Himalayan treks
From 12,000ft and above you experience
freezing cold and the biting wind adds to the menace. Generally you get feather
jackets on hire as protection from the weather. Here there are bugyals or
alpine meadows that stretch as far as your eyes can see. The tree line ends
here; from this level onwards all that can be seen are meadows, green or golden
depending on the season, tiny bushes and carpets of flowers. The colour green is
used liberally by the creator in this segment. On our road to the Valley of
Flowers we saw crimson coloured cock’s combs swaying happily practically
everywhere. The term Valley of Flowers evokes images of the tulip gardens of
Yash Raj movies, but here the picture was slightly different, we had to tread
very carefully lest we trampled carpets of delicate flowers under our feet.
Near Mani Mahesh too, we were welcomed by a carpet of flowers in myriad
colours. The design, pattern and colour of these carpets change with the waves of
the wind and their location. The Himalayan blue poppy is a common flower here
and accompanies you everywhere you go. Many species of yellow flowers grow
abundantly in this area. The Himalayan cobra, another flower, resembles a snake
ready to bite. Long stretches of canvass are thus painted with natural colours.
At this level, the accommodation too changes to wooden structures. It could be
a school, a temple or somebody’s residence.
Breathtaking view
The best season for trekking in the
Himalayas is from late June to end-September. During this period the snow melts
and the trekking routes open up. As a result you are required to cross many
streams along the way (think of it as ice-cold Bisleri available throughout).
At times they flow over big boulders and high ridges to form waterfalls. Their
vigour is so infectious that it rubs on you as well. But, I admit, it is a
great ordeal to cross these streams despite (or rather because of) the presence
of bridges to help you across. It is said you should never try to cross a
bridge until you come to it and when you reach it you should cross it without becoming
overconfident. This holds true especially in Himalayas, where rickety bridges
test your fear factor again and again.
Usually the trails are such that you have
to jump over streams, play hide and seek with the river which appears sometimes
on your left and sometimes on your right or borrow something of the energy from
the waterfalls to reach the next campsite. Here, though your minds are fresh
your bodies are tired and you immediately start looking for some place to rest.
But in the Himalayas, by the time you reach 14,000ft, it is not advisable to do
so immediately. In order to get acclimatised you are required to remain busy in
some sort of activity, like getting acquainted with the surrounding flora,
helping the cooks or joining the porters as they go about erecting tents. Yes,
at this altitude you are required to stay in tents. It is fun to share a
six-by-six tent with three other people. This high up in the Himalayas, you do
not get everything you are accustomed to, so it is best to get used to whatever
you do get. For instance, bathing at higher levels is out of the question. Even
at lower levels it may not be guaranteed. At Dodital we got half a bucket of
lukewarm water to bathe, to be shared by two people. One of the porters boiled
water in a kettle in the kitchen tent quite far away from our rooms and by the
time he brought it to us, the water had turned lukewarm at best. Then, instead
of foam mattresses there are usually sleeping bags. The floor below them is
often rough and stony. At higher levels there are either toilet tents or
open-air toilets and attending nature’s call usually involves a small trek. On
the upside, the flora here is worth a dekko. At places like Baguabasa we saw brahmakamal,
neelkamal, himakamal and fenkamal. They had a slight pleasing
fragrance.
The treks become arduous as you go higher
up and you are required to do warm up exercises daily. You start your trek
after breakfast which generally consists of porridge or noodles. At the
beginning, it is possible to find dhabas where you can get aloo
paranthas. In our treks I always lagged behind and once you fall back, you
tend to lose confidence and it is likely that you may not be able to complete
the trek at all. So the group leader usually stays with the last person to
boost his confidence. Of course, though I was always last, there was no fear of
my being left alone as Ashok would give me company no matter what. I don’t know
about the next seven births but in this birth at least, he wants to be with me
and does not care whether he himself completes the trek or not. So we made it a
practice to start our trek half an hour before the group started. It is a
different thing that even then we were last to reach; but at least we completed
the trek.
Lakes are integral parts of the Himalayas.
In Bedni Lake you can see a clear image of the surrounding mountains and the
clouds embracing them. Roop Kund is always frozen. At Nubra Valley you can see
mountains, desert and lake all at one place.
While going on a trek your programme has
to be flexible. Sometimes you are forced to make an unplanned stop. Sometimes
you have to complete a two-day trek in a single day. Sometimes you have to trek
even where it was otherwise possible to get a vehicle. While coming back from
the Roop Kund trek we had to change vehicles six times because of landslides.
Wherever there was a landslide we had to get down from one vehicle and carrying
our luggage, cross the debris and walk until we reached a vehicle on the other
side.
Trekking rewards you with breathtaking
panoramas, be it snow-clad mountains shining in the sunlight, soft green
meadows stretched out like a carpet underneath your feet or snow-covered lakes.
They make you forget your fatigue. The Himalayas are also home to
peace-bestowing religious places like Rishikesh, Chardham and Mani Mahesh. Not
just grand temples, you will find many smaller ones erected simply by placing
one stone on another. Even for an atheist it is difficult not to bow in front
of these temples before proceeding on one’s trail. They give you the strength
to face any difficulties that may crop up in your trek and also to enjoy the
supernatural feats that the Himalayas have to offer.
There are many thrilling moments to
experience in these mountains. These make us hold our breath, remember God or
recite Ram Raksha. The road going towards Kalpa along the Satluj River was so
narrow that one wheel of the vehicle we were in always seemed to rest on the
very edge of the road that dropped down into a deep valley. And every time
another vehicle approached from the opposite side, we couldn’t help but close
our eyes and pray. When you are walking on glaciers, only your guide can point
out where you are treading on thin ice. Sometimes a big boulder can come
rushing down from top. In some places you have to cross fast-rushing streams
that conceal slippery rocks; the only way to do that safely is to form a human
chain. During our visit to Gunadevi Temple I removed my shoes to find blood
stains on my socks. Later, when I removed my socks, a fat leech dropped out. No
matter how cold it may get, you should keep your ears open. To hear the gurgle
of brooks, the whistle of the wind, the peals of thunder, the calls of birds
and animals, the sound of landslides and, in times of emergency, the anxious
calls of your teammates. Awareness is the key.
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