Langtang, Nepal

So, the original intended post was lost in a freak Windows incident. Well! can't only blame those guys. I should have used a better editor than notepad. Anyways! I was wiser the second time. So here goes!!

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This is a big year. I am planning to climb Nun, the roof of Zanskar. All the groundwork is in place. The flipside is that there is still some time; until September, to be precise, and the "get out, get going" bug just wouldn't let me BE. I figured, if I had to go out, I might as well go out and train to stay conditioned for the climb. I considered trekking in Sikkim and Uttaranchal, but with the onset of the monsoons I skipped the idea. Although the monsoons are usually severe in Nepal too, the worst months are usually July and August. That, and the fact that I’ve never been there, were reason enough for me to consider high altitude trekking in Nepal. Most companies sell the Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Circuit Treks to clients for whatever reasons. I however chose the Langtang Trek. The flights were dirt cheap and I managed to book a hotel online, who were able to get the required trekking permit (called TIMS) as well.

Day 1:

The flight to Kathmandu involved a horrendous 5 hour layover at New Delhi. Anyways, I made it to Kathmandu on a gloomy, rainy day. To call Tribhuvan Airport, International, would be pushing it; but it serves the purpose I suppose. Kathmandu on the other hand is a fantastic town. Narrow lanes, dirty streets, minimal infrastructure and traffic sense next to nothing; but all this seems to work FOR Kathmandu rather than against it. The town seems to have a mind of its own. Its hard to hate the town and I cannot explain why.

I spent the next couple of hours browsing in the Hotel Lobby and chatting with my trekking guide, Tilak (provided by the Hotel). Tilak didn’t speak a word of Hindi and his kind of English might make you weep tears of blood. At times during our conversation I would wonder if I was better off without him. After our chat, I headed out to explore the town. Thamel in particular. The lanes, all narrow, and all of them looked almost alike. Eateries, cafes, book shops, and shops selling trekking and mountaineering gear punctuated the town pretty well. I visited a few shops just to check the kind of stuff they had. I was not going to buy anything before returning from the trek, but I needed to have an idea of what was out there, so it would be easy to pick stuff when I was back from the trek. As it turned out, any mountaineer or serious adventurer is better off without the down clothing being sold in the thousands of shops in Kathmandu. Even other apparel like shell layers, fleece, mittens etc are all cheap knock offs. STAY AWAY FROM THESE. Hardware on the other hand is hard to imitate. So by all means, if you get a good deal; GO FOR IT. I would recommend the exclusive retail outlets of Mountain Hardwear, TNF, Salewa and Marmut all on the same street, within meters of each other.

Day 2:

There are two kinds of buses to wherever you need to go. There is the state run express bus (which is basic at best) and then there is the local bus (terrible). AVOID the local bus at all costs. The state run express bus, though basic, has very few stops and only lets as many passengers equal to the number of seats in the bus. On the local however, you will find people on the seats, over your shoulder, on the roof, on the footboard, on the ladder; am I missing any spot? Just avoid the local. We made it to Dhunche (our road head; there is a town further down the road called Shyafru Besi which is the actual road head to the Langtang National Park) by 1500. Because of the arduous bus ride, I didn’t eat much en route. So it was Fried Chicken Momo’s for me for lunch. Tasty stuff. After lunch, I headed out to explore Dhunche. It is a small town about 1000m long with shanty huts, shops and guest houses either side of the road. I think I had chicken fried rice for supper before hitting the sack.

Day 3:

The plan was to start early. But it had rained overnight. So we had to wait till the heavens showed signs of easing off. I had Tibetan Bread with omelette for breakfast. The moment the rains turned into a sort of drizzle, we headed out. Destination Thulashyafru. We traced the tarmac that leads to Shyafru Besi for an hour may be 90 minutes. This is when we reached a little village called Thulabharkhu. From here we veered off towards Thulashyafru. The first 45 minutes was a really steep trail leading to a somewhat gentle slope for the next hour or so. The trail is pretty well laid out and I suppose a guide is not really mandatory. Too bad for me I was stuck with one. The trek from Thulabharkhu to Thulashyafru was about 3 to 4 hours long with varying degrees of difficulty, mostly manageable. You will come across a few villages or hamlets all referring to themselves as a “Model Village”. We started at about 0615 in the morning and by 1200 may be 1230 we reached Thulashyafru. It’s a village alright, but definitely bigger than all the other villages en route. We stayed at the very first guest house (right at the entrance to the village). I must say, I was actually lured by the smile of a 12 year old kid called Rashmi, who worked at the guest house.

Cant remember what I had for lunch. Was it chow mein, or fried rice? Whatever it was, it was very delicious. I headed out to explore the village after lunch. The village school, which was closed due to vacations looked good. Thulashyafru offered a nice view of the route to Pairo (a little hamlet en route Lama Hotel, our next halt the following day). The village also had a lot of guest houses offering fantastic views of the hills around Thulashyafru. I believe the main profession of the people in this village is step farming and the main crop is probably potatoes and other vegetables. After lazing around the village for a few hours I returned into the restaurant belonging to the guest house where I was staying. Had mashed potatoes for dinner which is when Rashmi showed me some of her pictures. I also made acquaintance with the cook, Karma. He told me that Rashmi doesn’t go to school because she has to work in order to provide for her family. A lot of kids her age have a similar tale in this part of the world. By 2200 I retired into my room. The day to follow was supposed to be a really hectic one.

Day 4:

After a light breakfast, We headed out towards the suspension bridge which connects the two hills one hosting Thulashyafru and the other where a little village called Pairo is nestled. It takes about half an  hour from Thulashyafru to get to the bridge. From here it is a downhill trail for about half an hour may be 45 minutes to get right down to the Langtang river. Once you hit the river bank, its back to uphill trail. Pairo is situated about 10 minutes from the river bank if you go uphill. If you go downhill along the river; that’s the way to get to Shyafrubesi. (We chose to go to Shyafru Besi on our way back instead of Dhunche- lets go uphill for now). Everytime Tilak came across a village, he would stop for Tea or some sort of refreshment. There were two hotels in Pairo and we stopped at the very first. After a 10 minute halt, we hit the trail again. After Pairo, the trail begins to get steep. It took us a couple of hours to reach another village called Bamboo (or something along those lines). The best way to hike for me is to halt for a few minutes and then get going. Unfortunately for me, Tilak didn’t share the same views. For some reason he just had to stop at each village that came our way. At Bamboo his excuse for a halt was to do lunch out there. I decided to stay in the sun for the 15 odd minutes he was in a restaurant there. Lo and behold! After 15 minutes he shows up, rubbing his tummy and a grin on his face. We hit the trail once more. Bamboo was at 1950m I think. If the route from Pairo to Bamboo was steep, it got steeper after Bamboo. In about 30 minutes we reached a tea hut situated by a bridge across the river. The sign on the bridge said “Welcome To Langtang National Park”. We had to cross the river at this point in order to get to Lama Hotel, our destination for the day. The waters were pretty turbulent at this point and the noise was deafening. I just had to halt for some snaps here. About 30 minutes from the bridge we reached another tea hut. The owner had an interesting way of cooling his beverages; he had placed all his drinks in a stream, so they were perpetually cold. This technique seemed to work since the the Sprite that I ordered was nice and cold. After the refreshing drink, it was one final brisk uphill hike for about 45 minutes or so. We crossed another village en route before reaching Lama Hotel. Its right at the entrance to the village, and another little girl named Chomo (I think the owners daughter) invited us to stay at their place. The hotel looked neat so I was glad to retire at Lama Hotel for the day.

