Day 1: 16th Sept, Pulga (2276 m) to Khirganga (2780 m) 7.8 km, 5h
We are on a trail that takes us up the Parbati Valley. The Parbati River originates in a glacier in the Pir Panjal Range and merges with the Beas near Kullu. Our trek started at Kulga (adjacent to Pulga) in the Parbati Valley and will end at Mudh Village on the Pin river in Spiti Valley. Today's is an easy trail taken by many people who want to make a day trip to Khirganga.
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Parbati and Spiti Valleys
We will follow the river upstream to the Parbati glacier and cross the range at the Pin Parbati pass. On the other side, we will cross another glacier that feeds the Pin River and then follow the river till the first habitation in Spiti, the village of Mudh.
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| Pin Parbati pass trail and campsites |
Day 2: 17 Sept, Khirganga (2789 m) to Tuna Bhuj (3333 m), 8.9 km, 6h
I noticed her for the first time today, discretely keeping up with us but avoiding eye contact.
We spent last night in Kheerganga, a camping site near a hot spring with a colony of semi-permanent tents, popular with young revellers not least because of the easy availability of hashish. There were a large number of dogs round about our camp constantly skirmishing. She must have decided to take her chances with us.
Here are some pictures taken along the trail.
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| The view across the Parbati on the way to Tunda Bhuj |
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| Vijay and Jackie sitting companionably |
An almost vertical wall of rock guards the right bank of the Parbati along this trail. High up on the wall, incredible as it may seem, there is a flock of sheep and goats advancing along a strip of green pasture. Our guide points out the shepherds trail. Here, every bit of green it seems is precious and the difficulty of access does not daunt the shepherds.
When we stop for lunch on the way I notice that our dog – someone called her Jackie and the name has begun to stick - has already made some friends in our group.
Down the trail, we meet a shepherd with a large flock and dogs. I overhear our guide Hari trying to talk him into adopting Jackie, but he is not interested. Jakie remains with us for now.
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| A waterfall into the Parbati just by our camp at Tunda Bhuj |
Day 3: 18th Sept, Tunda Bhuj (3235 m) to Thakur Kuan (3541), 7.6 km, 6 hr
Today, the trail is easy and through more open but still beautiful country. We walk just by the side of the river. The weather is balmy.
After reaching camp, Rohit our trek leader takes us for a acclimatization hike up a nearby hill.
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| Resting after a 150m height gain above camp. Picture Credit Rohit |
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| View of the Thakur Kuan camp from above. Picture Credit Rohit |
Day 4: 19th Sept. Thakur Kuan (3600 m) to Odi Thatch (3879 m), 9.7 km 6.5 hrs
The main challenge today is to cross the
Parbati over a huge boulder that straddles the river. This natural rock
bridge goes by the name Pandu Pul.
Our guides fix ropes.
One by one, we climb and wait on top of the rock for the rest of the team. We spot Jackie just after the last person in the team has reached the top. She has been patiently waiting in the wings.
Everyone waits anxiously to see if she will be able to clamber up the smooth
rock for which we took the help of ropes.
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| Ascending Pandu Pul |
Jackie tests the waters so to speak by
climbing up a steep gradient, slipping and sliding a bit and then settling for a
slope she can handle. She is amongst us in no time and basks in our midst,
posing for photos.
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| Back row (l to r) Vijay, Pratibha, Ashish Front (l to r) Anshul, Jackie, Omkar and Satyajit |
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| Descending Pandu Pul |
We have not yet finished crossing the Parbati. Right now we are sitting literally on top of the river.
One face of the boulder we are on drops at a steep angle to the other bank. Loose stones have been piled up on the rock to make a sort of stairway. We again use ropes to come down. Jackie comes last effortlessly running down the stairway.
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| On the way to Odi Thatch. Picture Credit: Rohit |
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| En route to Odi Thatch. Picture Credit Rohit |
Day 5: 20th Sept. Odi Thatch (3876 m) to Mantalai (4148 m), 10.2 km, 6.5 hrs
Today, we plan to walk to a lake called Mantalai located at a height of over 4000 m. The day starts bright and sunny. We walk above the tree line and in a wide valley with sparse vegetation. The river bed broadens and looks like a lake with sand banks. This is a perfect place for a group photo.
