Sunday, August 3, 2008
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Final few days at NIM and the certificate
On return, there were 4 days to go before the graduation ceremony. These days were spent in additional navigation exercise (based on the feedback forms we filled up at base camp), some more wall climbing, one additional trip to rock climbing area etc. Evenings were spent in preparations for 'Camp Fun'. The day of graduation ceremony came and we were given stuffy pullovers to wear. After lot of rehearsals, we finally got our 'pins' from the chief guest and this was followed by a similar ceremony for the Advance Course. The evening brought on a song and dance show by the trainees. It was time to say goodbyes to each other as we all left the institute for our homes in the early hours on the next morning.
The certificate arrived after a gap of 2 months and thankfully, I got the A required to attend the Advanced Course, which I intend to do next year.
The certificate arrived after a gap of 2 months and thankfully, I got the A required to attend the Advanced Course, which I intend to do next year.
The 2 day ordeal (coming down to the roadhead)
We had a written exam and navigation exercise on the last day. The exam was pretty straightforward and I could wrap it up in half an hour. I skipped the navigation exercise on medical advice on my damaged knee. However, soon, it was time to prepare to go down to Tela Camp on the next day. I was apprehensive but was given a porter and one hour head start along with other members of the advance party. My leg was pretty bad and I could put weight on it only with a straight leg, without turning it sideways. Flashes of unbearable pain resulted from any twisting or bending of the knee.
I gamely plodded on with my instructor, who accompanied me all through. Bishal Thapa was also with me for almost half the way before he was asked to go ahead. Finally, I could manage to reach Tela camp limping non stop, in 5 hours and 45 minutes, about half an hour behind the guys who started one hour after we did, from base camp.
The second day was easier and I could reach the road head in three hours, before the main group, with half an hour head start. Soon we were moving back to the institute in the buses waiting for us at Bukki bridge.
I gamely plodded on with my instructor, who accompanied me all through. Bishal Thapa was also with me for almost half the way before he was asked to go ahead. Finally, I could manage to reach Tela camp limping non stop, in 5 hours and 45 minutes, about half an hour behind the guys who started one hour after we did, from base camp.
The second day was easier and I could reach the road head in three hours, before the main group, with half an hour head start. Soon we were moving back to the institute in the buses waiting for us at Bukki bridge.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Mishap on the last day of field training
It had been snowing daily and this led to a change in our training program. We went ferrying loads up to advance base camp, with a program to come back to base camp and then to move up the next day to stay at ABC for height gain. As we reached back from ABC after dropping off the load, we got news that due to avalanches on all sides into the area where ABC was situated and also on the draupadi ka danda face, advanced course has had to abandon their attempt to summit the peak and are coming back. We were also told that the height gain on this face was now not possible and we have to go back to ABC to ferry the stuff back to base camp. Thereafter, a reconnaissance on the alternate peak revealed that the gully through which this peak was approached, is also blocked with avalanches.
Finally it was decided to start back 2 days ahead of schedule, after navigation and the exam. This was a let down for most of us but we reconciled to it and went for our last day of snow craft.
After self and group arrest was successfully completed, we were told to wind up. The guys started horsing around, glissading down the slopes making a sitting train in which each guy sat behind the other with splayed legs and the guy in front held the legs of the person behind him. We did this once and the second time we tried it, the train hit a bump in the ice and overturned, coming to a stop. Due to momentum, I went sprawling into the snow while my leg was in the hand of the guy in front. My knee got twisted at an awkward angle and there was a lot of pain as I writhed in the snow. It was a painful and slow walk in falling snow, back across the 2 moraines with 2-3 fellow trainees, my instructor and MR. Jha, the medical assistant, escorting and supporting me. My instructor, Mr. Saklani went ahead to call for a stretcher and porters and although I could limp across the moraines onto the flat fround leading to the camping area, I was loaded onto the stretcher and brought to the camp. After I received some flak from the VP, the doctor had a look at it, while Jha babu administered an injection. The consensus was that it was a ligament injury and as I could put load on the foot keeping the knee straight, I can have a day's rest and walk down to the road head.
Finally it was decided to start back 2 days ahead of schedule, after navigation and the exam. This was a let down for most of us but we reconciled to it and went for our last day of snow craft.
After self and group arrest was successfully completed, we were told to wind up. The guys started horsing around, glissading down the slopes making a sitting train in which each guy sat behind the other with splayed legs and the guy in front held the legs of the person behind him. We did this once and the second time we tried it, the train hit a bump in the ice and overturned, coming to a stop. Due to momentum, I went sprawling into the snow while my leg was in the hand of the guy in front. My knee got twisted at an awkward angle and there was a lot of pain as I writhed in the snow. It was a painful and slow walk in falling snow, back across the 2 moraines with 2-3 fellow trainees, my instructor and MR. Jha, the medical assistant, escorting and supporting me. My instructor, Mr. Saklani went ahead to call for a stretcher and porters and although I could limp across the moraines onto the flat fround leading to the camping area, I was loaded onto the stretcher and brought to the camp. After I received some flak from the VP, the doctor had a look at it, while Jha babu administered an injection. The consensus was that it was a ligament injury and as I could put load on the foot keeping the knee straight, I can have a day's rest and walk down to the road head.
Learning to tackle ice and snow.
Ice craft meant ascending and descending ice slopes, anchoring on such slopes and also assisting (belaying) your team members. This was the first time we fixed the crampons onto our snow shoes. Initially there was a class and demonstration by the instructors. We were asked to make ourselves comfortable(!) on the snow. We spread our polythene rain sheets on the snow and sat on it. Soon our bottoms went numb but the class went on for some time. Thereafter, we got divided into ropes and went to respective ice wall/ slope for the training.
Going up the 45 degree + slopes on front points of the crampons with hands behind our backs was tough to master but soon we got the hang of it. Anchoring the ice axe to the long sling and then using it to climb was also interesting. We also learnt to fix ice pitons (hollow screw) and to fix the ropes and climb up and rappel down. Belaying was also an interesting exercise in team work.
Soon the icy water got inside the gloves and shoes. The rope caught sand with the water and was very rough on the woolen gloves, tearing them apart at places. I luckily had bought pricey lafuma gloves which were really waterproof and had good lining inside. Even then, I had to take these off repeatedly to work the carabiners, pitons etc and soon my hands too went numb.
To add to our problems we had got the farthest and highest ice slope and it snowed on most days, making our return the last and toughest. This went on for 4 days.