I checked the menu, and there was no fowl or meat on it. Tilak explained that since they were Tibetans they respected all life forms. Another explanation was that higher up on the mountains, shedding blood of ‘innocent’ animals was not considered good. This explanation to me sounded especially ludicrous, when I saw some dried brown stuff hanging over the fire place. When I enquired about it, Chomo told me that it was Buff meat (I presume Yak meat – since I never saw Buffaloes or any cattle for that matter beyond Dhunche). So I reasoned, that Tibetans loved all life forms “on paper”, so they wouldn’t offer meat on menu, but it is there to be had none the less. You Just have to look over the fireplace for some dried meat. Anyways, since I was starving, I didn’t want to waste much time. I asked Chomo’s dad to wash the meat, and prepare some Spicy Buff Thukpa. It was delicious. After the meal I had a nice shower and headed out to explore the village. The village is about 200 meters in length and never more than 100 meters broad. There were a number of guest houses and apparently the village folk loved playing cards. Of course, the off season didn’t help much either. The river was just a 100 or so meters from the village on the right. I was not going to miss being so close to the river. It was actually a confluence where a waterfall was meeting with the Langtang River. Terrific place for some snaps. While I was busy taking pictures, I met with a couple of Afghan university professors. They taught Hydrology and were on their way back from Kyangin. They had tried in vain to locate the Langtang glacier. I didn’t see why it should be so difficult. You just have to track the river to its source. I presumed they had only a few days and just gave up, since they were running out of time.

After about an hour or so by the river, I returned to the guest house. There was a dutch guy who was staying at the same hotel. He seemed really keen and in no time we struck a conversation. We shared anecdotes and spoke about cars, bikes, women, yoga, mountaineering, politics, army etc etc. Somewhere between during our conversation we managed supper as well. Dal bhat for the dutch guy and beef (or was it buff) fried rice for me. Our conversation continued from the Garden (where we had supper), to the Kitchen, to the dining room (where he had a couple of beers). At 11, we decided to hit the sack. The dutch guy was heading back to Shyafru Besi, but for us it was a long arduous trek to Langtang village the following day, and I’d like to start early.

Day 5

An early breakfast, is almost ritualistic for me. Start out early and get done with the days work as soon as is possible is my way to do stuff on the trail. Today was no different. An omelette wrapped with Tibetan bread was tasty. We said our goodbyes to the folks at Lama Hotel and hit the trail. Lama Hotel was at 2400m or so. Langtang was supposedly at 3400m. So we would be gaining almost 1000m today, which was exciting.The gradient was ok to begin with, but slowly got steeper. We reached a little place called Riverside (2720m) in about an hour. Hung around for a few minutes before setting off again. Another hour or so, and we reached a place called Ghoda Tabela (2950m). There were a couple of guest houses here and even a police check point. We got our TIMS cards checked and proceeded onwards. Langtang village was visible from Ghoda Tabela and it was encouraging, since we had gained about 550m today with just about 400+ more to go. We halted midway between Ghoda Tabela and Langtang village at a guest house in a small hamlet to have Lunch. I met with a local casual labour who was sporting traditional Nepali apparel  and even had a long Khukri. I couldn’t resist the Khukri. I politely asked him if I could meddle with his weapon, and he was pretty cool about it. I spent a few minutes feeling and snapping the khukri. It’s a fantastic weapon.  Well! At least to me. After lunch, we hiked for about an hour to reach Langtang village. Just short of Langtang, we ran into an Italian couple who were travelling with us from Kathmandu. Tilak met with them and exchanged greetings.

We stayed at a guest house which offered good views of the mountains in front of us. I dumped my sack in my room and headed out into the village. I found Tilak chatting with a lady in the village and made acquaintance with her too. The two of us then climbed to a local view point which was about 200m higher than the village itself and offered excellent views of the Langtang Village to our right and Kyangin to our left in the remote distance. We raced back to the village and while Tilak was comfortable next to the fireplace in the kitchen, I preferred the quiet in the dining room. Incidentally the Italian couple were staying at the same hotel. I had chicken fried rice for dinner and retired to my room at about 8. It was pretty cold that night. I think I slept around 11.

Day 6

As per the itinerary, we were supposed to hike to Kyangin and halt there. I decided against moving to Kyangin. Since the idea behind this trek was to shape up for the expedition in September, I planned a  trail run/fast hike to Kyangin and then return to Langtang. At the viewpoint the previous evening, Tilak had told me that Kyangin was three or so hours away from Langtang village.  So Tilak and I set off towards Kyangin at about 7 in the morning; obviously, minus the sack. I only took my day pack, with some glucose and a rainjacket. About 10 minutes into the trek, He had to make a stop; you know why. I just kept going, alternating between running on level stretches to brisk hikes on inclined terrain. Because it was the onset of monsoons here, the conditions were pretty overcast since morning, and a lot of trekkers (who were probably boarding somewhere in Kyangin all these days) were on their way back towards the road head. There were a few tea huts spaced nicely between Langtang and Kyangin and the people living there seemed pretty intrigued by my approach to the trail. In about 70 minutes since we set off from Langtang, I met an aged local who was crossing a bridge. I inquired of Kyangin and he pointed in a certain direction, which was pretty much the only way that was marked out, and to me it seemed like even he was going to trace the same path. I asked him, how long, assuming he would say an hour or two hours. To my surprise (a pleasant surprise) he said, 5 minutes. I repeated my question,”NO! Kyangin Gompa? How long?”. And he repeated his response,”5 minutes.” And this time he even showed me his right hand with all 5 fingers pointing skywards. He must have thought that I am an idiot. So I smiled at him and thanked him and kept running. 70 – 75 minutes as opposed to the three + that Tilak suggested last night; was pretty good I thought. My GPS was showing Kyangin at an altitude of 3700m. While I was relishing my much deserved drink, Tilak showed up as well. His first question was, why didn’t I wait for him. I could only smile at him. We saw the cheese factory in Kyangin. They process Yak cheese there. Tilak told me that cheese from here is sold all over Nepal. I strolled around the village. It was just as big as Langtang and everybody seemed pretty busy. It was just past 8 and I had the whole day to myself. Returning to Langtang so soon seemed like a stupid idea to me.

Kyangin Ri (A view point) was to our left. So without wasting much time, I set off and Tilak followed me as well. The weather was pretty overcast, so we were not expecting brilliant views, but we kept going. We were gaining altitude pretty fast which was not surprising since we didn’t have our rucksacks, and it was getting pretty nippy as well. I would keep checking the altimeter from time to time. In about 45 minutes we were at 4300m and the village was not visible anymore. We kept moving swiftly and probably hiked for 45 more minutes, when it started drizzling. The GPS was reading 5050m and we could see the top of Kyangin Ri (may be 15 minutes further). But with the precipitation getting heavier and overcast conditions, it didn’t make sense to hike further. I reasoned, that if we are not going to get a view, then why go to the view point? So we returned from there and were back at Kyangin by noon. We had lunch at Kyangin; Egg friend rice, a scrumptious affair. Just when we were about to leave, I met with that Italian couple again. They had hiked the whole day from Langtang until Kyangin and were planning to stay where we had lunch. They inquired about the view point; I gave them the directions to the top and said goodbye before leaving. We made it back to Langtang in a couple of hours. It was a pretty good day for me. Running to Kyangin, hike to Kyangin Ri and back to Langtang via Kyangin, an overall height gain of 1500+ meters, all in about 7 hours. Good stuff, I suppose. On returning to the guest house, I retired into the dining room and was just relaxing. The ladies in the house a couple of who were nursing their infants started a conversation with me, which mostly revolved around India, the Indian language, its people and a few personal questions from time to time. They were also pretty fascinated by Indian women and were astonished by the fact that I am still unmarried at my age; I wonder why? Sometime during the conversation, my supper was served; hot beef fried rice with loads of chilly sauce. After the early supper, I took leave from the ladies.

Day 7

I was all packed up and ready to go by 0630. Tilak had other plans. For some reason he wanted to leave by 0800. I rubbished the idea and insisted that we leave not later than 0700. Just when I was strapping my sack, the girl who worked as a cook at the guest house told the people there that she was not feeling too good. She had been throwing up since last night and was in a lot of pain at the moment. It was good that we didn’t leave earlier, since I had the medicines for her ailments. I gave them the medicines and just when I was about to leave, the folks at the guest house requested that we escort a little girl named Sayni to Lama Hotel. It wasn’t a big deal, and I was thrilled at the idea, since for a change I would have some company that was prettier (and as I would find out in due course, ‘chirpier’) than Mr. Tilak. Sayni had a propensity to speak non stop; she knew everyone on the trail and she made sure that everyone knew where she was going, ie to Chomo Didi’s place (Didi means Sister and Chomo is the girl from Lama Hotel) in Lama Hotel. From time to time, I would ask her something in English (I very well knew that she doesn’t speak English) and she would respond in Nepali (she very well knew that I didn’t speak Nepali). It was funny. We made a short halt at Ghoda Tabela. While the police were making entries, I offered some nuts to Sayni and we continued hiking towards Lama Hotel. It took us about 4 hours to get to Lama Hotel. Sayni was hoping that we would stay at the Hotel that night. I had other plans. It was just noon now. I was hoping to trek further until Pairo after lunch. That way we would have to trek only for about two hours the following day. Sayni was not exactly thrilled at my plan, but managed to serve me some food with a smile none the less. After lunch, I shook her little hands and continued hiking towards Pairo. I was there by 1400 and was greeted at the guest house by yet another kid. I don’t quite remember her name but she did all the work at the guest house, which is pretty sad in my opinion. She showed me to my room, where I dumped my sack, had a shower and walked downhill for about 5 minutes towards the river. Most of that evening was spent lazing around Pairo and fiddling around with my phones media player, camera and GPS. I returned to the guest house at about half past six and spoke for a while with Tilak before dinner was served.