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| L to R: Onkar, Anshul, Prashant, Ashish, Vijay, Pater, Sanjay, Chetram, Hari, me, Satyajit, Pratibha. Picture Credit Rohit |
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| The broad expanse of the Parbati |
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| Sand banks. Picture Credit Rohit |
Up towards the head of the valley, one can see snow clad peaks. The Parbati meanders its way through the valley.
We meet a group travelling in the opposite direction and Hari requests their guide to take Jakie back. The man pets Jackie and keeps her occupied while we move on.
A little later, I notice that Jackie is back with us.
We begin a climb over an escarpment that
will take us to the lake. For the last five days, we have had excellent weather
with not a cloud in the sky. This is too good to last and the weather starts
taking a turn for the worse. The view ahead is obscured by low clouds. Soon we
sight the huge expanse of the lake.
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| Weather deteriorates as we approach Mantalai |
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| Mantalai |
It begins to rain. After a brief stopover at a shrine, we continue on a path skirting the lake. I look back and Jackie is there trotting along. Shortly we are at the campsite welcomed by a Pizza that the cook has made for the occasion.
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| Camp at Mantalai Picture Credit Rohit |
Day 6: 21st Sept. , Mantalai (4136 m) to Parbati base camp (4945 m), 5 km, 6 h
The weather has cleared and it is again a bright sunny day. Today is going to be a tough day. We will be gaining 800m in height and camping at the base of the Pin Parbati pass.
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| Upstream of Mantalai |
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| Parbati Valley looking downstream |
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| Glacial pools in different colours |
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| Pyramid Peak (6036 m) in the background |
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| Camp (4945 m) at base of Pin Parbati pass. Picture Credit Chetram |
Day 7: 22nd Sept, Parbati base camp (4945 m) via Pin Parbati pass (5300 m) to Shepherds camp (4373 m), ~ 9 km, 9.5 hrs
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| Picture Credit Vijay |
We set out in single file sticking to the
track made in the snow by those ahead.
It is continuously snowing and white all round except for the occasional
brown of a boulder sticking out. I find it difficult to keep to the pace of the
group and start falling back. Soon I am bringing up the rear along with Peter,
the trekker closest in age to me.
The snow continuously beats on my face. It
becomes difficult to see through my glasses because of the water and snowflakes
clinging to it. My “waterproof” gloves are soaking wet. I stop to look back to
see a white featureless expanse. There is nobody behind us. When I turn around,
I notice that the gap between me and Peter has increased. Those ahead of us have
vanished from sight. The falling snow is trying its best to obliterate their
tracks.
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| The scene at 8.11 am, Prashant looking on. Picture Credit Rohit |
For a moment, I panic. I am gasping for air.
I can’t get enough Oxygen into my lungs - we are at over 5000 m – just to keep
up my current pace. I don’t think I can manage to speed up even a tiny bit to
close the gap with Peter. I shout out to Peter, but it seems that my voice does
not carry. On the second or third attempt, I see him glance back. I gesture to
him to slow down a bit and he nods in understanding. From then on I plod along
matching his every step with one of mine. I lose track of how long we do this. Eventually
we spot our guide Chetram standing at a vantage point, waiting for us.
In a while we get to the glacier. The team
has now slowed down enough for me and Peter to keep pace with the rest. The
crevasses on our path are spotted by the sardar
of the porters – Tiku – who has crossed the Pin Parbati pass five times just
this year. He knows the route like the back of his hand and walks in front with
a trekking pole, prodding the ground. When he finds a crevasse, a shout goes
out for the three roped up leads to take position on either side and guide the rest
on where to step, jump and land. We follow this routine crevasses after
crevasse, slowly snaking our way up to the pass which we reach at 11.30am.
