on the left bank of a tributary to the Parvati River. Initially the trek was gradual and we all walked at a leisurely pace. Constant drizzling made the path a little muddy and slippery but since all were high on excitement, no one really cared about the external factors. The path is through thick jungle. One can spot the occasional birds here and there, few wild horses and some domestic animals along with there caretakers. As we climbed higher, the streams were reduced to stream-lets and the snowy peaks could be seen in the distance. 

After about 3 hours of walking we reached the lunch point which was a plain spot among few trees. After the lunch the climb was steeper. We could see the pieces of clouds floating effortlessly and melting with the foliage and with each other. After walking for about and hour or so we could see the slope cultivation and wheat fields on the mountains. It was an indication that the village is not far. At around 2:30 in the afternoon we reached Grahan. It is the last village on the trek and the last mark of civilisation. Its a small village with sloped wooden roofs. Children along the way greet you with a namaste and immediately will ask "bhaiya toffee". Seeing the innocence on their faces you can help but to give each of them toffees. The camp is situated after the village ends. Camp and the village is located on the ridges of two neighbouring mountains, and is separated by a small stream. Our good Samaritan friend, Angad, helped all of us to cross the stream, except one person (guess who?). In the evening the sky had cleared out and the bright evening sun lighted the village excellently. We spent time drying our clothes around a small fire in the shop of a local. This small favour was returned by buying "sadu" (a local dish of maida and some herbs). The could had cleared and we all hoped for bright and sunny days ahead. 
Grahan, as seen from the camp site.

Day-05: Grahan to Padri
The morning greeted us with an azure sky and bright sun. Early morning sunlight made the snow tops sparkle with a golden glow of light, which was a treat to watch. It was one of the easiest day for trek. The climb was mostly easy with two major climbs in between. On the way there was a tea point where the locals sold tea, snacks, cold drinks (a bottle of pepsi was sold at double the price, yes globalisation has it's reach but comes with a price). We avoided pepsi and settled for the local neembu-paani. We reached the lunch point before noon. It was on slope and had dense trees around, making it a nice spot for taking rest. Looking towards north we could spot the SP-27 batch on their ascend to the Nagaru base camp. The lunch point is also one of the few places on the trek you can catch the mobile network (only airtel) if your stars are bright, and you have to put your mobile at a particular elevation and direction to catch the signal. Whenever it catches the signal, take your ear near the phone or else you will lose the signal. The camp leader from the Padri camp daily walked up to this point (2-3 kilometres) to have a chat with his family. At lunch break, I had this anecdote in the middle of a conversation, which I can not help but sharing.

Ajosh: Hey man (in his typical mallu style), are you married?
Me: No. And you?
Ajosh: Yes man (with a sigh).... for about seven years....(after a pause of about 5 seconds) Don't worry about the trek. After you get married, you will find this trek easier.

We both had a hearty laugh.

On  the way to Padri
After lunch, we rested for about two hours and some people (e.g. Neel) managed a siesta in between. The trek after lunch was a leisurely one and we reached Padri around 3.00 pm. is a large patch of grass land with a small pool of water nearby. Padra, in the local language (which is Kulvi) means grassland for grazing domestic animals. Padri, derived its name from Padra. The camp was located at the foot of a hill. From lying inside the tent you can see the majestic view of the Pin-Parvati valley, the snowy peaks and ridges. From this place one can do other smaller treks, which could be completed with in a day. The Northern Railway group which were with us for the last two days, took a different route from this place.
Padri
Camp at Padri



Day-06: Padri to Minh-Thatch
On difficulty rating, this would come as the third toughest day of the trek. The other two being the next two days in ascending order of difficulty. This day we had to cover a vertical height of about 2000 fts. The climb was hard. We had cross about two to three mountains and the small streams in between. By lunch we had covered most of the distance. The lunch point was again located near the foot of a hill with green grass around and the field was bisected by a small stream of melted snow. Far to the west the whole of the himalayan range could be seen. The final hurdle after lunch was a stiff cliff which had to be covered in a zig-zag manner. The welcome banner at the top was a landmark we were all aiming.  
Lunch Point before Minh-Thatch
Sadly when reached at the top, we had to descend and walk around 1 more kilometre to reach the base camp at Minh-Thatch. Thatch in Kulvi means a place where one can sit and have an eye around the grazing cattle and sheep. True to the definition, it was a small plain area with slopes around which was abundant with green grass. Shepherds from Grahan use this place as a stay for grazing their cattle and sheep. The camp leader (Mr. Saurav) at this camp was from Kolkata and had a vast experience of trekking in the himalayan range. On enquring about the facilities for nature's call, he bluntly replied "you are in a jungle...stay like a tiger". He even showed us the Rohtang Pass top, Lahaul Spiti valley top and Manali top from the camp. The location of the camp is at such a place, from where you can see 4 camps viz Grahan, Padri, Nagaru and Minh-Thatch itself. The stay at the camp was a good one except for the fact that the rats inside the camp made it a difficult night.

Local Ladies
To keep the memory alive, let me share another funny incident..this time from Angad.We were standing near the tents after breakfast in the morning when Angad, addressed Yamini as Jinali and wished her good morning. Yamini, on the other hand, assumed it to be an innocent mistake, replied and wished us good morning. After Yamini had left, I told Angad, about the mistake he had committed. On this Angad says promptly with his mischevious smile...."क्या यार कैसे कैसे लोग हैं ....अपना ही नाम भूल जाते हैं "...which sent all of us in a fit of laughter.