Day 8

After an early breakfast, we set off towards Syafru Besi; maintaining a brisk pace. The route was densely wooded in sections, and there were a couple of bridges en route. In just under 2 hours we could see Syafru Besi at a distance. In 15 minutes we reached the small town and moved into a guest house; I think it was called River View or something like that. I ordered Chicken curry and rice for lunch before heading out to explore the town. The first thing I did was to book the return bus ticket to Kathmandu for the following day at a tin shack which is where they sell bus tickets. Once the return trip was sorted out, the town was all mine and I had the whole day to myself. Tilak showed me to the Hydel Power plant in Syafru Besi. We were allowed in the premises, but not inside the tunnel. We hung around for a while and returned to the guest house for lunch. The chicken curry was pretty bland, but fortunately there was some chilly paste in the dining hall. After a filling meal, it was time for round two of exploring Syafru Besi but not before I found a place with internet. Unfortunately most places had no internet connection at all, except one neat Hotel right in the middle of the town. The lady in charge told me that she had wifi but no system. I managed with my Phone for about half an hour, spoke with the lady for some time and hit the streets again. I did another round to the power plant and returned to the guest house. While I was reclining in the sun (it had been drizzling since morning) three French ladies walked into the guest house with their guide. Apparently that was reason enough for the owner of the guest house to make me change my room so they could take mine. Apparently, my room was more suited to three people than the one he was asking me to move into. I looked into the two rooms which were side by side and they looked exactly the same to me. I didn’t see the point in moving out, but moved out anyway.

The guide turned out to be a friend of Tilak and in Nepal, apparently, friend somehow equates to booze. So while I was gone for round three to the power plant, the gentlemen had somehow managed a drink and were sipping in the sun right in front of the three ladies. Tilaks friend offered me a drink as well; I just refused politely. I am not sure if drinking in front of one’s client is a good idea and was somewhat concerned about the quality of the trip the ladies were getting into (they were doing a heritage trek for a week or so. I forget the name of the place they were visiting). They didn’t seem perturbed about anything at the moment, but ONE drink too many in the mountains (or anywhere else for that matter) has spelt disaster quite often. But I guess that was not my concern; it was their concern, and quite obviously they were ok for the moment. After hanging around at the guest house for some more time, I headed out again. Did a couple more rounds to the power plant, which is where I ran into those ladies again. We exchanged smiles as I passed by them. This time I went further down the road than the power plant. The road runs along the Langtang river and leads to Dhunche. On returning from the power plant, I continued my brief excursion towards the other end of the town; which was still along the river, but upstream. There is a Police outpost at the point where Syafru Besi the town begins.  From here hikers would have to take a right turn to hit the trail leading to Pairo and enter the Langtang National Park. We passed through this outpost in the morning. I also met with a lady (as I would find out the following day, a German American) who was hiking alone. She must be extremely strong, since her pack was all wrong. The way it was strapped to her shoulder; wobbly and not very secure. I figured, if this is how she hiked throughout the trip and was still not injured, then she must be pretty strong, especially at her age; she looked 50+ to me. Apparently, the Chinese border was just about 45 minutes drive from Syafru Besi, in the direction I was walking. I did not want to find out though. I returned to the Hotel as it was getting dark, waited in my room for a while till dinner was served. Those French girls looked amused by my chicken fried rice, loaded with green chilly sauce. I went for a stroll after dinner and returned to the guest house by nine.

Day 9

I didn’t sleep well last night. Was up by 5 and was ready by 6. The gentleman from the guest house just didn’t want to believe that I was ready by 6, since the bus was only going to leave by 8 (or was it 9). I figured he was just feeling lazy to serve breakfast this early. To make matters worse, Tilak was still sleeping. I just didn’t want to stay in the hotel for too long. Besides I wanted to secure a place for my sack in the boot of the bus, which had very little place. I demanded for breakfast and woke up Tilak. It doesn’t take him long to get going. By 7 we moved out of the Hotel. I placed my sack in the boot and that American lady was there too. She had migrated from Germany close to thirty years ago and had travelled a lot apparently. The bus departed Syafru Besi on time. In about an hour we were at Dhunche, getting out papers checked. A further hour later we were at Trisuli and two hours later from Trisuli, we were at Kathmandu. Mid way between Trisuli and Kathmandu, the rains started to pour in. Fortunately, it turned into a slight drizzle when we reached the main bus stand.

We hired a cab for the hotel from the bus stand, dropped Tilaks stuff at his place and made it to the hotel in about 15 minutes. The Hotel staff were kind and considerate enough to give me a room on the sixth floor; point to be noted, they didn’t have an elevator. I don’t mind climbing mountains, but stairs? Anyways! I asked Tilak to wait in the lobby, washed up in a jiffy and went back to the lobby to meet with Tilak. We then walked to a small restaurant called Everest Momo Center. If you can manage your way around Kathmandu in general and Thamel in particular, you have got to try this place. I am not the biggest fan of Momos since they are usually prepared too bland for my liking. But this Everest place was fantastic. The momos are served with a sauce which have a hint of tangy flavour. The moment you are found running out of sauce, you will be served some more, as long as you have Momos on your plate. Fantastic stuff.  A sprite to go with the momo was refreshing.

After the quick meal, we returned to the hotel and said our good byes. I had a quick shower and hit the streets again, this time hunting for gear. The thing with Kathmandu is that there are too many distractions; far too many. Too many shops! too many streets! too many people! who am I kidding;  It’s the girls. They are a major distraction, all too pretty. One more thing; If you are a male walking alone in Thamel, there is a good chance you might get asked,”Do you want ENJOY?”; Which basically means he is a pimp. I got asked once by a kid who was no more than 15 and my first impression was,”who taught you grammer?” and my second impression was,”aren’t you a little too young for this?”. Of course, I didn’t say these things to him; just smiled and walked away. Well I was a man on a mission! I needed to pick some gear for September; and I was not going to be distracted. I marked a few shops in Thamel and as a last resort, there was always the Mountain Hardwear outlet. By 8, when I was returning to the Hotel, I noticed a cosy place on the same street as my hotel, which had a Muslim name. To me, muslim joints = good meat preparations. Boy! Was I glad to find this place. I had sheekh kebab and chicken biriyani for dinner and a sprite to wash it all. Sometimes I loathe the fact that I am slightly built, because I wanted to try all the other stuff on the menu too, but just didn’t have the stomach for it. The meal was the best I had in Nepal yet, and I had resolved that lunch and dinner the following day would be at this fantastic place too. Still cant remember the name of the place. I know its in Thamel, quite near Budget Hotel. Yes! The name of the hotel is ‘Budget’. After that sumptuous meal, I continued exploring the streets of Thamel. Returned to the hotel by half past nine and slept after a quick shower.

Day 10

Today was THE DAY. There was no more wasting time. Thamel had thousands of shops, and I had been to quite a few of those. I picked up a BD Venom axe from a little shop in Thamel and a Venom Hammer from the Mountain Hardwear retail outlet. They also Buff headgear, but there were far too many designs. So I decided that I would check out the Buff website for a suitable Tubular scarf and return to the store after lunch. Lunch was at the same joint where I had dinner last night. Cant quite remember what I had, but there was lot of meat. I think meatballs and biriyani and sprite too. I returned to the hotel to browse a little. Decided on a couple of models or Buff gear.