The snow made snow craft easier as we could train nearer to our tents. Snow was fun and much easier than ice as it was softer to fall and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. The snow slopes were really wonderful to walk on and we had a whale of time.
Crevasse crossing was another fun thing to try and master. Things were getting easier and the end of our stay was getting closer. The impending ferry of load to advance base camp and height gain was the only thing weighing on our mind.
Going up the 45 degree + slopes on front points of the crampons with hands behind our backs was tough to master but soon we got the hang of it. Anchoring the ice axe to the long sling and then using it to climb was also interesting. We also learnt to fix ice pitons (hollow screw) and to fix the ropes and climb up and rappel down. Belaying was also an interesting exercise in team work.
Soon the icy water got inside the gloves and shoes. The rope caught sand with the water and was very rough on the woolen gloves, tearing them apart at places. I luckily had bought pricey lafuma gloves which were really waterproof and had good lining inside. Even then, I had to take these off repeatedly to work the carabiners, pitons etc and soon my hands too went numb.
To add to our problems we had got the farthest and highest ice slope and it snowed on most days, making our return the last and toughest. This went on for 4 days.
The snow made snow craft easier as we could train nearer to our tents. Snow was fun and much easier than ice as it was softer to fall and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. The snow slopes were really wonderful to walk on and we had a whale of time.
Crevasse crossing was another fun thing to try and master. Things were getting easier and the end of our stay was getting closer. The impending ferry of load to advance base camp and height gain was the only thing weighing on our mind.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The daily trips to the glacier
We were asked to be ready after the breakfast, dressed in the windproof suit (almost like a track suit) and snow boots with the rucksack holding the helmet, sling, seat harness, writing material, water bottle, ice axe, rain sheet, ropes, camera etc. The load was not much but walking to the ice/ snow slopes in the snow boots was tricky. These shoes lock your ankles and there is hardly any 'feel' on the soles. With zero flexibility in the sole too, it was like walking on stilts! The moraine held big boulders and rocks. Walking on the edges of these rocks/ boulders and skipping across the gaps was tough which was made more difficult by the moisture/ verglas/ snow on these. The lower reaches had snow covering these boulders which occasionally gave way and lot of us found ourselves with one leg buried upto the groin as the shoe punctured the snow and went through the gap! This was specially a problem while returning as the rocks gathered heat fro the sun and the snow around these rocks got wet and became more yielding due to melting. Soon we learnt to avoid stepping on snow close to the rocks and also to judge rocks just below the snow surface by looking out for the slight discoloration on the surface.
The upper reaches were trickier, with hard ice of the glacier, mixed with the dirt/ debris, lurking below the soft snow. At several locations, the ice was also covered by fresh debris and stepping onto this loose debris will occasionally send people careening down the slope for some distance or make them lose their footing and fall. While returning, wet clothes, water soaked ropes and the cold and numb hands made it more difficult to get down in the falling snow/ rain. While foot marks were easy to step in while going up the firm snow, repeated footfalls and slip marks aided by the sun made the path through the snow a slush filled highway on the return and we simply ran/ slipped and skidded down, praying to God to help us avoid a fall/ injury!
All this while the instructors were egging you on and that made it a bit more difficult for you to concentrate. Fortunately no one ever twisted an ankle or had any significant injury while going up and down daily on these hour long trips to the training area.
The upper reaches were trickier, with hard ice of the glacier, mixed with the dirt/ debris, lurking below the soft snow. At several locations, the ice was also covered by fresh debris and stepping onto this loose debris will occasionally send people careening down the slope for some distance or make them lose their footing and fall. While returning, wet clothes, water soaked ropes and the cold and numb hands made it more difficult to get down in the falling snow/ rain. While foot marks were easy to step in while going up the firm snow, repeated footfalls and slip marks aided by the sun made the path through the snow a slush filled highway on the return and we simply ran/ slipped and skidded down, praying to God to help us avoid a fall/ injury!
All this while the instructors were egging you on and that made it a bit more difficult for you to concentrate. Fortunately no one ever twisted an ankle or had any significant injury while going up and down daily on these hour long trips to the training area.
Life in the tents
We were spending a lot of time in our tents thanks to the weather. We were 8-9 people in one tent, all from diverse backgrounds. The tents were pitched along three sides of the square shaped flat field, about 2-4 m apart. The ground sheet was of thin plastic over which we spread our carrymats in two rows, with the rucksacks stacked down the middle. Me and Spandan (initially my rope mate) ended up in the tent of rope 9 as we were one tent short overall. The tent mates were Aditya, Ritesh, Saurav, Spandan, Sanjiv, Pradip and Amit Ghosal. Aditya was an 18 yr old student in Pune, with interest in photography and astronomy. Ritesh was an ex IITKian working in NCR. Sanjiv was a fauji while Pradip worked for an adventure sports company in Rishikesh. Amit Ghosal or Dada as I came to call him affectionately, was from Kolkata. He was always helping others, sharing a word of encouragement and ready to share a laugh to lighten up even the worst of our misery. All of us spent a lot of time talking and sharing our experiences in life, most of the time tucked in cosily inside our sleeping bags or waiting for the snowfall to get over, shaking off the snow from the top of our tent every 15 minutes.
The biggest problem inside the tents was the smells that emanated from our socks and clothes (15 days of no bath, no washing! remember?) and of drying the wet clothes and shoes. We all had a pair of wet snow shoes and a pair of trekking shoes. The snow shoes were dirty with a lot of slush stuck to the soles as we came back. Soon we decided to pack all of these into kitbags and dump the bags beside the tent entry flap along with the wet ropes. Our socks, windproof clothes etc, were draped on the rucksacks etc., left to dry to the extent possible. Adi's deo spray worked full time to keep the tent smelling good.
A tungsten bulb hung from the tent pole and provided a dim light inside the tent in the evening till 9 pm and then in the morning from 4 am. Headlamps, torches etc., supplemented this light when more light was required.
So we talked a lot, practiced rope knots, shared the pics on our digital cameras, listened to music on cellphones and generally had some fun while bonding together.
The biggest problem inside the tents was the smells that emanated from our socks and clothes (15 days of no bath, no washing! remember?) and of drying the wet clothes and shoes. We all had a pair of wet snow shoes and a pair of trekking shoes. The snow shoes were dirty with a lot of slush stuck to the soles as we came back. Soon we decided to pack all of these into kitbags and dump the bags beside the tent entry flap along with the wet ropes. Our socks, windproof clothes etc, were draped on the rucksacks etc., left to dry to the extent possible. Adi's deo spray worked full time to keep the tent smelling good.