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| At the pass, 11.32 am , Picture Credit Rohit |
We are at a height of 5300 m (17450 ft).
There is no respite from the snow. Visibility is down to a few meters. After
five minutes of congratulatory exchanges and posing for photos Rohit orders us
to begin the downward journey.
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| On the way down, Prashant roped up 11.40, Picture Credit Rohit |
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| Porters contingent leading, Hari behind 11.41am, Picture Credit Rohit |
We are now on a glacier that feeds the Pin
River and there are more crevasses to be negotiated. The downward journey is
much faster and easier on the heart and lungs. In view of the continuing bad weather, we decide
to skip the usual camping site at the base of the pass. The idea is to try and lose as much
altitude as we can before we stop for the day. After crossing the glacier, we
continue the steep descent along a tributary of the Pin till we reach the
river.
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| Trek Leader Rohit beaming after the successful crossing, 11.40am |
Our camping ground for the day is some
distance downstream on the other side of the Pin. Right now water is flowing
till mid calf level. I begin the painful operation of removing my shoes using numb fingers. We cross the freezing river barefoot. I am the last person to
cross and begin the journey along the Pin to our camp. Actually, I am not the
last. I catch a glimpse of Jackie running downstream on the other side. She seems
to know of a better place to cross.
We reach the campsite, a desolate spot
without any cover, wet and miserable. The kitchen and dining tents and a couple
of the smaller two man tents are put up with difficulty. Eight of us will have
to share the dining tent. Everything is wet - our backpacks, shoes and the
clothes we are wearing. I spot Jackie wet and dishevelled picking up some
leftovers outside the dinner tent. She has managed to swim or wade across the Pin!
I am obsessed with trying to get as dry and
warm as possible. I decide to sleep in one of the two person tents as there is
more space (than in the dining tent with 8 people) for me to rummage through my backpack for dry clothes.
The inside of the tent is wet. The rain
covers have been inadequate to keep water out of the backpacks. So is the case
with my rain coat and pant. The layer of clothes just inside including my
precious down jacket is wet. Part of my sleeping bag is wet. The only dry
clothes left with me are those that I had wrapped in plastic before placing
inside my bag. I wear everything I have one on top of the other and settle down
for a night that promises to be cold and miserable.
It snows throughout the night and I keep
busy beating the snow off my tent to prevent it from collapsing on me. Water
condenses on the inside fabric of the tent and falls in large drops making anything not wrapped in plastic inside the
tent damp. Morning when it comes is deliverance.
Day 8: 23rd Sept, Shepherds Camp (4373 m), Pin Valley to Mudh (3800 m), ~ 25 km
We get marching orders soon
after morning tea. Today we have to get to Mudh village come what may. Any more
camping is infeasible considering the state of our gear. It is snowing without
letup.
What follows is several hours of walking in snow and slush with the feeling of being wet all the time. We take a quick grab at lunch standing; there is nothing to shelter us from the falling snow.
Sometime
in the afternoon, we reach a road. This is part of a grandiose project to
connect Spiti with Kinnaur. The road lacks a bridge over a stream called Pagal Nala; so no vehicle can reach this stretch of the 'road'.
What follows is several hours of walking in snow and slush with the feeling of being wet all the time. We take a quick grab at lunch standing; there is nothing to shelter us from the falling snow.
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| View along the way, 11.58 am, Picture Credit Rohit |
Now begins an interminable trudge on the
road – it is actually just a broad beaten track without a bitumen top –
following the valley of the Pin. After several hours the road skirts around a fold
in the mountain to reveal Pagal Nala in all its frightening glory. It is really
a mad cascade of water hurtling noisily down a hill and breaking into numerous
frothing streams. My heart sinks at the thought of crossing this raging stream.
How am I going to get across without getting completely wet? Just then I spot
our guide Hari standing near a makeshift bridge over the nala a little downstream. He motions to me to cross and keep
walking on the road.
