Chasing Dreams In The Mountains

The Hiking Club of our college planned for a trek to Deo Tibba during the mid-semester break. I, being an adventurer of sorts gave my name for it without any second thoughts. It was a six day trek starting and ending in Manali. We were a group of 10 people:3 first years,4 second years,2 third years and one staff advisor.

Here is a day by day account of the adventures and the new experiences we had during the trek.

Day 1

The starting point of the trek was 18 km from the city of Manali. It was a place named Jagatsukh RD12000,a fancy name because there was a hydroelectric plant being set up under HPPCL. We had to sign some forms to enter the site.

We had two vehicles with us: one Toyota Qualis to carry us and one 4 by 4 pickup for our luggage. The starting 6km of the path was a pukka road . Then the actual road started;I mean the kutcha road. Driving on it was like driving on the surface of moon. Only SUV’s could travel on a road like that. It was just half way on this road and we realized our Qualis had a punctured tyre. We took our jack out to replace the tyre but the jack was not working.We were stuck in the middle of nowhere.

 Among all this I got the opportunity to click some photos. There was no sign of civilization around us. Just the pine forests and the murmur of a nearby waterfall. We had to wait half an hour for our other vehicle (i.e. the 4 by 4 pickup) to come. The pickup came with a proper jack to rescue us.

We began our trek by 12:30pm. We had mules to carry our tents and ration. But rucksacks along with the sleeping bags and mattresses were on our shoulders. We were ten people with Gopal bhaiya-our guide.

On the way Gopal bhaiya told us about our campsite i.e. Chikka. Then came the stories of the wild animals and the kind of trees found in the jungles there. He also told us the tale of the unattainable summit named Indrasen which was nearby.

It looked like a completely different world. You could feel the vastness of the mountains. The greys and the greens and the blues had a whole lot of meaning.

We reached our camping site, Chikka at 3:10pm. It was a lovely place near a stream with mountains all around. Sitting on the bank, seeing the flowing water I could not help but wonder how a thing simple like this can be so beautiful. It is said that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. I guess after the tiring trek the sight was the reward which I got. It was this reward which I wanted to cherish and enjoy every part of.

The tents were set, the sun was setting and I had a cup of “chai” in my hands-- just perfect.

Day 2

We got up at 6am. It was cold. I had to wear 5+2 layers of clothing, 5 to cover my upper body and 2 layers for my legs. We had to use the chilled waters from the stream for our activities and just the idea of dipping our fingers in it sent shivers down our spine. One had to gather some courage to brush his teeth.

Soon, the sun was rising. We washed the plates and the spoons and packed our tents. We had “chai” and we were moving.
We started the second day’s trek at 9:20am. We were crossing numerous streams and getting our boots wet. There were ascents and plane grounds to trek on. There were white clouds against the blue sky and the sun was intermittently peeping in between.

At places like these you measure the distance you have covered by the change in your terrain. The forests and trees changed into shrubs and grasses. There was just one word to describe the rocks around and it was Colossal.

So, there was this huge rock with a small cave beneath it. That was the milestone to tell us that we had completed half of the day’s trek. The place was called Pandurupa. We found a shepherd’s tent there. Shepherds used this route to take their flocks to the meadows and this place acted as a halt for their journey.

On the way I learnt the lesson why they advise to wear layers of clothing and not just one jacket. We were moving and the sun hid behind the clouds and the temperature dropped suddenly. I started getting slow. Then I realized it and I pulled over my hoodie. And I was moving again. Temperature changes suddenly at these places and one has to adjust his clothing to compensate for it.

There will be some people with a fast pace and some with a slow pace during the trek. There are chances that the team will split. But the fast people should stop after some time and wait for the others. The whole team should group together after every hour and then should move. You shouldn't try to be a hero during the trek as you won’t get any rewards. Do not compete with your fellow trekkers but try to enjoy the trek with everyone.
Just before reaching the camping site we saw a flat field and it was enormous. We had to walk on this plane field for at-least half an hour. One felt so tiny walking there with the huge mountains on all the sides.