A tungsten bulb hung from the tent pole and provided a dim light inside the tent in the evening till 9 pm and then in the morning from 4 am. Headlamps, torches etc., supplemented this light when more light was required.
So we talked a lot, practiced rope knots, shared the pics on our digital cameras, listened to music on cellphones and generally had some fun while bonding together.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Few impressions about base camp
The base camp is on a flat piece of ground where 15-20 10-men tents can be erected for the trainees. This space was sufficient for the basic as well as advanced course trainees. There is a stone wall shelter with tarpaulin sheets spread over wooden rafters as a roof. The space is just adequate to pack in 70 odd people, squatting on more tarpaulins spread on the ground. Few steel boxes in the center act as storage as well as stand for the projector, laptop and electric wires and sockets. A pull down white screen at one end is used to project the pictures/ training films and powerpoint presentations shown through the laptop. The instructors bring fold-able stools for themselves as the trainees squat on the sheets. Uncomfortable arrangement but they are making it bigger, utilizing the porters who stay at the base camp.
The fall-in area is along a raised portion of the ground where the kitchen and serving counters are located in another stone hut. Besides this are the water point, garbage pits and on the other side, the quartermaster's store. The instructors and staff tents are out of bounds for the trainees, behind the kitchen.
For morning routine, trainees are supposed to walk down a steep slope, into a dry khud and dig holes for themselves, using the ice axe. This was a tricky proposition, specially when there was snow or verglas and several guys were seen falling and sliding on the narrow path down the slope or on the boulders in the bed. We were told to cover up every day to avoid the toilet paper floating into air with the winds and coming back into the tent areas! This was the grossest experience for most of the city guys but everyone just went and did it, in absence of any other option. It was really interesting to see the way people adopted to keep water warm in their bottles for the morning routine, if they did not feel like using the T.P. Some will take warm water for drinking in the night, after dinner and keep it inside their sleeping bag to keep it warm. Others will try and cajole the porter in charge of the water cauldron in the morning and try to get some water from him. Most of us, used the T.P. though. Shortages were dealt with by ordering some more through the dak carrier, who supplied stuff on the fourth day after the order was placed.
The cold made the food always less interesting although to be fair, the cooks managed to dish out reasonable fare considering the harsh climate and the remoteness of the place. Pretty soon, my dinner became lukewarm soup followed by one cold (and wet from the snow) chapati with cold jelly or custard, washed down with diluted milk+horlicks. Lunch was rice with mutton curry, with some fruit for me. I hardly ever managed to eat the 'Daal' or the vegetable dishes they made, mainly due to the chilly in it. Breakfast was the best, with jam, butter, 4 slices of bread, eggs and daliya or cornflakes with lot of tea.
High altitude rations were 5 toffees, 2 khajoors, some kishmish each and 2 packets of biscuits for the group of 7. We were supposed to fill in diluted squash in half of our water bottles for the day, with water in the rest of the bottles.
We always departed in good weather, at 0730 or 0800 in the morning. PT was held before breakfast (0600-0630) but later discontinued as the weather deteriorated. The weather always went bad around 1100 and by 1200, it used to snow or rain. We always returned wet and cold with no chance to dry the wet stuff. The snow boots were always wet as was the windproof suit we wore everyday. Wet socks and gloves and a wet and therefore heavier rope to carry, rounded off the misery the weather brought on to us. Occasionally one of the guys in your tent stayed back due to medical reasons and that was a boon as then, you were sure that this guy will dry out and put back in, all the wet stuff in the tent, before the weather went bad. We could not do this otherwise, as we always returned after the snow started.
The first few days were pure misery as even after returning from the exhausting training trip up the glacier, you barely had the time to change and have lunch, before the instructors were shouting again to get assembled in the lecture hall ( the stone shelter) for classes. Dinner was also followed by movies on mountain climbing etc. The weather went from bad to worse and soon, the drop outs from the course reached 16!
This lead to some readjustments and our course leader was instrumental in getting our point across. Soon we had free time after lunch, till 430 pm, followed by class or volleyball if weather permitted. The movies turned into Hollywood stuff like cliffhanger, vertical limit and touching the void. Thereafter the movies were also made optional. PT stopped altogether as we settled down into the routine.
The fall-in area is along a raised portion of the ground where the kitchen and serving counters are located in another stone hut. Besides this are the water point, garbage pits and on the other side, the quartermaster's store. The instructors and staff tents are out of bounds for the trainees, behind the kitchen.
For morning routine, trainees are supposed to walk down a steep slope, into a dry khud and dig holes for themselves, using the ice axe. This was a tricky proposition, specially when there was snow or verglas and several guys were seen falling and sliding on the narrow path down the slope or on the boulders in the bed. We were told to cover up every day to avoid the toilet paper floating into air with the winds and coming back into the tent areas! This was the grossest experience for most of the city guys but everyone just went and did it, in absence of any other option. It was really interesting to see the way people adopted to keep water warm in their bottles for the morning routine, if they did not feel like using the T.P. Some will take warm water for drinking in the night, after dinner and keep it inside their sleeping bag to keep it warm. Others will try and cajole the porter in charge of the water cauldron in the morning and try to get some water from him. Most of us, used the T.P. though. Shortages were dealt with by ordering some more through the dak carrier, who supplied stuff on the fourth day after the order was placed.
The cold made the food always less interesting although to be fair, the cooks managed to dish out reasonable fare considering the harsh climate and the remoteness of the place. Pretty soon, my dinner became lukewarm soup followed by one cold (and wet from the snow) chapati with cold jelly or custard, washed down with diluted milk+horlicks. Lunch was rice with mutton curry, with some fruit for me. I hardly ever managed to eat the 'Daal' or the vegetable dishes they made, mainly due to the chilly in it. Breakfast was the best, with jam, butter, 4 slices of bread, eggs and daliya or cornflakes with lot of tea.
High altitude rations were 5 toffees, 2 khajoors, some kishmish each and 2 packets of biscuits for the group of 7. We were supposed to fill in diluted squash in half of our water bottles for the day, with water in the rest of the bottles.
