Himalayas 2023: Everest Base Camp Trek

    Since couple of years I had this wish to go to the Everest Base Camp trek (EBC). And to plan for this trek I first had to make sure I get the required permission for the long leave of absence. Considering the fact that I hadn’t completed my first year in my new company, I had to gather all the courage to ask my manager for a 2 weeks leave. And you know what, when I finally asked him, he didn’t think twice before agreeing. He just asked me to make sure my teammates' plans don't overlap. I was surprised seeing his response but was surely happy af.

    That’s when the ball started to roll. One of my friends had been to the same EBC trek with TrekNomads couple of years back, so I knew at least one known group to opt from. After doing some research and talking to the TrekNomad team (Hemant and Naveen) who gave all the time explaining the itinerary, route and to answer our queries, my friend and I were convinced and registered with them for my EBC trek Gokyo Ri route (and not the regular EBC route) for the 05May-22May dates.

    Now, the most important aspect for any trek, especially high altitude Himalayan trek, is the physical fitness. Thanks to my regular running and associated core & strengthening training, I was prepared and felt I had the fitness required for this kind of difficult expeditions. And since I already have the experience of other Himalayan treks, I was mentally prepared and aware of the challenges that a trek of this magnitude brings.

Here is the how my trek went on:

Greeted by the TrekNomad partners at the airport with a wonderful garland welcome, we then headed towards the hotel for the overnight stay. Got couple of hours to roam around the vibrant Thamel area before hitting the bed.

We had a morning Tara Air flight to Lukla and this was one heck of a flight. It’s a small aircraft compared to the other commercial planes and can have about 20 passengers in all. Anyone could see the cockpit & pilots from any seat! As if this small size of the aircraft wasn’t adventurous enough, we were landing at one of the most dangerous airports in the world i.e. Lukla airport which has a runway of about 400 m and that too at an incline. I felt, this whole exciting flight experience was just the right start for this kind of great trek.

After landing, I was greeted by our guide/sherpa and porter. The EBC trek started after a quick tea at Hiker’s Inn hotel. After few minutes of walk we reached the Khumbu Psanglhamu Rural Municipality check post where every trekker is supposed to register before proceeding. After that we passed couple of villages and had few beautiful hanging bridges to cross before reaching our hotel at Phakding situated right next to the Dhudh Kosi river.

Got up at 7am with a broken sleep, which is a normal thing for me considering my previous Himalayan trek nights. Had breakfast and got ready to start to next camp at 8am. We had few more bridges to cross and few small waterfalls. We reached the Sagarmatha National Park, Jorsalle Post, Monju at around 10am. Immediately after crossing the post, we had a steep descent for few minutes until we reached our  lunch point at Jorsalle. Reached Namche Bazaar at around 3pm after a proper 7 hours walk, majorly a tough ascent.

And now, what I was witnessing wasn’t something I anticipated. At the altitude of 3440m, one would expect a low-profile small town or a small settlement of establishments. But here I was looking at Namche bazaar and this looked grand. The whole area is like a big circular gallery; full of colorful roofed houses and hotels on the mountain slope. The right side of the pathway after the entrance has few big Buddhist prayer wheels run by flowing water. On further walking into the town, I got to understand that this place actually sticks to its name ‘bazaar’. Because this place has lots of shops selling paintings, souvenirs and trekking accessories, salons, even bakeries serving tasty delicacies, and restaurants with live music. Yes, you heard it right! The whole atmosphere was vibrant making me forget how tired I was until that point.

We checked-in into Khumbu Lodge, apparently this place has hosted US President John Carter, author Jon Krakauer during his expedition, and other well known names. The place is surrounded by mountains consisting of Thamserku (6623m), Kusum Kangguru (6367m), Kongde Ri (6187m) and Khumbila (5761m). Spent the rest of the day roaming around the bazaar and having hot chocolate in a café.

To acclimatize better, there is this extra day at Namche Bazaar with a climb to  nearby Hotel Everest View, which is at 3880m/12730ft altitude. We started at around 7:30am post breakfast and reached this hotel at around 10am. On our way up, we passed some nice highlands providing stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Namche Bazaar looked more beautiful from the higher grounds.            On reaching this hotel, we headed towards the open air seating area situated at the backside. It was a special moment as I was looking at the Mt. Everest (8848m) for the very first time. Next to it were other mountains, Taboche (6495m) on its right, Lhotse (8516m), Shartse I (7591m), Shartse II (7457m), Ama Dablam (6812m) on its left. Taboche & Ama Dablam though looked higher due to the proximity. We spent some time sipping coffee talking to other trekkers present at the location.

Came down to Namche bazaar and then later walked the small lanes of the town, and had apple pie at a nice bakery.