In the evening I returned to the Mountain Hardwear store; they didn’t seem to have the specific model that I was looking for. So I spent close to an hour reading the notes on most of the stuff that was on display. I decided on a model which was close to my requirement and the ladies at the store were pleased that I was done at last. So I left the store with a smile and after flaunting my newly acquired buff wear for about half an hour, I went to that meat joint for supper. I was still feeling stuffed from the lunch I had there, but this was my last meal in Kathmandu and I was not going to miss this chance. I think it would be quite honest if I said that theirs was the best place serving meat, among all the places I have been to. Truly. This time I tried beef sheek kebab with the biriyani. Of course, there was the usual sprite too. I shook hands with my bearer and thanked him for the meals and his hospitality. Strolled around Thamel one last time before retiring to my room.

Day 10

Quite uneventful. I was up by 5 and breakfast was served by 6. I was picked from the hotel by quarter to seven and by quarter past seven, I was at the Tribhuvan Airport. The formalities were straightforward and I was out of Kathmandu by 10 or so. A brief halt at Delhi and by 3 in the afternoon I was in Chennai. Same old Chennai.

There are so many places around from where when I return to Chennai, I don’t miss those places. Kathmandu was different. I actually liked that place. I wouldn’t ever settle down in Kathmandu, but I think I will go back; hopefully sooner than later. There is something about that place, I don’t know what, but it keeps calling you.

Gulmarg 2013

One of my friends once told me that, in the mountains one quite often tends to visit the same places more than once. Its been quite true for me in that I have climbed twice in Sikkim, thrice in Ladakh and so on; but with Gulmarg, its been a prolonged affair. Its hard to reason out this constant need for more in Gulmarg. Afterall there are other places in India where one can ski off piste. There is Manali and then there is Auli. So why Gulmarg? The Kashmir valley is rife with militancy, political unrest, constant bandhs and what not. In the last few years that I have visited Kashmir, I have almost always landed at Srinagar in the midst of a statewide bandh, with illiterate youth, who neither care for the cause of the province, nor are aware of who their instigators are, waiting to hurl stones (for a couple of 100 rupees) at vehicles plying between Srinagar and Gulmarg (perhaps to other neighbouring villages and towns as well). Perhaps the apt ones to answer this question are the number of foreigners who visit Gulmarg just to explore the Afarwat. Especially the ones who I keep running into year after year. Its the same story each year. Bandh on arrival, stone pelting or road blockade on departure. But if one can somehow rise above this irksome recurrence, there is so much fun to be had in Gulmarg. Its almost as if Gulmarg is cut off from the rest of the state. In my numerous visits to this small village, I have not once come across a violent incident related to militancy or law and order.



I almost cancelled the trip this year; lot of things to be taken care of at home. But Mangal Ustaad, an acquaintance of mine in the Indian Army and an Instructor with JIM, persuaded me to visit. All he had to say was that the snow conditions this year were terrific and it seemed like a mouthwatering prospect to me. So I reasoned that a couple of weeks would do me no harm. I booked a flight to reach Srinagar on the 20th of Feb. I reached Srinagar at about 1/2 past noon. Surprise surprise, it was a statewide bandh. I was stranded at the exit gate of the Srinagar International Airport, with a few gentlemen who were on their way to JIM (Jawahar Institute of Mountain Sports). Stranded because there were incidents of locals pelting stones at vehicles on their way to Gulmarg, Anantnag etc. I hung around for an hour, thats about how long my patience lasts; spoke with a cab driver who was willing to drop me at Tangmarg (about 13 Km short of Gulmarg) for 1200 Rs. I asked the guys if they wanted to join me. A bandh, stone throwers enroute and a vehicle which didnt belong to the institute seemed like recipe for trouble to those poor guys. So we parted ways. The driver kept calling his other driver friends to inquire about the situation enroute. Fortunately, for the 2 hours that I was driving with him, there was not too much trouble along the way. I reached Tangmarg by 4 in the evening. I met a few foreigners who had skied down to Tangmarg earlier that day. I asked them if they would drop me at Gulmarg, and they agreed. I reached Gulmarg by 1/2 past 5 and stayed at Bakshis for the first couple of days. I would advise folks to stay away from this place, unless you are White. After two horrible days at Bakshis, I moved over to Yemberzaal, my favorite hotel in Gulmarg. Perhaps the only good thing about the first two days, was skiing on the highland slope in the village. I always spend a couple of days skiing in the resort before venturing in to the mountains. Although the technique for skiing off piste is quite different than what one would use on a beaten track, its the confidence factor that counts. A few days in the resort does a world of good to ones confidence.

I was using Dynastar Legend this year. Good all purpose skis. After I continued skiing at Highland and 85 slope for a couple more days after moving out of Bakshis. By the fifth day I was feeling pretty good about going to the mountains. I was planning on doing a couple of downhill runs from Merry shoulder, but the chair lift was under maintenance. Therefore the only two options left for me were to go to the top of Afarwat or to ski down from Kongdoori (also known as phase 1). I chose the former. The run from the top of Afarwat to Kongdoori was pretty nasty. Had a couple of mighty falls, but since the limbs were in their respective places, I continued skiing after a brief inspection of my equipment. The rest of that day was spent skiing down from Kongdoori to G1 (point where the Gondola service begins - quite near the resort). I must have done may be 10 runs, since the Gondola was up all day.

 The following day, I came back to the mountain. I was not keen on going to the top. I wanted to explore new routes between Kongdoori and G1. After may be 4 rounds, on my way up towards Kongdoori in the Gondola, I met with a chap who called himself Hem. He offered me some water since I was thirsty and had somehow managed to empty my water bladder. It turned out that he was an officer in the Army, posted at the HAWS. The two of us hit it off rightaway. He told me that he belonged to the 108 NDA course. I told him about my brief visit to the NDA in 2001. We did about a dozen rounds together. After a few hours on the mountain, we decided to call it quits. Hem was kind enough to drop me at my Hotel and he even invited me to HAWS before leaving Gulmarg.

The following day, I did to Merry shoulder, what Hem and I did to Kongdoori. I cant remember how many runs I did between Merry shoulder and Kongdoori. Must have been at least a dozen. It had snowed the previous night and the conditions were fantastic. Its amazing how quickly a mountain as big as Afarwat gets tracked out. 2013 was tremendous in that regard. There were very few bad weather days this time. Almost every time I was on the mountain, the weather was favourable. In the evenings I used to meet with Mangal, Jitu and other instructors at JIM. Very good friends and humble people. As are most soldiers from the army. Mangal and Jitu are on deputation at JIM. After a brief chat, I usually head out to try out the local cuisine. Rista (spicy meat balls), Mathe Maaz (Minced meat in gravy), Sheekh Kebab (Spiced meat on skewers), Kokur (Chicken in red gravy), Kashmiri Roti, etc. I mostly ate at the restaurant in Yemberzaal. I seldom ate out, and that too only for change of taste.

 After a couple of weeks, it was time to head back home. These two weeks were the best of all times I have visited this beautiful place in the past. The day before leaving Gulmarg, I called on Hem. It was a sunday and he was busy with a demonstration in his unit. I met with a few of his fellow officers. Ben, Boro and Chandra. All fine gentlemen, as one would expect of an officer. After a drink with the boys, I thought it apt to return to the hotel and begin packing for the flight the following day. The skiing experience was excessively satisfying this year. The piste conditions in the resort were splendid. Off piste skiing was brilliant. Unfortunately, the only thing this year that was consistent with the past was the unrest. On my way back, there were blockades, because a guy called Afzal Guru had been hanged and the locals felt that that was reason enough to smash windows of vehicles transporting innocent tourists. I was traveling with 4 foreigners who were quite anxious since we got into the cab. I assured them that we would reach unharmed at the airport. We were held up at Tangmarg for a while but were mobile in about 15 minutes. I noticed an army convoy and asked the driver to stay with the army. In a couple of hours we reached the airport. I reached Chennai by 11 in the night.

Chumser & Lungser: Part 2 (Lungser and after)

Click here for Part 1

 

Part 2

 

September 16th Day - 9 High Camp

This was supposed to be a rest day. As was customary during this expedition, I had little to no sleep in the night just gone by. By now, Deepak and Nabarun could tell without looking at my face, that I was suffering AMS. Deepak even suggested that I skip the summit attempt. I ignored the advise. Deepak and Nabarun had developed some sort of a camaraderie by now and much to my dismay, they were actually competing during meals. "You had 8 chapatis, I had 9 - I win"; common guys give me a break.

