31 July – The Tough Route Begins (Gala – Budhi Track) Part 1 – Gala to Lakhanpur

Today we were supposed to cover 18 kms from Gala to Budhi. We set out at 6:45 AM after tea. Breakfast would be at the first halt at Lakhanpur. Sahji warned us not to dawdle on the way as the terrain was the most difficult one of the whole trek.

Before starting out, we worshipped at the Shiva temple. Sahji lit incense and rang the temple bell, praying for a safe passage. It had been drizzling since we woke up and there was a nip in the air. I wore a sleeveless sweater under the raincoat. The first two kms of plain walking brought us to Jipti. From Jipti there were steep stone steps that rapidly took us down towards Lakhanpur. Local folklore has it that the steps were constructed by a rajasthani Maharajah. There are supposed to be exactly 4,444 of them in number. I can’t vouch for that. I was too busy putting one foot in front of another to count them.

We were joined by three horses and their grooms. We had hired two for my uncle and aunt as they both are nearly sixty. The third was a backup in case anyone was hurt or too exhausted midway. One of the grooms was a young impertinent bloke. As he overtook me, he said, “Didi, agar aap ghode pe jaana chahoge toh mere ghode pe chalna.” (If you want to go on horseback, take my horse). I was flattered. “Kyun, bhaiyya?” I asked. “Arre didi, aap bhi chhote aur mote, aur mera ghoda bhi. Achchhi jodi hogi.” (Both you and my horse are short and plump. You will make a good pair). I decided that walking faster was a better option than strangling him.

Climbing down the steps was not as easy as it seemed. By the time we reached reasonably level ground, everybody’s knees were aching. Pallavi and I compared notes and realized that our legs were trembling so much that we were likely to fall over standing still. At one point we passed over an old landslide that was so huge that we felt like little ants. See the tiny red dot in the picture? That’s me.

A few turns later we reached Lakhanpur. There is no ‘camp’ as such. A hut is all there is. It was now 10:30 AM. Cool water and a hot cup of tea revived us. Breakfast was thin gravy of potatoes and steaming hot puris. Served cheerfully. With smiles and “Aur lo, aur lo. Aage bahut chalna hai” (Have some more. Lots of walking to do ahead). I must admit one thing. At all the camps, the staff was extremely courteous and helpful. After breakfast, we started down the road to Malpa.

30 July - Dharchula to Gala

The next morning when we woke up, the sky was still overcast. There was word that there had been a few landslides on the way from Dharchula to Mangti. But we were raring to go. We quickly had breakfast and secured the luggage on the jeeps. We had packed the sacks individually in rainproof jackets because the mules would pass through waterfalls and rain. If the luggage got wet, there were no shops around to buy any kind of spares.

The 45-km road from Dharchula to Mangti is made of narrow roads twisting and turning tortuously. The drop into fierce Kali is always just 2-3 feet away. Everywhere you look, the green peaks of the Himalayas are hypnotizing in their tall glory. By then the skies had cleared and everything was drenched in a pale watery sunshine.

The first landslide had left enough space to drive around it. With inches to spare on the side of the drop. We climbed out to avoid plunging into the river in case of a mishap. I felt guilty thinking that it seemed as if our lives were more precious than the driver’s. But both the drivers safely brought the jeeps around. The next landslide was huge. On the other side there were other jeeps waiting and sort of exchanged passengers. We took down the luggage and carried it over the mountain of rubble and again piled it on the new jeeps.

The third and final landslide did not leave us an option. This time the jeeps left us for good. We wouldn’t see any wheels in the area for the next 12 days. This landslide was all slippery mud and rocks. We slipped and slid our way to the other side. The mules took over the luggage. We hefted our smaller backpacks and began walking. Luckily we were only 2-3 kms from the actual starting point, so the extra walking was not so much as we had feared.

