Roopkund in the Himalayas- The real coming back to life..

Himalayan trek, this thing which everyone talked about, was on my list of to-do for a long time. The planning for this began way back in May 2016. After lots of drama, I was so excited when I planned my first Himalayan trek after a long discussion, to The Great lakes of Kashmir during the month of August. I began to prepare for it immediately by hitting the gym and cycling. In about a month, I lost close to 7kgs after following a strict diet and intense cardio. Little was I prepared to face disappointment when my trek was cancelled just a week before I set out, due to the crucial situation that Kashmir was in at that time. All the blog posts and dreams that tempted me and got me excited for visiting the seven lakes of the KGL trek crashed down like a pack of cards right before my eyes.

For a trekker, a visit to any mountain would be as exciting. (Well, having done around 10-12 treks around, I’d consider myself a passionate trekker :P). Anyways, this, being my first one to the Himalayas had got me over-excited. And I was completely de-motivated to do anything after this. My routine had got back to normal and I did not bother eating junk anymore. This went on for a few days until a friend from office, Aniruddh called me one day to ask if I was up for a trek. I said, “Let me think.. Maybe Roopkund or Hampta Pass”. Let me give a little heads up here. Hampta Pass is a trek similar to the Great Lakes of Kashmir trek, where max elevation would be around 14000 ft and the difficulty level of the trek was Easy- Moderate. Roopkund, on the other hand had a max elevation of 16000ft and had a Moderate-Difficult level of difficulty. To this day, I have no clue why I said Roopkund but I’m glad that I did. Aniruddh also was looking to do Roopkund. So when I said Roopkund, he agreed without a discussion and we booked the trek on the following day with IndiaHikes (https://indiahikes.com).

So, the decision was done. I was very skeptical about this trek. I did not want to be excited in any way until I actually left to Uttarakhand. Having already read about Roopkund before I signed up for it, I started to question myself if I was actually fit enough to do this. The fear of death due to AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) started to really bother me; “Did I make a right decision in choosing this trek?”; “Will I be able to make it alive?”; “Maybe I should try a smaller trek first?” were the thoughts that were going on in my head for sometime. But then I thought, “It’s all a mind game buddy! I have done some local treks. Let’s hope I’m able to do this.” I had made up my mind to discontinue the trek if there was even a slightest issue with my health. Nevertheless, I was super-excited that I was going to Roopkund. “Man, I am going to Roopkund. I’m going to be at bloody 16000 ft”. “I’m gonna bat a proper innings at Chandni Chowk once I’m back from the trek” were the thoughts that took over my mind in no time. I was occasionally preparing after this and I was determined as hell to do this.

The day came closer and I bid my friends at office. As I started to Thank my friends for all the “All the best”s, I realized that the feeling of me going on a big trek had still not sunk in. I decided to nevertheless continue to have the same feeling. On 9^th October, 2016, my friend Rachana and I said goodbye to our parents and left for Kempegowda International Airport at 5 AM in the morning. We met Aniruddh and Harsha who reached almost at the same time as us. After the check-in and the other formalities, we sat in the flight. Still no feelings. I realized that I was sitting in an aircraft after 14 long years. After the announcements which we all paid heed to, and the mandatory flight wing pics and the selfies, when the plane started to take-off, my stomach felt a tingling feeling (because of the weightlessness, of course :P) and it me hard that I was going to ROOPKUND! “Holy Cow!! I am going to the Mysterious ROOPKUND LAKE.” “AJAJAJAJA ROOPKUNDDDDDDD””Yaaaayyyy!! Me trek the ROOPKUND”.

The flight was pleasant and a excited bunch of kids (the four of us) landed in Delhi. We started roaming around as soon as we came out of the airport. We visited Qutub Minar, India Gate. Since it was Dussehra time, Akshar Dham and Lotus temple had such long queues that we couldn’t afford to stand in as we had a train to catch to Kathgodam from where IndiaHikes had arranged a transport to reach to Lohajung which was out basecamp. We did not want to risk eating anything wrong in Delhi and then get our stomachs upset during the trek. We just ate the food prepared at the guest house and that tasted home-like and divine. We quickly left to the Old Delhi Railway Station to catch our train that was to arrive at 10 30 PM. We reached at around 9 30 PM to learn that our train was running late by 2 hours and would depart only by 12 00 AM. Five minutes in the railway station and we feared that we would be affected by some diseases because of the extremely dirty surroundings of the station. We started to walk around, mostly to shoo away the mosquitoes or God-knows-what flies. We met our fellow trekkers and with quick introductions and other talks, it was about time for the train to come. Thankfully, the train came sooner than expected. We just slept in the train as soon as we got into it.

When I woke up next morning, I realized that the train was somewhere behind Haldwani. In about half an hour, we saw Kathgodam and got down. The time on my phone read “7 35 AM; 10^th October, 2016”. When we came out of the railway station, we met half the trekkers who were going to be along with us at Roopkund. The vehicles that were to drop us till the Basecamp, Lohajung were also waiting for us. Five of us quickly hopped on into a vehicle. All of us were kannadigas. Neither of us were one bit tired from the continuous travelling; we started yapping about anything and everything until our Maxter made a halt for breakfast. In between all of this, we forgot that our tummies needed fuel to keep going. The restaurant was named Hill View restaurant or something. The view from the restaurant was so stunning. This kind of got my hopes high for the actual trek as well.

