There are dozens of treks in the Himalayas. Treks are
generally categorized as Technical and Non-technical while difficulty levels
vary from Easy to Hard. As a first time trekker in the Himalayas, I was advised
by a dear friend to try The Hampta Pass with Chandratal. The Hampta Pass Trek is an enchanting journey
through the Northern part of Himachal Pradesh. It begins from Manali and
traverses across Spiti. Said to be a part of the Pir Panjal range of the
Himalayas, the trek offers some stunning landscapes
and sometimes treacherous paths through hard and soft snow alongside the mighty
River Beas. It is a non-technical, Easy to Moderate Trek that usually
spans across six days including one day reserved purely for altitude
acclimatization. Seemed reasonable enough,
I figured. I had been to cold places before, but trekking over six days is a
completely different ball game, as I was about to find out.
Our trek was organised by Kailash
Rath- a company that specializes in Himalayan adventures. They took great care
in ensuring we had everything we needed to proceed for the trek. Their guides
were exceptionally trained. I will talk a bit more about them towards the end
of the article. Let’s get started with the actual trekking experience, shall
we?
Day One: Base Camp: Rumsu: After a brief drive from Patlikuhal, I arrived at Rumsu – the base camp. This was where Kailash Rath had set-up its operations. After completing paperwork, I started to mingle with other trekkers. Most of Day One was spent in acclimatization. Since many of us were first time trekkers, we needed to gradually acclimatize ourselves to higher altitudes. A brisk two-hour walk uphill carrying our rucksacks gave us some idea of what we were in for.
The rest of the day was spent getting to know other members of the group. The organizers made the day interesting with some Rappelling. In the evening, there was a two hour long orientation session by the founders of Kailash Rath. This was an important session as we were advised of the threats and challenges that the trek presented along with techniques and tricks to overcome them.
Day 2: Trek from Hampta Dam to Chikka:
We departed soon after breakfast. Before embarking on the trek, we needed to drive from Rumsu Base camp to Hampta Dam. This took us around 3 hours. Our trek started once we reached Hampta Dam.
The trek to Chikka took us eight hours. Our group, consisting of 25 members and 2 guides, took its time to come to terms with the demands of the journey. The landscape across the entire trek was extremely scenic with meadows, melted glaciers, pristine streams and shrubs dotting our path. Little tents that served up hot tea and Maggi popped up every now and then. Satiate yourselves as much as you want to as from tomorrow onwards you won’t get to see any of these tents, we were advised by the guides. Having hot Maggi on the mountains is an experience I will always cherish. The ascent was relatively easy as it steep only in parts. The path, too, was devoid of any hazardous stretches although it did get a bit rocky towards the end of the day. Towards the last hour of the trek, we came across the first strip of hard snow. Using techniques taught to us by the guides, we navigated this strip without any incidents. Our trek ended soon after we crossed a stream with ice cold water, barefoot.
Once we reached the Chikka Camp, a few of us, including myself, experienced Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) in the form of a splitting headache. Our guides and a couple of more experienced trekkers in the group advised us to hydrate ourselves immediately by drinking at least 2 litres of water and some salts. The organizers always made sure we were well fed with some great food prepared for us at every camp. They took great pains in preparing freshly cooked dal, rice, roti and subzi followed by a hot dessert such as Kheer. This was indeed commendable and most appreciated by the entire group. Although the headache had subsided considerably, as a precautionary measure, I took a Disprin before going to bed. It worked wonders.
As the day at Chikka drew to a close, the group found itself in an unenviable situation. Nearly 12 members appeared reluctant to continue the trek. The guides did caution them that today was probably the easiest part of the trek. Things would turn a lot more extreme once we went higher up. The twelve were a group that had come together from Mumbai, and if they did decide to discontinue the trek, they would do so together. Just before we went to bed, we were informed of their decision. They would go back! There was an uneasy silence as we slept that night.
Check out pics of Day 1 & 2 Here : https://www.facebook.com/jaideep.jedi/media_set?set=a.10155086399275589.1073741848.655755588&type=3
Day 3: Trek from
Chikka to Balu Ka Ghera: We were up as early as 5am. The trek
to our next camp Balu Ka Ghera needed to be completed before 2.30pm, we were
told. The weather up in the mountains can change
by the hour, we were told. As dutiful cadets, we were ready by 6am. There was
one big difference, though. This time, there were two groups that stood,
instead of one.
