ELEVATION

Basic Mountaineering Course at Manali

Day minus 1

…..the team from IIT Bombay comprising of four hard-hearted daredevils :D was supposed to meet at chandigarh at Rajbir’s place. I was the first one to reach there followed by sultania and chat(who had a different story to tell abt his train journey, but that sometime later)…the bus journey to manali started at 7pm…the other 3 ppl had arranged for a bottle of beer for the nite…..extreme care was taken to open the bottle so that no hissing sound shud leak……they enjoyed the beer…..during the nite, somehow the bottle fell to the floor but luckily most of the others were honey-mooners…..they had better things to do….a beer bottle wasn’t their priority!

……chat decided to keep his head hanging out of the window throughout the journey……which was going to have some after effects.

Day zero

………we reached manali(2100 m) early morning….awestruck by the beauty of the valley…we had our first meal of the day…garam chai… we began our walk to the institute (Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports or DMAS)…..the first scene that greeted us at the institute…..we could see people doing frog-jump on the insti roads….sabne yahi socha ki abhi samaan rakhwa kar humein bhi karwane lagenge…….but thankfully they were the advanced course people……we were saved, atleast for one day!....

….after checking into the hostels we set out to explore manali….btw, before I take u on a trip to manali lemme introduce u to my dorm-mates: four of us, Ballu (bhopal), Danny (Bhopal), Rinku (Bhopal), Sanju (chamba), Ashutosh aka DC (delhi).

…the educational trip of manali started in the market, visiting the hadimba temple (ideal place for bird-watching) on the way, ended in old manali with momos (a local delicacy)…….we had our first fall-in during the nite…..we were informed about the next day’s events….tea at 0530 hrs, PT at 0600 hrs and breakfast at 0730 hrs…..the day ended with a good nite’s sleep on the multi-storeyed beds of the dorm.

Day one

…tea at 5:30….since the course size was enormous this time, they had to form three diff groups which would run as independent courses….each grp had abt 45 members……each grp had “ropes” each having 6-7 members….i was the rope leader for my rope……my rope had 3 locals, one bhopali and a german……after a brief fundaes session the instructors took us for a 4km long run…..the distance was to increase each day……neways running was not a problem…..the real problem started with the exercises…specially the frog-jump and that too on a down sloping road……somehow managed to do it……then came another monster….push-ups on fingers…..normal to hoti nahi hai fingers par kahan hogi…..i could only hear the even numbers in the instructor’s counting…..so that meant half the effort :DD

….the first day was rather uneventful with all the official work going on…..registrations, medical check-up, equipments etc etc…..

Day two

same as previous day….PT and all…….after breaker they took us for rock-climbing at a nearby field area……..we had a lecture first…..about ropes, knots and rock-climbing. they taught us how to coil the ropes in 3 diff ways…..learning the knots was fun…..there were about 17 diff types of knots…each serving its own purpose….after a few fundaes on rock-climbing techniques we actually started conquering the rocks there……..it was easy for the first 4-5 rocks……but later on the hands started giving up…..thats why they were insisting so much on the dips on fingers :D

an interesting day came to an end!

Day three

This was also a rock climbing day….but for a change my group did the climbing on an artificial wall in the insti…i found it easier than actual rocks…..something tragic happened with me…..one of the instructors saw me stepping foot on one of the ropes…chaalaan kat gaya...i was made to put my feet on a tree and do 20 push-ups….my feet slipped and my knee got injured…..still the instructors won’t leave me….one of them held my legs and I had to do the push-ups finally L

Day four

Same PT and stuff in the morning….by now we had got used to it…..the legs pained like nething….thnx to the frog-jumps……day four was a trekking day…..we were taken to a hill nearby….Mangankot…..the trek was peaceful…..the view of manali from the top was simply awesome….we came back to the institute within 6 hrs….but still we were late…we missed a lecture on weather…..generally the aftys were reserved for lectures on various things related to the mountains.