(Panoramic view of the mountains from the restaurant)

My love for the restaurant increased when they served hot, yumm Aloo paranthas glazed with butter! The mood only got better with hot coffee followed by this.

The journey resumed after almost a 45 mins stop for the breakfast. Soon after this, we came across this place called Bheemtal (Taal/Tal meaning Lake in Hindi). It was so picturesque! Nature was calling out to me, she sure was. It was a beautiful beginning to what was ahead of us.

(A beautiful picture of Bheemtal)

We saw more scenic pictures on the way and I couldn’t wait to reach the Basecamp to see what that was like. Post lunch, we saw a couple of land slid places and apparently, land slides are very common there. Anyways, the scenic places continued to amaze us, each of them getting better than the previos ones. In the evening, we reached a place where the Pindari River flows. The water was so clear and so transparent and  it was so peaceful to listen to the flowing water after a tiresome journey that had still not ended.

(A Panoramic view of the Pindari river)

It was around 6 PM and we reached this place called Deval. It started to drizzle. The weather was getting colder. Lohajung was approximately 25 kms from here. We hit a local Chai shop and a kadak Adrak chai (Strong ginger tea) tasted so heavenly! We left soon after the chai. It slowly it turned dark outside and within minutes, it started to pour. We were not bothered at all and the yapping continued until we read a board outside that said “Lohajung”. The basecamp was very close. In about 15-20 minutes, the car halted outside a place and the driver told us “Chalo, basecamp pahunch gaye hum log”(Go on, we reached reached Basecamp). We took our luggage and stepped out of the car to be hit by holy-mother-of-god chilly winds. All this while, we never realized that the temperature had dipped so low that my bones inside the body had started to giggle at this and I could totally feel them doing so. I quickly pulled out my Fleece jacket to keep me warm. A tall guy with normal physique, long hair, a little less than shoulder length and a cap on his head came and directed us, “Ladies go to the Ground Floor”. My immediate reaction was to ask him, “Are you going to be our trek leader?”, to which he asked “ What do you think?”. I replied, “I think Yes!”. He just smiled and walked away. This was the very first time I met our super cool trek leader, Salman.

After dumping the bags in our rooms, Dushyanth, our ground coordinator for the day who was to lead the next batch of Roopkund just briefed us about the agenda for the time being. I was looking at the dark space near the home stay while I heard Rachana calling me. Nothing was visible as it was dark already. There was going to be a BP test and submission of medical documents and our disclaimers. All of them turned out to be fit for the trek. While the taste of hot chai in the very cold weather ran through my taste buds and warmed my soul, I started to already imagine me trekking through the Himalayas. It was a beautiful feeling! Soon, Salman called us all for the briefing and we were told that this would take not more than 45 mins. He had 23 pairs of eyes staring back at him in shock when he told “45 minutes”. All of us were sleepy as hell but this was an important briefing. We were told about the agenda for Day1, how things work during the trek, about caution and safety precautions that one had to take while on the trek, countless mentions of AMS, HAPE, HAZE and Diamox, about attending to nature’s call while on the trek, rest rooms, timings that we had to stick to etc. Salman stressed on the importance of water while on a trek. He also told that as per his experience, most of them who drank atleast 6 litres of water everyday did not feel the necessity to be on a course of Diamox since water provided the necessary oxygen for the body. He gave us an idea about how to 6 litre quota for the day could by fulfilled by telling us when to drink it. After the questions and other clarifications, he told us, “ We start our trek from Wan village. We’d be halting at Ghairoli Patal which is our campsite for Day 1. Tea will be served at 6 30, breakfast will be served at 7 30 and we leave by 8. Please keep the bags packed by then and make sure you’re on time.” “Aye, Aye, Captain”, I thought in my head. We had a sumptuous dinner. I quickly took a hot water bath as I figured out that I was not going to bathe at all until 6 days later. I went straight to bed after this, at around 10 30 PM.

"6 25 AM; 11^th October, 2016” read my phone when the alarm went off in the morning. I quickly brushed my teeth and went outside with my cup to help myself with some hot tea. First, I looked around to see that not many were up by then. As I stepped a little ahead to have a closer look at what looked pitch black yesterday, my jaw dropped to the awesome view that was hiding. Oh Nature, you beauty! The sun decided to glow at its best by bestowing upon us the warm rays which gave us all a good feeling about the day. After breakfast, Salman called us all for the daily briefing about how we reach Ghairoli Patal, the distance we would walk for the day etc. Following this, he said “I’d like to introduce you to two local guides who will guide us in summiting Roopkund.” “This is Dhani Singh Ji.”, he said, pointing to a man in his 40s, standing next to him. “This is Bhagat Chacha”, said he pointing to a short man who looked a little old,  and aged around 50-60. “For today’s trek, Bhagat Chacha would be leading the group; I will be in the middle and Dhani Ji will be at the end of the group. I hope nobody requires this but just so you know, I have a mini Oxygen Cylinder with me and all campsites have bigger cylinders at the locations. Please do not hesitate to ask me if you require this”, said Salman, pointing to the Oxygen cylinder that he was carrying.