The first was a group of thirteen, the ones who would press forward, the ones who would brace the challenges that the next few days had to offer. The second was a dejected bunch of twelve who had decided to return to Rumsu Base camp. Some were bruised, body and ego, others happy that they made it this far. Like good mates, we lined up and one-by-one wished the other group all the very best in their return journey to Rumsu. Minutes later, we were off.
The journey to Balu Ka Ghera meant that we would ascend and ascend for nearly 6 hours. The route would get tougher and the air, thinner. As we climbed, we noticed the gradual change in the landscape. Lush meadows were replaced with desolate fields and sparse vegetation. Snow, hard and soft, greeted us more frequently than we had expected. The guides gave us ample opportunities to perfect the various techniques of walking on snow. For me, it was the first time in my life that i had seen so much snow, leave alone trek on it. The mountain ranges surrounding us grew more intimidating as we climbed. Our spirit as a group remained intact as we successfully negotiated rocky climbs, and slippery snow
By 2pm we reached Balu Ka Ghera. As we plonked ourselves into our respective tents, a hailstorm lashed out at us. Soon, there were gusty winds, and then, just the sound of the river flowing beside our camp. The guides were right; the weather here did change by the hour. We spent most of our time chatting with each other. Topics ranged from the trek so far, to group bonding, to Bollywood, to travel, to our respective professions, and last but not the least, relationships. An extended round of Uno added to some great group bonding as the day came to a close. Our cook at the camp dished out some amazing dinner. Hot rotis with alu mutter sabzi/curry vanished in a matter of seconds. By 8pm, we were asked to fall-in for instructions for Day 4, the toughest of all days.
Day 4: Balu Ka Ghera to Hampta to Shiaguru We were up at 4am. Yes, that's how early we woke up! After some hot tea and good breakfast, the guides repeated their instructions. This would be the toughest part of the trek. There have been many who had just given up and returned. There were a few treacherous passes that we would encounter but there was no need to worry if we just went by the instructions of the guides, we were told.
With boundless enthusiasm and strong group camaraderie, we started. We would ascend to a top height of 14300 feet. The weather, despite a few idiosyncrasies, had been on our side thus far. It remained to be seen if it would continue to do so. The icy, snowy patches now completely dominated the landscape with little or no green patches anywhere in sight. There were barely any signs of life apart from the odd horses that passed through carrying equipment of descending trekkers.
The first was a group of thirteen, the ones who would press forward, the ones who would brace the challenges that the next few days had to offer. The second was a dejected bunch of twelve who had decided to return to Rumsu Base camp. Some were bruised, body and ego, others happy that they made it this far. Like good mates, we lined up and one-by-one wished the other group all the very best in their return journey to Rumsu. Minutes later, we were off.
The journey to Balu Ka Ghera meant that we would ascend and ascend for nearly 6 hours. The route would get tougher and the air, thinner. As we climbed, we noticed the gradual change in the landscape. Lush meadows were replaced with desolate fields and sparse vegetation. Snow, hard and soft, greeted us more frequently than we had expected. The guides gave us ample opportunities to perfect the various techniques of walking on snow. For me, it was the first time in my life that i had seen so much snow, leave alone trek on it. The mountain ranges surrounding us grew more intimidating as we climbed. Our spirit as a group remained intact as we successfully negotiated rocky climbs, and slippery snow
By 2pm we reached Balu Ka Ghera. As we plonked ourselves into our respective tents, a hailstorm lashed out at us. Soon, there were gusty winds, and then, just the sound of the river flowing beside our camp. The guides were right; the weather here did change by the hour. We spent most of our time chatting with each other. Topics ranged from the trek so far, to group bonding, to Bollywood, to travel, to our respective professions, and last but not the least, relationships. An extended round of Uno added to some great group bonding as the day came to a close. Our cook at the camp dished out some amazing dinner. Hot rotis with alu mutter sabzi/curry vanished in a matter of seconds. By 8pm, we were asked to fall-in for instructions for Day 4, the toughest of all days.
Day 4: Balu Ka Ghera to Hampta to Shiaguru We were up at 4am. Yes, that's how early we woke up! After some hot tea and good breakfast, the guides repeated their instructions. This would be the toughest part of the trek. There have been many who had just given up and returned. There were a few treacherous passes that we would encounter but there was no need to worry if we just went by the instructions of the guides, we were told.
With boundless enthusiasm and strong group camaraderie, we started. We would ascend to a top height of 14300 feet. The weather, despite a few idiosyncrasies, had been on our side thus far. It remained to be seen if it would continue to do so. The icy, snowy patches now completely dominated the landscape with little or no green patches anywhere in sight. There were barely any signs of life apart from the odd horses that passed through carrying equipment of descending trekkers.
