My First Trek Thrilling, tiring, challenging and an experience for lifetime Is it a dream come true? Could be!

! Or it could be that I am still dreaming. But I can hear the sound of running water at my feet and smell the fresh air ruffling my hair and I know its all real. It is too much to take in. Every direction I turn my head to, I am stunned by the breathtaking beauty of the landscape. A small stream flanked by yellow wildflowers, wriggles its way through the slopes to join the river. A log of tree is precariously balanced on a stone in the middle of river, moving in rhythm with the water and with every current, it struggles to break free. It wasnt easy getting here and I know it is only to get more difficult in days ahead, but just for this moment of tranquility and beauty, itll be worth it!! It was first day of our trek and we were camping at Chika. We trekked a small distance from Jobra to our current campsite making our way through a forest of Deodar and Maple. While crossing a log bridge on the way, we saw a cow caught between the rocks at the edge of the river. The current was rising and that frightened creature was already half drowned. Our trek leader Shibu Sir and guides Polu and Shyam bhaiya made admirable effort to rescue that cow. We camped on a green patch which rose into a steep cliff on the left and towards the right it gave way to a gorge formed by Rani Nalla. Shepherds were grazing their sheep on the slopes. After off-loading our stuff to our tents, we set out to explore the area. We took a trail leading down the cliff. Climbing down opened up the view of the valley ahead. Some patches of old snow were already visible on the rocky river bed but the hills on either side of the valley were lush green. I sat on a rock by the river, penning down my thoughts while Neeraj and Priyanka set out to take some pictures. A little while later, Neeraj came to join me and quietly sat admiring the scenic beauty, while I continued to write. Time to time, I would look up from my writing and it was rewarding to see him enjoying the beautiful landscape. As sun began to set, Neeraj, Priyanka and I headed back to the camp, collecting firewood on the way. The idea of dinner by a warm bonfire was more than welcome at the point. But as we all gathered around the crackling fire, heavy downpour forced us to retreat to safety of our tents. All our hopes of enjoying the meal in the comfort of campfire were vanquished and we had to settle for enjoying torch light diner in the cozy but little cramped space of our tent. The day ended with little chit-chat, a game of Taboo and then everyone retreating to their tents. Day two started with wakeup call of tea at 6 in the morning. By 6:30, the camp was already abuzz with activity with people sharing experiences of previous day. It was my first experience of sleeping in a sleeping bag and I couldnt say that I had the best of sleep, especially with the wind howling and the camp dog barking through the night. It was a full day ahead of us as we had to trek till Balu ka Gera. Kitchen staff packed us all small snack packs for the trek. It was a lovely day and I started from the camp in high spirits but very soon we came to the log bridge which we were to cross and all my spirits plummeted at the sight of the bridge. It was definitely worse than yesterdays log bridge and I was really scared. But as people started crossing it one by one, I realized it was more stable than it looked. When it was my turn, I took a few deep breaths to calm myself and then grabbed hold of the rope and started crossing the bridge. The key was to not to look down, just concentrate on next step and move slowly and steadily. I was working so hard to keep a tab on my nerves that when I reached the far end of the

bridge, I was afraid I will snap and I jumped off the bridge with a jerk. The movement sent my water bottle flying out of my bag in the river below. I was so grateful that it was just the bottle and not me, I was happy to let it go. But apparently Polu bhaiya wasnt and he was as quick as lightning in retrieving that bottle for me from the river. His heroic effort earned him a round of applause from the team. The trek on second day was much more challenging than previous day. The ascends were tricky and rocky. As we gained altitude, we could see that vegetation was thinning. While trekking I took some time get acquainted with one of our guides, Shyam bhaiya. Being a first time trekker I was full of doubts and questions. When I asked him if they always took a camp dog with them, he told me to my surprise, that the dog travelling with us since day one was not our camp dog. She came from somewhere and joined our team. The way she watched over the camp, stayed with the group, scouted ahead on the trail and watched over the ones lagging behind, it was hard to believe that she wasnt trained to do it all along. Our whole team had already grown very affectionate of her and we decided to call her Hampta. After trekking for almost four and half hours, when we took our break for snacks, Shibu Sir gave us good news that we were almost done for the day and we would be camping after about an hours trek. Balu ka Gera was completely covered with snow and since we were not equipped to camp on snow, we would camp on a green meadow much before Balu ka Gera. Though I was happy to hear that we would reach the camp in another hour, I was also worried about the fact that it would mean a longer trek the following day. On final leg before reaching our camp, we came across a huge patch of snow. While I was all skeptical and carefully testing my footing on snow, Neeraj became a toddler at the sight of snow and started throwing snow at anyone he could catch unaware. Priyanka and Swarna also caught on the mood and soon it was a snow fight between the three of them. The campsite for the day was like out of a book. It was flanked by streams on either sides and a flower bed of pink flowers spread between the streams and the camp. Hills with waterfalls stood tall on one side. Looking back we could see the hills we had climbed to reach our camp and looking ahead we could see snow covered slopes. Our porters were setting up the tents and kitchen staff was already busy making tea and Maggi for us. We took out a couple of mattresses from one of the tents and sprawled out in the sun. The warmth of sunlight was so welcome, we didnt move from there till the Sun God himself decided to move. As sunlight shifted from our camp towards the stream, Neeraj and I went down there and lie down in the flower bed. While lying there we talked about the days experience and before anyone of us realized, we dozed off right there. I remember before we booked this trek, I argued a lot with Neeraj and kept asking him why he wanted to go through the ordeal of trekking for hours daily. Now sleeping in a flower bed by a stream under open sky, with the majestic view of snow covered peaks and waterfalls, I had my answer. As sun began to set, the wind picked up and it got pretty cold and that woke us up. We made our way back to the camp and were welcomed by the sight of hot soup. We spent some time chatting with other people of team over the soup and discussing next days plan with Shibu Sir. We came to know that due to heavy snow road from Chatru onwards was blocked and we wouldnt be able to cross Hampta Pass.