The track from Mangti to Gala is picturesque and fairly easy. In a few places, there were condors circling overhead. Small mountain brooks gushed and gurgled in pretty waterfalls. We filled our bottles and drank the sweet clear water. There is some mica content in the water which can sometimes give you an upset stomach. We didn’t face that problem. Our stomachs were probably lead-lined.

Milind brushed against a small prickly bush by mistake. In seconds, his hand was covered with angry red blisters which itched like hell. There was also a slight swelling. He held it under a cool stream of water and carried on. After a few hours, the swelling and blisters settled down. The offending plant was locally called ‘bichchhoo’ or scorpion in hindi. We learnt to steer clear of it in future.

At 3:30 we finally reached the Gala camp. Lunch was a light affair. Piping hot moong and rice khichri with papad and mango pickle. After lunch we sat on the parapet outside camp and gazed down into the valley. There were tiny birds, some red, some yellow, twittering around. The Kali looked harmless and distant from this height.

The sky was again overcast. By 6 pm, it was raining in earnest. We were happily surprised to be served steaming hot glasses of soup. By 8 we were ready to call it a day. We walked down to the dining hut and had a candle lit dinner. Sleep came easily because of tiredness. Bundled up in woolen socks, gloves, sweaters and soft blankets, I fell into deep dreamless slumber.

29 July - Dharchula - Preparing for the 1st Day's Trek

By 8 pm, everybody was famished. Lunch had been light, remember? We unpacked in the three rooms the eleven of us shared, and headed down to the restaurant of the KMVN hotel we were staying at for an early dinner. After dinner, most of us called home to talk to parents, children, spouses left behind. We wouldn’t have access to a telephone for the next 4 days till we reached Budhi camp where there was a satellite phone and that one would cost 32 rupees per minute.

After dinner Sahji called a meeting to give us instructions and details for the 1st day’s trek. Next morning we would be transported by jeeps to Mangti about 45 kms from Dharchula. From Mangti the 14-km trek to Gala would begin. It would not be a hectic first day. But it could get complicated by landslides between Dharchula and Mangti. There had been continuous landslides for the past few days. If we came across a particularly serious one, we would have to start walking much earlier.

The mules we had rented for our luggage were stabled at Mangti. If we had to start walking early, it would be with the luggage. I had just about managed to lug it around in Delhi. The thought of hauling it for an extra 10 or so mile, on steep roads was extremely daunting. My trek would get over the very first day, it seemed. Added to this was the fact that, after Mangti, the mules would directly go to the 2nd camp at Budhi. So we had to separately pack a sack for 2 days that we would have to carry ourselves on the way to Budhi anyway.

The remaining hour before bedtime was spent in frenzied preparations for the next day. Sometime after midnight, it started pouring. I creaked open the door to the balcony and watched the Kali roiling and churning in the faint light reflecting from the clouds. I went back to bed praying for the rain to stop before morning. But anticipation, and a slight apprehension, kept me tossing and turning the whole night through.

29 July - Kathgodam to Dharchula

As we made our way outside the Kathgodam station, we found our guide Sahji waiting for us with 2 jeeps ready to go. There were introductions made, our sacks were tied onto the overhead carrier, covered with tarpaulin because it often rains in the mountains and we pushed off on the 285 km long road from Kathgodam to Dharchula.

About 45 kms from Kathgodam, we took our first halt at Kainchidham. Here, we found an ashram, dedicated to Shri Neeb Karori Maharaj who is especially revered in north India. The ashram complex had 4 temples, of Vaishno Devi, Ramji, Hanumanji and Shiva. The temples were unique in that they were spotlessly clean. The idols were made of pure white marble and the inner walls of the temples were decorated with fine tapestry in rich colors of yellow, red, blue and gold.

We had breakfast at a little roadside restaurant next to the ashram. Hot pyaaz pakoras and tall glasses of lemonade flavoured with jal-jeera. Needless to say, we hogged. And lived to regret it. The road ahead was so winding and full of hairpin bends and curves that within an hour at least 2 people had lost that delicious breakfast.