(A beautiful view of the Himalayas from Lohajung)

Day1- Lohajung to Gaheroli Patal via Wan:

We packed lunch in our boxes. It was bread-mayonnaise spread and bananas. This was for us to keep our tummies happy before the lunch at Ghairoli. So, we started to this place at 8 AM. It was a 45 minutes drive to Wan. Fortunately for us, Salman, Bhagat chacha and Dhani ji were in the same car as us and the 45 minutes of journey was all about various Himalayan treks and discussions about Roopkund. We questioned Chacha ji about the mystery beind the skeletons in the Roopkund lake and he answered well. The 45 minutes journey encompassed beautiful views and by now, I was starting to get used to the mountains surprising me with their beauty but every time, I failed to not look surprised. On the way, the Raamdaana fields looked beautiful in shades of red. (Ramdaana is a red colored grain that is used to make chapatis; Raamdaana means seeds sent by God )

 (A beautiful view of the ramdaana crops)

The van halted at a place. As all of them gathered together for the briefing, the village of Wan was springing to life. Pahadi people in their typical attire moving around, doing their daily chores. Salman borrowed my trekking pole for a while to show all of us a quick demo of how to use it. Everyone quickly adjusted their respective trekking poles and set off behind Bhagat Chacha; we treaded to conquer what I now believe is the greatest form of happiness that I have experienced.

The trail to Ghairoli Patal started with a gradual ascent. Small streams on the way, reflecting the suns rays upon me reminded me of the fact that I had to gulp down around 5-6ltrs of water because I had decided to not be on a course of Diamox atleast yet. I also took out a protein bar to eat and walked at my own pace.

After further walking for about half an hour, we reached a temple of the “Laatu Devata”. Chachaji waited till all of us reached the place to narrate us the story of the Laatu Devata who was a local deity at Wan. I enthusiastically jotted down the keywords in the story to remember the same. The story goes like this- 

“The Laatu Devata is worshipped by the Doodhya people. Once, there existed a stone from which milk used to come. Out of greed, somebody broke the stone and then found a Shivling. Since then this is being worshipped.” Other versions of the story from the internet and also told by Chachaji tell, “Laatu Devata is believed to be the brother of Goddess Nanda Devi who is the main deity of Wan and is worshipped across Uttarakhand. Once when Laatu was going to Mt Kailash, he was in need of water and found the house of an old woman. The both could not understand languages to converse. Hence, the old woman gestured him to go inside the house to drink water. Inside, he found a glass pitcher of Somrbhog (to be locally raw alcohol) and the second pitcher of water. Laatu hesitates to drink the soiled water but drinks the clear alcohol. He discovers his guilt later on and cuts his tongue at the door as a form of punishment to self. In his memory, the temple was built at Wan. To this day, the people who are not able to talk make offerings to this deity in the hope that someday they are able to talk.”

On the way, a lot of the kids who lived on the mountains greeted each one of us with a “Namaste”. Their welcome was a humble gesture. I tried to interact with them by asking their names and stuff and they cutely replied back. They apparently studied in a school nearby and had holidays. I asked if I could take a selfie with them and they gladly agreed.

(My selfie with the kids)

After having come a little far from the places where houses were no longer to be seen, we could hear the sound of a river. I remembered Salman telling, “Our first water point will be at River Neel Ganga. Fill your bottles here and the next will be at Ghairoli Patal”. The Neel Ganga river is called so because it is so clear that it looks blue. This water was the melted ice that was straight from the Himalayas. I remembered the mineral water advertisements and took a second to “Pfft” at them. I realized that I had gulped down two litres already and gave myself a virtual “Shabhash” and started to descend to the river to fill my bottles. I washed my face with the cold water and felt the adrenaline rush through me.

(The Neel Ganga river, flowing in all its prosperity)

The rest of the trek to Ghairoli Patal was kind of a steep ascent and through the forests. I surprised myself as I started to gain more pace and walked ahead, alone most of the times, with people many a times. I was enjoying the company of nature all to myself.

Chaachaji was along with 3 of us who were walking slightly ahead of others. At this point, Chachaji asked us to wait for the rest of them to come after which we’d reach Ghairoli together. While we waited for others, it started to drizzle. I covered myself with my raincoat and before I even dusted off my raincoat to make it fit correctly, the rain had stopped and this was a funny surprise.

(The route through the forest, on the way to Ghairoli Patal)

After we heard our fellow trekkers reaching this point, we treaded on and a kilometer later, we could see the orange colored tents and our offloaded bags lined up in a shed. Chachaji, going on to do his normal work which was to ascend random hills on the way and around while he was bored and while he waited for others to come, told me, “Kaan aur sar dono cover kar ke rakhna. Hawa bahut thandi hai. Thand ho jayegi warna” (Cover both your ears and head. The breeze is very chilly. You’ll catch a cold otherwise). I did as advised and sat in the shed, waiting for the others to come. I sat alone in there for sometime recollecting the whole day.