So plan for next day was altered. We would trek till Hampta Pass and then instead of crossing it, we would make our way back to our present camp. It was an early start the next day and I must admit I wasnt in best of my spirits. I was scared of the prospect of trekking for 9 hours and I was more than certain that I would have to turn back midway. Neeraj tried to calm me with encouraging words and then our guides lifted my spirit by saying that they were sure I could do it. Their confidence gave me a boost and I decided to give it my best shot. Initially the trek was rocky and we had to cross few small streams. The first challenge for the day presented to us in the form of a snow covered hill which sloped all the way down to a stream. Polu bhaiya and Shyam bhaiya quickly set to task by digging up a trail of foot holes across the slope with an axe and tying a rope at either ends for support. While the trail looked treacherous, when I started crossing it, I realized it wasnt that bad. It was just like my experience of crossing that rickety bridge the previous day, focus on next step and dont panic. The next snow covered slope we came to, gave us the first opportunity to slide our way down. It was a short slide but it was really fun. After a little while we reached Balu Ka Gera. The view ahead was lovely. Snow covered slopes flanked either side of the valley. Rani Nalla kept disappearing under snow bed only to emerge gurgling a little distance away. The final ascend before reaching the pass was very challenging and I had to stop after every few steps to catch my breath. I tried to maintain my pace by counting steps and doing 50 steps a time and then taking a stop of 5 seconds to take few deep breaths. On completing the final ascend, we were rewarded with the news that we had made it to the foot of the Pass. From there we split in two groups, one headed by Polu bhaiya and Shibu Sir who went ahead to the top of the ridge of the Pass and the other one which returned to camp with Shyam bhaiya. Neeraj went on with the other group while I joined the group returning back to the camp. As we started back it began to snow. We picked up pace and soon came clear of the snowfall area. But looking back I could see that Hampta Pass was overcast. It must have been snowing there. I couldnt help but be worried about Neeraj. Last I saw him, he looked fit and in high spirits but I knew he tends to get adventurous and childish. I tried to console myself thinking that he was in the best of company and probably he was just enjoying himself at that moment. Descend was less tiring but trickier. Shyam bhaiya gave me few tips on how to handle my footing while descending. That helped a lot and I made good time on the way back. We took a different trail to avoid the steep slopes which we had encountered earlier but still at few points we had to use rope for ascending/descending. We were back at the camp by 4:20 p.m. and to my surprise, the other team also reached the camp within half an hour. I kept watching as the other team trickled down the bend towards the camp, eagerly waiting for Neeraj to show up. It was a relief when I finally spotted him, casually walking while chatting with Shibu Sir. In that moment, I felt it was stupid of me to worry so much all along. Seeing him happy and thrilled with his latest adventure made me happy for him. I listened to him as he filled me with details and how he enjoyed his slide down from Hampta Pass. I was surprised to find myself both happy and annoyed at the same time. I was happy to see him and to listen

to him and a little annoyed that all this time, while I was dead worried about him, he was having the time of his life. What a day it was!! This trek was an amazing experience for me. I realized a little confidence can do miracles. When I had woken up on the morning of the third day, I was sure I was going to sit out the days trek till the Pass. All it took were a few encouraging words from Neeraj and our guides to make me change my mind. During the trek, I was exhausted but then time and again Shyam bhaiya pepped me up saying I was doing great. Neeraj kept telling me to not to rush and just to keep my own pace. And I did it; I made it to the Pass with the rest of the team. The feeling of accomplishment was so great, it out shadowed every ache in my body. On the last night of the trek, we all sat around the bonfire and expressed our views on the trek. What Neeraj said at that time, very aptly describes this trek for me and I would like to quote him as closing remarks for this blog entry. My experience of trek was that its pretty much like life. At some point our body might give up and refuse to go further but its the strength of our minds which takes us forward.