So we opted for a late and light lunch and made our way to Almora. Almora, in the valley, is pretty. The tiny cottages and lavish bungalows clinging to the cliffside look like a picture postcard. The mountains are covered with tall pine and leafy rhododendrons. Little brooks and mountain streams play hide and seek amongst the rocks and foliage. Puran Singh, our 2nd guide was an expert on the local flora and fauna and pointed out interesting specimen. See the trident-shaped pine in photo.

A foaming white river called Dhauli Ganga, kept us company towards the end of our journey. The wide expanse of the river, especially when viewed from a height of 500 or so feet was a dizzying sight. But it was just a trailer of things to come. We would soon catch up with a demonic river, the Kali, near Kathgodam. Most of the 230 kms of the trek would be spent walking alongside this river and she would give us nightmares for quite some time.

We reached Kathgodam by 7.00 pm, almost 12 hrs after we started. And saw the Kali for the first time. No love at first sight there. Just across the river is Nepal. Kali acts as a border between India and Nepal. People freely walk across the bridge connecting the two banks. Hindi Nepali, Bhai Bhai.

28 July - Delhi to Kathgodam

Delhi was humid and sweltering, even though it was supposed to be mid monsoon. We spent the day at the residence of some relatives, crosschecking that we had all we needed and buying last minute stuff. None of the guys had sunscreen as I suspected, and I forced them to buy some. The ungrateful brats, of course, made comments like "God, I'm sure you must have 5 litres of the stuff, why do we need to buy extra?" but they would eat their words later.

At around 7 pm we lugged our haversacks, climbed into cycle rickshaws and made our way to the metro station at Dwarka. This time there were no trolleys and we hefted the sacks onto our shoulders. My bro-in-law quipped that I looked like an ant scurrying with a huge leaf on its back.
Sudhir uncle in his infinite wisdom had told us to keep our sacks unopened after the airport security check, upto the point where we boarded the metro. This allowed us to bypass the metro check. They only checked that the airport seals were unbroken and waved us in. It would have been an ordeal to open the sacks and repack them.

At the old delhi Station, we had dinner in the waiting room. We had carried methi parathas, sweet puris and laddoos to avoid eating at the station canteen. After dinner we climbed up and down the numerous stairways to reach the appropriate platform. Our train, the Ranikhet Express was right on time. Gratefully, we dumped the luggage and made ourselves comfortable. It was 10:45 pm when the train left Delhi Station and all of us fell asleep almost immediately.

I woke up refreshed at 5 am. It was to become a habit over the next few days. After freshening up, I woke up the few in the group who were still asleep. By the time we had some tea and got the luggage together, the train was pulling into the Kathgodam station. It was 6:30 am and the train was on the dot.

Even there, standing on the platform at the railway station, I could feel the difference in the air. The cold mountain air of Uttaranchal was crisp and the sky was a vivid blue. Adi Kailash, we are on our way, I thought and felt a thrill deep in my bones.

28th July - Pune to Delhi.