We were just 100m away from our campsite (i.e. Seri) when we got the biggest surprise of that day. We had to cross a stream of fast flowing mountain water. We took out our shoes folded up our pants and started mustering courage to step into the knee deep cold waters. We got an idea and we formed a human chain to cross the stream. 
You get to hear people cheering you up and also the team members blasting all kinds of abuses once their feet touch the waters. Finally we were all able to cross the stream.

“Chai”and a plate of hot maggi awaited us on the other side.

Day 3

Sunrise is an amazing phenomenon in the mountains. The rays of the sun first hit the peaks lighting the snow. Then slowly the rays descend into the valley. This view is best enjoyed with a mug of “chai” in hands.

That day we had to trek to Tainta. We divided ourselves in 3 groups of 3 people each. We kept a track of each other. Initially, I was in the 1st group then I found their pace a bit fast so I came and joined the 2nd group. The climb wasn't that steep as we were taking ample breaks in between. Also there were no worries of distance as it was just 800m that we had to cover.

We took a break in between .There was this top of a rock with the complete view of the valley below. That was our photoshoot spot.

I could feel the cold wind hitting my face and it felt as if I'm on top of the world.

The water was flowing in the streams, the clouds were crossing over the mountains, the straws of the grass were moving with the wind yet there was a feeling of stillness:The stillness of time.

Our campsite was surrounded by snow-capped mountains on 3 sides. There were chances of rain/snow so Rishwa got after everyone and we set up our tents in less than an hour. We had to make our tents super waterproof as no one wanted to get wet in minus degree temperatures.

 After the lunch we were all free and we got into our tents. Some people were playing cards,some were telling their drunk stories and some like me were trying to get a nap among all those.

Day 4

We got up late on day 4 as we just had to trek for 400m to Chandratal lake. We were not supposed to carry our rucksacks with us as it was a steep climb without any proper trail. It was going to be the final and the most difficult leg of our trek.
The sunrays came really quick on our tents and we got a chance to dry our wet socks and boots.

Our cook and his team were amazing at their job. They got us hot meals at perfect timings. From fried rice and noodles to soups they knew how to do their job. Aloo ke parathe for breakfast can certainly bring smiles on anyone’s face. After having our breakfast of Aloo ke parathe we started the trek.

We took a break in between and Aadit started playing some songs on his phone. Soon a conversation started about the movie “Rockstar” which shifted to Rumi and his quotes.

All joined in the conversation.

From the Deo Tibba base camp there was a steep climb. It was a tough climb of 60 to 70 degrees .There were loose pebbles and one had to use all his fours to climb. But we managed to do it. When we reached the top we were greeted by the sight of this beautiful lake called Chandratal. We were at 4480m;the highest point of our trek.

The sunrays were reflecting a golden colour in the pure waters of the lake. The emerald of the water and the white of the snow had a very different shade. A shade of colour never before seen by anyone in this world. The shade belonged to a completely different world. A world which was much more pure and beautiful than ours. The heart felt a desire to make a wish. A wish which when made would surely go to this other world. A wish which was bound to be fulfilled. And, a wish I made!

That day we had no plans of packing our tents and moving. We just came back to our campsite and rested.
Life there was pretty simple. You got tea with pakoras, which were best enjoyed with the 1st years’ “ intros”. 6 o'clock in the evening was our soup time. We enjoyed it with the play of the setting sun. The rays from the setting sun hit the snow and turns it pink.The white clouds act as a veil trying to hide this spectacle.But in between you get a glimpse or two of this sight.

That night after dinner I took out my camera and the tripod and went out to try some astrophotography. I couldn't shoot a star trail as my battery was low. But I got some decent night shots in the moonlight.

Day 5 and 6

Now ,it was just retracing our paths and returning back. Since it was a downhill path it meant that we could cover more distances in less time. On the 5^th day we trekked all the day and reached Chikka(i.e. our first campsite).We set up our tents and spent the night there.

On day 6^th we started from Chikka and reached RD12000 at 10am.We had to wait an hour for our taxi,which brought us to Manali city.It ended where it all started..

The Team