Afternoon, the weather showed signs of deteriorating. Deepak and Nabarun, went to the top of the feature in front of our camp, to assess the route. The route was extremely challenging to say the least. They were back by 4 in the evening. Deepak was hoping that Nabarun or I would drop the summit bid. His argument was that we have one summit almost as high as Lungser under our belt, and that we had nothing to prove. I asserted that we made a plan to climb two mountains. We were going to stick to our plan. Nabarun maintained a neutral viewpoint. He had summitted Stok and Chumser and apparently was a very happy man. To make him comfortable, I told Deepak, that if the weather deteriorated, we wont even attempt the summit. I am certain, Deepak must have been calling on his ten million Gods to spoil the weather.

I went to bed by 7 with a headache and a bowel condition. I had not had a proper meal in the last 5 days. Chumser had taken a huge toll on me and by now I was actually beginning to hope that all this was over sooner than later.

 

September 17  - Day 10 Attempt Lungser

Really early day. We woke up by midnight. I woke Deepak by quarter past midnight. The sky was clear. I asked Deepak, if he wanted to stay back, and he said he wont if Nabarun and I were going. Him and Nabarun were wearing their hiking boots and they carried their Plastic boots till the snowline. I committed the greatest blunder of wearing the plastic boots right from the camp and paid dearly with compromised pace. The scree and moraines were just too much and at any point I was 5 to 15 minutes behind them. It was my fault, since Deepak had asked me to wear my approach boots till the snowline. I ignored his advice. I thought holding them back would be criminal, so I suggested to Deepak that He go on as fast as he could with Nabarun. I assured him that I would be safe and will follow them to the snowline and from there to the summit. He suggested that that was not going to happen. We go together or we dont go at all.

It took us close to 5 hours to climb and descend the feature between our camp and Lungser, cross the moraines leading to the base of Lungser and climb and descend numerous scree slopes. By the time we reached the base of Lungser and began to strap on our crampons to climb the snow/ice section, the weather began to deteriorate. We were already exhausted too. Deepak asked me if I wanted to abort the ascent. I suggested that we had covered the ugly rocky part and the snow and ice section were all that were between us and the summit. I think I was able to drive home the point. The visibility was about 50m. The initial ascent was straightforward. After about an hour, we began encountering the really steep sections on Lungser.

The major difference between Chumser and Lungser was that on the former we were always gaining altitude since the very beginning while on the latter, after 5 hours, we were at 6200 odd metres (only slightly higher than our high camp) with still about 450m to summit. By this time we had actually summitted Chumser, whereas we were just at the base of the snowline with well over 400m to the summit still to go. But we always knew that Lungser was not an easy peak to ascend, so no one was weeping yet. We climbed at least 3 steep sections. Deepak was leading, I was in the middle while Nabarun was on the trailing end. Deepak lost his foothold on a couple of occasions, and I just about managed to arrest the fall. It didnt deter us from continuing though. We took a break at a shoulder where the altimeter was reading 6350m. There was another steep section above this shoulder and this was probably the last really tough section before the summit. We were able to negotiate this obstacle without any serious concerns. From here our ascent was quite gradual for the next half hour. The last time Nabarun took a position fix, the altimeter reading was 6470m; the summit just 180m away. From this position we climbed for close to half hour and I reckon that would put us close to the 6550m mark and then the thing happened that would rend ones heart - whiteout. We had somehow managed to climb in adverse weather and in low visibility. But in a whiteout and close to zero visibility there was no way to go but either wait or climb down. Waiting was not an option since it was close to 1000 by now. Deepak asked me, if I wanted to abort the climb. With a heavy heart I asked him and Nabarun to call. They chose to return, and I think they made the right choice. The whiteout continued till we returned to the snowline about 90 minutes later and even then the mountain was not visible. Staying would have been a recipe for disaster, and I am glad I asked Deepak and Nabarun to call; I might have made the wrong choice. 

Down at the snowline; I was spent by now. Deepak and Nabarun tried to be patient with me, but I was too weak and too slow. We took a different route to our high camp and I tried to maintain pace with Deepak and Nabarun but I couldnt. I just let them disappear and made my own way to the camp. I was lost on a couple of occasions but used Lungser, Chumser and the feature between our high camp and Lungser as reference points to home in to the high camp. I was extremely slow and deliberate since I had very little strength left. I made it to the top of the feature by 1400 and could see the camp beneath me, the lake to my left, Chumser (one of its false summits) to my right and the mighty Lungser behind me. I hung around for a few minutes and began the descent to our camp. I was there in about 20 minutes. I was kind of cross with the two gentlemen for abandoning me, but to give them the benefit of the doubt, they assumed that I was a good enough navigator to get back to base; I take that as a compliment. :)

I went to my tent and decided to get some rest. I was in severe pain and had a slight temperature too. This was probably the worst expedition for me healthwise. There wasnt one day where I actually felt on top of my game. Around 4 in the evening the pony guy showed up. I was in my tent and could hear Deepak conversing with him. He should have come by 0800 the following day, but for some strange reason he decided to show up early. At 6 I decided to get something to eat. The dining tent was nice and warm. The pony guy was the latest addition to the list of gentlement affected by altitude. We gave him a dispirin and some garlic soup so he would feel better. Spare a thought for the poor beasts outside; It was getting extremely cold, ponies usually do not go this high. I only had a little custard for supper and went to bed in pain. I was only glad that we were returning to Churchu the following day. The greatest incentive was the summit of Chumser, while Lungser was a heartbreaker- so close.

 

September 18th - Day 11 Skurchyu

I did the most terrible thing. I actually refused to help Nabarun undo our tent. To be fair, I was just in no position. With my head pounding and body aching and little to no strength left, packing a tent was not even the last thing on my to do list. And I had more important things to worry about. With the terrible weakness, I had to figure out a way to stay on my feet with a pack on my back. The team managed to lose me again, or was it I who lagged. Common, we were going back down to the roadhead. I am sure considering my condition, the guys could have been slower. On the brightside (or was it) I was able to test my navigation skills. I had to hike to Churchu on my own and this time alone was well used thanking my Lord Jesus for the success on Chumser and almost making it to the top of Lungser.

I could manage to eat only half a chapathi for breakfast and the last straw to break the camels back was when, alone, in the middle of nowhere, I realised that my water bottle was missing from its slot. With no streams on the way and such a long hike in front of me, I decided to slow down to avoid perspiring. I decided to descend to an altitude of 5000 - 5100m and them traverse right towards Churchu (which was at 4700m). I made it to the campsite by half past one. Deepak and Nabarun were busy setting up the camp.

I just fell on my belly to relax which is when I saw a vehicle approaching the campsite. The vehicle was to arrive the following day to pick us up. However, since Tenzin and Thundup had returned owing to AMS, Sam sent a vehicle to check on us. SInce the vehicle was here, we didnt see the point in camping at Churchu and decided to drive to Leh the same day. We packed up by 1500 and were on our way in a jiffy. I was extremely weak, hungry (for meat) and thirsty for Thums Up. Nabarun offered me some water, and I emphatically told him that the next thing I drink will be Thums Up or something similar (Coke may be) and the next thing I eat will be meat or chicken. We stopped over at Chumathang where I had my most cherished drink in the last two weeks, Coke and Limca and some terrible Haldirams Potato Wafers to go with it. Nabarun and Deepak were delighted to see a smile on my face. I could now go back to climb Lungser, thats how relieved I was after the drink.

At 8 we reached Upshi, where Nabarun and I had Chapathi with chicken while Deepak had vegetarian meals. Tashe our driver went to a neighbouring restaurant to have some Thukpa. After the meals, we continued towards Leh. We were there by nine. Rudra was there to receive us. We were shown to our room. Rudra told us that there was no hot water, but that was not going to stop me, I managed to clean up in the freezing cold water, while Nabarun wisely decided to wait till the morning. We stayed up till about 11, checking out the photographs and talking about our recent adventure. I had the most sound sleep in the last two weeks and even Nabaruns symphony couldnt take that away from me.

