Monday 21 November 2016

Mandini : Garhwal n Monsoons ( Thauli , the enchanted ridge )


DAY IV :

The next day i got up early and immediately clicked some fine pics; from paturi one can see Chandrashila as well as Tungnath ji very clearly and it was a magical feeling to look at them far in the distance. The previous night we all had a great talk next to the fire and passed away the night till it was time for dinner. This morning the weather was again misty and drizzly. The destination for the day was Thauli and i was told by umeid as well as my head porter that it was a very uphill climb all the way into the mountain peaks itself and that it would test me to the core. So armed with this cautionary advice as usual Umeid and i set out ahead while the rest of the camp would come later. Immediately the climb started and step by step we climbed ..huffing and puffing and chugging like a steam loco all the time . We took a number of breathers in between in order to stabilise the heart beat a bit but the views; Oh !!! the views they were simply marvellous for as we climbed higher the horizon kept increasing and now i could see the mist covered mountain ranges one after other and far in the distance shimmering rivers in valley below while the mist moved all the while obstructing something while revealing some other aspect. It was truly magical and i find it so tough to describe.  We continued climbing and once we reached the peak Umeid showed me the ridge on which we had to walk and then climb another even higher peak slope. So this was how to was going to be as we caressed mountains by climbing almost to the summit and then using the ridge to shift to the next range and then climb even higher, i was tired and sore by this time for was climbing and doing this for the last 4 hours and to add to this the cold rain was not making things any easier. Finally, umeid showed me al mountain higher than all the surrounding ones and said that thus is the last climb. I gritted my teeth and started the climb on soaked shoes and socks all cold to the bone. Finally reaching the top he guided me towards aa ridge and explained that we had reached Thauli situated at an altitude of 4100 mts.


16.         The team had overtaken me by this time and the tent was up as i gratefully unloaded my photographic gear and sat down on dry mats for a change. Soon hot Maggi was served and nothing could have tasted more heavenly at that point. It started raining soon enough which drove everyone inside their tents and into the sleeping bags. The rains subsided in the evening and i came out to click a few pics of both sides of the ridge. But what interested me the most was the right side where the great Himalayan peaks were located right from Chaukhmaba , Mandini , Neelkanth , Sujaal to name a few that I could recognise  and in the far distance  for a few fleeting seconds  I could even have a glimpse of Budha Madhmadheswar which was soon covered by the mist. I spent the daylight hours indulging in some macro photography and as the darkness came so did the rains which drove me back to my tent and i made myself comfortable waiting for dinner while the kitchen tent was all warm and buzzing with the entire team crowded out there. Dinner was served on time and consisted of hot chapatis , dal , vegetable , papad , pickle and rice. After the dinner it felt great to have a cup of tea and then retire for the night.














































































































































































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