The time on my watch read 1: 00 PM. I read the flex and it said “Ghairoli Patal- 10,200 ft, 3100 mts”. “Bloody Hell”, I thought to myself. I was pretty amazed by this feeling of being at 10k ft alone.

As evening arrived, the temperature started to dip and we had to wear our thermals and fleece. At 7 PM, we had our briefing and oximeter readings (oximeter shows your oxygen saturation in the blood). Salman, after having repeatedly asked us to drink water, told us to disperse for dinner before sleep. The timings stayed the same for the next day trek which was takin us though places to reach Bedni Bugyal at 13k odd feet through Ali Bugyal.

I stepped into the tent after a filling dinner hoping to get a good night sleep. I slipped into the liner and then into the sleeping bag. I had no clue that this night had something else planned for me. I slept straight for the first one hour. As my eyes started to close, I started panicking. I felt claustrophobic and was feeling out of breath though I was able to breathe clearly. I tried sleeping on the side and the panic kicked in again. I just woke up and sat. I woke Rachana up, who was sleeping in the same tent as I. I told her, “I’m not able to sleep, man. I’m feeling so suffocated”. “It’s all in your head, buddy.. Just close your eyes and sleep”, was her response. I tried to just close my eyes and lie down for some time. I was feeling suffocated again. I woke her up again. The time read “11 30 PM; 12^th October”. “Try talking to Salman if he’s around”, she said sleepily. I felt bad for both her and Salman and decided to sort this out myself. I just lied down on my side and started to think about all the happy things in the world. Somehow I fell asleep and woke up in the midnight, shivering. To my next, Rachana was also shivering because of the temperature dip. It was a sub-zero temperature around then. I just wanted the sun to rise early so that this day could get over.

I woke up at 5: 50 AM next morning to find my face swollen like I’d got a bee sting all over my face. In about half an hour, I saw Salman around and spoke to him. I told him that I was barely able to sleep in the tent. “This happens when it’s your first time in a tent and sleeping bag. It gradually reduces when you get used to it. You should be fine starting today. Did you sleep for atleast 4 hours?”, he asked. I said, “It indeed is my first time in a tent. I don’t remember how long I slept. 1 or 2 hours, perhaps. Do you think I need to start on Diamox?” He asked, “ Do you have Nausea, head ache or anything? If not, I do not think it’s AMS. Just drink lots of water and you’ll be fine”, he said. My mind that was pretty determined to be on Diamox quickly decided otherwise on listening to the words of my trek leader.

I felt fresh and kicking after breakfast. Salman gathered us all to do stretches and minor exercises to avoid cramps and the like during the trek.

(The team, stretching.. Salman in the center, teaching basic exercises; 

PC: Venkataramanan Ramaswamy, fellow trekker)

Day 2- Ghairoli Patal to Bedni Bugyal via Ali Bugyal:

This was the day with more steep ascents, but to check out two of famous meadows, Ali Bugyal and Bedni Bugyal. The trail is pleasant for the first few hundred meters before the ascent starts once you hit the Oak forests. The pure mountain breeze hits you with appeasement. This forest trail opens up to mini meadows. As you continue climbing, you can see, mighty meadows them! The lush green meadows with a brownish tinge now, kissing the skies, that is Ali Bugyal for you. Daypacks were thrown away and we rushed to click the best of pictures here. We jumped high to get the super cool shots :D

(Pulling off a Rasengan at Ali Bugyal :D
On the left are Rohit and Sumeet. On the right is me.)

After an hour or so, we contined to go on to reach Bedni Bugyal. The trail to Bedni Bugyal initially begins with a descent and continues over a ridge. You need to walk furthermore to see the magical meadows. The campsite could be seen at a distance and to reach there, it was a free descent.

(Yaaaaayyyyy!!!
From left to right: Balaji, myself, Rachana, Aniruddh, Rohit
and Sumeet)

Bedni Bugyal was an enchantress! I was completely spell bound by the beauty of this place. It was cold as usual, so we had all of ourselves covered. I’d read about cricket, football etc being played here and I wished we could do the same. Salman told that they played 6 matches of cricket when he last visited this place during May-June. We nevertheless wanted to do something memorable and what better than classic Dumb Charades to keep everybody engaged. Everyone quickly had lunch and after a little rest, we huddled to play Dumb Charades. We all laughed our hearts out at some of the enactings. Salman joined us too.

The game went on for a very long time, until interrupted by tea and snacks. I realized that I had caught a very bad cold by then and I feared the night after what happened on the previous day. I was coughing badly, had a runny nose and felt cold. I swallowed a Crocin and hoped for the best to happen. After the daily oximeter readings, soup and dinner, we were in absolutely no mood to sleep. So five of us got into a tent just to talk about all the things In the world. The feeling when you do not worry or even think about anything else; when you got no network, when you are disconnected from the whole world- just brilliant. The five of us started with some jokes, continued with rumors of Yeti sightings reported at Bedni thus scaring people from two tents nearby and ending on a philosophical note, with some PJs in between by our fellow trekker, Rohit :D I slept soundly after this laughing and talking session only to wake up to attend to a nature’s call in the middle of the night.