Day five

…….river-crossing day…..it had been raining since the previous nite….so there were rumors that we mite not have a river-crossing at all…..actually the flow increases during a rain and also theres a risk of flooding due to cloud-bursts…..we kept our hopes high as this was the event we had been waiting since day one…..the instructors didn’t ruin our hopes….we went to the river….it was raining mildly……roped-up, each one of us entered the water…….it was damn cold…..somehow kept the balance against the flow………fundooo maza aaya…..the whole exercise was very rewarding….we were to move towards our base camp the next day….so the nite was spent packing our rucksacks…we had a separate lecture on that too :D…..had to compromise on my personal stuffs as there was hardly ne space left after keeping the equipments that they had given us…….

Day six

We were to move to Chattru (11,100 ft) which wud be our first camp…….the institute arranged luxury buses for us (of course we paid the fare)…..they gave us 30 bucks for lunch…..the first stop was at Marhi…..had “aloo ka parothas” and bhutta…..bhutta had never tasted so nice…..we crossed rohtang pass(13,500 ft), one of the popular tourist places…….we were entering the Lahaul & Spiti valley…..chattru was 83 kms from manali….the place had 2-3 dhabas and a rest house…that’s it…neways, we camped there….it was my first experience of living in a tent….somehow the six members of my rope managed to arrange the sleeping bags inside it….it was already evening by the time we camped so they left us to enjoy the sleep after having the dinner……on one of the nearby hills I saw a tree….that was the last tree I wud see in the next 16 days.

we were allotted separate shitting place….popularly known as “mine-prone area”…..and we were supposed to cover the mines properly :DD

Day seven

we were out of manali then….so no more luxuries allowed….each day one rope was assigned the duty of serving the food etc to the rest of the group members…..each morning people cud be seen with tea kettles serving tea at the various tents…….we had thot that there won’t be ne running or PT at this altitude….but the instructors shattered our hopes….it was damn hard to run at that height….with about half the oxygen and no trees nearby…..we were in a desert….a cold desert!

We went for rock-climbing….the place had some very good boulders to climb and a chimney….not lower than a two storey building…..climbing the chimney was also one of the memorable events of the course.

Day eight

Rappelling day……same field area…..btw rappelling is the descent of a vertical surface with the help of a rope……..it was one of the easiest things in the entire course.....they taught us three techniques for descending.....its only a matter of taking the first step....whenever we went to the field area the duty rope brought squash and biscuits for refreshment.

Day nine

a different morning....a different field area....very dangerous one....coz we were in the mine prone area :DD.......jumaring : the event of the day.....jumaring is ascending on a rock face with the help of a jumar.....which only goes up along the rope......jumaring proved a bit painful for me due to the faulty equipment.....still it was fun.....we were supposed to do it atleast two times....but it started raining....!!....lucky me ;) ......whenever it rained during the nite, the warm air inside would condense creating a virtual rainfall inside the tent.....some were under the impression that their tents were leaking :DD

Day ten

lets move out of chattru.....its time to shift to the base camp Bathal 32 kms away.....the trek started early morn....our first stop would be Chota Darra, a place 16kms away.....walking wasn’t a pain except for the 20 kg rucksack which was riding on our backs....the first three hours went peacefully....the last hour proved to be the most painful part of the journey....each step seemed impossible....taking halts after every ten mins.....it was here that i used my “energy-boosters”......reached Chota Darra finally....had coke and tea at the dhabba.....what a relief!!.....not yet....the actual camping site was 2 kms farther.....nahi...ab aur nahi.....but the show must go on....camped there.....never in life had i seen such a sexy camping area.....one wud literally fall in love with the place......the nite proved a bit painful for me....the coke and tea combo took its toll.....fever ho gaya......and the next day we were supposed to walk another 14 kms......giveup.....:((((((

Day eleven

not so beautiful morning.....i was not in a condition to walk....so i requested my instructor to keep my HEAVY rucksack in the truck.....good that he agreed....walking without the rucksack was a lot easier...still i was slower than the previous day.....after a five hour long walk we reached Bathal(12,900 ft)......which in local language meant a very windy place....and it was true!!.....my tent was waiting for me....the other members of my rope had reached there b4 me......in the evening the instructors took us for acclimatization walk....this practice was followed at every new place we went.....i was feeling a lot better then......our base camp was in the CB range....less popularly known as the Chandra-Bhaga range.....the CB range separated two rivers...Chandra and Bhaga...which met at some place and entered Pakistan as Chenab.....we were more close to the chandra.

