Slip slidding in the Himilayans
We’re back safe and sound from a 5 day wilderness trek in the Himilayans. We had every kind of weather imaginable from sun, rain, a hail/snow storm and cloudy days. This trek was not any normal trek though. Apparently when you get a guide for a trek in India he comes with a cook, a helper, a pony guy and 5 ponies to carry all your gear, a full kitchen and a bbq size propane tank. It was a weird lazy feeling to get used to but arriving to a set up camp site with tea waiting every night was beautiful.
Day 1 we set out around 9am and climbed for about 6 hours and gained 1200 m in elevation to a beautiful campsite at 3300m. The coolest part about being up here is that instead of lying down and looking at the stars, they seemed to just flow all around you. We buddled up in our long johns, pants, wool toe socks, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, fleece sweater, wool sweater, gortex jacket, wool gloves and lumberjack hats and enjoyed the view. Yes, it really was that cold when the sun went down.
Day 2 started off with a gorgeous sunrise and a tough morning climb up to about 4000m. We were a little faster today and managed to keep up to the ponies (those things are fast and incredibly sure footed) The climb didn’t last past the afternoon and we spent the last few hours winding down into a valley. We learnt how to make Dal, breadpudding and pakora’s at night with our incredibly talented chef. Affer filling our bellies, we watched our piro pony guy make a fire. He speaks no English but is quite entertaining to watch as he builds his typical 6ft fire and casually walks or jumps through it for fun. We learnt how to say "Stop, drop and roll" in Hindi just incase he ever went up in flames.
Day 3 was the middle day and a little more relaxing. We walked to a glacier at the foot of Deoteba peak. Our guide who had been doing the route for 14 years showed us where the glacier used to be and where it stands now, about 1 km shorter and less than half he height. This tiny,used to be glacier was a sad sight to see. We then clambered our way to the next campsite where we spent another relaxing night learning how to cook and keeping warm while is slowly snowed outside. Thank goodness for our woolen sweaters.
Day 4 was fantastic!!! It was an incredibly technical route simply because the guide got a little lost and took us bushwhacking up and down the mountain side. We did a little bouldering to get around some corners and lots of slippery side stepping. I took a wipe out into the river (third one of the trip) and we got to the final campsite just as a huge hail storm started. We desperately tried to put up the tents before it got too bad and then huddled in the mess tent while watching all the sad poorly dressed people hike past. I never would have thought that I’d come to India and sit through a hail storm! The night was cold enough that the four of us curled up in one tent to keep warm.
Day 5 was even more interesting than the fourth. With another early morning spill into a river it was a real mental challenge for me to keep warm and non-grumpy as we crossed the next 7 streams to get out of the hills. About 2 hours into a hike the rain started coming. If you’ve ever been hiking you know that rain sucks unless you’re on the way out. The rain made the route that much more fun as we were jumping over puddles and slipping in mud. We were finally out of the hills at 1pm but being cold and numb decided to hitch hike the final 12 km back to the starting point. The four of us climbed into a dump truck and hurled down the muddy gravel roads bumping along with the a random group of locals who also didn’t want to walk down the road. I didn't know if I should laugh about the ridiculousness of being in India in the back of a dump trunk or cry about my numb toes and fingers.
We’ve finally warmed up after 12 hours of drinking hot teas and getting our clothes cleaned and dried from the mud and rain. It was 5 days that I won't soon forget. First trip in the Himilayans = a flying success.
Next stop is Chandigar as we slowly make our way back to Delhi :o(
Day 1 we set out around 9am and climbed for about 6 hours and gained 1200 m in elevation to a beautiful campsite at 3300m. The coolest part about being up here is that instead of lying down and looking at the stars, they seemed to just flow all around you. We buddled up in our long johns, pants, wool toe socks, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, fleece sweater, wool sweater, gortex jacket, wool gloves and lumberjack hats and enjoyed the view. Yes, it really was that cold when the sun went down.
Day 2 started off with a gorgeous sunrise and a tough morning climb up to about 4000m. We were a little faster today and managed to keep up to the ponies (those things are fast and incredibly sure footed) The climb didn’t last past the afternoon and we spent the last few hours winding down into a valley. We learnt how to make Dal, breadpudding and pakora’s at night with our incredibly talented chef. Affer filling our bellies, we watched our piro pony guy make a fire. He speaks no English but is quite entertaining to watch as he builds his typical 6ft fire and casually walks or jumps through it for fun. We learnt how to say "Stop, drop and roll" in Hindi just incase he ever went up in flames.
Day 3 was the middle day and a little more relaxing. We walked to a glacier at the foot of Deoteba peak. Our guide who had been doing the route for 14 years showed us where the glacier used to be and where it stands now, about 1 km shorter and less than half he height. This tiny,used to be glacier was a sad sight to see. We then clambered our way to the next campsite where we spent another relaxing night learning how to cook and keeping warm while is slowly snowed outside. Thank goodness for our woolen sweaters.
Day 4 was fantastic!!! It was an incredibly technical route simply because the guide got a little lost and took us bushwhacking up and down the mountain side. We did a little bouldering to get around some corners and lots of slippery side stepping. I took a wipe out into the river (third one of the trip) and we got to the final campsite just as a huge hail storm started. We desperately tried to put up the tents before it got too bad and then huddled in the mess tent while watching all the sad poorly dressed people hike past. I never would have thought that I’d come to India and sit through a hail storm! The night was cold enough that the four of us curled up in one tent to keep warm.
Day 5 was even more interesting than the fourth. With another early morning spill into a river it was a real mental challenge for me to keep warm and non-grumpy as we crossed the next 7 streams to get out of the hills. About 2 hours into a hike the rain started coming. If you’ve ever been hiking you know that rain sucks unless you’re on the way out. The rain made the route that much more fun as we were jumping over puddles and slipping in mud. We were finally out of the hills at 1pm but being cold and numb decided to hitch hike the final 12 km back to the starting point. The four of us climbed into a dump truck and hurled down the muddy gravel roads bumping along with the a random group of locals who also didn’t want to walk down the road. I didn't know if I should laugh about the ridiculousness of being in India in the back of a dump trunk or cry about my numb toes and fingers.
We’ve finally warmed up after 12 hours of drinking hot teas and getting our clothes cleaned and dried from the mud and rain. It was 5 days that I won't soon forget. First trip in the Himilayans = a flying success.
Next stop is Chandigar as we slowly make our way back to Delhi :o(
posted by Jenn | 3:13 AM
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