We always departed in good weather, at 0730 or 0800 in the morning. PT was held before breakfast (0600-0630) but later discontinued as the weather deteriorated. The weather always went bad around 1100 and by 1200, it used to snow or rain. We always returned wet and cold with no chance to dry the wet stuff. The snow boots were always wet as was the windproof suit we wore everyday. Wet socks and gloves and a wet and therefore heavier rope to carry, rounded off the misery the weather brought on to us. Occasionally one of the guys in your tent stayed back due to medical reasons and that was a boon as then, you were sure that this guy will dry out and put back in, all the wet stuff in the tent, before the weather went bad. We could not do this otherwise, as we always returned after the snow started.
The first few days were pure misery as even after returning from the exhausting training trip up the glacier, you barely had the time to change and have lunch, before the instructors were shouting again to get assembled in the lecture hall ( the stone shelter) for classes. Dinner was also followed by movies on mountain climbing etc. The weather went from bad to worse and soon, the drop outs from the course reached 16!
This lead to some readjustments and our course leader was instrumental in getting our point across. Soon we had free time after lunch, till 430 pm, followed by class or volleyball if weather permitted. The movies turned into Hollywood stuff like cliffhanger, vertical limit and touching the void. Thereafter the movies were also made optional. PT stopped altogether as we settled down into the routine.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Move to the mountains: Reaching base camp
We started from Gujjar Hut on the next morning (third day) after breakfast and reached Base Camp in quick time. We had to wait for out tents, which were being ferried by the porters and then helped each other set up their tents. The base camp was on a flat piece of land overlooking the end part of the lateral moraines of the dokriani glacier which had receded quite a bit ever since the camp was set up several years back. The snout was a good 1 km or more away from the base camp. The base camp was at the edge of the cirque (the circle of high peaks forming a bowl) in which this glacier was formed and had few stone walled tent covered structures, viz., the kitchen, quarter master's store and lecture hall. We pitched 11 tents, along 5 more for the advanced course and 5-6 tents for the instructors, vice principal, doctor and support staff. Across a nallah, were more structures, housing the porters. We could see camp of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology established in connection with a sub project on Glaciological studies of Dokriani Glacier.
My rope broke up and got divided into other tents as there was one tent less (11) than the number of ropes (12). We had a few classes and a movie (everest climbing) before we went to sleep.
My rope broke up and got divided into other tents as there was one tent less (11) than the number of ropes (12). We had a few classes and a movie (everest climbing) before we went to sleep.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Move to the mountains: Tela camp to gujjar hut
After a night's rest at Tela Camp, we were ready early next morning to start onwards for Gujjar Hut. The previous day's trip was about 5-6 kms but we were to go about 14 kms and hence we folded out tents, had an early breakfast and were ready to go by 7 AM. The forest was dense and virgin and sun had difficulty in breaking through the dense foliage. However, we were again herded and goaded on by our minders which was the sole spoiler for most of us. However, as the terrain became difficult, it was difficult for some of us to keep pace and slowly the group spread into a long file, with big gaps. The group got together at the rest stops but as we went up from about 8000 ft to 10000 and then some more, breathlessness was the most common complaint. However, we did not slow down much and covered good ground to reach our lunch point in the forest (after a back breaking continuous climb in which we gained 1000 ft in 30 minutes) by 1300 hours.
We started again after lunch and soon came to a meadow from where we could see the tents at Gujjar hut from afar. The view of the snow clad peaks was breathtaking from this spot which was our last rest point. Snow was close by and within touching distance, in the shady parts of the slopes. We reached Gujjar hut and pitched our tents in the face of an approaching storm. Soon it started raining but we went to Khera Taal, about a km away. We had thin polythene sheets to protect us from the rain which became more persistent as we came back and soon turned into a torrent by the time we were back. We scurried to our tents and mercifully were treated to some late evening sunshine which played on the mountain peaks to give us some beautiful pictures which everyone was busy clicking.
It was time to check out the area for the morning routine and soon the sun set, leaving us little time to organize our stuff in the tents and after a hurried dinner we went to sleep.
We started again after lunch and soon came to a meadow from where we could see the tents at Gujjar hut from afar. The view of the snow clad peaks was breathtaking from this spot which was our last rest point. Snow was close by and within touching distance, in the shady parts of the slopes. We reached Gujjar hut and pitched our tents in the face of an approaching storm. Soon it started raining but we went to Khera Taal, about a km away. We had thin polythene sheets to protect us from the rain which became more persistent as we came back and soon turned into a torrent by the time we were back. We scurried to our tents and mercifully were treated to some late evening sunshine which played on the mountain peaks to give us some beautiful pictures which everyone was busy clicking.
It was time to check out the area for the morning routine and soon the sun set, leaving us little time to organize our stuff in the tents and after a hurried dinner we went to sleep.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Move to the mountains 1
We were busy packing our stuff for the 17 day trip (later curtailed by 2 days) to the training area in Dokriani glacier. It was hard to decide on what to take as your personal stuff as we were acutely conscious of the fact that any item added was more load on our back. So shaving kit went out along with everything else except 2 T shirts, 2 track suit lowers, one track suit upper, one pair of thermal inners, 4 pair socks (2 woolen) and 3 pairs of gloves (1 waterproof, 2 woolen) and 4 underwears. Toothbrush, paste, sunblock, my camera, cellphone (for the gps) and a big toilet paper roll rounded off the required material. To fit all of this in the ruck sack with the gaiters, crampons, feather jacket, sleeping bag, snow boots, helmet, sling and harness was tough. 2 of us packed in the ropes, empty kit bags, mittens etc. The mess tin, mug, spoon and water bottle went in the side pockets and the carrymat was strapped on the side.
We loaded these sacks on the top of the bus and went to Bukki (2 hours). Enroute, we had a stop for tea etc., at Bhatwari. The road was pathetic, though it is a national highway. It brought back memories of another NH in Sikkim where lot of construction and tunneling works for hydro power projects had damaged the highway considerably. Bukki road head had a cluster of tea shops and that was just about it. We unloaded our stuff and went across a suspension pedestrian bridge over the Bhagirathi, onto a trail that meandered up the hill side through the Bukki village. Soon the going became tougher with the instructors shouting at the stragglers and continuously asking us to close the gaps in the single file in which we were moving.
The scenery was interesting but there was hardly any time to enjoy it. The trek was more like a goatherd driving his goats on. All we saw was the back of the guy in front as we were minded up the hill.
We were given stops every hour, to rest and have some water/ refreshment. The path went across streams of water coming down from the snow clad peaks. Mostly there were tree trunks across the water for crossing.
We reached Tela camp site inside 3 hours. It was a flat clearing in the middle of the forest. Clean water stream was available. Soon we pitched our tents and were taken down a slope where we were told to dig holes for ourselves for the morning routine. We did that and came back wondering as to how we will find our own place in the morning darkness! The doctor took a class where we were told about high altitude sickness etc. and we winded up for the night.