Next morning, as usual got ready by 8am and started walking to our next pit stop. This trail takes us around the mountain, so we found ourselves crossing some bends giving new scenes of the neighboring mountains. After couple of hours of walk through the rhododendron trees, there is a fork at Sanasa (3600m); one taking towards Gokyo Ri and the other usual EBC route. The Gokyo Ri route took us through some steps at a distance, crossing past the mountain slope we reached Mong, our lunch point. Ama Dablam view gave us a chance to have some nice clicks. After an hour of walk, we reached Phortse Thanga (3680m) at 1:45pm.

Spent some time later at a nearby bridge. Weather was getting colder, especially during evening time post sunset.

Early morning we had a special visitor, a musk deer leisurely grazing in the open veranda few meters away. Got ready by 8am to head towards the next camp. Reached Dole (4110m) at around 10am for early lunch. This place had some nice farm houses with some elegant looking horses around, giving some fantastic photos. After a long walk through the valley which had a river stream en route, I reached Maccherma (4470m) at around 3pm. This place too gave an impressive panoramic view of mountains. Yaks and Naks were a common passers-by now. Temperatures were in serious negatives and it was just the beginning.

Next morning when I stepped out of the tea house at 6:30am, I saw the whole grassy area is covered with white frozen dew. Water kept outside in buckets had frozen. The day’s route was similar to previous one; a steady ascent for major part. Patches of snow were encountered for the first time on this EBC trail. After 3 hours just after crossing the mountain peak, we had the first lake of the day. The water was super clear. Open area next to the lake had lots of stone pyramids all over. Perfect spot for profile pictures! As we walked further, the second lake shows up which is bigger than the first one and now the Gokyo Ri/Peak is visible towards which we head. Maccherma Peak (6017m) is on our right and Thamserku at the back.

After few minutes, further away we were welcomed by the breath-taking view of the third lake i.e. Gokyo lake which is even bigger. This too was super clear and importantly bluish due to which it added to the beauty. This reminded me of Pangong Lake of Ladakh. Gokyo lake at the center with big mountains around it including the Gokyo Peak and the small town next to it was a scene to behold. I reached the tea house at around 1pm super hungry. The lake was so beautiful that we decided to have a walk around it and headed out after having lunch. The lake is about 3.5 kms in circumference and it took about an hour and half to go around it.

This was one of the important days as we were going for the Gokyo Ri/Peak summit for the sunrise view of Mt. Everest and other big mountains. The plan was to wake up at 3:15am and start in 10-15 mins so that we get about 2+ hours to reach at the top. Guess what, I snoozed the alarm at 3:15am and went back to sleep without realizing. Fortunately, I was awakened by the knocking on the window by my guide. Got ready in 5-10 mins and I came out and I couldn’t thank him enough.

Now at 04:10am with my head torch on, I was at the base of the Gokyo Ri very well aware that I’m running late, and I knew I need to climb real quick in order to catch the sunrise at the top. I started at a steady pace without waiting for any company. The stone stacks/pyramids are thoughtfully placed at the right junctions and they guided me in that dark. It’s a good elevation right from the word go due to which it’s a tough ask to maintain a good pace. I could see few people with their head torches on at the top some 20-30 minutes away from me. Every few minutes I stopped for a moment to grab my breath, giving an opportunity to look around and admire the beauty. All those snow covered mountains in that dawn light looked so splendid. While still little away from the peak, I could see Mt. Everest rising above the horizon with the sun rays hitting it and other set of mountains from the opposite side forming a pretty silhouette. I was still about 10-15 mins away from the peak and I stopped. Stopped to witness the magnificent sunrise silently all alone. The tough ascent, the wait, the race was all worth it. These are the moments when one realizes that it’s not just the summit or final destination that makes it so special but it's the whole process from that very first step we take, the journey, the challenges and finally the summit!

Quickly I ascended to the summit where I saw this small temple with Buddhist flags, generally signifying the peak. To my surprise, I saw a Buddha statue inside when I peeped into it out of curiosity. All the 3 lakes which I passed by the previous day were clearly visible along with the glacier section right behind the town and the innumerable snow-capped mountains. The photos or the videos which we take in these places cannot, I repeat, cannot capture the whole view or moment what we experience standing there.

I met the group of people I had seen before when I began the climb and had a nice chat with them explaining all the mountains around as they were getting confused. Misty Cho You (8201m) looked majestic to the north of Gokyo Ri, apart from the main attraction of Mt. Everest (8848m), Nuptse (7775m), Lhotse (8516m). I spent some more time walking around before starting my descent. On my way back, I met a Korean trekker who was there with his guide, with whom I talked about my previous South Korea visits. Returned to the tea house at around 8:30am. The whole episode of Gokyo Ri ascent, summit and descent took about 4:30 hours altogether.

We started bit late at 9:00am since we didn’t have a great distance to cover that day. We just had a glacier section to cross to reach our next camp, Thaknag. Glacier is a tricky section, nothing too difficult but needs to be aware that we always hear something falling or moving in the vicinity. We generally hear or see stones falling off the slopes or edges into the water bodies, like a mini landslides. Even sharp sounds that we make while walking might lead some stones to fall off the edge. It’s little creepy at times if we actually stand still in the middle out there listening to all these strange sounds. 

