Budha Madhmaheswar to Dhola Khetrapal
29. The morning was a splendid visual treat as the sun rays
shone the mountain peaks of the Grahwal Himalayan range making them glitter in
the morning sun like beacons of divine light. I had a great time freezing these
moments as the day slowly came upon me ... soon it was time to break camp and
move ahead. Today’s goal was to reach Kachni Dhar but as we were preparing to
leave we could see small whiffs of cloud up in the sky and that implied that
the mist was coming up and that we better hurry. So we started descending
towards Madhmaheswar as Umeid my guide instructed the team to come behind with
all the gear while he and I moved ahead. From a height of close to 3497 mts we descended and then
after reaching the base we turned northwards and headed into the tree line
behind Madhmaheswar. Soon the forests engulfed as we moved ahead on a barely discernable
path, one step after the next. The mist and fog had by that time come quite
close as we moved ahead through the shadows of the forests … The path was as
lonely as they come .. with no soul in sight this late into the onset of the winter.
The climb was brutal to say the least as I struggled to move slowly but continuously
my lungs working all the while trying to supply oxygen that was in great
demand. The mist engulfed me as I moved ahead. Soon I reached a way point
called Rikhana and took shelter beneath huge rocks as the rains had
descended by this time. The rest of the team had caught up by now and we
huddled close to each other.
30. This area was strewn with parts of a helicopter that had
crashed in the 1950-60 but the parts were still here, reminder of the harshness
of the place .. the inhospitable terrain made more so by the fog and mist that
swirled all around. The GPS read as 3564
mts . This was in every sense a desolate place .. a barren hard cold
and I don’t mean only in temperature but there was a sense of heaviness about
this place. Soon after around 30 min we started the climb again, a very very
brutal climb, the target was Kachni Pass but the steepness of the climb in this
weather was too taxing and soon it was snowing. So here we were individuals
walking in the snow, one step at a time, this high up in the mountains. For me
it was for the first time that I was actually walking in snow and the setting
was as real as it could ever come by. Eventually we reached another way point
called Dhola Khetrapal and we decided to call it a day and make camp
here itself. The GPS read 3900 mts . In a day I had gained
400 mts and the best was yet to come.
31. We pitched two tents against a huge vertical rock and the
porters got busy erecting a make shift kitchen and brewing hot tea to warm up
the soul within. The weather deteriorated as the afternoon wore away and by
evening it was snowing consistently. A different world was presented in front
of me from the one which was there in the morning. The whiteness was everywhere
now and visibility was around 20 mts. I refused to stay inside the tent rather
spent time clicking pics of this eerie world that was in front of me … there
was something intoxicating and pulling about the whole moment. The porters and
team were huddled inside the tent whiling the time. Umeid my guide and head
porter prem singh ji though were worried as they just were not very confident
moving towards the pass in this weather for we were actually not carrying ice
axes or pitons as weather deterioration was not anticipated. I could sense
their uneasiness though they did not say much to me. The mercury kept falling
as the minutes ticked away and the cold was getting to me seeping in through
the clothing that I was wearing. By this time, I was wearing thermals,
additional jersey followed by outer jacket and lower. My head was covered with
a cap while my hands had gloves and my feet were in one pair of socks and outer
shoes. I had spent a considerable sum of money to procure the clothing and they
were standing well against the cold making me feel not too uncomfortable in the
situation.
32. Dinner was served at around seven in the evening and it was
a delicious fare of hot dal and roti… what more can one ask followed by hot tea
as I ate peering into the darkness beyond the realm of the solar lamps knowing
that the snow was piling up slowly. It was intoxicating and I cannot explain
the feeling. It was extremely cold in the night and I was grateful to the
preparations that I had done in the choice of gear that I had selected and that
was paying off now .. the warmth of my clothes and the sleeping bag made all the
difference in confidence within …
33. The day had been hard as we struggled against the weather right
from morning and it was important to keep the motivation level high in the junior
porters as the danger to mortal life is all too real and it’s important to not
lose heart out here, so a good hot meal inside the belly and a warm bed for a
good night sleep does wonders. By 830 all were inside their sleeping bags and
it was the end of another day. I put my phone and Gopro battery on recharge
using the portable bank which was one of the best that I feel I had selected ,
turned off the solar lamp and snuggled inside the sleeping bag … to try to
sleep.
34. My second night in the tent and was just not getting any sleep,
I was aware of the night and struggled to get a better position inside the
sleeping bag for comfort. However, the night was spent tossing and turning
having weird hypnotic visions. I think the altitude was getting to me or maybe
the body was having trouble adapting but whatever the case I did not have a
deep sleep. As the morning approached I was awake just as the sunrise crept in.
There is something magical in the moment when you open the tent flap and step outside,
there is absolute stillness all around, the wind is nonexistent and the world
is so quiet that one can hear a pin drop. It is a moment difficult to describe,
it needs to be experienced. The snow the previous day had clothed everything in
white and what a sight it was, to see the sunrays coming over the mountains. It
just was magnificent and I have seen some great sunrises in this life but this
was a separate category altogether. In some time Umeid too was up and looking
at the sky he was hopeful for a good day ahead. The team was soon up and about
and the tea was boiling away , I made it clear
to my guide and Premsingh ji that I was not going to turn back unless
they saw or felt something that they had just not felt in the entire life spent
out here. Hearing me confident and willing, they too felt a bit relieved and we
decided to press ahead towards Kachni Dhar pass and beyond.
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