We had been told earlier that attempts
would be made to arrange a vehicle for us from Pagal Nala to Mudh, a distance of about 10 km. There is no
sign of any man or machine here. The road is a little better from now on but the snow is
unrelenting and it is starting to get cold. It would take at least 3 hours at our pace to get to Mudh and I have visions of having to stop due to
exhaustion and freezing somewhere on this road.
We must have walked a couple of km when we
see a tractor coming in the opposite direction. We pile into the trailer attached to it and it makes its way towards Mudh stopping every few minutes to pick up other
members of our team from the road.
At one such stop, I see Jackie. She has miraculously made her way till here. As the tractor starts again, a young porter sitting beside me, barely able to speak because of exhaustion, gestures towards Jackie and utters a hoarse cry ‘doggie’ indicating that we should pick her up. Our guide declines. He says that the dog is now in familiar territory and can make do for itself. We are in no position to argue with him. As the tractor speeds up I can see Jakie breaking into a run behind us.
At one such stop, I see Jackie. She has miraculously made her way till here. As the tractor starts again, a young porter sitting beside me, barely able to speak because of exhaustion, gestures towards Jackie and utters a hoarse cry ‘doggie’ indicating that we should pick her up. Our guide declines. He says that the dog is now in familiar territory and can make do for itself. We are in no position to argue with him. As the tractor speeds up I can see Jakie breaking into a run behind us.
The road has been breached by a stream a km
or so before Mudh and this has happened just in the last couple of hours after
the tractor set out from there. We get down and slide down over slithery slopes
to reach the field below the village in pitch darkness and then walk through the
fields to get to the village. In the darkness, I spot Jackie. She has made it to
Mudh after practically running the last 10 km from Pagal Nala.
Mudh has a few guest houses that can put up
trekkers and we have taken rooms in one. The women of the village have
assembled in the kitchen and welcome us with hot cups of tea. The news has
spread that a group of trekkers has just come down over the Pin Parbati pass in
extreme bad weather and this is a gesture of solidarity on their part. A few of
us who got here earlier completely wet have been provided dry clothes and
sweaters by the villagers. With a bathroom, a roof to protect us from the snow,
a warm bed with a rajai, our guest
house in Mudh feels like heaven.
Day 9: 24th Sept, Mudh Village
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| Looking out from our guest house |
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| Jackie with Peter at our Mudh guest house |
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We wake up to another cold, wet and dreary morning. There is no activity on the village streets.
Walking to the ground floor, we spot Jackie lying curled up – a wet bundle – in the corridor. She has made her peace with the other dogs that populate the guest house. I get the impression that Jackie is not well because she is not her usual bouncy self. However she responds to some petting and food.
That night I tell Peter a story from
Mahabharata that I heard from my grandmother as a child.
The story of Yudhishthira and the dog
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As they proceed further, Draupadi drops dead. Then one
by one, Sahadeva , Nakula, Arjuna and finally Bheema fall by the wayside. After
every fall, Yudhishthira points out the individual failings of the person
because of which he/she could not proceed further. He walks on alone with only
the dog for company.
Indra comes in his chariot to take Yudhishthira to
heaven. When Yudhishthira pleads that the dog be allowed to accompany him,
Indra laughs at him for his foolish love of the dog and says that there is no
place in heaven for a dog.
Yudhishthira insists that the dog must come with him and in the end prevails. The dog reveals itself to be Dharma.
Yudhishthira insists that the dog must come with him and in the end prevails. The dog reveals itself to be Dharma.
Day 10: 25th Sept., Mudh Village
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| Mudh under snow, 6.30 am |
The weather starts improving towards the afternoon.
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| Looking into the valley we walked, 3.20 pm |
Day 11: 26th Sept. , Mudh Village
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| Fields of Mudh, 9.28 am |
Bright sun and blue sky this morning. There is
still no sign of Jackie. With the sun coming out, the battery of the satellite
phone gets charged and we are able to make calls. The work of repairing
breaches in the road and clearing landslides progresses. We eventually make our
way to Kaza that evening.
Himalayan Trek 22, Sept 2018
Himalayan Trek 22, Sept 2018