I might have met just couple of guys on that day while crossing the glacier, so was almost alone all through. This is one of the benefits of taking the Gokyo route of EBC, we find solitude. Reached Thaknag at around 11:40am, essentially a 2:40 hours walk.

Big day it was as we were crossing the Chola Pass (5420m) which is the second attraction of this EBC Gokyo route. We started early at 5:30am and of course it was super cold. It starts with a good ascent from the word go unsurprisingly as we are gaining > 700m. Few mins into the walk and we had the sunrise and it was great to see the surrounding mountains gradually being lit with sunlight. It was a long strenuous walk towards the Chola Pass. And when I eventually reached at the base of the pass after ~3 hours, I was shocked at what I was looking at. The elevation was amazingly steep and the altitude we gain while crossing it was great too. As I approached it closer, I noticed there is a proper cable/rope attached for the support for the climb which only tells that it’s kind of a technical climb. The icy path due to morning frosting made it more slippery and tricky. And it does hurt a lot if we have a stumble and hit any step or rock in that cold. I know it because I had a mis-step and hit my knee to a rock. It didn’t hinder my climb but it was painful. I took my time, moved cautiously but climbed steadily. And when I finally reached the top at ~9:30am, the satisfaction was immense and I didn’t hesitate from declaring that it was one of the toughest sections that I have crossed in any of the treks I have been to. Spent some time alone at the top to let the whole scene and experience to sink in.

After a while I crossed the pass and started walking down in the snow towards Dzongla (4830). I assumed the remaining part of the day’s walk would be over in quick time but I was so wrong. The walk in that snow, though exciting & beautiful, went on for another hour or so. For that whole time, Ama Dablam (6814m), now  way closer, provided a perfect view. Further down, Arakamtse (6423m) & Taboche (6495m) enter the scene on the right side. It took another tiring hour of walk before reaching Dzongla at 12pm. The hotel owner greeted me and asked me how was I, and I could only say ‘I’m hungry!’. I placed my meal order and gobbled it up when it was served. Guess what happens next, to make my arrival more special,  it starts to snow. Yehh!

I spent quite some time with the hotel owners talking about varied topics like Bollywood movies, music, songs, travel, property etc. Later when I was heading to my room calling it a day, I was asked by the owners if I could join them for the chit-chat for some more time, I gleefully obliged.

Due to the overnight snowfall the whole area looked so beautiful in the morning that I spent few extra minutes taking pics. One more big day and we were on road at 8:30am towards Lobuche, our lunch point and post which we would be heading towards Gorakshep, and then sunset trek to Kalapathar (5545m). Long day for sure. After a pleasant walk, I reached Lobuche at noon all alone leaving behind my company. And this is the place where we join back to the main EBC route from the Gokyo side. And that's why we will notice the change in scene i.e. more people en route.

Took a long break for lunch and started towards Gorakshep at 1:30pm. Again it was a long walk and since we were gaining bit of altitude, it wasn’t easy so to say. As we approach Gorakshep closer, we can see Nuptse (7775m) much closer on our right. Came to the tea house in a hurry at 4:10pm, considering that the sunset trek is still to be covered. That's when I noticed Kalapathar stands very next to it. Even though few people at the tea house mentioned that the weather is not great to have a sunset view, I still went ahead with the plan. I had my hot chocolate quickly and headed towards Kalapathar at 4:30pm taking only the necessary items and leaving behind my backpack.

Similar to what happened at the Gokyo Ri summit couple of days back, I was running against the time. Sunset was at around 6:15pm so I hurried maintaining a steady pace while ascending. Initially there were quite a few people around, but as I gradually neared the peak, there weren’t many. In fact, when I reached at the top at 6:10pm, there was just a couple with their guide. The ascent was tough and the windy cold weather didn’t help either.

My timing was just right and the weather magically cleared up as I approached the peak, from being cloudy. I got an amazing view of Mt. Everest and Nuptse, along with other big names in the vicinity. To add cherry on top, the sunset view with these two mountain tips lit in orange, golden colour was just surreal. It was an overwhelming and intense moment frankly. Sometimes you are so happy that you want to burst out. That’s what happened up there; I exulted in pure joy at that sunset moment. And I guess, that shouting helped me fight the cold as well 😃. Immediately after sunset, it turned colder and I was forced to descend. I had a quick word with those folks there before heading back. For about 30 more minutes the weather was still clear and still provided a beautiful view of Mt. Everest and Nuptse. However, right at 7pm it turned dark and to make things worse, it turned foggy and hence reducing visibility further. I walked down cautiously with head torch on, making sure I don’t miss the trail. Since I was noting down few markers during my climb up, I just followed those pointers. Reinforces the fact that navigation skills and presence of mind are great qualities to possess. I was being mindful about those 2 folks as well, so was checking up on them. The fact that their torch lights were seen following me only asserted that I’m on right path firstly, and secondly they are safe too. Also, it assured me indirectly that if anything goes south I have company 😝 I slowed down a bit and when they caught up with me, we had the usual exchange of Q & A before reaching the hotel at ~8pm.

