Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Through the Obra Valley and further up to Devkyara Pass

This group is known for offbeat treks to locations that are yet to be explored as trekking routes. Our trek last year was to Devkyara Pass through the Obra valley in Uttarakhand. We started from Jakol near Sankri (below 6,000 ft) to Obra valley (8,000 ft) crossing Akoti to reach Bhawa (12,100 ft) near the Devkyara Pass before we started our descent. Over five days, we had traversed more than 48 kms through pine forests, snow, and not to forget...way too many landslides that left little trace of any trail. As the majority of the route was along the rivers, we had the added thrills of leaping over long stretches of massive boulders along the river banks, and crossing rivers over small wooden bridges, some of them nothing more than one or two tree trunks placed over the roaring chilled waters. 

This was an extremely scenic route...the river side, pine forests, snow covered mountains, Rhododendrons in full bloom on many of the mountain slopes made for perfect company....and introspection when one walked alone. We could stop over to fill water from the numerous waterfalls along the way, or from the river itself where it was gentler. The first two nights, we camped in tents pitched in meadows not too far from the river, which meant we had the sound of the water resonating in our ears all through the night too. (Have shared below some of my best memories in pictures).

On day 2, as three of us from our group of ten pursued with the remaining part of the trek and made way from Akoti to Bhawa, we encountered many places where the heavy snowfall earlier that year had led to trees keeling over and that had later led to landslides. I soon found myself gingerly and very quickly stepping over loose-soil as well as snow covered slopes overhanging the rivers flowing below. At times like this, you realize this ain't time to think too much...you just have to take a step through the loose soil and rocks or snow, judge quickly and move on real quick...to get onto the other side! 

I have a habit of getting into conversations with the local guides / porters who accompany us on the trek...always curious to understand their life, profession, views, etc. but I realize sometimes it does not always serve me well. I remember at one time on the climb up to Bhawa, there was just my guide, Ramesh ji and I and we needed to cross a mountain section covered with snow but in some places we could see the river through rugged cuts where the snow was thin and had worn out. Ramesh ji urged me to join him on the snow and as soon as I stepped onto it, he proceeded to tell me that just the previous year, two people had fallen through the snow and into the roaring river. I quite froze in my snowy track right there and asked him what happened to them. His chilling reply was "Woh toh dead ho gaye! Behte paani mein bahut door milein" ("They both died. And were found much further downstream"). After that, I chose to stay silent,and not just because I needed to catch my breath from the high altitude and steep ascent! (I had other such non self-serving conversations with our guide, Tikamsingh ji on this year's trek too. But more on that in another blogpost.)

Our campsite that night was in the midst of completely snow-clad mountains with a good view of the Kedarkantha peak too on the opposite side. We were just 5 of us (including Ramesh ji and our trek leader Kamlesh ji) who had proceeded until here and our two small tents there looked minuscule and remote. That and the fact that my conversations with the guide that day was about bears which, as I had found out inhabited these mountains, made for an interesting night as the winds blew all around us.

Being the only first-time trekker among the three and fearing we would need to retrace the same treacherous route back, I had decided that I would not make the 1-1.5 hour's trek further up the next morning toward Devkyara Pass. Little did I know then that things can change even for the better in the mountains, and on the descent back, the same route was much simpler with the snow having firmed up to our advantage and we could actually slide down the snow in certain sections. It was thus with regret of having left such a small section at the very last to complete, that I proceeded the descent back to Akoti where the rest of our group had camped. 

I was to encounter more challenging incidents on the subsequent trek - which also made me acutely realize that when you confront a problem, you are actually capable of surmounting it, much more than you have given yourself credit for up until that moment. As is true for so many areas of our life - To a large...very large...extent, it is about mind over body. 

The Obra valley - Devkyara Pass trek was a phenomenal experience overall, and by the time we were making our return journey, I knew well that I would be back here in these mountains. Soon.

Update: Received a few queries for a connect to the organizers of these treks. Please check them out at http://www.harkidun.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/harkidun.trek?fref=ufi

At Bhawa


Rhododendrons



Just before we left on Day 2 - the sunlight is about to bathe the Obra valley 


Tiny wild orchids on the rocks - on the way to Akoti



Friday, May 2, 2014

The mountains beckon - Getting ready for our Himalayan trek

It began with a casual mention of an upcoming trek to the Himalayas in Uttarakhand. It was then that I became conscious of the thoughts of the mountains I had been harbouring for several days...conscious that it was for a reason. The mountains were calling me. 

Quickly accepting the invite, I proceeded to find out what goes as preparation for the trek. Taking stock of what notched up as my own prior experience in this department, I came up with some outdoor camps and jamborees as a Girl Guide (where we got our first true sense of what it means to rough it out in camps) and a couple of one day / overnight treks in the Sahyadris with the Adventurers and Mountaineers Club of my college. Well, that was it...but in hindsight i believe this experience came in handy in an expectation setting of what it means to be camping in the outdoor. 

These were treks of moderate difficulty, so the mandate was to be physically fit. So began a month of preparation with ascents and descents of all inclined surfaces that included Pune's own tekdis" (hillocks), my building's staircases, and one or two visits to Sinhagad...all in the earnestness to make the body fitter, the lungs stronger and the knees more resilient. Skipping was also recommended, but was mostly skipped altogether. 

Now two treks down, jotting down my experiences for anyone else who may have a similar strong calling (do keep listening...to what your heart is telling you)...for the mountains, or adventure, or the outdoors.
This year's trek is to the Changshil Pass in North Western Uttarakhand. The journey starts from New Delhi. An overnight train to Dehradun makes for a good choice as you get to catch up on time plus some sleep, and get a nice and early morning start for the long drive from Dun. Irrespective of motion sickness tendencies, each of us down an Ondem to assist our digestive systems to tolerate the 8.5 hr, 210 km drive through the eternally winding roads. 

We pass Mussoorie (which is now too congested...I remember it as a sleepy idyllic place blessed with huge flowers everywhere from my trip with my parents some 30 years ago), Nainbag, Damta (either of these can be hot-paratha-breakfast stopover options), Purola (the biggest town close to Sankri), Mori and Netwar. At each turn and narrow pass along the way, I can only admire our driver's skill and patience with maneuvering the vehicle. It strikes me quite sadly how dirty some of these towns / villages are, especially with layers of plastic bags logging the storm water drains, turning many main roads into slush-filled paths. While the populace living here is using the same plastic wrappers and bags as in the urban areas, the infrastructure possibly assumes otherwise and garbage disposal and sanitation facilities are given a miss.

If you find the SUV wading through a waterfall, you will know you're almost at Sankri (this time, we did see work on this section of the road so the waterfall has a path under the road rather than over it..so fear not). Sankri and Osla (some 18-20 kms ahead) are the last stop - which means there is no motorable road thereafter! 

The first thing that hits you when you reach Sankri is the cold (esp. if there's rain and hailstones...which there was on both trips). It is not the coldest it will be during the trek, but it hits because of what we've come from...40 deg C. Sankri still is symbolic of a small quaint sleepy village (of not more than 200). Our trek organizer, Mr. Chainsingh Rawat belongs to Sankri and along with my friend, Neeta Godambe who has organized these treks for 6 years, has pretty much developed the trekking scene in this part of Uttarakhand. Our first day's meal is at Chainsinghji's residence, a lovely wooden house in the village where we are served steaming hot local food - an absolute treat to our cold, tired and slightly wound up bellies. We retire early for a good night's rest on a bed with cozy warm blankets - the last such material pleasures we will have in a week - before we start day 1 of our trek.