At our first break, nearly 2 hours after we began our trek, we began to realize just how tough this was going to be. Some of us had a headache while others vomited. After some good rest, we resumed. Our steps grew heavier, and each stretch took longer to cross. Walking on hard snow required adherence to technique, patience and deliberation. One wrong step could send us sliding back several 100s of meters downhill, as we were about to find out. Hard snow, soft snow, clean snow, dirty snow, shitty snow, you name it, we experienced it. The air grew thinner. With our 10-kg rucksacks, some of us started to struggle. The important part was that we kept going. We kept encouraging each other. Almost there, we kept telling ourselves.
At one point in time, one of our fellow trekkers took a wrong step. As we watched in shock, she tumbled downhill, and in a matter of seconds, she was several meters away from us. And she wasn't stopping! One of the guides, daringly, flung himself on to the ice towards her and caught her. As they both slid downwards together, the guide deftly swivelled himself ahead of her so that he could control the slide and eventually stop it. Just ahead of them were some boulders and had he not stopped in time, both would have crashed into them. Not a pretty thought. Though not life-threatening, this member could have sustained some nasty injuries had it not been for the guide's timely act of courage. At 14000 feet, you do not want any form of injury, however minor; believe me when I tell you this. The group heaved a huge sigh of relief when we heard her shout 'I'm okay. I'm alright!!!'. Although, this entire incident occurred in a matter of seconds, we kept replaying it in our heads for the rest of the trek.
The final 500 odd meters really sucked the juice out of us. A squall looked around the corner and we simply had to commence our descent before it unleashed its fury upon us. Each step grew tougher. The cold was getting to us as well. Finally, after a pretty intense 45 minutes of non-stop climbing, we made it to the top. Many of us couldn't think of celebrating as were completely drained of energy. Devoid of both, energy and enthusiasm, we needed to rest before descending. No selfies, no photographs, nothing. Our guides urged us on, constantly reminding us that the squall was almost here, that we needed to move on. Then, one of the team members pulled out a jar of Nutella. I cannot begin to tell you how Important that particular moment was. The jar was passed on for everyone to take a spoonful. Nutella, apart from being an instant mood elevator, provided us with a much-needed rush of sugar. The squall was now threatening to turn into a full blown storm. The winds grew gustier. Grey clouds gathered from nowhere. We needed to descend, NOW!!!
During the briefing session at Rumsu,
we were told that the descent can, and will, be more treacherous than the
ascent. Our route downhill included crossing a lot of slippery snow. That on
its own wasn't the problem. The problem was that several hundred metres below
us was the River Beas. One wrong step and we would tumble straight into the
river. We commenced our descent, desperate to avoid the storm. We knew we were
safe when we were greeted by snowfall. Unpredictable, indeed! Treading each
step gingerly, we managed to descend without any untoward incidents. Although
we were physically exhausted, we egged each other on.
When we were about a kilometre away from our next campsite, Shiaguru, we had one task to complete. Between us and the camp was a massive sheet of snow at nearly 60 degrees inclination at certain points. it stretched over 200 metres of which approximately 140-150 metres was steep. The recommended way down was to slide. Sounded like fun, but there was some amount of danger involved. If we didn't stop in time, sharp rocks would greet us at the bottom. As always, the guides were there to make sure nothing went wrong. We slid downwards in twos. By the time it was my turn, most of the others had already crossed safely. My partner took his position as one of the guides began explaining basic techniques on how to control the speed of your slide. As I clumsily tried to get behind my partner, I slipped and the next thing we knew, we were sliding. We gained good momentum and were even airborne for a second when we hit what appeared to be a 'speed-breaker'. The slide of 140 meters lasted all of 10 seconds. That means we slid faster than Usain Bolt runs. I have been in roller-coasters before, but nothing, absolutely nothing, matched up to the fun I had on this slide. It was exhilarating. All the tiredness vanished in a matter of just 10 seconds.
The group was in very high spirits after we completed this part of the trek. We could see our camp. About an hour later, we made it to Shiaguru. It was time to rejoice. The weather, however, had other plans. We were warned that Shiaguru would be the coldest place that we would camp at with night temperatures plummeting to a low as -7 degrees. We heeded their warnings very seriously. As an individual, I needed 4 layers, including a layer of thermals to stay warm. After a good dinner, the guides applauded us for our tenacity and camaraderie. We, in turn, appreciated them for their guidance, and courage. Luckily, the weather didn't go below -2 degrees however the night at Shiaguru was one of the most uncomfortable nights in my living memory. It was cold, rainy, and extremely windy. We were freezing despite multiple layers. Thus ended Day 4 of our trek.