I was on a high and pumped up, and humbled at the same time with the whole experience. The sunset trek, the scenes at the top of Kalapathar and the demanding long walk from Dzongla to Gorakshep, all made it an overwhelming and intense experience as I said before. And when I met my group and a friend from other regular EBC route group, this jubilation was evident in my talks; in admiration of the views, the mountains and all what I had witnessed at the top.

Next morning we hit the road at 9 and reached Everest Base Camp at 12:30pm walking through hilly terrain and with boulder kind of sections. It’s an impressive landscape with Kumbhu Glacier, the Everest expedition camps and the big mountains around.

        Of late, the EBC rock has become one of the main point, which signifies the end of the trek. Fortunately, when we arrived at this EBC rock, there weren’t many around taking photos. So we got an opportunity to click ample photos without any hurry or disturbances. We did bring out all our nice poses on the rock. Even the weather gods blessed us with somewhat clear skies with Mt. Everest in the backdrop (tip of it to be accurate).

After this, I was lucky enough to have a visit to the actual 8K Everest summit expedition camps escorted by my guide. I met the main folks who run the show there with all the planning and execution. I even had a quick bite there before heading back. Returned to the hotel at ~4pm with a sense of accomplishment as it completes our trek ascend.

Next 3 days we just descend towards Lukla with pit stops at Panboche and Namche Bazaar. Don’t be mistaken, these 3 days were difficult as we had to walk on an average 18-20 kms.

Day 13: Gorakshep (5140m) – Pangboche (3930m)

Day 14: Pangboche (3930m) – Namche Bazaar (3440m)

Day 15: Namche Bazaar (3440m) – Lukla (2800)

We fly back to Kathmandu in the same small aircraft calling it an end to the adventurous trek with a final bang!

Day 16: Lukla – Kathmandu

I spent an extra day (Day 17) in Kathmandu visiting the well known tourist places along with the group:

1. Pashupatinath Temple
2. Swayambhunath Temple
3. Boudhanath Stupa

I must finish by saying that this was my best trek experience so far considering:

• The difficulty level it offered
• The fitness level it demanded (And yes, I carried my backbag myself all through)
• The sheer presence of all big mountains in the vicinity of the EBC route; Common, it was Mt. Everest!! The third pole!
• The wonderful people whom I met during the trek who have accomplished so much in trekking & mountaineering fields; Did I forget to mention, we did meet few sherpas who were just back from their successful Mt. Everest summits
• And it almost became a solo trek for me

This has taken my aspirations to the next level without any doubt.

Let’s see what’s in store for me in coming years.

Stats summary (Kilometers per day as per my Garmin watch):

Himalayas 2022: Bodpathri Lakes trek

 It was couple of months since I had joined my new company when I checked the holiday calendar to realize that the following month had a week with 2 holidays. That triggered my mind with an urge to plan for a Himalayan trek. Yes, the mountains started calling me again. With an intension to trek in a state I haven’t trekked before, I decided to go to Jammu & Kashmir. With no open slots for Kashmir Great Lakes trek, I decide to register for lesser known Nafran Valley trek for 14Aug2022 date, even though it was waitlisted. After a week or two, it was confirmed though. But the uncertainties didn't end there. Just few days before the departure, I was informed that due to administrative permissions in the region, Nafran Valley was closed for treks. So we were moved to a newly explored trek, Bodpathri Lakes trek. It didn't matter much for me; a good trek anywhere in the Himalayas was what I was looking for.

Srinagar city was the starting point of our trek and I reached a day in advance. I had a pleasant Shikara ride in Dal Lake in the evening along with my friends, Rashmi and Veena. Next morning on 14th August, I had an unforgettable run around Dal lake. Serene lake surrounded by mountains, big stretch of houseboats lit by sunrise was a scene to behold!

Day 1:

All the trek members assembled at the starting point where the transport was ready to take us to our first camp site, Doodhpathri. After couple of hours of drive we were greeted with a picturesque view of Doodhpatri area. Apparently it's a tourist attraction and we saw good number of people enjoying the beauty. The rest of the day was filled with introductions, briefing from group leader, Kanishq which included instructions like backpack loading, health related, walking in a group all the time because of vast nature of meadows and fog (please remember this point) and other do’s and don’ts.

PC: Srenik Jivavat

Day 2:

With an established routine of wake up tea at 6, breakfast at 7 and trek ready at 8, we were all set for the excitement. For an hour or so we walked through the pine woods in slight drizzle, and reached the Doodhpatri-Dishkal gate after crossing a stream. A little further and we were welcomed by this beautiful view of vast meadows and valleys, which became our constant company all through the trek. We reached our next camp site, Dander meadow after comparatively an easy day of trek.

