DAY 3 - Indrahara Pass
Trekking Route:
Lahesh Cave - Indrahara pass - Lahesh Cave - Illaka - Snow Line Cafe - Triund
Lahesh Cave - Indrahara pass - Lahesh Cave - Illaka - Snow Line Cafe - Triund
26 May 2013
I woke up at 6:30 AM. The sky seemed cloudy. I went outside and had a look at the pass. It was a disappointing sight. The pass was completely covered by clouds. I went outside to attend natures call and by the time I had finished it started to drizzle. I had to reach the cave shelter as soon as possible; nothing can be predicted about the weather at higher altitudes. But I realized I was lost. All the rocks looked the same and Lahesh cave was hidden somewhere in those rocks. After half an hour of futile search in the rain I finally spotted the cave. Being lost in midst of nowhere is not a good feeling. I went inside the cave, Mahendra was preparing tea. We had a breakfast of bread butter along with tea and packed our rucksacks. By the time we had done eating, the rain was gone. It seemed we could climb up now at least till half way. I was happy we were not going back to Triund without attempting the pass.
(Above: Peaks and pass covered by clouds- not a good sign)
The good thing was that we were not supposed to carry our rucksacks while attempting the pass. We kept our bags in the cave itself and started our trek towards the pass by 8 AM. The climb was difficult. The lack of oxygen was clearly felt. Even though I was travelling without any bags I was getting exhausted and I had to stop to catch my breath after every ten-fifteen minutes. As soon as I stopped I would feel normal and as soon as I started again I would start panting. This time my guides were a bit cautious with one in front of me and one behind me keeping me in between them. We had to cross many snow patches. We were travelling without any equipment like ropes or ice axe. My guides had warned me that as we reach higher and higher the show patches and glaciers would become hard and difficult to cross without equipment.
(Above: The trek is tiring even without our bag packs on our shoulders: thanks to the steep climb, rocks, ice and lack of oxygen)
(Above: Even guides need to rest)
Slowly I was getting tuned to altitude and my exhaustion levels were levelled off. I was able to make my way through the snow patches without slipping or falling now. We were trekking for more than two hours now when we reached a steep glacier. To go ahead we had to cross this glacier. Sukhwinder was in front of me and he checked the hardness of the snow. It was a bad news. The snow was so hard that it was not possible to create a groove in it by kicking our shoes in it. An ice axe was needed. The patch of the ice was not so wide (20-30 feet) but very steep. If I slipped through the ice I would go down all the way hurting myself badly by rocks below. I was ready to cross the glacier but I was not the one to take a decision. My guides studied the ice for a while and finally gave me a red signal as the risk was too high. What a disappointment! I had the physical and mental strength to go ahead but the lack of equipment was holding me back. I could clearly see the pass top which was just an hours trek away.
(Above: Ice patches like this could be crossed without equipment as they are neither too steep nor the ice is too hard)
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(Above: This ice patch- probably the last ice patch between me and the top of the pass- was too steep and the ice too hard to cross it without equipment- we had to return back from here)
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After resting there for about five minutes we headed down towards Lahesh. We hardly stopped at Lahesh, collected our bags which were already packed and trekked down towards the hut at Illaka. Going down is fast and less exhaustive but it takes a toll on our knees and ankles. Within 2 hours we were at Illaka.
(Above: Returning back to Illaka)
High altitude trekking is weird in a sense that one has to wear jackets to protect our bodies from cold and at the same time we sweat from inside due to physical exhaustion. The sweat in turn makes us feel cold. As soon as we reached the hut in Illaka I removed my cap, jacket and t shirt and went towards the glacial stream. The water was ice cold but somehow I managed to wash my face and torso.
After a quick lunch of maggi we headed towards Triund. On the way we met a foreign couple with three expert guides on a 12 day trek to Manali. They were to cross Indrahara pass the next day. They were fully equipped with ice axes and ropes. I told them about my experience and the difficulties faced.
By evening we reached Triund. My tent was pitched at the same place as before. Today there were a lot of tourists, especially Indians, as it was a weekend. This time I met a group of four people, three guys and a girl. Two of the guys were working in defense forces, third was preparing for defense entry examination while the girl was doing her PG studies.
The difference between Indians and foreigners is that, foreigners respect nature while we Indians abuse it. Foreigners in general seem to enjoy the company of nature while we are very much attached to our city lives and are not willing to leave it behind. We worry that our cell phones are not working; we worry about the lack of toilets and other facilities. Instead of admiring nature we are more interested in playing our juke boxes at high volumes and taking each other’s photographs for our FB profiles.
After sunset we all sat beside the camp fire and chatted for a while. We had our dinner in the warmth of fire after which everyone left for their tents except me. In spite of a tough day I was not feeling sleepy so I sat by the camp fire for a long time along with the care taker of the private guest house, Kamlesh. He was a nice chap originally from Bihar but settled in Triund from last 15 years. He had many interesting stories to tell about his encounters with wild animals, the unexpected havoc of nature and his risky expeditions in search of glacial gems. He also told me some mythological stories of the region and some of his supernatural experiences.
Finally I bid good night to Kamlesh. I was tired of the sleeping bag by now which provided little movement to my hands and legs so I borrowed a blanket from Kamlesh and went to sleep in my tent.