Tag: himalayas

How an evening at Chandratal became an adventure we didn’t see coming…

Different people find their dose of adventure in a wide variety of experiences. This is a story of how an evening at Chandratal became an adventure I can never forget…

This time of the year. Two years back.

The faint visuals of the evening at Chandratal still keep popping up as part of memories. Sometimes when I’m revisiting the photos. And at other times subconsciously…

It was my first trip to Spiti. I was traveling with my younger brother, Gaurav and my friend, Chirag. I didn’t know of Spiti long before that. Didn’t go with much preparation. Didn’t factor in the EXTREME cold that nights at these high-altitude regions unleash even at a time when the plains are burning hot…

So as fate had it, it was going to be a full-moon night the day we were at the Chandratal lake. As some of you would know, camping around the lake is banned so this base camp is the campsite. This campsite is like just a kilometer before the lake. From there, it’s an easy walk to reach the lake.

Many of you would also have experienced the drastic drop in temperature that happens at such a high altitude as soon as the sun goes down.

As naive as we were, we planned to walk to the lake in the later part of the day so that we reach there a bit before the sunset, enjoy the views for a while, wait for the sunset and be back to the camp after catching a glimpse of the full moon. If I knew any better I’d have picked up every single piece of warm cloth we had in the bag back at the camp, and keep some extra quick energy food. Did I tell you we were so naive?

As we reached the lake, with the sun reaching for the horizon, the whole setting was that of a surreal landscape. The breeze flowing past the sublime surface of the lake, the surrounding vistas and the golden rays of the sun… it was nothing short of an out-of-the-world experience.

We could see more people around the lake by this time. Some of them were also looking like having conquered the world. There was this big group of foreigners getting photographed with a huge flag of India. I could relate to their joy.

Only till we were blessed by the Sun.

Thanks to the thin atmosphere, this region hardly retains any heat and un-surprisingly it drove every single person around us, back to their relatively comfy shelters. Except for three souls. Who were determined to catch a view of the moon. Yep, the three naive ones…

As it got colder and colder, with the wind getting even stronger, we were losing energy fast. We had a packet of dry fruits. Which got finished in a blink.

We hoped that it would become bearable if we don’t face the direct wind so we hid behind piles of rocks hoping to prevent ourselves from some of that nature’s fury.

That too, didn’t move the needle.

We kept trying different things but all efforts were in vain. Finally when we didn’t see anything working, realizing we had barely enough energy left to go back to the camp we decided to call it a day. It was pitch dark and we – the naive ones – didn’t have any torch. So we planned to use the phone flash as long as the battery lasts.

Though walking was supposed to help keep the body a bit warm, we underestimated the cold. It was sucking energy fast. We were going numb…

We walked and stopped, walked a bit more and stopped, to catch up with breath and regain some energy. The time was 8pm-ish and there was no sight of the moon. Not that that was our biggest concern though.

What should have been like a half an hour walk, took endless time.

Or so it felt.

So a point comes when we are walking real slow and I’m thinking and rethinking whether we would make it or not, but thanks to the strong company of Gaurav and Chirag, we don’t lose hope even when we are drained of all the energy and body heat. Not even a single time did we mention to each other about any pessimistic thoughts. There was this unspoken fact all three of us knew that only thing that we can do is keep walking. And that’s what we did…

A few minutes later we noticed some lights in the distance. Lights that must be coming from the dinner tents back at the campsite. It was clear that we still needed to walk a lot to reach those lights. And we had exhausted phone batteries by now. What were we expecting!? Of-course nothing lasts forever!

The distant lights from the base were a sure hope, though. That we just need to keep following the zigzagging path faintly visible under the multitude of stars and keep heading in that direction down to the campsite…

After an endless walk, just before we were about to reach the camps, the magnificent moon with all its glory arose from the mountains from our back side. Surreal, it looked!

Coming back to reality we resumed our marching ahead to the campsite and eventually after what felt like an eternity we did make it to the camps.

Was this whole experience something I’d choose to plan given an option? Probably not.
Did I regret anything? No.
Was the experience worth the trouble? Hell YES!