We loaded these sacks on the top of the bus and went to Bukki (2 hours). Enroute, we had a stop for tea etc., at Bhatwari. The road was pathetic, though it is a national highway. It brought back memories of another NH in Sikkim where lot of construction and tunneling works for hydro power projects had damaged the highway considerably. Bukki road head had a cluster of tea shops and that was just about it. We unloaded our stuff and went across a suspension pedestrian bridge over the Bhagirathi, onto a trail that meandered up the hill side through the Bukki village. Soon the going became tougher with the instructors shouting at the stragglers and continuously asking us to close the gaps in the single file in which we were moving.
The scenery was interesting but there was hardly any time to enjoy it. The trek was more like a goatherd driving his goats on. All we saw was the back of the guy in front as we were minded up the hill.
We were given stops every hour, to rest and have some water/ refreshment. The path went across streams of water coming down from the snow clad peaks. Mostly there were tree trunks across the water for crossing.
We reached Tela camp site inside 3 hours. It was a flat clearing in the middle of the forest. Clean water stream was available. Soon we pitched our tents and were taken down a slope where we were told to dig holes for ourselves for the morning routine. We did that and came back wondering as to how we will find our own place in the morning darkness! The doctor took a class where we were told about high altitude sickness etc. and we winded up for the night.
Mastering the rocks
The daily trek to Tekhla was meant to condition us for the mountains. The rucksack weighed about 10-13 kgs and as we made our way through the town towards Tekhla, it was quite a sight for the locals. We were initially 92 trainees and about a dozen instructors. The 8.6 km took us 2 hours with a break of 10 minutes thrown in. Slowly we reduced the time taken and the stragglers reduced in number.
Climbing the rocks was a thrill, specially the longer pitches. Slowly we mastered the art of belaying each other up the rock faces and rappelling down. We were served breakfast and lunch at Tekhla with a juice break thrown in. The juice was really diluted squash and two biscuits, but anything was welcome in the hot weather.
Handling the mess tin was also something we learnt quickly. It was an aluminum contraption shaped like an oblong tiffin in two halves making a pan each, one slightly larger than the other. Both parts had a prong like (U shaped) handle which could fold back into the pan. Now the smaller pan with folded handle went into the larger half and voila! you had a folded mess tin which could be opened out with some difficulty and you had two pans to get food in. Handling two pans with hinged handles, a spoon and a steel mug took some adjustments. We queued up for breakfast and got an omelette (supposed to be 2 eggs, but the size varied), 2 pieces of bread with butter in between, two more bread slices with jam in between, some cereal (daliya/ cornflakes) and lot of tea. Occasional change was paranthas and bhature.
The return journey was in 2 buses and an ambulance, belonging to the institute. On returning, we had some more classes and films, to keep us busy till 8 pm. We were already looking forward to the move to the mountains.
Climbing the rocks was a thrill, specially the longer pitches. Slowly we mastered the art of belaying each other up the rock faces and rappelling down. We were served breakfast and lunch at Tekhla with a juice break thrown in. The juice was really diluted squash and two biscuits, but anything was welcome in the hot weather.
Handling the mess tin was also something we learnt quickly. It was an aluminum contraption shaped like an oblong tiffin in two halves making a pan each, one slightly larger than the other. Both parts had a prong like (U shaped) handle which could fold back into the pan. Now the smaller pan with folded handle went into the larger half and voila! you had a folded mess tin which could be opened out with some difficulty and you had two pans to get food in. Handling two pans with hinged handles, a spoon and a steel mug took some adjustments. We queued up for breakfast and got an omelette (supposed to be 2 eggs, but the size varied), 2 pieces of bread with butter in between, two more bread slices with jam in between, some cereal (daliya/ cornflakes) and lot of tea. Occasional change was paranthas and bhature.
The return journey was in 2 buses and an ambulance, belonging to the institute. On returning, we had some more classes and films, to keep us busy till 8 pm. We were already looking forward to the move to the mountains.
Members of my rope and how I got a scar
We were a rope of 7 members. Besides me there were:
1. Bishal Thapa, employed in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), hailing from Darjeeling.
2. Amol, a student, from Akola who was sponsored by a club carrying out adventure activities in his home town.
3. Pratik Agrawal, an undergraduate student from Mumbai.
4. I. James, an undergraduate student from Tamilnadu, sponsored by National Cadet Core(NCC).
5. Krishan Pal Singh, a student of 12th std, from Uttarkashi.
6. Satpal Singh Makhloga, a local from Uttarkashi, aspiring to get employment with some adventure sports company.
Bishal and Satpal were in their early 20s and all others were 18-19 yrs old.
Despite the age difference with me, we had a good time together and we bonded really fast and well together as a group. We were allotted a room with capacity to house 6 people and Bishal went to another room. We were allocated an instructor, Mr. Anil Saklani, who was on contract for the period of the course, with NIM. The training at NIM started off at a frenetic pace and soon we were allotted equipment etc. also to enable us to get familiar with it and also to take up rock climbing at Tekhla.
Tekhla was about 8.6 km from the institute and we trekked one way daily for 5 days with a full load to the training area. As we learned the rock craft as the training was called, we went through some thrilling moments as we went up the steep rock faces and also rappelled down many a time.
The first small accident occurred on day one when we were trying to master some boulders by free climbing. As each one of us went up the big boulders, one person stood at the foot of the boulder, to steady the climber in case he slipped and came scrambling down. It was important to soften the landing as otherwise, landing on the stones could hurt.
I was standing ready to help Pratik when he climbed. He suddenly fell from about a height of 8-10 ft but made the mistake of jumping off the rock instead of scrambling down along the face as we were coached. He came down in a bundle of thrashing arms and legs and as I caught him, his elbow hammered down the bridge of my nose, driving the titanium bridge of my specs down into the flesh. It opened a gash and blood started flowing. We were all consoling Pratik who was in tears! I held the hanging flesh back to my nose and pinched it tight. Soon the blood stopped and I got a band aid on it. It's going to be a scar, but I am really not bothered about that.