Day twelve

trekking time....destination Chandra Taal lake(4437 m)...the source of Chandra river....which was supposedly 14 kms away....the walk started early morning.....we were given packed lunch....the walk was peaceful...in the beginning atleast with the chandra always flowing along the road....however the distance was more than what was mentioned everywhere...definitely more than 14 kms...mayb close to 17....neways the walk
was rewarding....the beauty of the lake was simply inexplicable...one must
see it to believe it....some of the guys took bath in the lake....the lake
is famous for its herbal water....had lunch...took some snaps and returned
to the base camp....exhausted!

Day thirteen

ice climbing day....the field area was a painful 2 hrs away from the base camp....and the path was lined with avalanche debris....sharp pointed rocks all over the place....better known as moraines....the first sight of the ice wall was not that attractive....had expected something bright white....it was black instead due to the debris and all....however the wall was a good one....close to the height of a 3 storey building with a slope of more than 75 degrees....even with the boots and crampons climbing wasn't easy....atleast till i got the rite technique...i slipped infinite times.....it was the first time i was working on ice....bahut maza aaya!!

Day fourteen

same field area....but something different to do....jumaring,rapelling and anchoring on the snow....that was fun too....but thats it for day 14 except of course the afternoon lectures

Day fifteen

field area close to the previous one....but something very interesting to be done today....crevass rescue....there were some good crevasses nearby....each one us had to fall into the crevass(with safety of course) and the others wud do the rescue work and pull the person out of the crevass....the process was a complicated one...but it was fun both for the
rescuer and the casuality....fundaes were also given for glacier travelling

Day sixteen

snow craft....the field area wasn't so nearby....it was well above Kunzum Pass(4551 m)...the walk to kunzum wasn't tough...but the painful part started after that....itna painful climb kabhi nahi kiya....well that was the nearest snow field they could find...bloody liars....neways whatever followed was quite interesting....climbing on snow....how to arrest a fall...how to make an anchor and more....but we cud practice only for 2 hrs....as the base camp was toooo far from there....forgot to tell...we had to cross a stream on the way to kunzum pass....and one stupid step of mine saw me floating in the water....i had to check my feet from time to time to prevent them from freezing as they were all wet :DD

Day seventeen

we got only one day for snow-craft....we went again for ice craft...but for a test this time....they wud check our ice climbing techniques....the day ended peacefully....except that i got separated from my dukh-sukh ki saathi....my sun-hat....while coming down from the ice field the strong wind blew it over the ridge....cudn't even get a chance to run after it....all good things must come to an end :(

Day eighteen

the day all had been waiting for....rest day....the instructors finally realized that we need some rest...so we got the day off....moreover something big awaited us the next day....nothing cud be compared to bathing in the sun the entire day....ab nahane ko to milta nahi tha...so sun bath se hi kaam chalana padega.

Day nineteen

the training was over....it was time for a real test....height-gaining...each person must go to a height of atleast 15,500 ft to qualify as a basic mountaineer....the trek started at 6 in the
morning....kunzum pass was our first stop....it took me 90 mins to reach kunzum....half an hour rest there....then we started again....the route was similar to the one we had followed for reaching the snow field...we were supposed to reach that qualifying height within 6 hrs from the start...the trek continued following the instructors wherever they went....we reached a ridge which was at 15,500 ft....but the enthu people continued....some returned from the ridge only....the final point was close to 17,800 ft....i reached there at 10:30....well in time....and something nice awaited me....i was told that i was the first non-local person to reach the top....and also among the first 20....it was soooooo rewarding.....never ever had felt that much satisfied with myself....i spent a whole hour on the top....taking snaps....and appreciating the height!!

Day twenty

since the training part was almost over....it was time for tests and stuff....but mostly theoretical....they questioned us on everything...whatever we had done till then...names of the equipments...their uses...knots...climbing and rappelling techniques...and an easy boulder for rock-climbing.....one of the instructors knew that i was from IIT so he was continuously asking me technical questions....i tried my best to satisfy his technical appetite

Day twenty-one

one of the last and important things for a mountaineer....stretcher making....we were taught how to act in case of a casualty....with each action being case sensitive...we were also taught how to make improvised stretcher....using ropes and bamboo....it was one of the most educative lectures of the entire course...the knowledge cud be applied newhere not
just mountains....stretcher making was followed by 'tug of war' between the various ropes....well my rope got out in the first trial..:(…..sab mere jaise hi the meri rope mein :DD

