Pangarchulla Peak

When Ammu and I were choosing the location of our trek, we were enamored by the description of the Pangarchulla Trek. The difficulty level said Moderate Plus. We spoke to a few people and the organizers, who advised us to build stamina by walking and exercising.

We knew it was going to be difficult, and were determined to make it to the top. We started early and walked/jogged for more than an hour everyday with the trekking boots(heavy).
We even wore them to work every day to break them in.We did think it would be a comfortable yet maybe taxing hike for us.


The first two days at the Himalayas, we got used to the ascent and descent.  Our bodies got acclimatized to the mountains, the weather, the food and everything else around us.

The day we were to summit, we were awakened at 4:00am and were all set to leave by 4:30am. A bowl of hot Dahlia porridge was served to us and we were not really bothered about brushing or washing up in the stinging weather.

We carried water and some trail food we could eat on the way.

The sun rises early on the mountains and the very soon we gave up our torches and let the sun guide us. We could see the peak ahead of us and it did not seem like it would take long to get there or even to scale it.

We were enthusiastic, we talked about the several people that we saw, who told us they couldn't make it to the peak due to the weather,stamina or low levels of fitness. We told each other, we were prepared and would make it to the top.

As we began the steep ascent, we started to get tired, it was frosty and we were finding it hard to scale the mountains.

In a few hours we got to the base of the peak, we were joyous since the journey appeared short and Pangarchulla seemed to be so close by.

Our joys were short lived, the next few hours from the base to the peak were excruciatingly painful and tedious. We were scaling, rocks, boulders, rocks, boulders and more rocks and boulders with a lot of snow as well. Some of the trekking poles bent or even broke due to the pressure on them while climbing the rocks. It had rained, the rocks were slippery and I did feel like I was a child learning to walk. Stumbling and losing balance often.

Just a sample of the rocks

The only way to go was to clamber up a boulder and come down, climb another and down the next one. The rocks were wet, the weather dreary and pessimism started to set in all of us. The mind wandered and we felt tired. It seemed like the rocks would never end, there were just everywhere, all around us and no plain land in sight. It was depressing to see miles and miles and miles of these rocks around us.

All I felt like doing, was to lie down and sleep. The guides kept pushing us, not even letting us rest for more than a few minutes, since it is indeed easy to fall asleep, yet very dangerous given the weather and the altitude. We just had to continue hiking, there was no allowance for pausing or resting.

We were overjoyed to look at the snow, stepping in carefully, yet there were several times, when we would find ourselves waist deep in snow, laughing or crying in pain, whilst the others were pulling us up.

My knees had given way and were wobbly and bone tired. Every step was ridden with pain, and a small prayer with every step was what helped me make it. For a while I wondered if I had really needed to do this? I berated myself for having thought about and for having signed up for something like this, knowing that the journey would be arduous, yet wanting to do it.

I even thought I would never again leave my beloved family and children and embark on such an expedition. There was no family to talk to, just the people we met couple of days ago.

At 4600 metres, closer to the peak, we were jaded and fatigued. The weather was inclement. I gave up. I had no energy nor inclination to go further. The last 100 metres were beckoning, and I felt, I was done with climbing. I was the oldest in the group, with everyone around me atleast 10-15 years younger. (Yes indeed, and I do feel ancient at times !!!)

My co trekkers would not let me give up. They egged me on and said, come on "Di" let us do it, how can we do it without you. Lets show the world what stuff you are made of! Inspirited, I agreed and we started the ascent of the last 100 metres. Holding each other, we set off to conquer the peak.

100 metres and about 20 minutes from the peak, we were impacted by a snow storm. The visibility dipped to zero, and I could not even see the guide standing two feet away. The magnitude of the storm so high, that we could not capture pictures of us on the peak. It was a complete haze and there was no leeway to get the cameras out.

In light of safety, the guides decided that it was best to head back before the storm intensified.

We had no choice but to comply and let go of what was within our sight and reach.

The physical hardship we endured was not easy on the bodies used to the comforts of an urban life. Mentally it was a test of resilience, will power, adaptability, the ability to let go among other things.

Putting it simply here are some of the things I learned

You may think you are well prepared, yet the best preparation may not help you at the time of need.

Letting go, many a time you don't have an option but to let go, no matter how much you dislike that.

The mind wanders and negative thoughts can erode every single belief of yours in a matter of seconds

Prayers work, and that is what kept me going, even though my body had given up.

Baggage - metaphorically and physically just dump everything that you can, you dont really need most of the stuff you carry.

The entire hike was an experience that I will cherish forever. Do I want to sign up for another such expedition - "Of Course Yes", I would love to be back in the mountains. I feel at home and at peace with myself, when I connect with nature.

The ascent was just half the journey, the descent was demanding.

Until my next blog on "The Descent"
CIAO


Photo Courtesy - Ankush Balar

I wanted to pack my trekking boots and put them away.

I looked at the sole to see if it needed cleaning, to my surprise the sole was shining. The Himalayan soil is so rich in minerals, that the rocks, boulders and the soil were lustrous. A beautiful sight, I could just not have enough of the glittering rocks that we saw on our expedition. 





To my mind, my soul appeared polished too! For a lot of the dust and gravel from my life until now was given up to be a part of this expedition.

Going back...

We started the trek at 7:30 am on a pleasant Sunday morning from Auli which is the skiing destination of India. The lawns looked well manicured and looking at the green carpet albeit the snow made us cheerless.There has been no snowfall here in the last two years.

As we made our way up the slopes, the grass plot laid out seemed perfect. We were in wonder of the mountains surrounding us. Our eyes soaking and taking in every bit of the ascent. The weather played peek a boo, while we were warm when we started, just a a few minutes later we found ourselves walking amidst the clouds. A fabulous feeling that we would experience several times.

The lawns at Auli opened onto a wonderful pine forest, the view was stunning and unexpected.