PC: Aman Pandya

Day 3:

We started towards our next camp site Astaar valley through vast grasslands. Something unique about these landscapes is the presence of boulder sections; had great fun jumping and hoping across big boulders. So far all good. But what followed next is something what we were not completely ready for, at least mentally. The moment we all reached the important section of the trek i.e. a river crossing, it started pouring. In no time, the ponchos were out and with our shoes in hand or around the neck, we started wading through the river. Cold waters numbing our feet, occasional sharp stones pricking our bare feet and no respite from rain made it the most adrenaline pumping moment of our trek, without a question. The camp site was only few minutes away from this river crossing.

After couple of hours when rain stopped, we all decided to stroll further up to have a closer look of the nearby glacier.

PC: Aman Pandya

Day 4:

Day was full of boulder sections and streams, before reaching our next camp, Gurwansar. After reaching we all decided to walk further up to a nearby lake as we had ample time left. After spending some time taking pictures and exploring the area, we start to head back to the tents. But what followed next is something which has never happened to me in any of my previous 6 Himalayan trek.

Well, the group decided to return with the two guides leading from the front. We 7 of us i.e. Neerav, Shaily, Veena, Rashmi, Ayush, our trek leader Kanishq and myself were lagging behind as we took extra time to wrap up our photo session, but were still with the group. We were at the back busy discussing this and that, confidently taking our path. We did keep track of couple of other guys who were walking in front of us at a distance regularly, but, but in no time thick fog covered the whole area suddenly, with only about 4-5 meters of visibility. We continued walking in the same direction for quite sometime thinking we are on the right track. Guess what?! We weren’t apparently. We tried to shout and call those guys and the guide. No luck. Poor visibility and no response from them. WE WERE LOST!! Remember, during our day 1 briefing, this is exactly what was mentioned by group leader: be together so we don’t get lost in vastness & fog. That’s exactly what happened now.

We 7 of us tried hard to figure out our current location considering direction of our onward path and sighting of other group’s tents on our way as reference and etc. I was the one who could whistle the loudest amongst us. I whistled every minute or so for quite some time to attract other 2 guides’ attention until I went out of gas 😊 Fortunately none of us panicked, on the contrary we were calm thinking through. Kanishq, our group leader and others even thought of inventories we had at our disposal. I was wondering about the possibility of putting up in a shepherd’s place overnight.

But after about 30-45 minutes, I guess, we heard shouts. We immediately responded towards the direction it was coming from. Remember, the fog was still dense and we argued a little as from which direction the shouts were coming from. Eyes started playing tricks; few of us even started imagining seeing our tents. It was serious but equally funny. Finally, we were able to walk towards the shouts and meet the guide who came back looking out for us. Quite a relief but we all agreed on something, that it a great experience in itself.

When we went back to tents, we see our main guide safe-guarding the Hakka noodles as others were demanding for second serving. Apparently, he was strictly telling them they will not get second serving until we the 7 lost ones will have it first. So nice of him to do that. All the frustration and little anger towards him for not coming to look for us any sooner disappeared seeing that.

We all sat there eating noodles and narrating the whole story to others and had a nice laugh.

PC: Aman Pandya

Day 5:

This day we crossed few more ridges and meadows before dropping our backpacks at a place. And headed towards Pamsar lake. It’s a big lake having mountains all around. A beautiful place to sit peacefully & take few clicks. Came back and started towards our next camp site, Durien crossing few more boulder sections and meadows. The site was beautiful next to a stream.

Flock of sheep gave us company all through. I got a chance to chase around sheep and catch one, and also – how can I forget – cut little wool off a sheep, can’t say sheep shearing though 😝. Yes, the villagers were kind enough to pass on the specially made scissors to few of us while they were busy at it.

 

PC: Shrenik Jivavat

Day 6:

Headed towards Gadtar passing Bodhsar lake. We again placed our bags at a point and walked towards the lake which was much more beautiful. We walk past nearby small lakes and reached the camp site after a long walk. After sometime, we had a wonderful time playing ‘Laggorri’. I must say the teams played passionately and aggressively with a LOT of trash talk 😃

At night, most of us were up late star gazing and clicking some impressive pictures.

PC: Saumya Sangoi

Day 7:

Final day of our trek and we descended quite fast towards Tosamaidan. We covered a lot of distance quickly passing by full lush meadows. Few of us got this crazy idea of rolling down these slopes, like literally lying down and roll. I too agreed and rolled which, I must say, I had never done before as far as my memory goes. (Try it, it’s great fun 😝)

The transport was ready at Tosamaidaan to take us back to Srinagar. We drove past some nice apple farms.

On reaching everyone dispersed after collecting their stashed belongings and returning the rentals.

PC: Kriti Soni

We all however met again at night in a café in Srinagar and enjoyed desserts before bidding goodbyes.

I must end this by saying I had a wonderful time trekking in this new state of Jammu and Kashmir with some amazing people. Nice stories and memories to cherish forever!