I stepped out at 1 AM, did my business and as I was returning to the tent, I looked up at the sky. I looked around, there was nobody. I was amazed at how little a being I was in this huge huge world. The starry sky and the moonlit surroundings blended in a perfect romance. I got lost in the sky; not wanting to come back to senses; just wanting to get lost; I did, however, come back because my legs started to tremble due to the -5 degree temperature. I went into the tent, having taken a beautiful shot of the world in my mind and slept peacefully to wake up to a beautiful day.

I woke up at 6 AM to see that not many were up again. I brushed, sipped on my cup of tea, warming my hands simultaneously. The sun was still on the other side and yet to regale us with beautiful rays. I quietly walked down a small part of the meadow and sat staring at the hills and then the sun. I searched for ‘Coming back to life’ by Pink Floyd on my phone and played it. Every verse of this song made sense. I just wanted the moment to stop, forever. I wanted to get locked in this period of time! As the verse played, “I was staring straight into the shining sun…”, I was actually staring at the shining star, right in front of me, blissfully and slowly kissing my cheeks with it’s rays and the feeling of heat after a cold night was just the right thing required to keep me going. I realized that I spent an hour just staring at the mountains and getting bathed in the rays of the Sun!

(Playing around with the rays of the sun, at Bedni Bugyal)

Day 3- Bedni Bugyal to Patar Nachauni:

We started tekking for the day at almost the same time as other days. Salman told us that today was the shortest distance of all the days. We set off, the first rest point was closer. As I neared this place,  I witnessed a completely different form of nature’s beauty. This was my first sight of the snow-capped beauties- Mt Trishul and Mt. Nanda Ghunti/Nanda Gomati. An artificial lake nearby, called the Bedni Kund beautifully reflected these two mountains making it all the more bewitching.

(The Bedni Kund bearing the reflections of Mt Trishul
and Mt Nanda Ghunti)

Chachaji gathered us all to tell us a story about the Bedni Kund and the Bugyals. So the story goes like this-

So there was once a devotee who has impressed lord Brahma with his immense devotion and commitment to the Almighty. Lord Brahma, impressed with the devotee, granted him a wish. The devotee asked for immortality to which the Lord politely refused by saying that life and death are a part and parcel of this world. Nobody could be immortal. “Fair enough”, thought the devotee and asked for a weird wish, to be killed by a small girl. Brahma granted this wish and disappeared. The devotee used to cry and tell all his bedna (problems, in Hindi) at a place and this is how Bedni Bugyal/Bedni Kund got it’s name. The Lord, later, created a small girl to kill the devotee as per his wish. So this place is called Kunwari (Unmarried girl, in Hindi) Kund, named after the girl who killed the devotee.

I do not quite remember the story behind the name of Ali Bugyal. But, ‘Ali’ apparently means Sakhi (friend, in Hindi).

More facts about Bedni Kund, from the sources in the internet:

- Legend has it that the four Vedas were written in the meadows of Bedni Bugyal.

- Maa Durga is said to have killed Demon Mahishasura near Bedni Kund in her Kali avatar.

After the alluring stories by Chacha Ji, we started to ascend the hills to head to Patar Nachauni. I learnt that my cold has worsened over night. I blew into my hanky every now and then to be able to breathe clearly. Anyways, the group split into two here, one which wanted to take a challenging climb to go to Patar Nachauni and another that did not mind walking longer to avoid the steep climbs. I was a part of the former group. We took around an hour to clamber up the steep climbs of the hills.

I slowed down from here, to walk at my own sweet pace. I walked a little ahead, ate some dates, hydrated myself and when I blew into my hanky this time, I was stunned to see stains of blood. I tried to clean the insides of my nose to find out that I was bleeding out of my nose. I was scared as hell. I saw behind; Dhani ji was a little behind me and Salman, far behind, sweeping everbody from the end. I started walking back to reach Salman. My fellow trekkers who I met on the way back gave me reactions of shock when I told them that I was bleeding from my nose. A local, who overheard me telling this to my fellow trekkers told me to drink more water and that it happens regularly at these temperatures. Dhani Ji came ahead and told the same, that it was because of my cold. He asked me to clean with water and move ahead. I was not ready to move until I got Salman’s opinion on this. In Kannada, there is a saying, “Shankhadinda banda neere teertha” (The water that comes from the conch only is considered Holy). By now, Salman’s words had become ‘Word’ for me :D Dhani ji told Salman about my situation over walkie talkie to which Salman replied, “ Unko boliye panic na karein. Main aa raha hoon” (Ask her not to panic, I’ll be there, in Hindi). I waited till he came and checked. He jokingly said, “Chalo neeche chalte hai”, after learning that AMS was the thing that I actually feared getting affected by. I figured out he was joking. He later told me that it was because I blew continuously. The insides of my nose which are generally delicate would have gotten ruptured which in turn would have caused the bleeding to occur. He asked me to cover my mouth with a scarf/balaclava before breathing the cold air directly.