When we were about a kilometre away from our next campsite, Shiaguru, we had one task to complete. Between us and the camp was a massive sheet of snow at nearly 60 degrees inclination at certain points. it stretched over 200 metres of which approximately 140-150 metres was steep. The recommended way down was to slide. Sounded like fun, but there was some amount of danger involved. If we didn't stop in time, sharp rocks would greet us at the bottom. As always, the guides were there to make sure nothing went wrong. We slid downwards in twos. By the time it was my turn, most of the others had already crossed safely. My partner took his position as one of the guides began explaining basic techniques on how to control the speed of your slide. As I clumsily tried to get behind my partner, I slipped and the next thing we knew, we were sliding. We gained good momentum and were even airborne for a second when we hit what appeared to be a 'speed-breaker'. The slide of 140 meters lasted all of 10 seconds. That means we slid faster than Usain Bolt runs. I have been in roller-coasters before, but nothing, absolutely nothing, matched up to the fun I had on this slide. It was exhilarating. All the tiredness vanished in a matter of just 10 seconds.
The group was in very high spirits after we completed this part of the trek. We could see our camp. About an hour later, we made it to Shiaguru. It was time to rejoice. The weather, however, had other plans. We were warned that Shiaguru would be the coldest place that we would camp at with night temperatures plummeting to a low as -7 degrees. We heeded their warnings very seriously. As an individual, I needed 4 layers, including a layer of thermals to stay warm. After a good dinner, the guides applauded us for our tenacity and camaraderie. We, in turn, appreciated them for their guidance, and courage. Luckily, the weather didn't go below -2 degrees however the night at Shiaguru was one of the most uncomfortable nights in my living memory. It was cold, rainy, and extremely windy. We were freezing despite multiple layers. Thus ended Day 4 of our trek.
Check out pics of Say 3 & 4 here: https://www.facebook.com/jaideep.jedi/media_set?set=a.10155095437045589.655755588&type=3
Day 5: Trek from
Shiaguru to Chhatru, Drive to Chandratal: After what was the most torrid night
on the trek, we were up by 6am. A lot of us were sleep deprived. During another
group session of Uno the previous evening, I had wished for something different for breakfast the next
day. Chowmein would be good, I said to the group. To my most pleasant surprise,
when the cook opened the breakfast box, there was Chowmein. How cool was
that!!! In the biting cold, all of us greedily gobbled down plates full of hot
chowmein. Our treat didn't end there, though; the cook surprised us again by
serving us freshly made, steaming hot Gulab Jamoons. We considered this a
reward for making it to Shiaguru.
As usual, the guides instructed us to fall-in for the last set of instructions. "Today is the last day of your trek", one of the guides started off. "All of you have done very well to get here and it is commendable to see the group camaraderie. As your guides, we too have had a lot of fun." Cat calls, beaming smiles and high fives began to spread as we were visibly thrilled with such words of encouragement. We were then told that we needed to reach Chhatru, our final campsite by 230pm. From there, it would be a four hour drive to Chandrataal. We were game.
The final day of the trek involved descending rocky patches, some lush green meadows followed by one last slope of snow. We began the trek by crossing a stream. Nothing really to gloat about, except that at 630am, water flowing straight from a glacier tends to be unimaginably cold. Think about it as the equivalent of wading through ice. We formed one big human chain and waded through the waters pretty effortlessly. After drying ourselves, like belligerent troopers, we kept at it.
As we descended, we spotted a car in the distance - our first in 5 days. We rolled out eyes at the thought of returning to city life. A couple of hours later, more familiar sights greeted us. Sheep, Goats, meadows, green fields, vegetation now dotted our path. All of a sudden it seemed as though we had never trekked the mountains in the first place, that's how far off they seemed. The final slope of snow was navigated, which was slightly tricky and very long, was navigated patiently and gingerly by the group. At 12 noon, we made it to Chhatru. We were two and a half hours ahead of our scheduled arrival time. We had nailed this last stretch like professionals.
As usual, the guides instructed us to fall-in for the last set of instructions. "Today is the last day of your trek", one of the guides started off. "All of you have done very well to get here and it is commendable to see the group camaraderie. As your guides, we too have had a lot of fun." Cat calls, beaming smiles and high fives began to spread as we were visibly thrilled with such words of encouragement. We were then told that we needed to reach Chhatru, our final campsite by 230pm. From there, it would be a four hour drive to Chandrataal. We were game.