Night twenty-one

survival nite…..the nite everyone had been waiting for……simple funda: survive for the entire nite without ne tent and food…..they left us in the evening and asked us to return by tea-time the following morning if we survived…….we started towards the mountain…..simple instructions ”first find a good place for shelter then build a shelter”…..the strong winds made the choice of a good shelter all the more important…..there were 2 other guys with me……we used one of the rocks as one wall of our shelter and made the other walls using stones……made a roof out of the rain-sheets…..and the shelter was ready…….it was fun making a home……we then had some grub(which we had somehow kept hidden from the instructors) sang for sometime….and then enjoyed a good-nite’s sleep…well,not exactly…..coz there wasn’t enuff space for the three of us….so we took turns in sleeping…..that was definitely a night to remember!!

Day twenty-two

A nite out in the mountains demanded a days rest…so we got that….moreover there wasn’t nething left to do…..the next day we would move back to manali……so a very boring day……well something imp associated with that day….we had completed 16 days without taking a bath :DD

Day twenty-three

Time to say good-bye to our base camp….the place where we had stayed for two weeks…..though the place was a desert fir bhi ek attachment ho gaya tha….sad we had to leave that place…:(...neways, all good things must come to an end……the entire bus journey was spent singing and dancing….there were two ladies also in the bus….another reason to celebrate ;)

First thing everyone did after returning to manali….took a bath :)…..what a relief….bathing after 16 days!!

Day twenty-four

nothing left to do so simple bore hue……a bad news….there had been a cloud burst at a place near manali….actually on the road which we had taken for the bus journey the previous day…….we were lucky!!

For the unfortunate ones a rescue team comprising of the instructors went there….thankfully there wasn’t much loss of life and property

Day twenty-five

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZ……

Day twenty-six

It was time to leave manali …..to say good bye to the friends there…..to the instructors who helped me to make a mountaineer out of me….it was a senti departure specially with the new friends formed there….an unforgettable time spent there…….a lifetime experience……the entire summer had been gr8 for me……made some really good frens…….frens for life….and memories to cherish forever….thanx to everyone……thanx to all the good things that happened to me……..i had become a different person!

PS: This piece was written soon after I came back from the course

Trek to SiddhaGadh

I normally dont like waking up at 5:30 in the morning, except when i'm going for a trek. This time the aim was to reach Siddhagad top and return on the same day. Me and Kaa started at 6:30 from the hostel, while we were walking in the cold(read chilling) morning wind we decided to go to maddu and have some grub b4 actually leaving for the trek. i had a dosa and a coffee, and a dal-wada too :)
the local to kalyan was over-crowded, too crowded for a sunday morning. From kalyan, we took a bus to murbad, lack of sleep from the previous nite helped me take a gud nap even in the roller-coaster ride of the ST bus. We had to wait for about half-an hour at murbad, b4 getting a bus for the base village Narivali. This ride proved to be more bumpy than the previous one.
Finally at 1030, we alighted from the bus and started the trek. It was cold even then! We walked for quite long on a bullock-cart track, it was so dusty that we even forgot the original color of our shoes!! Towards our left there was a hill with a shining something on top of the cylindrical pinnacle. We came up with all kind of weird ideas about what that shining thing could be. One of our guesses proved to be correct, it was a temple atop the gorakhgad fort.
The combination of cold breeze and strong sun-light was like having a hot-water bath, so relaxing and refreshing!! The cart track suddenly ended into a dry river bed. After walking on the stones for sometime we decided to explore in the vertical direction, we climbed some 30 mts(vertically) and reached a rock wall. I went up a lil bit using some of the rock climibing techniques that i had learnt in manali. For once I felt that I had taken a wrong step, and i shouldn't have tried climbing the wall. After going up a little further it was concluded that we were on the wrong route, so we had to retrace. We could hear a wood-cutter in the distance, we thought of going to him and ask the route. So we started following the sound of his axe hitting the hard surface of the wood. Luckily we found the river bed again. We decided to play safe and followed the gradually sloping path. After a 5 mins walk we reached the actual path, well there were white arrows so we knew it was the correct path. We even found a yellow cap lying there with "Parth" written on it. We picked it up hoping to return it to its owner, if at all we find him at the top. We were wondering how nice it would be to have trees like mango tree, banana etc on such a hill, coz whatever treks i have done i have never seen a tree which i can attach to a name from my database. After a brief walk, we reached to the entrance gate of Siddhagad Wadi, a village on the first plateau of the hill. We were surprised to see electrical connection at such a height, even more surprising was BSNL's signal. All of our wishes were coming true, there were mango trees, hundreds of them! Even the village seemed quite developed, with TV and all. We had water(cold and tasty :) ), and asked for the way to the top. By the way it had taken us close to 2 hrs to reach siddhagadwadi from narivali. One of the village females sent her two sons, Abhay and Sanchit, to help us find the way. Since there was television connection in the village, I aksed those kids if they watched hindi movies and whether they liked Shahrukh Khan. They said something in marathi which I couldnot decipher. I guess they gave the same answer for both of my questions :)