1. Bishal Thapa, employed in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), hailing from Darjeeling.
2. Amol, a student, from Akola who was sponsored by a club carrying out adventure activities in his home town.
3. Pratik Agrawal, an undergraduate student from Mumbai.
4. I. James, an undergraduate student from Tamilnadu, sponsored by National Cadet Core(NCC).
5. Krishan Pal Singh, a student of 12th std, from Uttarkashi.
6. Satpal Singh Makhloga, a local from Uttarkashi, aspiring to get employment with some adventure sports company.
Bishal and Satpal were in their early 20s and all others were 18-19 yrs old.
Despite the age difference with me, we had a good time together and we bonded really fast and well together as a group. We were allotted a room with capacity to house 6 people and Bishal went to another room. We were allocated an instructor, Mr. Anil Saklani, who was on contract for the period of the course, with NIM. The training at NIM started off at a frenetic pace and soon we were allotted equipment etc. also to enable us to get familiar with it and also to take up rock climbing at Tekhla.
Tekhla was about 8.6 km from the institute and we trekked one way daily for 5 days with a full load to the training area. As we learned the rock craft as the training was called, we went through some thrilling moments as we went up the steep rock faces and also rappelled down many a time.
The first small accident occurred on day one when we were trying to master some boulders by free climbing. As each one of us went up the big boulders, one person stood at the foot of the boulder, to steady the climber in case he slipped and came scrambling down. It was important to soften the landing as otherwise, landing on the stones could hurt.
I was standing ready to help Pratik when he climbed. He suddenly fell from about a height of 8-10 ft but made the mistake of jumping off the rock instead of scrambling down along the face as we were coached. He came down in a bundle of thrashing arms and legs and as I caught him, his elbow hammered down the bridge of my nose, driving the titanium bridge of my specs down into the flesh. It opened a gash and blood started flowing. We were all consoling Pratik who was in tears! I held the hanging flesh back to my nose and pinched it tight. Soon the blood stopped and I got a band aid on it. It's going to be a scar, but I am really not bothered about that.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Falling in all the time!
The institute is controlled by faujis (military men) and they do not let you forget that ever! There was an elaborate 4 page minute by minute program pasted on the notice board, detailing the activities and classes we were to take part while we were stationed at the institute before moving to the mountains. Being a railwayman who has the importance of punctuality drilled into his consciousness, I was pretty cool with the timetable. However, I soon discovered to my horror that even if I reached the prescribed venue 5 minutes before the given time, I was late! All sort of comments were flying from the instructors, whistles were blowing and people were screaming at you in the hostel corridor-all asking you to 'fall in' immediately. I soon reconciled to the fact that right time to 'fall in' was 15 minutes before the published time. There were head counts all through the day to identify the missing trainees.
Soon we got divided into 'ropes' of 7-8 trainees each and were allocated a rope instructor to each rope. I got to become the leader of rope 11. For initial 3 days, trainees, mostly Ministry of Defence nominees, kept on reporting for the course and there were few changes in the ropes to accommodate all these men arriving late.
We were issued a whole lot of stuff ranging from snow boots, crampons, slings, ropes, helmet, carabiners, seat harness, gaiters, windproof suits, down feather jackets and sleeping bag, mess tin, mug, spoon and carrymat etc., along with a rucksack (around 55-60 ltr). I got some extra stuff for the rope, like rapelling jacket and mittens etc. We were taught how to pack a rucksack and soon we discovered that there was hardly any space for our personal stuff in that sack!
Soon we got divided into 'ropes' of 7-8 trainees each and were allocated a rope instructor to each rope. I got to become the leader of rope 11. For initial 3 days, trainees, mostly Ministry of Defence nominees, kept on reporting for the course and there were few changes in the ropes to accommodate all these men arriving late.
We were issued a whole lot of stuff ranging from snow boots, crampons, slings, ropes, helmet, carabiners, seat harness, gaiters, windproof suits, down feather jackets and sleeping bag, mess tin, mug, spoon and carrymat etc., along with a rucksack (around 55-60 ltr). I got some extra stuff for the rope, like rapelling jacket and mittens etc. We were taught how to pack a rucksack and soon we discovered that there was hardly any space for our personal stuff in that sack!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Diary: First Impressions on landing up at NIM
23.4.2008
As we reached Uttarkashi in a shared ambassador, we initially lost our way to the institute but a we took fresh directions, stopping at a shop and soon we could see the elaborate road signs and the well kept approach to NIM. The taxi dropped us at the gate where the sentry box was empty. We walked into the premises and got us directed to the hostel. A quick check of the list at the reception and Rs.1000 later (hike in fees) we got ourselves directed to a room which had three double bunk beds. This was to be our accommodation for the night before we got divided into 'ropes' i.e., groups of 6-7 each, for the entire training period. We were to be given separate rooms, rope-wise, thereafter.
Ground floor of the hostel housed a mess, with a seating capacity of around 100. There were pay phones and an out of order 'cyber cafe' too.
An orientation lecture soon took place at a lecture hall in the hostel, where the Course Instructor told us briefly about what to expect during the course. We were to take training at Tekhla, a rock face about 8 kms away, for 5-6 days, walking the stretch with loaded rucksacks to condition ourselves for the mountains. After completing the rock climbing training, we were to move to Dokriani glacier, which was about 25 kms off road from Bukki road head. We were to travel the 43 kms to Bukki by bus and the entire glacier trip was 15-17 days long. In this period, we could communicate by a satellite phone only.
As we settled for the night in our bunk beds under the 2 blankets, I could not help thinking that a cotton sheet could have been much more comfortable below those rough woolen blankets. Little was I to realize that comfort was one word that would go out of the window pretty soon!
As we reached Uttarkashi in a shared ambassador, we initially lost our way to the institute but a we took fresh directions, stopping at a shop and soon we could see the elaborate road signs and the well kept approach to NIM. The taxi dropped us at the gate where the sentry box was empty. We walked into the premises and got us directed to the hostel. A quick check of the list at the reception and Rs.1000 later (hike in fees) we got ourselves directed to a room which had three double bunk beds. This was to be our accommodation for the night before we got divided into 'ropes' i.e., groups of 6-7 each, for the entire training period. We were to be given separate rooms, rope-wise, thereafter.
Ground floor of the hostel housed a mess, with a seating capacity of around 100. There were pay phones and an out of order 'cyber cafe' too.
An orientation lecture soon took place at a lecture hall in the hostel, where the Course Instructor told us briefly about what to expect during the course. We were to take training at Tekhla, a rock face about 8 kms away, for 5-6 days, walking the stretch with loaded rucksacks to condition ourselves for the mountains. After completing the rock climbing training, we were to move to Dokriani glacier, which was about 25 kms off road from Bukki road head. We were to travel the 43 kms to Bukki by bus and the entire glacier trip was 15-17 days long. In this period, we could communicate by a satellite phone only.