The final day of the trek involved descending rocky patches, some lush green meadows followed by one last slope of snow. We began the trek by crossing a stream. Nothing really to gloat about, except that at 630am, water flowing straight from a glacier tends to be unimaginably cold. Think about it as the equivalent of wading through ice. We formed one big human chain and waded through the waters pretty effortlessly. After drying ourselves, like belligerent troopers, we kept at it.
As we descended, we spotted a car in the distance - our first in 5 days. We rolled out eyes at the thought of returning to city life. A couple of hours later, more familiar sights greeted us. Sheep, Goats, meadows, green fields, vegetation now dotted our path. All of a sudden it seemed as though we had never trekked the mountains in the first place, that's how far off they seemed. The final slope of snow was navigated, which was slightly tricky and very long, was navigated patiently and gingerly by the group. At 12 noon, we made it to Chhatru. We were two and a half hours ahead of our scheduled arrival time. We had nailed this last stretch like professionals.
Upon arrival, we were greeted by some
very familiar faces. Cheers, claps and whistles!! It was the group of 12 that
had left us at Chikka. They drove from Rumsu Base camp to Chhatru to join us
for the visit to Chandrataal. We were very happy to see them. We again shook
hands soccer-team style. A few hugs and a quick lunch followed as readied ourselves
for the 4-hour long drive to Chandratal.
Chandrataal: This destination is known to attract thousands of tourists every year. it was a pristine lake formed in the shape of a crescent therefore leading to be christened Chandrataal (shaped like the Moon). The drive was long, the roads were terrible and the overall experience was exasperating. Not surprisingly, after nearly 5 days of active trekking, the group found it much tougher to be holed up inside a car for nearly 5 hours. The road to Chandrataal has the dubious distinction of being amongst the worst and most dangerous roads in India. We were tossed up and down in our cars like vegetables in a wok. Enough said, once we reached the top, the lake in itself was breathtakingly beautiful.
As I waded into the shallow waters of Chandratal, it was a poignant moment for me as I felt terrible about how we humans have devastated our beautiful planet by just being here. Thanks to these mountains, lakes like Chandratal were spared. All of a sudden, the deadly, inhospitable roads began to make sense. We spent all of 30 minutes at Chandrataal. The guides instructed us to fall in for one last time. "This is your last fall-in; your trip ends here. We will return to Chhatru, get a good night's sleep and depart early morning to Manali. It's been a pleasure being with each and every one of you."
The return drive was equally long and bad. By the time we reached Chhatru, we had trekked for 5 hours in the morning and driven 9 hours to visit a lake where we spent just half-an-hour. Somehow, the group felt that the visit to Chandratal was not something that should have been done the same day. For the first and only time, we didn't like it. The night, however, passed peacefully. All of us slept soundly.
Day 6: Return from Chhatru to Manali: We had to depart at 6am to avoid traffic. Our route included passing through the world-famous Rohtang Pass. Being peak season time, it would be packed like sardines. We were not looking forward to it. The traffic along the way was appalling. And that's putting it mildly!!! In a matter of minutes, all you could smell around you was diesel exhaust fumes. The closer we were to Manali, the worse the traffic jams became. Nearly 7 hours later, we reached Manali bus stand. Hugs were given, hands shook, good words were exchanged, as we prepared to embark on our respective return journeys. From here on, each of us had to find out way back to our respective cities. The guides left us to return to Rumsu and prepare for their next assignment. IT felt as though we’d known each other for ages. The friends you make when you trek will last you a lifetime, the organizers told us during our briefing. We began to believe that might well be the case. At Manali, after a delicious lunch at Chopsticks - a Chinese restaurant, two of us departed from the group and made our way to the bus stand.
Check out pics from Day 5 & 6 here: https://www.facebook.com/jaideep.jedi/media_set?set=a.10155104644460589.1073741852.655755588&type=3
As we boarded our bus, we reminisced the last six days fondly. Each moment vividly replayed itself in front of us. It was my first trek into the Himalayas and I was extremely proud of doing it with this bunch. Till we meet again, May The Force Be With You, Always!
As we boarded our bus, we reminisced the last six days fondly. Each moment vividly replayed itself in front of us. It was my first trek into the Himalayas and I was extremely proud of doing it with this bunch. Till we meet again, May The Force Be With You, Always!