PC: Siddharth

Himalayas 2021: Har Ki Dun trek

 A trip to Himalayas was always in mind after the previous treks cancellations. It was only a matter of time until the trip got materialized.

It so happened that in the month of September, I checked the Har Ki Dun – Ruinsara Tal trek in Uttarakhand. And after discussing with my friend, Sheela, who was also keen in joining and part of previous trek disappointments, we concluded on the Oct’24^th date. The trek, flights and accommodations were all booked quickly in following days. As we made our plans open to our close friends, few showed interest and eventually booked for the same, including my friend Rashmi.

It was a 8 days trek including 2 travel days to/from base camp, Kotgaon from Dehradun, starting from Oct 24^th to Oct 31^st.

It all seemed a good and safe plan until the heavy rains caused havoc in Uttarakhand and neighboring regions during mid-October, causing some jitters among friends & their parents. The fact that the district we were gonna trek was not greatly impacted brought some cheer and made me hopeful of a successful trek this time.

I reached Dehradun on 23rd morning. On the way to hotel from Airport, I was supposed to meet and tag along with Deepa, one of the trek member from Mumbai who landed almost at the same time. Few of us later found ourselves walking in the Tibetan community in search of Buddha temple and also relishing some nice dishes.

We were already here and the drama, the uncertainty didn’t end yet. At night, we all got a text from the organizers that there is some permit issue going on with district magistrate and forest department. It was due to some unfortunate trek accidents that had happened in other district in the region. However, we were asked to travel to base camp as planned and were assured that all the efforts were being made to resolve it and they were hopeful of a trek without any hiccups.

Day 1: Taxis were arranged and we reached Kotgaon (basecamp for 4 different treks) on 24^th evening after ~9 hours journey from Dehradun (breakfast at Mussoorie & lunch at Mori). And on reaching we were informed that the permit is not yet provided by the government officials and we will have an update the following morning. The uncertainty continued.

The weather was colder than what I was expecting. The organizer has some nice cottages leased out in the vicinity for multiple batches to stay and we were asked to settle in one which wasn’t the main camp.

Day 2: Next day morning, we were told we still don’t have the permission to start our trek. So they decided to take us to a small hike nearby in the village and they would continue to work it out for following day. The plan was to cover the same route despite losing a day.

The hike through the village, passing a bridge and later by a water stream was a good warm up for the group. We had a nice time walking around clicking photos.

We were supposed to get ready the next morning and wait for the update.

Day 3: Unfortunately, the update wasn’t good and we were asked to continue to be at base camp for yet another day.

The camp leader took us to another hike nearby which was little longer than the previous one. We maneuvered through forest area, passing through some apple farms and nearby remote houses to reach a viewpoint. We all took some rest and clicks before returning to camp.

Despite all these uncertainties, I was strangely at ease. It was mainly because I was in the mountains enjoying good weather, having fun with good company.

In the evening we were informed of possible 2 options; they might take us to an altogether different trek (Kedarkanta) or reduce our existing trek’s itinerary to compensate the lost 2 days.

Day 4: Early morning they decided to take the second option as they finally got the permission to take us to Har Ki Dun. That means, the Ruinsara Tal part is removed from the itinerary.

I guess, we were happy considering we finally are walking towards higher camps.

Vehicles were arranged to take us to the Taluka village from where we were starting our trekking. As we were enjoying the ride sitting on top of the vehicles, we stopped. This time, due to road construction. We were blocked for about an hour during which we just passed time by clicking photos with the cattle around if not with other trek members 😊

Once the road was ready enough for our vehicles to pass, we resumed our journey. On reaching Taluka, we immediately started our ascend towards Gangaad village, our next campsite. For next few hours, for about 14 kms, we had some serious ascend in the woods. The river was close enough to provide us the coolness in breeze and the water gushing music.

This was again a cottage accommodation and the temperature was further down. We all spent great time star gazing at night in that cold.

Day 5: The plan was to reach Boslow by evening. Again it was about 13 kms strenuous walk. We encountered some great views of the mountains as we walked through the valley. On reaching the campsite, we were welcomed by the sight of tents. It was colder and at night, the temperature seemed to be less than 5’C. We had some nice fun playing games in the common tent and later star gazing again.

Day 6: Apparently the important day as we walked towards Har Ki Dun which was about 3 kms. Har Ki Dun valley provided us with some amazing views consisting of Jaundhar Glacier, Swargarohini peak (It is believed that Yudhisthir of the Mahabharata was sent to heaven with the dog from this place), Hata Peak and nearby snow covered unnamed peaks. I felt so miniscule standing at that point with all great peaks covering the 3 sides and the remaining being the way in and out.

After spending an hours’ time there, we started our descend towards the Osla village, our next campsite. It was the same route back but a diversion at the end towards the village. It was again a cottage accommodation.