(From left to Right: Myself, Salman, Dhani Ji, Harsha,
Divyanksha, Rachana and Aniruddha)

Now that the expert himself had said that the matter was no longer to be worried about, I breathed a sigh of relief. I hydrated myself again and was good to go. This also called in for a let’s-click-a-happy-selfie-on-this-occasion moment.

A short walk with no ascent or descent from here, you reach a place called Ghoda Lotani. "Ghoda Lautani” which translates to “Horses returned”. From the sources o-f the internet, it is said that the British had to return back from this point on the ridge due to lack of fodder for the horses and hence the name. True to its folklore, further from this point, the landscape turns rocky with little pastures.

And then comes “Pathar Nauchuni” which translates to “Dancing Stones”. Legend has it that the king who was taking the annual pilgrimage to please Goddess Nanda Devi had forgotten paying proper prayers mesmerized by the royal dancers. Goddess Nanda was infuriated but the King asked for forgiveness and in order to avoid further distractions, the dancers were cursed to transform into stones. There are a couple of big stones to be seen which can be connected to the folklore.

(The campsite at Patar Nachauni)

Salman told that Pathar Nachauni is worst in terms of weather conditions. Since this place is situated in between two mountains, there’s less of sun rays reaching this part of the place and hence, it’s terribly cold here. Also, the place is so windy that when he visited during the month of May-June, around 4 normal tents and 2 toilet tents had been blown away by the strong winds. Compared to then, it would be less windy now, he said and we “Phew”ed.

On reaching this campsite, people quickly went inside the tents and did not come out for long due to the cold. In the name of acclimatization and conversing with the mountains, I sat alone on a stone outside, just staring at the mountains. There was a small stream of water coming down and just staring at it gave me so much satisfaction. At that moment, I did not know if I was feeling cold. I just knew that there was me and then there were the beautiful mountains. I played songs of Raghu Dixit, Cold Play and Pink Floyd- all my favorite ones. It was a perfect harmony! A perfect place to be!

After one hour of what seemed like Solitude, the others came out of their tents, now clad already in their warm clothes and why not, it was dead cold! Salman suggested that we all play some games. For the next two hours, we played Dishkyaoon, 7UP, Ping Pong and what not! :D

(Mountains shining like jewels!)

I witnessed this beautiful sight of the mountains, being kissed by the sun, glowing like Gold, and being caressed by the beautiful clouds later in the evening. The sight of this was so soothing. This was followed by another beautiful sight when the last of sun’s rays were kissing the mountains good bye. The tinge of red rays on the snow-capped mountains looked like a bride blushing on seeing her groom and as though her cheeks had turned red from it.

The daily briefing for the next day included highlighting the fact that it would be a difficult trek to our next and the summit campsite, Bhagwabasa. The oxygen supply would decrease as we would go higher and hence, this trail is generally more demanding. There was no looking back now. “Bring it on”, I wanted to say and more so to motivate myself. Dinner continued soon after the briefing and Zipp.. Zipp.. Zippp, we heard the tents being zipped up as people went off to sleep. I was talking to my tent-mate, Roopa inside the tent and I realized that I was not able to process what she was telling. Rather, I was only partially able to process what she was talking. My mind was kinda cloudy, more frozen. I rushed to see Salman in his tent. His immediate reaction was to check my Oxygen levels and the oximeter read 91. He told, “The Oxygen readings are fine. As long as you do not have a headache, vomiting sensation or something similar, I do not think you need to worry much. It could be lack of sleep. Go catch some sleep”. Maybe he was right. Pondering over what he said, I felt it was true that I did not get enough sleep. I slept for 6-7 hours everyday but this was not a undisturbed one. I used to wake up after every two hours of sleep. This is very common when you are at a high altitude. I was able to sleep well for the night though.

(The View from my tent at Pathar Nachauni)

I woke up fresh next morning and realized that the cloudy feeling in my head was gone. After breakfast, just as we were about to leave, it was back. “Is your head reeling? Can you give me an example and explain what exactly you are feeling?”, asked Salman, trying to help when I told him about this to which I replied, “No, it’s just cloudy and I’m not able explain what exactly I’m feeling”. What I was speaking was comprehensive and I was able to walk straight. That was all that was required at the moment. So, when we set out towards Bhagwabasa, it was just concentrating on my next step and walking straight.

Day 4- Patar Nachauni to Bhagwabasa:

The first bit of the ascent was very steep. The sun was shining bright. I decided to walk at my own pace. However, I was with a group. I played some Coldplay, Pink Floyd and Lucky Ali songs to keep myself distracted and it worked out; I was distracted.

After almost an hour of trek and some breaks in between, we reached Kalu Vinayak where a black colored idol of Lord Ganesha was placed. I guzzled half a litre of ORS to keep myself hydrated, prayed to Lord Ganesha and trudged on.

