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.
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