Day 7: Final stretch was walking towards Taluka village from which vehicles were arranged to take us back to the basecamp, Kotgaon. The descend was long but since we were going back, we walked faster. On reaching Taluka, we immediately started only to be stopped again due to the road construction. This time, we were asked to cross the debris to the other side and wait for other set of vehicles to carry us to basecamp. After waiting patiently for about half an hour, vehicles were arranged and we were finally taken to basecamp. The tea and dinner were waiting for us.

There was a small all-hands arranged at night where the organizers presented us with a memento of Har Ki Dun titled fridge magnet.

Day 8: Taxis were arranged to take us back to Dehradun. We started our journey back with some wonderful memories of mountains, people and the satisfaction of having some peaceful time.

On reaching Dehradun, few of us planned to visit a nice restaurant for the dinner together.

Next morning before proceeding to airport, few of us headed towards Robber's Cave, which proved to be an excellent use of our time.

This trek provided me an opportunity to go to great places and meet awesome people with whom I had some quality time discussing varied topics and understanding different perspectives. After all, a trip like this is all about that, isn’t it?!

The cancelled Himalayan expeditions of 2020 & 2021

I will have to go back to January of 2020 when my friend and I decided to go for a Himalayan trek. We planned to register for any of the IndiaHike treks, as I wanted to try a new trekking organization apart from the usual YHAI. After careful considerations of the trek duration and available leaves we booked Har-ki-dun Ruinsara Tal trek from Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The trek was supposed to begin during first week of May 2020. However, we all know, the pandemic showed its ugly face and many of the countries including India went on a lockdown and restrictions for many weeks, if not for months. Due to this, even our trek got cancelled. No doubt we were sad but somehow convinced ourselves that it was a good thing. The organizer provided us two options; either to get a refund deducting the processing fees or to collect a voucher, valid for 18 months, which could be used for any future treks. We opted for the latter option.

Fast forward one year. The whole world went through & still going through all the problems caused by the pandemic. Now, the virus was better understood and that was being controlled. Vaccines were in pipeline and there were signs of things getting under control. And then, we started discussing about the upcoming summer trek again in Feb 2021. I badly wanted to have a break and was looking forward for a wonderful trek. After checking the available treks, we booked Deoriatal Chandrashila trek starting from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. Unfortunately, after few weeks of this, India was hit by the second wave of pandemic. The infection rate again climbed up and to control the situation, many state governments decided to declare curfews and few other restrictions. Undeterred, I still had my plans on. We were supposed to start on Apr 24th to Rishikesh and things were still uncertain w.r.t state-imposed curfews and other arrangements. But on 20th or so, it was informed by the organizers that they have decided to cancel the treks which were starting in next 2 weeks considering the high infection rates in state and city.

I was heartbroken. We all were, as it was our second trek that got cancelled in as many years after booking all the things including flight tickets. I was in the zone, to be in the mountains and having a peaceful time. But that didn’t happen. Again, we might end up saying that it’s all good for all considering the situation and the uncertainties surrounding it. But it was very disappointing.

Hoping we all come out of this pandemic strong and have our ‘normal’ back.

Himalayas 2019: Sar Pass trek

Like every year, I along with my friends planned for yet another Himalayan expedition. And after considering quite a few options, we decided to book for Sar Pass trek conducted by YHAI which is a 11 days expedition. This would be my second Sar Pass trek, as I had done it in 2009. The fact that out of 7 higher camps 4 are new ones compared to the last trek, I was ok to repeat it.

Sar Pass - 2009	Sar Pass - 2019
Guna Paani (8000ft)	Grahan (7700ft)
Fual Paani (9500ft)	Padri (9300ft)
Zirmi (11000ft)	Mingthatch (11200ft)
Tila Lotni (12500ft)	Nagaru (12500ft)
Sar Pass (13800ft)	Sar Pass (13800ft)
Biskeri (11000ft)	Beskeri (11000ft)
Bhandak Thatch (8000ft)	Bhandak Thatch (8000ft)

Day 1: Report to base camp.

We took HP tourism bus from Delhi to Manali, got down at Bhuntar and took another local bus to reach our base camp, Kasol. Since there weren't any activities planned for this day, we spent our day roaming around Kasol market, Manikaran and nearby park. I was happy to see this new park constructed at a place which previously was just a parking lot kept in dismal state.

Day 2: Acclimatization, Orientation and Training.

This day started with a morning exercise at a nearby location, followed by a small trek post breakfast. Also included a briefing about the program, details about the higher camps and general do's & don'ts.

Day 3: Acclimatization, Medical and Kit Inspection.

This day too started with a morning exercise but rigorous one. The trainer actually tried to kill us all before the trek started by asking us to perform some serious jumps, stretches and what not. I was smart enough not to follow each and every instructions from him and thereby stay alive for coming days to see ;-). Others were too, in case you are wondering!

This was followed up again by a small trek post breakfast. And on similar lines, this too was a tiresome trek; a steep one, which kind of gave us an indication of what might unfold in coming days.

There was a presentation later that day which explained about the High Altitude sickness, its symptoms etc. And finally there was a virtual campfire where our batch members came up with entertaining dance, singing and yoga performances.