July 7, 2017
Arrival of Spring – Photoblog from the beautiful land of Kinnaur

Melting away of snow with the arrival of Spring, brought a palette full of colors during my month-long stay in Kinnaur. Spring – such a lovely time to be in the mountains!

An apple in the making. From Kinnaur – the land of Apples!

The above one and the below one are photos of same branch of Apricot (khubaani) just 3 days apart!

Plum flowers!

Met this beauty on a hike to a waterfall in Chansu!

And some lovely flowers of Chulli (wild apricot) growing on the roadside everywhere in Kalpa!

Spring ❤️

July 6, 2017
Winter Spiti – Photoblog from the Wonderland!

Surreal White Spiti

The statue of Buddha blessing the valley at Langza

Key monastery – the crown jewel of Winter Spiti

Key monastery – another view

Magical night sky at Kibber

April 28, 2017
2016 – My 100 days in the Himalayas, Part-1

I’m feeling thirsty as I make my way on a narrow path, towards the destination I’m aiming to reach today. There is fresh snow as far as eyes go. It’s onset of Spring here in Annapurna region of the Nepal Himalayas. What an amazing time to be here.

At one place a few feet away, there are footsteps of some animal, clearly visible on the snow. Very likely, it walked across just the same morning. They don’t look like that of snow leopard, though. I’m still optimistic. I keep looking. One sight of that elusive creature will make my day!

My dry throat draws my thoughts back to the thirst. I get reminded of this line from Samuel Taylor’s ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’

Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.

I turn back. Down to see the Machapuchare base camp (MBC) checking if anyone else is coming. I could use help with some water. There is none. The Machapuchare – literally meaning “fish tail” owing to its resemblance to the tail of a fish – stands tall back there. The near vertical slopes can’t hold any snow so it’s standing there with most of the top edges naked. It is a sacred mountain. Climbing it is not permitted. What a view from where I stand. Coming back to reality, I have considered the worst case scenario of walking back to MBC, in case I don’t seem to make it to the Base camp of Annapurna (called ABC, in short).

I look into the side pocket of my camera bag, only to find the wrapper of last chocolate I ate somewhere before MBC. Could use some instant energy. I find some dry fruits stashed in a corner of the backpack. Munch a few cashew nuts. Having had this rest for a few minutes, I gain some strength and start walking again. The clouds have started gathering up. Just like past several days. I know it’ll start snowing anytime. This has been happening every day for last so many days. Which is a signal that I have to make it to the ABC without losing any time!

I’m able to see base camp far from where I stand but it’s been tough few hours and I still seem to be getting nowhere close. I am counting 10 steps. Followed by stopping to catch my breath. The process keeps going on. Whenever I see a bit less steep walk ahead, I try counting to 20 steps but anything more makes breathing difficult. I’ve been hiking for more than last 20 days now – around the full Annapurna circuit – but today feels different. I tell myself that it’s a marathon, not a sprint…

As the base camp looks within reach, the snow has started falling. And it’s getting windy. The snow is not too heavy yet, but I can’t waste any more minute now. Survival instinct. Gives you energy you didn’t know you had. I guess, this is something hard-coded in the DNA of all life in the world. I can’t have any complaints, because it works.

Finally, at the end of the “marathon”, the jaw-dropping south face of Annapurna reveals itself.

[Photo from the next morning] The incredible view with the morning sun hitting the south face of Annapurna I – an eight-thousander, the highest peak of the Annapurna massif – makes it all worth it. It stands there in all its grandeur. Massive. Beautiful. Inspiring.

This is just one of those 100 days from my journeys in the mountains this year. Every other day brings new adventures up here.

Nepal, Ladakh, Spiti and Sikkim. Places on the map of my solo trip in the mountains in 2016.

Himalayas. This is my home away from home. This is where I truly feel alive. All these journeys have been full of new learnings every day. Meeting new people every day, from diverse backgrounds and varied cultures, and having conversations on different topics with them, is an enlightening experience for me. Shatters a number of pre-conceived notions we all have about other places and the people living there. Then there is nothing like the amazing views you get to see. Getting completely undisturbed long stretches of time, whether that’s in amazing stays such as Zostel Spiti or remote homestays of Markha valley or Annapurna circuit, provides a great time to catch up with my reading. Far away from the hectic city life, there is something about the disconnect here. It helps to make a better connect with myself.