As we settled for the night in our bunk beds under the 2 blankets, I could not help thinking that a cotton sheet could have been much more comfortable below those rough woolen blankets. Little was I to realize that comfort was one word that would go out of the window pretty soon!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Back at Delhi and photographs
I am finally back at Delhi and have posted pictures at
http://picasaweb.google.com/shrivastava.rajeev/NIMBasicMountaineeringCourse202
I will soon start posting my experiences in form of a diary.
http://picasaweb.google.com/shrivastava.rajeev/NIMBasicMountaineeringCourse202
I will soon start posting my experiences in form of a diary.
in jest
Friday, May 16, 2008
I am back at the institute after 14 days in the mountains
SrDEN(Coord.), N. Rly. Delhi
Saturday, April 26, 2008
sports climbing and market
We went to the market yesterday in the institute bus to buy essentials for which we got 60 minutes . A rain sheet, woolen socks and gloves , some sun block was all i needed and I spent the balance time available to get my head shaved . We were to go some 17 days without a bath in high altitude soon and a shaved head meant that much lesser effort to maintain a semblance of personal hygiene .
We had a tougher morning exercise session and went through practice sessions on rope coiling and knots with aching muscles . Soon it was time to climb artificial walls and I did manage to top the easiest one in good time before lunch was called . We are going back for the rest of the walls now .
We had a tougher morning exercise session and went through practice sessions on rope coiling and knots with aching muscles . Soon it was time to climb artificial walls and I did manage to top the easiest one in good time before lunch was called . We are going back for the rest of the walls now .
Friday, April 25, 2008
hill walk !
tehri town is gone!
initial impressions
The days are hectic . We got up at 0430 and fell in formation with loaded rucksacks for a 2 hr trek at 0545! Soon we were huffing and puffing up steep trails and gained 1400 ft in 45 min . We had exercises in a clearing in midst of pine trees and were back in time for breakfast . Classes and demos are on till 8 pm and we have sports climbing tomorrow . A market visit is on today to buy essentials
Thursday, April 24, 2008
first day
Date: 24/04/2008 14:21
Woke up at 0430 as alarms started sounding on our mobiles and watches. We were 6 in a room on 3 x 2 bunk beds and the guys on top started jumping down . Soon people were pulling on their shoes and moving to mess to get tea . Tea was in a container and steel glasses were stacked on the counter . Tea was tepid and sweet and soon we were back in our room, getting ready for PT for which we assembled at 0550 . We were quickly split in groups of 15 each , allotted an instructor and we were off , jogging down the hill and going through exercises which were tough on the first day on almost all of us . Members from the armed forces did better as they were physically fitter . I did ok and was in the top 3rd . Only blemish was dropping out after 10 push ups!
Came to know during briefing that sat phone will be available in the base camp but cell phone would not work . We were divided into groups of 7 called ropes and i was made leader of rope 11. Now we are together for next 28 days . We are I.James from tamilnadu, Spandan from west bengal, kp singh and sukhbir from an adventure camping company in nainital, Pratik and Amol from maharashtra.
We have moved together in one room and are bonding ! I am the oldest of the entire group of 77 people at 39 years while the rest of my rope are 18-19 years .
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
finally at NIM!
I reached delhi railway station at 2200 and found my way to platform 9 to board mussorie express for haridwar. I found Dinesh who was accompanying me for this course, waiting outside my coach along with nrtma coordinator harish who was to board a train to his home and had come to see us off. We reached haridwar in time, went to the rest house to freshen up and joined a fellow trainee at the taxi stand. This gentleman , Rakesh, was coming to the institute for advanced course and gave us a lot of tips for the basic course which he did in 2003. We met up with one more fellow trainee and started to NIM in a shared ambassador , reaching the institute at 1330. We have been given temporary rooms and will get final allotment tomorrow after we get divided into ropes (groups) which will become our family for 28 days . The schedule tomorrow onwards involves getting up at 0445 for tea and ends with dinner at 2000 hours . Lights out at 2200.
Rajeev
Rajeev
Monday, April 21, 2008
shifting to mobile blogging
As I make my move to uttarkashi today , I have shifted to my mobile for further posts . This is the first from the mobile and the system works fine except that the date is coming out to be one day behind the current cellphone system date. Trying to figure that out. Oh! I also put on a vacation message for friends on my email account and disabled all the news alerts and group emails.
I got a whole lot of transparent polythene bags big enough to take a sleeping bag/ clothes/ other stuff each. This will help to keep my stuff dry inside the rucksack. Despite trying my best I could not fit the stuff I want to carry in a 40 ltr daypack I wanted to take. Now I have to bug NRTMA to dole out help by lending a rucksack or kitbag to me. Will do that today. Another important item is to buy 4 more rechargeable AA cells for my camera. Though I already have 2 sets, yet I have learnt the hard way that these cells' efficiency drops drastically in cold climate.
People tell me that they have gensets and electricity at Gujjar Hut but I am not sure whether they would allow us to charge our cellphones/ batteries
Rajeev
I got a whole lot of transparent polythene bags big enough to take a sleeping bag/ clothes/ other stuff each. This will help to keep my stuff dry inside the rucksack. Despite trying my best I could not fit the stuff I want to carry in a 40 ltr daypack I wanted to take. Now I have to bug NRTMA to dole out help by lending a rucksack or kitbag to me. Will do that today. Another important item is to buy 4 more rechargeable AA cells for my camera. Though I already have 2 sets, yet I have learnt the hard way that these cells' efficiency drops drastically in cold climate.
People tell me that they have gensets and electricity at Gujjar Hut but I am not sure whether they would allow us to charge our cellphones/ batteries
Rajeev
How to blog on the move?
One question was consuming me while I packed my stuff. How to blog on the move? Updating my daily diary on net and letting everyone know what I am doing, sounded so cool! Fortunately blogger.com supports mobile blogging and it was pretty painless even for a dork like me :-p
All I needed was to send an email from my mobile to go@blogger.com through my mobile and I got a 'token' through return email. I used this token to link my mobile posts to this blog and I was set.
So now I intend to post while the battery still has some juice and will try to embed some pics too. Let's see how this turns out.
All I needed was to send an email from my mobile to go@blogger.com through my mobile and I got a 'token' through return email. I used this token to link my mobile posts to this blog and I was set.
