Mandini :
DAY III : The next day morning i woke up to heavy rain laden clouds that hung
low on the Himalayan mountain peaks. soon it started raining and i just lay
inside the tent for there was no possibility to venture outside , the head
porter Mr Prem Singhji i had the tea can boiling away soon under the make shift
kitchen shelter and soon there was a hot
cup of sweet tea in my hand, around 1030
hrs the weather cleared a bit and it was decided to have a quick breakfast and
make a move . Two chapattis with pickle and tea later Umeid and me were ready to move while the rest of the team
would pack up and follow us later. We immediately went into the forests that surrounded
us as the path lay through them , the mist had descended in full force and it
presented a very eerie feeling with fallen gigantic tree trunks covered with
moss with mist and rain all around ,walking
slowly but steadily we made our way forward .
11. After around 30
min the rains returned but there was no turning back as we kept moving ahead ,
the path lay through the forests , traversing
ridges going over rocks and just about
everything else , i had my photographic gear with me and the entire set up
including me was covered in a poncho while the walking stick helped me to gain
a sure footing over loose slippery mud and leaves .walking in the rain on the forested slopes we just kept going ,
step by step feet by feet towards the destination
for the day . By around 1230 hrs we reached a massive rock overhang that
offered some protection from the rain and we decided to wait for the rest of
the team to catch up . I was shivering by this time as the sweat was now
getting exposed to the falling temp outside , but there was nothing much that
could be done . In around 45 min the remaining team trooped in one by one each
n everyone wet and shivering. It was decided to wait here for a while to let
the rains abate and we all made small talk as best as we could considering the circumstances.
The cave like structure was known as Kanera
cave and is around 4 kms from sandera . On occasions trekkers have camped
here when unable to proceed ahead but there is no provision to erect a tent ,
just light the fire for warmth , prepare some food and curl up inside sleeping
bags to wait out the night but we were
proceeding ahead , at around three it was decided to move as the rains were not
abating and camp site was still two
hours away and no one had eaten anything . Eventually we reached campsite Paturi located on a narrow ridge with
the ground falling away rapidly on both sides.
12. The
young porters rigged up the tent quickly the moment there was a gap in the
rainfall and i gratefully stepped in . The day has been long tiring and wet . I
quickly organized my stuff ... cleaned my walking trousers of all the mud but
could not do anything about its wetness .. changed into a fresh set of dry
clothes and thereafter cleaned the entire photographic gear as there was heavy
moisture all around . Meanwhile hot Maggi was prepared and by now the rains had
dropped hence the kitchen shelter was set up and a camp fire was burning away
to provide heat n warmth to wet souls all around .. (to be contd )
13. After thought: In order to give an
insight in the terrain that we encountered from sandera to paturi , it was primarily
comprised of walking across mountain
slopes traversing narrow ridges that connected the mountains together and
provuded a narrow trail to walk . The entire route involved lot of climbing up
and down along the trail for there was no well-defined trail to begin with. The
major landmarks on this leg were Devkhark ( where shepherds stay put in their
wanderings , Kanera dhar , Kanera cave and finally paturi ) .
14. Interesting note on shepherds: There are
shepherds that one encounters on these lonely lands who for the entire season
starting from April till Oct wander out here in search of pastures for the
sheep . He is generally accompanied by 3-4 huge sheep dogs . The villagers in
this region give their sheep to him to rear and graze and thus he collects
sheep from the villagers and takes them far from the villages into these lands
to graze . He spends the entire monsoon and later part of the summer alone with
his flock in these forested lands and meadows and as the winter approaches he
is forced downwards further and further towards the villages until finally he reaches
the village itself where then the sheep is sheared and his duty for that year
done . He charges around 500 for each sheep for the season in addition to his
ration from the owner and in case there are births which happen in the interim
he is given an award of 200 – 300 . At any given point of time his flock
numbers around 500 -800 , thus he earns around 1 to 1.5 lakh in one particular
season . But i just wondered on the tough life he leads, alone except for the
dogs brazing out the onslaught of rains , fog , wetness , trying to manage the
sheep in the mist on guard from the predators definitely needs mental will to
do this for months at a stretch .
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