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.