This brings part-1 to an end. Hope you liked it. I’m still trying to improve my storytelling, so love your feedback. Will continue with the other highlights of the journey in Nepal and from the rest of the Himalayas in subsequent posts.

So friends, what are your travel plans, in 2017? Let me know in the comments below. Cheers to a new year, to another year full of adventures!

January 2, 2017
Markha valley – the best teahouse trek in the Indian Himalayas

Markha valley is the closest you get to classic Annapurna circuit style tea-house trek in India. I hiked Markha valley in late September which is end of the season here. The video at the bottom of this post shows a glimpse of the whole experience.

The stark contrast of colors created by green fields along the Markha river bed with dry barren mountains on both sides and clearest blue skies makes for an incredible and unique landscape. Not to mention the warm hospitality of Markha people combined with you being in a complete disconnect from the outside world provides a chance for an amazingly immersive experience as you find yourself in an altogether different world.

Duration

Starting from Leh and ending the trek at Leh, it takes about 7-8 days depending on your speed and the number of rest days, if any, that you take along the way. Unless you’re an experienced hiker, I’d recommend planning for 10 days which gives you enough time to enjoy the trek. Count at-least one day of acclimatization in Leh before the trek. A shorter version of the trek saving two days is also possible as described later in the post.

Logistics

Markha valley makes for an amazing Do-It-Yourself (DIY) trek without a requirement of guide/porter and without needing to carry significant provisions of food, camps, etc., which would be needed for trails not having any villages en-route (like Pin-Parvati trek, Chadar trek, etc). The arrangement at homestays is such that some of the village homes double up as a (very basic) guesthouse allowing you to stay in the extra rooms they have. Mostly, the rooms are built of thick walls with a multi-layered roof of wooden logs and a top layer of mud. This keeps the inside naturally warm, with mattresses, blankets/quilts provided as well to fight the cold as it goes freezing outside. Meaning you also don’t really need a sleeping bag. The lighter the backpack, more enjoyable the trek! 😀

Very often, especially when it’s less crowded, you get to have dinner with the host family in the common dining room while getting to know about life in this high altitude region far away from the city life. When it gets crowded and the rooms are full, the dining rooms which are quite big, also serve as a place for many travelers to get a shelter and rest. You get dinner and breakfast at the homestay and packed lunch in the morning when you leave to continue the hike to next village. The villages are far from each other and very often the packed lunch is the only food you have during the whole day before you arrive at the next village.

The homestays help making it easy to trek without the help of a guide/porter. Which is what I personally prefer. Don’t have anything against those folks but I just like the full freedom I get being completely on my own. By staying in the homestays you’re directly contributing to the local economy, if that is something you want to contribute to. The homestays in the villages throughout the trail provide a gem of an experience. In my opinion, the experience is even more authentic and closer to the local culture as compared to the hotel-ish teahouses of the more popular treks in Nepal.

Markha valley trek

The trek is usually done in counter-clockwise direction. It starts from Zingchen (3400m), where you can get a taxi drop from Leh. Zingchen is the first village with 4-5 houses in total with two also serving as homestays. Moving ahead from Zingchen you arrive at a trail diversion. The left one takes you to Rumbak and beyond to the Stok. The right one continues to Yurutse (4100m) with a single homestay which is often packed. Even at the end of the season, it was packed by the time we arrived and I had to find a sleeping place in the dining room.

After Yurutse starts the climb to Ganda la (4900m) and after a long hike you cross the pass and walk downhill with Shingo being the first village. Further down you reach the trail meeting the Markha river valley at Skiu (3400m). This is where you start hiking the actual Markha valley. Taking a left from here takes you up the Markha valley while towards the right is an exit via Chilling. Instead of starting at Zingchen, you can alternatively start the trek from Chilling. Chilling is connected with Leh by road, so you save about two days and skip the early pass crossing for even better acclimatization as you move up the valley.

After Skiu, the trail heads up to Markha (3700m) and Hunkar (4000m) and then to Nimaling (4800m). All the villages in the valley are really nice with awe-inspiring views. The valley falls under Hemis national park and occasionally you see herds of mountain deer and blue sheep, especially in the upper section of the valley. You’d need to be really lucky to spot the elusive snow leopard, though. Nimaling – also known as freezing nights pass – is literally the coldest I felt on the whole trail. There are no permanent houses here, it’s just a group of camps.