 

September 19th - Day 12 Leh

The headache was gone. I was recovering. I had the heaviest breakfast loaded with eggs. Scrambled eggs and masala omlette with toast and aloo paratha and mango juice. Thundup, Deepak and Sam had come to see us. Sam was extremely glad that the expedition was a success. Lungser was not exactly a blemish; but it was just unfortunate. At 6550m, the point from where we returned, we were still higher than most of the peaks in Ladakh. Besides at 6635m, the summit of Chumser was only 30m shorter than Lungser, and we had bagged that. These are some of the things we told ourselves. Perhaps Sam said the most practical thing, "Well you can come back and climb it again". I said,"Perhaps. but it wont be too soon, it wont be the next peak I climb".

Nabarun and I went to Sams office later in the day to settle the payment and collect some of the stuff that we had left in his office. We went around the town after that and returned for Lunch by 2. Chicken in spicy gravy with rice and chapathi. Nabarun had to receive his parents, so we agreed to meet at Sams office at about 4 in the evening. He needed the snaps to be sent to IMF. After sharing the photographs, we went back to exploring the town; who am I kidding, we went back to the Masjid to try the sheekh kababs. Deepak was with us too and I had even called John (with whom I climbed the Mentok range last year) to meet with us. He was glad to meet with me. He gave me the most bizarre news that he had decided to quit climbing. I told him that the news made me sad, since I was hoping to climb with him in the future. I however managed to get some contacts for some climbs that I am planning in the future.

We said our goodbyes and went back to the hotel. We had a very light supper and began packing our stuff. The following morning, Sam picked me from the hotel at about 0830 for the flight departing for Delhi at 1020. At the hotel, I thanked Nabarun for accompanying me on the climb. The drive to the airport was short. Sam and I shook hands and I told him that I was grateful for everything. We embraced at the airport before he drove away.

 

Chumser & Lungser: Part 1 (Leh - Churchu - Chumser Kangri)

Part 1 


Tso Moriri from Chumser High Camp

 

This year, right from the beginning, Ladakh was a pot pouri of uncertainties. I should not have even gone to Ladakh in the first place.

 

I had planned a climb in Kyrgyztan (Lenin or Khan Tengri) and I had to call that off because a friend invited me to climb MK4 and the peaks in its vicinity with him in HP. While we were planning on that, IMF detailed me for an expedition in Bataal (CB9, 10 etc). There is a certain Wg Cdr Chaudhury with the IMF who was supposed to lead the climb. He came across as an eccentric and "Do I care?" kind of a person to me. IMF called off the climb on two occasions; and on both occasaions causing immense monetary loss and logistical inconvenience to the participants. I spoke to the Wg Cdr and he sounded  unapologetic and carefree. I had resolved in my mind that this was the last time I would let IMF ruin my plans, even if it meant spending out of my own pocket. 

Because IMF ruined my climbing calender (well almost), I decided to go to Jaipur and work some more on my riding. My last trip to Jaipur was smashing and I was hoping Vishal and Ajay will make this one worthwhile too. This would keep me fit and give me some time to sort out a new plan. 

So I decided to climb peaks higher than those planned by my friend and IMF. And to soup things up, I decided to climb two such peaks for good measure. The icing on the cake was to do all this in a two week window (including acclimatisation). The two peaks that came to my mind were Chumser and Lungser in Ladakh. Chumser is 6625m tall while Lungser is 6666m tall. Climbing even one of these bulbous objectives can be a handful, not to mention two. Doing that in 10 climbing days is another matter altogether. I have heard of so many people gloating over the fact that Chumser is a "trekking" peak and come back empty handed and a truck load of cold injuries and high alt illnesses to add insult to injury. True - sections of Chumser can be classified as "trekking" peak. But there are some sections that we did which were quite steep especially just short of "our" summit which @ 6635m was 10m higher than the main summit.

A few reasons why I feel expeditions to Chumser fail are (Not even talking about Lungser now)

1. The mountain is humongous. People underestimate the magnitude of the climb. The base camp is at an altitude of 5688m which is higher than the everest base camp

 

2. The tree line in Ladakh is low (very low) sometimes even non existent. Oxygen levels are lower than in other parts of the Himalayas. Climbing 22000 ft in Ladakh is not the same as climbing 22000 ft say in Himachal, Uttaranchal or even Sikkim.

3. For anyone serious about summiting Chumser, one must consider a high camp at 6100m. The downside is that the weather is very fickle at this point and it is perpetually cold. We experienced this bitter coldness (we climbed in september) but the reward was sweet - "summit".

 

So much for planning. But I was a lone climber. Not that that was going to deter me. But that just meant more funds and better logistical support. I had made an enquiry with a couple of logistics agencies in Leh. One of these agencies, put me in touch with Nabarun Ghosh, an aspiring climber from Kolkata. He too had aimed to climb chumser and lungser in a very small window (timeframe); what are the odds? Without wasting much time, We got down to the finances and logistics. Nabarun was more than willing to let me manage the climb and I obliged. We planned the climb between the 8th and 20th of Sep with a days rest between the two summits and a reserve day which turned out as good as non existent.

 

Mistake - 12 days is just about enough for ONE peak measuring well over 6500m, let alone two, to be summited in a period of 72 hours. We realised the magnitude of the task only one day before attempting Chumser. That is when Nabarun my new friend suggested that we concentrate on one objective as opposed to two. I said that we should believe in our plan. We were the ones who made the plan, and of all the people we should show faith in it. More on this episode later.

 

I reached Delhi on the 7th of Sep. I had a flight for Leh the following day. I picked up a pair of CAMP G-Shell lite+ from Munesh, my acquaintance in Delhi. I didnt use the gloves though. My Millet Ice Fall did stellar duty on the arduous ridges of Chumser and Lungser.

 

September 8th  - Day 1 Leh

48 hours in Leh was what I had planned for acclimatisation. Sam, who helped organise KY1 for me in 2010, picked me up from the airport around 10. Rudra the Manager of Hotel Mansarovar on Fort Road was delighted to have me as his guest. I quickly settled into a sedentary mode for the next few hours. On my back, on the bed was the preferred course of action, apparently. The sudden difference in altitude from around zero in Delhi to 3500m in Leh is bound to affect the most hardcore outdoor junkie and I wasnt willing to take my chances.

I had to meet Sam sometime in the evening. So after a nice heavy lunch and a nap, I walked up Fort Road towards Raku Complex to visit Sams new office. I spent some time at his desk discussing the trip and also met with Deepak, my mountain guide, a native of Manali. He appeared to be a very "crisp" fellow and has somekind of a reputation among his clientele. A reputation for being forthright, which I thought was good. We didnt need someone who would beat around the bush either. After meeting with Sam and Deepak, I spent sometime lazing around the main bazaar in Leh, especially near the Masjid, where native Kashmiris sell delightful meaty delicacies on skews called sheekh. There was also Rista, a spicy meatball cooked in soupy stew; a mouthwatering affair. After hanging around the town, I headed towards Mansarovar. Rudra told me that someone had been meaning to meet me while I was gone. I assumed it was Nabarun. We had agreed to meet the following day, but 8th was not totally ruled out. Nabarun had made it to Leh a week earlier, since he intended to climb Stok Kangri before attempting Chumser and Lungser with me. I was keen to find out if the gentleman was Nabarun. I had to wait a few more hours until the next morning to learn about the mysterious visitor.

 

September 9th  - Day 2 Leh

The next morning after breakfast, I was hanging around the lawn, testing the GPS and altimeter on my N8. The altimeter was about 40m off. The positioning was pretty accurate though. While I was busy testing my device, Nabarun walked into the entrance towards the hotel lobby. We shook hands and it turned out that the mysterious visitor from last evening was him indeed.

 Nabarun told me about his stok expedition; how he just about managed to scrape through a summit at the last moment due to bad weather. They stayed put at the base camp for 5 days due to incessant weather. The weather only just about cleared up late on the 7th. So the leader suggested that they venture into the mountain as far as possible. By the time they left the base camp, it was 10. They somehow made it to the summit by 1730. The string of events on stok sounded like a satirical imitation of a laurel and hardy episode. Well! to me. :)

 After a brief chat, Nabarun and I walked to his guest house, to pick his pack. By proportion, his daypack was comparatively heavier than his rucksack. His guest house was somewhere on the upper tukcha road. What better way to home in to Mansarovar, than to backtrack on my N8 GPS. The positioning worked like a charm. Nabarun was carrying his own Garmin eTrek Vista. With two GPS sets, we felt secure like a swiss locker on our forthcoming adventure.