It was a crisp, cool morning when we started our much awaited journey. 9 of us (all of us are first or second cousins, and live in the same city) flew from Pune to Delhi on SpiceJet flight SG-204. Since the bookings were done almost 2 months in advance, we got good deals on round trip tickets. 2 other friends would fly from Mumbai to join us at Delhi.
I'd tried to reduce my luggage as much as possible. I still ended up with a haversack that weighed a ton and wore six-pocket cargoes with all six pockets bulging. I didn't want to go to the hassle of a cabin bag, so I stuffed a few necessities in my pockets. Little did I know I was just inviting trouble.
At the baggage check, I suddenly had a premonition. As my sack went into the scanner, I thought, They're going to ask me to open my sack. Because I had about 1 kg of Glucon-D packed in a ziplock, and it was surely going to look like heroin or cocaine on x-ray. Oh God! And sure enough, the official called out, "Whose bag is this?" Oh, the blue and black haversack? Well sir, that's mine. "Could you open it, please?" Sure, I love packing and unpacking and repacking.
I asked him anyway, "Is there a problem with my bag?" He called me to the scanner and asked me "What's this?" I turned to look, fully expecting my bag of heroin, I mean Glucon-D, to be displayed. Instead he showed me a weird shape like a bottle with a nozzle. Huh? "Is that hairspray?" Hairspray?On a trek? My cosmetics were tooth paste, tooth brush, bath soap, sunscreen and lip balm. Period. No, no, that wasn't hair spray. He then looked at me a little closely and asked, "Are you carrying vodka, ma'm?" Vodka! Me, a poor teetotaler! I racked my brains , but just couldn't remember packing anything that looked like that.
Then he asked a magic question, "Is that an oxygen cylinder?" Eureka! It was indeed an oxygen cylinder. With 2 senior members in the team and the trek reaching altitudes close to 5000m, it seemed prudent to carry an oxygen cylinder as precaution. Being an orthopaedic surgeon, my husband had procured one and packed it in my sack.
To cut a long story short, it was left behind at the Pune airport. It is pressurized oxygen, and not safe to carry on board a plane. Lesson 1: If you need to carry an oxygen canister, pick it up later in Delhi.
At the security check, everybody cleared the gates quickly. I entered the enclosure and didn't emerge for about 3 mins. My cousins gathered at the other end. Where has she gone? Well, I was asked to empty every single one of those bulging six pockets, and each item was scrutinized carefully. Lesson 2: It is better to carry a few items in a small bag rather than stuffing them in your pockets to keep your hands free.
The rest of the journey was uneventful and we reached Delhi at about 10:30 AM. In the evening we would catch the Ranikhet Express to Kathgodam in Uttaranchal.

Now the Good Stuff - Foodstuff

All treks on the route of Adi Kailash and Om Parbat have to go through the KMVN. The various camps that we stayed at provided decent meals. The basic 3 meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner - were more than adequate. We never had to cook anything. So there was no need to carry any cooking utensils, gas stoves, etc.
However, the basic three meals are not enough all the time. Sometimes, you get hungry while walking. Or you are just plain tired and need an energy boost. The whole group divided up the dry snacks and each one brought the items assigned to him/her in a large quantity to share with everyone. On a long, strenuous trek that tests the limits of your endurance, 'sharing' is a very important word.

Between the 11 of us, we carried the following foodstuff.
1. Riceflakes Chivda
2. Peanut and jaggery laddoos
3. Peanut Chikki
4. Dryfruit laddoos
5. Shankarpali (a Maharashtrian sweet made out of wheat flour, ghee and sugar)
6. Amla Candy
7. Flavoured sugar candy
8. Gulpoli (Sweet Parathas stuffed with a mixture of jaggery, peanut and sesame powder flavoured with nutmeg. another Maharashtrian speciality. Yummy! but more importantly, high calorie.)

Each one also brought their own stock of dry fruits to munch on. The climate in the himalayas is such that you need a lot of energy to stay warm and to keep walking constantly. The best combination is a mixture of cashews, dried figs and walnuts. Keeps you pepped up throughout the day. Candied sweets keep the throat from getting parched and conserve the limited water you can carry throughout the day.

Clothes and Gear For The Trek

This trek is most commonly described as 'hazardous'. The first thing to do is to take it completely seriously and pack carefully.
As the route is at a high altitude, 12000 - 14000 feet, there are cold winds, especially at night. The weather is unpredictable. Bright sunshine can quickly turn into torrential downpour. Therefore the clothing needs to be light, wind-proof and warm. Here's a list of the bare minimum gear we packed.