So now I intend to post while the battery still has some juice and will try to embed some pics too. Let's see how this turns out.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
The preparations
I work for the Railways in middle management, as a civil engineer. The current responsibilities were to be factored in the scheme of things which meant I had to be away for a month. Although my bosses (and at times me too) had reservations about such a long period of absence but my immediate boss, the Divisional Railway Manager, Delhi, was very supportive and was instrumental in putting all others involved in the decision making, at ease. The second factor was my family. We are a family of 6, me and my 2 daughters (11 and 8 yrs), my parents and my lifeline, my wife who has always been the major part of my support system. She had voluntarily left her job to look after the kids and also to cope with my frequent transfers, often to far off small towns. As I broke the news and my decision to her, she took it with equanimity and also comforted my parents who took the news with some disquiet.
So I had sanctioned leave, a confirmed slot in the Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC) number 202, at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), Uttarkashi, starting from 24th April 2008. The first step was to look up the list of essentials we were supposed to bring with us to NIM. After some search on the net for likely places which stocked the required gear, I zeroed down on Adventure 18, Satya Niketan, Near Venketeshwara College. This was conveniently close by from my place in Chanakyapuri. I bought a balaclava cap, lafuma gloves and a raincoat (like the one we wear on a bike), Petzl Tikka plus LED lamp and I was set except for one thing-I did not have trekking boots! Some more search found me confused for the variety of choices. Finally Adidas Terrex GTX won me over and though they costed a bomb, I bought a pair from the Adidas shop in the inner circle, Connaught Place. I had a Lowe Alpine Contour Mountain 40 daypack and I intended to fit all the stuff I was to take, into this. Of course I failed miserably, but more on that later.
I soon found out that one of the trekkers from my previous group which went to Stock Kangri ABC trek, was also signed up for the trip. This made me happier as I knew at least one of my fellow trainees beforehand. Orkut got me 2 scraps from 2 more guys joining the same course.
So here I am, all set to board Mussorie Express from Delhi on 22nd April, for Haridwar.
So I had sanctioned leave, a confirmed slot in the Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC) number 202, at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), Uttarkashi, starting from 24th April 2008. The first step was to look up the list of essentials we were supposed to bring with us to NIM. After some search on the net for likely places which stocked the required gear, I zeroed down on Adventure 18, Satya Niketan, Near Venketeshwara College. This was conveniently close by from my place in Chanakyapuri. I bought a balaclava cap, lafuma gloves and a raincoat (like the one we wear on a bike), Petzl Tikka plus LED lamp and I was set except for one thing-I did not have trekking boots! Some more search found me confused for the variety of choices. Finally Adidas Terrex GTX won me over and though they costed a bomb, I bought a pair from the Adidas shop in the inner circle, Connaught Place. I had a Lowe Alpine Contour Mountain 40 daypack and I intended to fit all the stuff I was to take, into this. Of course I failed miserably, but more on that later.
I soon found out that one of the trekkers from my previous group which went to Stock Kangri ABC trek, was also signed up for the trip. This made me happier as I knew at least one of my fellow trainees beforehand. Orkut got me 2 scraps from 2 more guys joining the same course.
So here I am, all set to board Mussorie Express from Delhi on 22nd April, for Haridwar.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
How it all started
It was a busy office day and I had gone to Northern Railway HQ office, Delhi for some work where I came across a pamphlet issued by NRTMA (Northern Railway Trekking and Mountaineering Association) which mentioned a trip to Leh, including a trek from Stock village to Advance Base Camp for Stock Kangri. Having been a part of a rafting trip down the Ganges in the reaches upstream from Rishikesh and also a parasailing outing with NRTMA earlier, I was familiar with the functioning of NRTMA and immediately rang up the coordinator, Harish Joshi. I got interested as the conversation went on and I decided to sign up.
It was a 10 day trip, involving a 3 day bus trip into and out of Leh.
Pretty soon, I landed up at Delhi Railway Station where we shifted a lot of stuff from the main porch in to the platform where out train was to arrive. We were a group of about 50 and pretty soon were milling about on the platform getting familiar with each other. The train arrived and we were soon ensconced into our berths and were fast asleep. We got off the train in the morning and boarded the Punjab Roadways bus to Manali en route to Leh. I was little prepared for the spectacular scenes that unfolded in front of my eyes, on the second and third day as we negotiated the torturous route on our bus, to Leh.
We stayed in an aptly named hotel at Leh called 'Lung-se-Jung'! As we did not wait at Leh to acclimatise, we were struggling from the next day onwards as we trekked up from Stock village to the base camp and then to the advance base camp. It was an exhilarating experience though and the camaraderie was exceptional in such a big group. As we waited at the advance base camp for the experienced climbers to to go the top and come back, we spent some quality time @ 15000+ ft.
At that time I realized the importance of regular training as I envied the experienced climbers who went to the top. This set me thinking and with the help of NRTMA, I managed to get enrolled for a basic mountaineering course at NIM, Uttarkashi, though I had to get age limit dispensation as I am 38+ yrs old and the upper limit was 35 for the course.
Now I am all set to go to Uttarkashi, where I have to reach on 23rd April 2008, evening. More on this later.
It was a 10 day trip, involving a 3 day bus trip into and out of Leh.
Pretty soon, I landed up at Delhi Railway Station where we shifted a lot of stuff from the main porch in to the platform where out train was to arrive. We were a group of about 50 and pretty soon were milling about on the platform getting familiar with each other. The train arrived and we were soon ensconced into our berths and were fast asleep. We got off the train in the morning and boarded the Punjab Roadways bus to Manali en route to Leh. I was little prepared for the spectacular scenes that unfolded in front of my eyes, on the second and third day as we negotiated the torturous route on our bus, to Leh.
We stayed in an aptly named hotel at Leh called 'Lung-se-Jung'! As we did not wait at Leh to acclimatise, we were struggling from the next day onwards as we trekked up from Stock village to the base camp and then to the advance base camp. It was an exhilarating experience though and the camaraderie was exceptional in such a big group. As we waited at the advance base camp for the experienced climbers to to go the top and come back, we spent some quality time @ 15000+ ft.
At that time I realized the importance of regular training as I envied the experienced climbers who went to the top. This set me thinking and with the help of NRTMA, I managed to get enrolled for a basic mountaineering course at NIM, Uttarkashi, though I had to get age limit dispensation as I am 38+ yrs old and the upper limit was 35 for the course.
Now I am all set to go to Uttarkashi, where I have to reach on 23rd April 2008, evening. More on this later.
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