 After dumping Nabaruns luggage in our room we went to have lunch. Cant quite remember what was for lunch. Sometime in the evening, we walked to Sams office to check the paperwork and equipment. We also met with Thundup, the cook and Tenzin, Deepaks assistant. We agreed to depart from Mansarovar the following day at 0800 and went out to my favourite place in Leh, the courtyard of the Masjid, to try the sheekh kabab of course. Well I "tried" the meats, Nabarun actually "feasted" on it. It was good nonetheless.

We went back to the hotel and began packing our stuff for the expedition.

 

 September 10th - Day 3 Drive to Tso Moriri/Churchu

We were both up by 0600. Sam caught us in the Hotel Restaurant @ 0800 and was quick to point out that he was not late. I requested for 15 minutes. After a heavy breakfast, we stuffed our packs in the vehicle and headed out towards Tsomoriri. Deepak had about only 3 million anecdotes to tell us, and at times we would wonder if he was ever gonna cease talking.

We made it to Churchu by about 4 in the evening, dumped our luggage and drove to the other side of Tsomoriri, towards Korzok. I showed Nabarun around the village (I climbed the Mentok range from here last year) while Deepak went to arrange for the ponies. We made it back to Churchuk by about 6 in the evening, just in time for supper. The guys seemed to be having a good time; I on the other hand had to retire into my tent to deal with an embarassing bowel condition.

 

September 11th - Day 4 Hike to Base Camp

This was the most crucial day of all as far as the expedition was concerned. Churchu was at 4700m, 300m higher than Tsomoriri in the backdrop. The base camp was at 5650m (thereabouts). Thats a humongous 1000m height gain right in the beginning. We hiked the distance in about 7 hours, good timing, considering Nabarun and I were carrying really heavy packs.

 

We stopped at a couple of places to try out the packed lunch that Thundup had prepared for us. While Deepak and Nabarun seemed to relish the offering, I couldnt even manage a bite. I never seemed to like the concept of a packed lunch. cheesy sandwich, boiled potato and hardboiled egg; always gave me a feeling that I was being punished for something. I somehow managed to stay on my feet, sipping my carefully concocted Tang; thats 5 parts water, 2 parts tang, 1 part love --- I am kidding. I like Tang though; no two ways about that.

 I requested Thundup to make some Khichdi for supper. His Khichdi seemed more like Pulao, but it was definitely more palatable than his sandwich. I felt a slight headache and thought it wise to keep Nabarun informed. He suggested that we stay at the base the following day rather than setting up a higher camp.

 

 September 12th - Day 5 Base Camp

Tenzin was not very well (so was I). The altitude had got the best of him. Deepak suggested that he descend immediately, while he can do it on his own. If he delayed then the whole team might have had to accompany him, till he was at a safe altitude. Tenzin agreed. Sometimes valor is in saying "I cant".

 After lunch we hiked to the high camp for acclimatisation. Since my pack was over 20 kilos, I felt a little load ferry would do no harm. I carried some of my heavy stuff, crampons, harness, gauntlets etc to be left at the ABC. Because Tenzin didnt acclimatise well, we thought We should take Thundup along so that he was reasonably well acclimatised by the time we establish the high camp the following day. There were two possible locations for a high camp. One at 5950 and another at 6100. The one at 5950 was a proper camp site while the one at 6100 was a little difficult for the ponies to reach. Since this bunch had more insane people than sane, we agreed to camp at 6100m. Too bad for the ponies was the general concensus. Sorry Menaka Gandhi! Thundup had to return to the BC from 5950m because he showed symptoms of AMS, plus we thought by the time we got back we would be hungry, so we might as well let the cook do his job.

 We returned to base with a spring in our strides and sleet in our faces. Spring in our strides because setting up a high camp at 6100m increased our chances of summit manifold, sleet in our faces, because there was severe precipitation. LOL

 

September 13th - Day 6 High Camp

Sometimes I wonder, if I could eat like Nabarun (in the mountains of course; I eat well in the plains) or sleep like Deepak, I would be the perfect mountaineer. It turns out I cant eat or sleep well, and most of the climbing is done out of sheer will, or whatever is left of it.

 After a very slight breakfast (Nabarun ate well, thank God), Nabarun and I started off to the ABC. Deepak, Thundup and the Pony guy took their sweet time loading up the ponies (and a couple of donkeys too). By now I have been in a state of heavy headedness for about 48 hours. The only good thing about the whole thing was that the pain was at least shifting from behind my skull to forward and back. Everytime Nabarun would enquire about my condition, I would say "I would like to think I am fine". I have felt better during climbs though. So this was not very encouraging, with the summit attempt just about 36 hours away. Nabarun and I maintained a leisurely pace. We made it to the high camp in well under three hours. We laid out our tent while Deepak got busy with the Dining tent. By 1400 or so we had established base at the high camp.

 I was glad at least Deepak and Nabarun were enjoying their meals. I on the other hand had to do with black tea and more black tea. I am not even a tea drinker and was craving for food, but for the loss of appetite. At 6100m, Thundup was beginning to feel the effects of altitude. Deepak helped him with the cooking. Nabarun, Deepak and I agreed that if Thundup was still not acclimatised by morning, we would send him back, albeit there was another person who for some strange reason was not acclimatising well in this expedition and was still hanging around. For dinner we had Khichdi, and tonight was probably the only night during the expedition when I actually ate well.

 

September 14th - Day 7 High Camp

Our worst fears had come true. Thundup was not doing too well. He had thrown up more than once last night and felt a severe pounding in his head. Deepak and Nabarun insisted that he climb down to a safe altitude. Although I agreed with them in words, I was really hoping that Thundup stayed; may be he would acclimatise eventually. Who was I kidding. We all knew that his situation was only going one way- from bad to worse. He hung around till about 1100. Deepak suggested that he would accompany Thundup till halfway between the BC and Churchu. Although that was the right thing to do, we had planned to leave for the summit attempt on Chumser by 0100 the following morning. If Deepak went with Thundup, he will be spent by the time he got back. We sent Thundup and Deepak on their way with some juice and chocolates. We had some stale Khichdi and soupy noodles for lunch. I suggested to Nabarun that we go for the summit without Deepak. He just wouldnt have the strength to climb after today, besides I thought he would slow us down. Boy was I wrong?

 Deepak was back by 1600, and seemed in high spirits. I suggested that he take some rest and forget about Chumser. Perhaps he could guide us to the top of Lungser. "No way" was his response. He said he was being paid to guide us, and he was not gonna sit back. It was hard to reason with him, so Nabarun suggested that he at least take some rest. I told him I will gear up and wake him at quarter to 1 in the morning. By the time we went to our tent, it was 2000. Nabarun slept and I played owl. 

 

September 15  - Day 8 Summit Chumser

The day began early. I stayed awake all night and developed a slight headache. Woke Nabarun at midnight. We took our time gearing up. I woke up Deepak by 0045. He was fast. We had some black tea and left by 0130. The initial ascent to the snowline was slow. It took us about 100 minutes to hit 6300m. This is where Nabarun put on his plastic boots. I was trying out my Forclaz 900 boots. My feet were freezing in them. The boots are good for hiking till about 5500m. They are definitely not suited to climbing/hiking in snow. (My feet are still numb from the cold injury, and its been about 10 days since I came back from Leh). Anyways, after wearing our crampons, the gradient increased and so did the volume of snow and ice. Deepak could barely stand on his feet, but he somehow managed.

In another hour we reached fork from where one could go to the false summits. From here there was a straight forward 40 deg climb for about 40 odd minutes leading to a sharp ridge which was quite steep. It was this steep ridge measuring only little less than a 100m, which would lead us to the summit. After this ridge, climbers are exposed and it begins to get extremely windy and cold. By 0540 we were at the summit. Nabaruns Garmin Vista was reading 6635 while my N8 was reading 6595m. I would say the Garmin reading was correct, since my N8 was off by about 40m since Leh.