1. Wind-proof jacket (preferably with hood) 1 no.
2. Light cotton jacket which can double up as a suncoat 1 no.
2. Sweaters 2 full sleeves 1 half sleeve
3. Balaclava (Monkey cap) 1 no.
4. Woollen and leather gloves 1 pair each
5. Woollen socks 2 pairs
6. Cotton socks 10 pairs
7. Long pants 3 nos. (I wore light 6-pocket cargoes. Jeans are useless and cumbersome)
8. Shirts/T-shirts 6-7 nos.
9. Sun glasses (anti glare are preferable), with chain so it can hang around the neck
10. Trekking shoes 2 pairs (carry extra shoe laces).
The shoes are the most important part of the gear. The route is very slippery in places, so a sole with good grip is mandatory. My husband and I both wore trekking shoes from Reebok and they were fabulous. That's not to say other brands wouldn't work, but I can vouch for Reeboks personally.
11. Rubber slippers 1 pair. (To use at the end of the day when you need to air your feet.)
12. Peaked cap or broad brimmed hat 1 no. (for protection against the sun)
13. Water bottle (large) 1 no and (small) 1 no to hang from the waist.
14. Torch light (carry two sets of extra cells and one bulb) 1 no.
15. Raincoat (large size) 1 no. No ponchos, please!
16. Belt pouch for camera/money/ medicines/candy etc 1 no.
17. Large Plastic sheet for water proofing your luggage 1 no.
18. Strong nylon rope to tie luggage on the mule. About 6metres long.
19. Toilet paper
20. Sun screen lotion 1 no. Buy the biggest bottle with the highest SPF factor you can. You can get terribly sunburned out there.
21. Candles
22. Match box/lighter
23. Multipurpose knife 1 no.
24. Haversack (Large) to pack all the gear 1 no. This can be loaded on a mule.
25. Backpack (Small) 1 no. To hold water, some food, etc that you can carry while trekking.

Paperwork Before Grunt Work

The next few months were spent in readying for the trek. Uncle Sudhir was a gem in this regard. He took care of all flight and railway bookings and basically managed the whole trek. His friend Bharat Shah who runs High Adventure, a tourism enterprise based in Almora, Uttaranchal, did the rest. Shahji, as he is fondly called, looked after hotel reservations, transport in Uttaranchal, all the necessary tourist permits and hiking permissions, etc. He coordinated the trek with the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN, for short) which is the only resource for camping out in the mountains on the route. He is a highly experienced guide and was our official trekking guide on the route.

Since most of the Adi Kailash route comes under the inner-line area, being on the Indo-Tibet border, the rules are quite stringent. We had to supply copies of valid passports, or character certificates from the chief of our local police station. Since the trek is highly strenuous, a medical certificate from a qualified doctor is a must. Shahji sent us application forms to the DM, requesting permission for entry to the inner-line area. We duly filled them, signed them, attached recent photographs and sent them off. All this was done well before June 2007, since we were supposed to leave on the 28th of July.

With the paperwork almost over, we began training for the trek.

The Start of the Adventure

My husband Sushrut and I love to trek. Living in the western state of Maharashtra in India affords us plenty of opportunities to go trekking in the surrounding Sahyadri ranges. But I must confess, I am an amateur, at best. My fitness level is pretty ordinary. I do have better stamina than you would expect from a person who gets as less exercise as I do. But, that has more to do with genetics than anything else.

So here I was, on the 2nd of February, 2007, talking to my Uncle Sudhir, and out of the blue, he asked me, “We are planning to go to Adi Kailash in Uttaranchal, sometime in July-August this year. Would you like to join us?” My husband immediately agreed to go, but I was skeptical. I only knew then that Adi Kailash was a mountain peak somewhere in the Himalayas and that the trek was a strenuous haul of around 150 kms (Ha! It was actually close to 220 kms, but thankfully I only found that out much later).

I didn’t want to miss the opportunity, and yet I was worried about my physical capability and fitness. Finally I decided to throw caution to the wind and go. It would later prove to be the best impulsive decision I’d ever taken.