Day 4: Trek to Grahan camp.

The group got ready early morning, had breakfast, packed lunch boxes and were ready to leave the base camp at 8 am. The batch is sent off with a customary guard of honor by other batch members.

This stretch of walk took us along the Parvati river and was a simple one comparatively. The Grahan village camp was a nice scenic place where everyone had a nice time taking pictures. And later, everyone enjoyed the card games in the tent.

Day 5: Trek to Padri camp.

Trek towards Padri camp took us through some streams and uphill areas. The lunch point was a beautiful place with some big tree trunks fallen down. This gave us all a place to have some wonderful snaps.

The camp was situated in the shadows of a mountain with a beautiful view of snow-capped mountains at the front. This place was an ideal place for us to enjoy a game of Mafia too.

Day 6: Trek to Mingthatch camp.

This was undoubtedly the most difficult day we had in this whole trek. It was about 9 kms long, steep stretch. And what worse, we had the continuous rain to beat too. Imagine walking a steep AND slippery climb in the forest. Of course, many of us had to deal with few falls here and there. At some junctions, we were even found crawling in that mud. We reached the lunch point anyhow after this arduous walk with swollen, bruised and numb fingers. We had no clue the ordeal was not yet over. The final stretch towards the camp had a steep climb, almost like mountain climbing. Many of us didn't dare to look down the mountain while climbing.

The camp didn't have enough level area to accommodate all the tents along with kitchen, due to which the kitchen was little away and we all had to take this mini-trek every time we went to have tea, dinner or to pack our lunch boxes.

Day 7: Trek to Nagaru camp.

This was the day when the snow patches started to show up. Though it was again a high elevation trail, it seemed quite an easy one after our previous day's stretch. The weather was supportive too as we didn't have any showers on this day to deal with. The lunch point was a very tight spot with less space to walk around. We finally reached the Nagaru camp post lunch and we were dumbstruck with the sight it provided.

This camp is situated on the edge of a mountain with snow all around. Due to muddy area with snow melting, this place had become too difficult to walk around. Many of the guys slipped and tumbled. The camp leader, Ankit from Haryana was an entertaining chap and who knew what was required to survive in those kind of tougher higher camps. He passed on some invaluable tips and even demonstrated different walking techniques in snow which apparently came handy the next day.

The camp, surprisingly, had enough network coverage due to which we saw most of us making video calls to loved ones, to share this awesome view we were witnessing.

Everyone at the camp had a sleepless night due to snowfall and high winds at night. Everyone in the tent were up most night holding the tent and pole in those high windy conditions. The next morning we were supposed to start the walk towards Sar Pass at 3:30 am.

Day 8: Trek to Sar Pass & then to Biskeri.

I was up at 2:30 am, went out to take a leak only to realize I need to walk around on the fresh snow to a toilet tent which was partially uprooted. It was cold, it was dark and over the edge. So without much thinking, I can surely say it was the most daunting walk I had to take for a leak ;-)

Everyone kind of got ready by 3:30 am. Cornflakes & milk were served as breakfast and immediately we had to pack our lunch boxes. We hit the road, rather the snow trail, at ~4:30 am and for next 7-8 hours we walked snow.

We reached the Sar Pass summit at noon and everyone were so glad and felt so proud of this accomplishment that we had a group hug and took lots of pictures there.

Immediately after that, the descent started with the most attractive aspect of this Sar Pass expedition i.e. the snow slides. Yes, for next few minutes, we went through ~5 slides. The first slide was around 400 meters and the penultimate one being the longest probably around a km long.

The slides were great and little scary at the same time due to the bumps formed.

Many of them went through the feeling of anxiety & nervousness at the beginning but felt fearless & elated at the end of those 5 slides, in fact wanting to have a few more.

Again, Biskeri is a beautiful camp. I remember our group enjoying a game of Cricket the last time in 2009. Once at camp, we had a task taking care of our wet clothes due to the slides.

Day 9: Trek to Bhandak Thatch/Kasol.

As we were towards the end of the trekking expedition, many of us got tired and due to a sense of completion, we decided to take permission from the camp leader to head towards the Kasol base camp instead of the final camp Bhandak Thatch. Camp leader was quite accommodative and agreed to send the half the batch to base camp along with a guide out of 3 guides who accompanied all through.

This final leg took us more time than anticipated through the Barshani village, from where we boarded a bus to base camp.

On the way to base camp, we decided to book hotel rooms instead of staying one more night at the camp tents. That's the way we decided to treat ourselves post successful summit of Sar Pass.

We reported to the base camp the same evening to collect our completion certificates too.

I must tell you, this was the most satisfying trek by far I’ve had so far. The routes and camps were scenic which took us through some unbelievable arduous trails and mountains which took my breath away. And needless to say, this expedition gave an opportunity to make some new friends, brought in some situations to learn from and some wonderful memories to cherish forever.