(Kalu Vinayak Temple)

The trail was a walk up till Bhagwabasa after this. The path was speckled with snow and this looked marvelous! The snow capped mountains greeted us by being closer than ever. The weariness just weared off at this sight. That’s exactly what the beauty of the mountains does to you. They make you forget reality and alleviate you.

(The view before you reach Bhagwabasa)

After a 45 minutes walk from here, we reached Bhagwabasa, shivering already because of the temperature dip. I quickly pulled on my thermals and fleece because I did not want to freeze to death. In about half an hour, Salman asked us all to gather in a shed nearby for some important announcements and briefing for the next day. He was holding a pair of an equipment, which looked like it had to be used for the feet and there were many of the same equipment kept to be given to all of us. I was surprised how Salman, Dhani ji and Chachaji were standing in there with just one layer of warm clothes.

“So we’d be summiting the Roopkund lake tomorrow. These are microspikes”, said Salman pointing to the equipment. He showed us how to wear one over our shoes and the same was distributed based on your respective shoe sizes. All of us were asked to wear it once to test if it fitted correctly. The microspikes was to help you walk on the snow. They break the snow patches, hence maintaining your grip on the ground. He continued, “The trek will begin at 2 30 AM tomorrow. We will first reach Roopkund. We will do Junargali only if the weather permits. Tea will be served at 1 30 AM. Porridge will be served at 2 00 AM. I will be checking your oxygen levels before dinner and again in the morning to see if you are fit for the trek. I will also be individually talking to you to see how you feel, before taking oximeter readings. Make sure you are hydrated enough. Dinner will be served at 6 30 PM today” and asked us to disperse. My legs were shaking from the cold. We were advised to keep the blood circulation going and not stand in one place. Most of them were shaking. We circled and shook our legs in the name of “dancing” to the tunes of Kaala Chashma. We were clearly having fun and the cold was the least of a barrier for us!

Just before dinner, Salman took oximeter readings and he told, “We’ll be trekking as a group tomorrow. The group will not break up till we summit. I will check your oxygen levels again at the two rest points and only if you are fit enough, you will be allowed to trek. Keep your headlamps ready. You just need to carry water and the dry ration that we will be providing you. Make sure you’re on time.” “Roger that”, I replied in my mind and went on to devour the piquant dinner. Aloo halwa was the highlight that night and kept all of us contented. Sleep was all that was required after this.

“1: 00 AM, 15^th October, 2016” read my phone when the alarm went off. I was feeling a little torpid, as I could not sleep properly the whole night thinking about how Roopkund would be like, how the climb would be etc. This was shaken off soon by the breathtaking views. The glittering mountains with the backdrop of a sparkling sky amazed me with its jubilant way of highlighting itself. I was enjoying the view whilst shaking continuously because of the cold.

Porridge was served at 1: 30 AM and the distribution of dry ration and apples began at the same time. Dry ration consisted of channa, groundnuts, raisins etc. I ate 2-3 spoons of porridge despite no appetite to keep my stomach from growling due to hunger later. “There was no snowfall yesterday night. I do not think we’ll require micro spikes. Just wear many layers of warm clothes, take water and the dry ration and get ready”, said Salman. By 2 30 AM, all of us were ready and we started. My attention was on the light from my headlamp and my foot. It was pitch dark and damn cold outside. I was surprised that despite wearing a pair of thermals, one shirt, two fleece, one thick jacket, two pants and two pairs of socks, I was still feeling cold. We walked and walked. At regular intervals, we could hear chachaji or Salman shouting, “Bahut acche pace se chal rahe ho aap log.. Badhiya Badhiya” (You guys are walking with a very good pace.. Keep going)I was feeling fine so far. “Keep Breathing.. Keep Breathing.. Just keep breathing”, I told to myself. I realized that this was what I always wanted to do; this was the best feeling in the world for me!

(The first rays of the sun, captured on the way to the Roopkund)

About 2 kms after the trek, we reached the base of the place where the mighty Roopkund lake was situated and the trek from here was difficult with steep ascents. I huffed and puffed and pushed myself ahead. The lake was getting closer. The sun had come out from its hiding, slowly distributing its rays to the world. This was the moment that we all were longing to experience. I reached the summit and saw the lake, all dried up and covered with snow. A few bones were placed outside the lake. There was a temple at the place and other than this, the lake looked pretty mediocre mostly because of the off-season. Chachaji told narrated us a story behind the mystery of Roopkund lake. After some research on the internet, the story that was also in line with what Chachaji said goes like this-

Once there lived a kind. In those days, all the earthly pleasures had to be left behind at Bedni Bugyal. However, the king continued to take ahead all the women and his wives ahead up till Roopkund. Nanda Devi was furious from this behavior of the king and as a result of her wrath, a blizzard occurred and all the people perished. The skeletons that you are able to see at the lake are the ones of the king and his people. The skeletons are believed to be more than 1000 years old.
Another mystery tells that these skeletons belonged to Japanese soldiers who were taking shelter at the Roopkund lake but met peril when they were taken by snow blizzard and hailstones. However, some studies say that the skeletons were too old to belong to the Japanese invasive forces. Nobody knows what exactly happened on the ill-fated day when hundreds of people died at the mysterious Roopkund lake.