Having found the way(the right one), we continued with our journey to the top. I tried calling one of my friends, thanks to the BSNL signal. But I don't know why people don't pick up their phones!!
Anyways, the climb was steep and full of scree. Well, I must admit that I like such kind of climbs, i get bored of walking endlessly on flat lands. We even found a banana tree on our way. A woman was getting her daughter's hair trimmed by a man who first appeared like a barber to us. The man had a beautiful home built in one of the mountain caves, more about it later. We continued with our climb, we met a group of six middle-aged men, who had come there from gorakhgad. We could still see the shining temple of gorakhgad. We had found the owner of the cap, but sadly we no longer had the cap :(
It didn't take us much time to reach the top, probably an hour from siddhagadwadi. We could see a water-reservoir, a village and a concrete road on the other side of the mountain. It was already 2:30pm, so we decided not to rest for a long time. There were a few tanks on the top, we used the water to cool ourselves and relax our aching feet. After resting for about half-an hour, and being satisfied by the view from the top we started back. While climbing down, We met that guy who was earlier doing the hair of the little girl. He invited us to his cottage, we had already fallen in love with his nice little hut. I have always dreamed of having a home like that, away from all the chaos and all the worries. He offered us tea. We went inside, the place was painted white from the inside(for obious reasons), it had a cemented floor, portraits of various hindu gods, a "taanpura" and some basic amenities like a bedding, a watch(showing the correct time!). The tea was quick, and tasty. The guy spoke amazingly good hindi. He told us that his name was Jeevan Patil, and he once worked in a Mumbai based industry, Amber dyes. He left the job 8 years ago and after a lot of searching came to this mountain where he now has his own small but beautiful shelter. I guess he earned his living by cutting the hairs of the villagers. He kept on saying again and again that it was the home of the god, he found peace in staying there, without any worldly worries. No family, no relatives, no friends, just he and his faith in god! I don't believe in god but if god existed at such a beautiful place then I wouldn't mind sharing my home with him. Impressed by his life style, we thanked him for the tea and bade him good bye. Jeevan suggested us to take an alternate route while going down, remember the reservoir and the village we saw from the top. The village's name was Jamborde.
We halted for a while at siddhagadwadi, asked for water(from a different house ofcourse). We asked for the way to Jamborde and started again. For a long time we couldn't find the way for climbing down, still we carried on. After 30 mins of walking we cud see the village which we had spotted from the top, and also the place from where the down climb started. It was steep and rocky so less time consuming. We met a man on the way down, who within minutes did more than what the govt. does for improving tourism in the sahyadris. He gave us his address so that we could contact him if we come again to this place. He said that he can provide with food and guide for a group as big as consisting of 40 people. His friendly nature touched me!
We reached the road finally but we had 4kms walk ahead of us to reach the village Jamborde from where we would find a transport. It was boring but had to be done. We took some short-cuts too since the road was too circuitious. Kaa slipped on one of those short-cuts :)
We also went to the reservoir, felt like taking a dip but was running out of time. So I convinced myself that I'd come again and then do the swimming. We took an auto from Jamborde to Mhasa and then a jeep to Murbad. I reached IIT at around 9pm, had fundoo biryani at SP hence officially ending the trek :) By the way, I forgot to tell u that this idea of having SP's biryani for dinner came to me while I was on the top. All in all a totally different trek, got to learn a lot, wish to go there again in future.