After Nimaling begins the hike up to Kongmaru la (5300m) from the top of which you get some incredible views on both sides of the pass. Crossing the pass you’re going down the other side reaching one of the villages on the way staying for a night or directly catching a taxi to Leh from somewhere near Shang sumdo.

Closing thoughts

Even being solo, you don’t really ever feel lonely on these treks as you keep meeting other travelers on the trail and even more so at the day’s end in the homestay. During my trek, I met people from different parts of the world all the time and surprisingly didn’t meet a single Indian traveler the whole time. Coincidentally, the same thing happened during my Annapurna circuit hike as well.

I think the best thing about such long treks isn’t getting a break from the usual, not even the amazing views you get to see, not the fact that you get to know yourself better. All those are there AND true. But the best thing has to be the new perspectives you come across during discussions with people from different cultures and countries. I find that enlightening. 🙂

Have any questions or feedback? Do let me know in the comments below.

December 4, 2016
Annapurna circuit – background and preparation

In March 2016, I finally did get to make one of my long awaited complete disconnect from everything back home. This post is to share some background and the preparation I did for the Annapurna circuit + Annapurna base camp treks in Nepal. I wanted to write a book on the whole Nepal experience but made 0 progress in 4 months so decided to go ahead with short specific posts starting with this.

The idea of taking a month long break from the usual life hit me first in the summer of 2013 when I returned from Kashmir valley. I didn’t have anything remotely looking like a plan back then and it was more of a vague idea. Ever since, I was preparing myself mentally and physically to make this dream a success. Fast forward to summer of 2015, discussed and got an approval for taking the break from my office in December 15 which I postponed to late winter – early spring for a better weather. Convincing parents turned out to be even easier as unhappy with my recent bike trips and my increasing interest in it, Mom herself jokingly asked me to instead go wherever I want to go for a month, on condition that I don’t go bike tripping. Wasn’t long when I told them I’m actually going to follow the advice. 😉

I got a lot of assistance in the research required for this by reading Lonely Planet’s amazing books on Nepal and trekking in the Nepal Himalaya both of which are available as free in the Kindle Unlimited program. Those have covered a lot of what’s relevant in extreme detail and I would have found it difficult without those guidebooks.

The baby steps in preparation would be all my trips with friends, including Kashmir valley, Laddakh, Spiti and Barot valley, and the solo ones to Dharamshala, Rann of Kutch and Pabbar valley. I had only gone for day treks such as Triund, Chandrashila, and micro hikes lasting not more than a couple of hours in Spiti valley, Kasauli and Manali. So yes, the month long trek WAS a BIG change from anything I had done in past. The fact that Annapurna circuit is a teahouse trek (meaning you do find basic lodges and places to eat every day along the route) definitely made things easier as compared to a real wilderness trek.

AMS (acute mountain sickness) is a real risk which affects lots of people and that is something one must be aware of, and take precautions for, while visiting any high altitude region. Luckily for me, natural acclimatization worked and I did ok while crossing the 5400m high Thorungla without taking any rest day or the AMS medicines before the pass. I like to believe my past experiences with the mountains helped me though I’m not sure if the body actually works like that.

Preparation and lessons from running half marathon in Nov 15 also helped a bit in strengthening the lower body as well as lungs, which is going to be very important in any long trek. Brisk walking everyday, calf muscles strengthening exercises along with basic warm up exercises are what I did for several weeks preceding the d-day.

From physical preparation perspective, in retrospect, I definitely could have used more of it, and that would have definitely helped enjoying the walks even more. For instance, my knees did hurt real bad for several days after the long descent of Thorung la. But that’s not something I really regret. I believe the quote from the movie Ender’s game – “You’re never ready. You go when you’re ready enough” is spot on.

Looking back, being part of an early stage startup, which is kind of a roller-coaster ride bringing new challenges everyday, mentally prepared me taking this month long adventure, I think. Both are a lot similar in so many ways (more on that some other day)!

Till the next post, here is a short video i compiled from one of the most beautiful places on Earth:

July 23, 2016