(No offence intended to Yamini, Jinali, and Angad)

Day-07: Minh-Thatch to Nagaru
Imagine a cliff having a slope of about 70 degrees. If Minh-Thatch is at the bottom of the cliff, Nagaru is at the top. The task for this day was to cover the cliff, safely. Few days prior to us, an old lady had fallen from this cliff. Luckily she survived the fall (only a fractured hand) and bravely she completed the trek also. From this place onwards we were leaving the vegetation behind and entering a cold desert. The trees gave way for wild grasses, barren and rocky patches of land. Rest of the place was covered with snow. From now onwards we trekked in a single line with girls leading. The ascent was slow but was good since it gave us ample time to relax and take breaks. In between the cliff a makeshift arrangement was made for the lunch point. You can have an idea of how high we had reached after you see the eagles flying below your height. We reached Nagaru before time. 

Nagaru, in kulvi, means where the land ends and snow starts. The camp at Nagaru is the most dangerous one. Its located at the edge of the hill. The cliff is towards the south and west side. East and North side was covered with snow. On one side there was a chance of falling from the edge, while on the other side one could slip on the ice. The biggest problem one face in Nagaru, is attending nature's call. Boys have to go down the slope and girls above the slope. A slip and fall during the activity will send you thousands feet below, straight into the lap of nature. The locals staying in the camp worship a piece of rock (nagaru baba) and thinks he controls the weather at the top of the hills.
Tent mates at Nagaru

Day-08: Nagaru to Biskeri-Thatch via Sarpass
We had to start the day early, so that we could cross sarpass before the snow starts to melt. By 4:00 am we had started walking. Like yesterday, this time also the girls led from the front. After about 2-3 hours of walking we had reached the sarpass top. All you can see here is a white sheet of snow cover everywhere and surrounded by snow peaks. Here you need sunglasses to protect you against the glare from the snow. At the top, we had a break for snacks and photography session. The rigours of the last 5 days paid off since the views were amazing. After the sarpass top we still had to cover a lot of distance. We had to walk along the slope of the mountain. Few times we slide down the snow along the slope. The walk up to the second slide was a tough one and never ending. We could see the ridge, which we had to climb, but the it seemed farther and farther away as we walked and got tired. Last part of this walk involved climbing a ridge with the help of a piece of rope. The more difficult as well as dangerous part is the walk on the edge of a ridge without any support. A fall on either side would ensure a visit to the hospital. The next slide was really a long one. All you have to do is sit on the snow and the guide will push you. After that all you can do is pray, rest of the things are governed by laws of Physics and your luck. I found myself in the unluckier side, collided with a friend and the sprained my elbow. At the end of the slide was our lunch point. The guide, who had experience in sliding, covered the whole slope in one or two slides. But for us we had to attempt sliding multiple times and then walk the rest of the distance on the snow. The lunch point was on the other side of sarpass. We all had gathered snow in our accessories and at this point it started to melt here making it an uncomfortable situation. There was one more slide after the lunch point, which landed us very close to the camp at Biskeri-Thatch. Guide told that, if there were a little more snow, we could directly have slide into the camp site. The view from the Biskeri-Thatch was an awesome one with the mountains, the river valley and some villages could be seen.

A White Desert


Camp Site at Biskeri-Thatch

The camp leader (Mr. Omprakash) at this site was a local. He was the same person who had guided us in the slide. He had a vast knowledge about all the peaks around and carries out private treks also to Kheer Ganga, Pin Parvati valleys. An intersting fact he told us about the Malana village. In the dialect spoken in Malana village (the Malana Hydopower project is here) is very different from the rest of the area. As per legends the village was inhabited by "asuras". When the local "rishis" came near the village they had a fight. The asuras losing the battle agreed for truce. As a part of the deal, asuras agreed to leave the village but wanted that their dialect stays. Hence the dialect spoken these days is different from other ones.

Day-09: Biskeri-Thatch to Bhandak-Thatch
Bhandak thatch is just the other side of a hill. The walk to Bhandak thatch was an easy one except the last climb before the camp site. At one point of time training in rappelling comes handy as one has to climb down a small cliff using ropes. We had our lunch near by a stream and witnessed a professional rivalry between two shops for selling snacks. Since majority of people went to the other shop, an old woman was quite frustrated with us. To soothe her nerves and our hunger, we decided to have some omelette and cold drinks at her shop. The trek was mostly through fields of grass and discreet trees..like the one you see in the hindi movies.
Camp Site - Bhandak Thatch

The camp site at Bhandak-Thatch is on a beautiful green slope and the valley in the front,  at the back is the mountain with snow. You can hear the sound of the stream flowing below interspersed with the chirping of birds. 

Day-10: Bhandak-Thatch to Barshani to Kasol
On the way to Barshani

The trek from Bhandak-Thatch to Barshani was more of a leisurely walk down hill rather than a trek. On the way we met people of the near by villages going to the forest to earn a living. We covered the distance with in 3 hours. Barshani is the dead end for the road from Bhuntar. Since we were leaving for Delhi the same evening, we all returned. However Ajosh and Lennin halted at Manikaran to visit the Gurdwara. After a heavy meal in Kasol we reached base camp, collected the certificates and proceeded for Bhuntar to catch the Delhi bus.



:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Part-III
http://circulatingreflux.blogspot.in/2014/07/a-trek-through-wonderland-sar-pass-trek_27.html

1 comment:

Miss Mansi said...

Walking is the good exercise for human health due to movements of pats of human body with respect tpo time.In India there are several people like to walk on parks or cities like markets. These types of people like to visit Lahaul Spiti where they can enjoy their walking propedrly and joyfully. They like to visit Himachal Pradesh where there are several places like Lahaul and Spiti are the places where they like to walk in great eco-friendly environment.

Memories of Paradip

It has almost been 11 years (10 years 10 months to be exact as on date) since I joined Paradip Refinery in 2013. The journey has been long, ...