We snapped the surrounding peaks (mainly Lungser - our next objective) and Tsomoriri beneath us. Also the Mentok range on the other side of Tsomoriri and the peaks either side of the Mentok range. Since Nabarun was busy with his GPS receiver and Deepaks digicam had conked, photoevidence was now my department, but only just. In about 90 seconds my fingers were frozen and I had to pass on my phone to Deepak to be turned off. Since we were beginning to feel the chill, we decided to headback. The jubiliation was short and would only be complete once we made it back safe. On our way back, Deepak found a strange place to check his boots and feet for comfort; the point where we began climbing the steep ridge towards the summit. We waited for him on that exposed part of the mountain for about 15 minutes. Although he seemed to be enjoying the brief halt, I was feeling like throwing him down the slope. Of course I managed to keep a smile on my face, afterall this was the guy who was going to guide us to the top of Lungser in a couple of days.  

We made it back to the camp in a couple of hours but not without any misadventures. While Deepak decided to take a different route to the camp, Nabarun and I backtracked the same route we took to the summit. Nabarun almost got into a crevasse. I used my Ice Axe (and his) to anchor and and he somehow managed to push himself to the surface. We just thanked heavens, and continued towards the camp, wishing this was the last of our woes. It was - at least for the day. Since the cook was gone, there was no hot cup of tea or breakfast or snack. Deepak went to the dining tent. Nabarun and I went to our tent. I had some cold water, dispirin and went to sleep, hoping that the headache would be gone when I woke up. It had only aggravated by the time I woke up. I had very little lunch and dinner. I was in so much discomfort that I hardly remember anything from the rest of that day.

Part 2 continued here

 

Gulmarg 12

Gulmarg was terrific this year (Although the post is a month too late). It was nothing like last year. There were no bans on routes from the top of Afarwat and on a personal front, I was feeling really fit in a long time. The operated foot last year left a sour taste in my mouth and although I was able to try a few things especially routes down Kongdoori, it wasn't quite satisfying. Especially not being able to ski down G4 was painful. 

This year however, G4, Mary's Shoulder, Kongdoori and Monkey Hill were all done on more occasions than one. I got my equipment from JIM & WS. Rossignol Alpine Ski's, 48" Kerma Poles and and Salomon boots. Maj. Mahajan had accommodated me in Mount View; a decent place to nestle for two,  may be three weeks. The staff at Mount View is brilliant. Tariq, the Manager is thoughtful while Adil, the help, always exceeds ones expectations.  

I had not skied for about 10, may be 11 months. So revisiting the skills on the many beaten slopes around Gulmarg seemed like a wise idea. Slopes like "Highland" and "85" are especially popular with professionals and novices alike. The Army Skiing Team and the HAWS (High Alt Warfare School) Skiers practice in and around the Highland Slope and are always willing to lend advise, point errors or correct ones technique. I was practicing with Hazari and Mangal, instructors with JIM & WS; brilliant skiers and excellent teachers.

Kongdoori & Mary's Shoulder

Between Mary's Shoulder and
Kongdoori

After about 5 days in Gulmarg (last week of feb), I felt confident of being able to face the natural slopes. G4 (The top of Afarwat) was not operational for some reason. So we took the "Gondola" (Telecabine System) till Kongdoori and hiked about a Km towards Mary's Shoulder. Surprisingly, most part of our hike was beaten earlier in the morning. A little off piste slope joined this beaten route to form a ski run leading to Kongdoori roughly about 2 miles long . Excellent fun, especially the beaten part of the track was extremely fast. On the way back we followed the beaten  track  from Kongdoori to Gulmarg which was by now a regulation route, with varying degrees of descents and sudden curves thrown in for good measure.

Kongdoori & G4  

The next couple of days, I went back to the slopes in the resort with some guys who had enrolled for the advanced course @ JIM. We practiced edging, waddling and other turns. In the meanwhile, Sqn Ldr Pramod, Mahajans course mate, was in the institute for a couple of days. He expressed his desire to ski down from Kongdoori to Gulmarg. Pramod practiced some basic skills at a resort while Hazari's team and I refreshed some advanced skills. When Pramod felt like he was ready, Younis (another instructor at JIM) and I accompanied him to Kongdoori. We took a day pass on the Gondola and did a couple of runs to Gulmarg from Kongdoori. On the third trip to Kongdoori, I requested Pramod to wait while Younis and I went to G4 and skied down the top of Afarwat. The next 90 minutes were the most exhilarating moments to begin this year. 

Pramod and I @ Kongdoori

Younis and I had a drink and left Pramod with his camera at Kongdoori. In about 15 minutes we were at the top of Afarwat at 13000+ feet. I had no time for sightseeing and just got on with the business. We negotiated the steep slopes with a combination of jumpy stem and dynamic turns. Younis was obviously more fluent of the two since he had been on these mountains earlier this year. This was the first time for me this year. I was more deliberate and meticulous in my approach. By the time we made it to Kongdoori, it was time for lunch. We met with Pramod, skied down to Gulmarg and returned to Kongdoori for lunch - Chicken Mughlai, Chicken Masala, Naan and Rice. 

With that scrumptious meal, we had enough energy to do a few more rounds to Gulmarg. The ride to G4 was again blocked for some reason. I left Pramod with Younis for guidance and went ahead exploring new routes from Kongdoori to Gulmarg, on  my own. Quite a hectic day this one.

Solo - G4 and Mary's Shoulder

By now I had had enough opportunities to ski down so many mountains and slopes. This year was exceptionally good in that regard. Very few bad weather, no activity days. In fact even on bad weather days, I was able to get some sort of mileage on the skis. So the logical progression would have been to go solo, which I did. 2 days after Pramod left, I was on my way to G4 via Kongdoori with Mr. Reshi, my old friend from Gulmarg, employed with the youth services dept in Gulmarg. A genuinely good person and excellent instructor, Reshi has known these mountains for 23 years. He was on his way to Kongdoori to help with the management and administration of a tournament called Gondola Cup being conducted between Mary's shoulder and Kongdoori. I saw him off at Kongdoori and headed off to G4. The descent was quite emphatic, although I did see a few snow boarders and skiers overtaking me, thanks to better equipment and exposure, I believe I was doing alright, considering the fact that I have been to the top of Afarwat on fewer occasions. I even managed to ski down Mary's shoulder towards Kongdoori a couple of times. Wow! G4 and Mary's shoulder on the same day. Quite an exceptional day. 

On my way down from Mary's shoulder I ran into Hadee. The day before I came across this inquisitive little girl at the highland slope. We had a little chat while waiting our respective turns at the lift. Sometime during  our conversation I shared the gospel with the young lady. She never told me that she was going to the mountains as well. She had somehow managed to get facedown, out of exhaustion, I think. She asked me for some water. I offered her some juice and chocolate (which I always carry handy). I suggested that she follow my lead. She did. Once in Kongdoori, at the site of the competition, I politely implied that she shouldn't be skiing on the mountains without a guide. Not at her age and skill level. The lady smiled. I said good bye to her, and did another round of Mary's shoulder before heading back home.

Monkey Hill

Pradeep & Wg Co Padda

With just two more days left for my return flight, Pradeep (and Wing Co Padda) my new friends, asked me  if they could ski down from Kongdoori. Since there are a few straightforward tracks between Kongdoori and Gulmarg, I suggested it was plausible and offered to be their guide. I checked with Mangal and he was willing to go too. Unfortunately, the Gondola was halted for the day due to strong winds. Pradeep and Padda Sir had to go the slopes with a sullen face. Mangal, his friend and I instead headed off on the trail towards Monkey hill. Deep woods with tall trees and chilly winds; stuff from the movies. Anyways, we were at the top in about half an hour. The ski descent was pretty boring to be honest. Too many trees for my liking. Mangal and his friend landed on their butt a coupl of times. I was more deliberate and careful. Especially because of the number of trees on the route. We hit the road connecting Gulmarg with Tangmarg in about 15 minutes. A newly wed couple were generous enough to offer us a ride to Gulmarg. They were in some sort of mischievous mood, which was apparent from the place where they were seated, right on top of the Sumo. Can't complain though! they offered us a ride. We handed the skis to them for safekeeping and got into the vehicle. It was really comfortable in there. Why would they sit on top? Beats me. I presume, when you are in love, the wires in the top floor go all wrong. We got off at the bus stop and thanked the couple. Lunch at Yemberzal was .... what can I say? Vegetarian. :(