(The mysterious Roopkund Lake)

After this, for me, Junargali was the real deal. I had decided to do Junargali. We were to scale a height of 16040 ft from 15750 ft and the trek to Junargali looked no easy.

9 out of 23 people decided to go to Junargali while Salman escorted the rest of them back to Bhagwabasa. Chachaji lead the 9-people group to Junargali. We quickly put on the micro spikes as the snow was pretty deep. The trek was a 15 minute steep ascent at an inclination of 60 degrees and this small piece was the most fascinating part of the trek for me. I’d have regretted a lifetime if I did not see the divine Mt Trishul and Mt Nanda Ghunti at a breath-taking small distance. The majestic mountains were right in front of my eyes and I felt that I could reach to them at this distance. I was awed at how huge they were. It was as though the two had cast a spell upon me and I did not want the spell to break. There are times in your life when there’s just you and the space at a moment; nothing else. This was such a moment for me! I cannot describe in words how I felt on top of Junargali.

(On the way to Junargali at 16,040 feet)

We started descending after clicking millions of pics at this place. It was around 9: 00 AM when we started the descent. Bhagwabasa was about 1 and half away from here. The snow on the way had started to melt and as a result, a lot of us started to slip and fall. The micro spikes came to our rescue here. But one should not use the micro spikes unless there is snow. The rocks could damage the spikes and render them useless hence.

I was mentally still at Junargali when I reached Bhagwabasa. I saw Salman sitting on a rock. I went up to him and told, “Hey Salman, I really want to thank you for this amazing trek. It was a beautiful felling while I was on the top”. He smiled and said, “You’re welcome..” in response, with a feeling of accomplishment, having had another batch successfully summit the mysterious Roopkund lake. I continued, “You must get to see these beautiful views very often right. Lucky you!”. He laughed and said, “Yes, I do get to see this oftenly. Beautiful views!”. I took his leave after this and went to a nearby shop with Aniruddh, Rachana, Roopa and Rohit to eat some delicious maggi for lunch. Yes, I can now proudly say a “Meri 14100 feet waali Maggi” experience to others ;)

(Mt Trishul and Mt. Nanda Ghunti, a closer look from Junargali)

Bedni Bugyal was going to be our campsite again. The descent was very quick. I raced down as though I was being chased by the bulls from the movie Zindagi na milegi dobara, mostly because the black clouds were following us. An hour after me and Ashish, a fellow trekker reached, other people followed. I was enjoying my share of solitude again. I just could not get over the beauty of that place, Junargali!

The descent on the last day from Bedni Bugyal to Wan was also smooth. We stopped at Ghairoli Patal to collect packed lunch that we ate on the way. The trek was coming to an end. I did not want it to, I really did not. After continuous walking, mostly descending this time, we reached Wan and hopped onto the vehicles that would take us to Lohajung. I bade the mountains, promising to meet again, at another place perhaps ;)

(The super awesome team!!)

The evening at Lohajung had me hungry for all the food that I had missed all these days. In the search of a souvenier, me, Rachana, Roopa, Neha and Harini, all fellow trekkers went around Lohajung and decided to buy mule bells. We hogged samosas, jalebis, pedas, more hot samosas and drank a kadak adrak chai at local shops there. Later in the evening, there was certificate distribution. I was overwhelmed by the feeling of accomplishment when I gazed at the certificate. What a trek this has been!

(My certificate of accomplishment)

After the certificate distribution and the feedback session, it was time for Salman to say a few things and he had only good things to say. What a witty and sarcastic, yet a kind person he was! One of the amazing persons that I have met in this trek. There were times when just the motivating words from him, Bhagat Chacha and Dhani Ji kept me going. Salman concluded his feedback on the team with, “The mountains will call you back. I know it sounds very filmy. Initially when someone told me this, even I thought so but the mountains did call me back. This connection that you have made with the Himalayas, please maintain it and do at least one trek in a year to the Himalayas. In the city, we feel our problems are so huge but when we come here, we forget them and feel how small they are”. “ The mountains will call you back”, echoed his voice in my head. The statement felt so right.

Our trip back to Kathgodam was tiresome and so was our travel in Delhi. All I wanted to do was get some sleep now. I slept all through the journey in the flight from Delhi to Bangalore. When my flight landed in Bangalore, the memories of the whole trek lingered in my mind. I wanted to go back to the place where I was just surrounded by mountains, starry skies, where I could listen to streams flowing, where problms were left behind.

Our problems are really small, we tend to make them bigger and have them feed on us. This trek to the Himalayas has taught me so many things. I made so many friends, heard some awesome stories. I am certainly a changed person now and for the better. This has been one of the experiences that will be before anything else. I’m thankful to each and every person that has been my company on the trek, Salman, Chacha Ji, Dhani Ji, the cooks, the other local people, the ground co-ordinators and Indiahikes team. If you’re thinking what you should be doing on your next vacation, think no further, pack your bags and go on a trek to the mountains, to the Himalayas!

Bloody Hell!
Done Roopkund...
(From left to right: Aniruddh, me and Ashish)