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Heavy rains, Dark night, A stone cave and Just Me

This is a continuation of a travel series. Read the previous blogs here..

  1. To The Himalayas - Unguided Solo Travel 
  2. Niti Malari - Where People Are Gods

 

Travelling to Badrinath, Mana and initial days

empty streets of badrinath after 2013 disaster( picture: Empty Streets of Badrinath)

After good times spent in Niti, Malari and Dronagiri, it was now time to head to Badrinath and Mana.

The floods had eaten up the road in between and it required around 3 kilometres of trek to reach the other end of the road. This trek was indeed treacherous.

The sight of Badrinath was heartbreaking. The destination is one of the 4 holy shrines of the Hindus was used to see a huge rush of tourists to seek blessings and purify their souls. The streets were empty, and the temples saw no visitors.

I was the only tourist there, but it would be wrong to call me a tourist !!  Neither did I stay in hotels, neither did I eat in the dhabas, nor did I buy mineral waters, kurkure, chips, etc or hired a vehicle to roam around !!

 

Getting lucky this time as well.  An invite to stay at a local's home

I got lucky this time too with my drive to Mana. This time too, an old man showed quite a lot of interest in my way of travels and invited me to stay at his home. His family lived in Chomoli for his daughter's education, and he stayed there alone.

I stayed in Mana for 2 days, gathering more information on the route, roamed about the village of Mana seeing the Bheem Pool, Ganesh Gufa, etc. In between,  the owner fell down while returning from the toilet, and his head hit a stone, causing lots of blood loss. The injury was bad, and he started to feel dizzy. I used my safety kit to do the first aid, and then took him to Badrinath. I got no cars, and Badrinath was a 3 kilometre away. We walked till Badrinath, where an NGO had their medical ambulance ready. They checked him up, gave him some medicines, and then we walked back to Mana.

 

The Satopanth Taal Trek - A Failed Effort

 

The Plan


The plan for the trek was simple and seemed feasible. I would finish the trek in 3 days, and these 3 days, I would survive on dry fruits, biscuits and chocolate bars. I was carrying my tent and sleeping bag.

  • Day 1: Mana to Chakrateeth
  • Day 2: Chakrateeth to Satopanth Taal, Explore the area
  • Day 3: Satopanth Taal to Mana

 

Trek Day 1:

Weather till now had remained quite clear with occasional rainfall in the evenings. On the 3rd day, I started the trek. Crossing the mighty Alakananda river over a broken bridge and then a makeshift log bridge, I got on the trail. Monsoons had totally hidden the route with green tall bushes everywhere around. I could somehow make out the route by following the grass patterns and soon I could hear the vigorous sound of the Vasudhara falls. It was a jawdropping experience to see it fall so elegantly for some 400ft to the ground.

Mana seen from other side

( picture: Mana village,from the other side)

I crossed Chamtoli, where I met a few shepherds, and further reconfirmed my knowledge on the route from them. It was indeed trickier from here through the boulders, marked with cairns. I reached Laxmiban soon marked by Bhoj Patra trees. Little ahead on the opposite side of the river was the Alkapuri, the snout of Alakananda, and its glacier.

A shepherd in Chamtoli

picture: A Shepherd in Chamtoli)

 

The Problem - Rain, Bad Rain

It had started to drizzle from Vasudhara point and had been drizzling since. I was wearing my rain protection jacket and trousers and had covered my rucksack too. I ignored the drizzle seeing its low intensity and continued walking.

near Alkapuri

picture: near Alkapuri)

 

I was happy that I was making some good time and headed up. Swirling through the boulder zone, following the cairns, I kept moving. I touched Pandu Dhara and crossed it, and went behind it to touch Sahastra Dhara. It would just take me a couple of hours from here to reach my decided campsite for the day. But, in some 2 minutes, it rained such heavy all of a sudden, that I could not move forward. The drops were hitting me trying to pierce my facial skin. My rucksack had covered, but slanting rains with enough force drenched it from side and top.. I was terrified with that sudden change of weather.

 

The Stone Cave

 I recalled seeing a cave behind and went back to it. Out of 4 stone caves, 1 was okay, rest were all filled with 'Sheep Shit'.
 

 

Lets See Off The Rain

The cave was quite spacious with a thin blanket of dry grasses. It was a Shepherd's cave and they usually put a blanket over it to insulate the cold from the ground. I had to crawl to enter the cave to take temporary shelter to see off the rain. It was around 1: 30 PM then. The inside of the cave was mostly dark, and a big opening on the right was faintly lighting it up. It didn't bother me as my plan was just to see of the rain, which I expected to clear in some time.
 

 

I Was All Wet Within. So Was My Rucksack.

Having decided to stay there for some time, I started to unpack and check my rucksack and also remove my raincoat. It was then to my shock, I realized that I had been wearing wet clothes for a long time and my clothes in the bag as well was all wet, including my sleeping bag... About 15/ 20 minutes in rain, and this was the result.. Luckily I was carrying an emergency blanket.

the cave door

picture: drying my clothes in the cave door)

 

my shelter for the night

picture: my shelter for the night)

 

 

The Rain Wont Stop. I Will Have To Spend My Night Here Only

After quite sometime, I realized that it was 3PM, and the rain wasn't showing any signs to clear. It was getting heavier instead !!  Considering it as a warning call, I now decided to call it a day, and sleep off the night. Pitching my tent was out of question, hence I decided to stay in the cave itself..

 

Arrangement And Protection

As it was decided to spend the night in the cave, I started arranging my things. Firstly, I put a stick on the door and hung all my wet clothes on it, making it a curtain-like thing. I was carrying a spare shoe and had changed down to a few remaining dry clothes.

There was a big gap in the cave on the right, and when I switched on my headlamp, I could see white clouds entering the cave. It would make it very cold, so I tried covering it. I used all the rucksack cover,  raincoat and waterproof trousers to cover the gap, but in vain. It was still raining heavily, and I could not go out to fetch stones to cover the gap. I somehow had to do with the gap.

So there was I. Wearing wet clothes, all other clothes wet as well, needing to sleep in a wet sleeping bag, in a stone cave, in which heavy clouds blew in..

Foodwise, I was good with dry fruits, biscuits and chocolate bars. My rucksack was empty now. I had a good, big Rambo knife too !! incase required..

 

The gap in the cave

picture: The gap in the cave)

Feeling Insecure

By now it was past 5 PM and started to get dark slowly. The clouds already made it darker. I entered the sleeping bag. It was wetter at the bottom and a little on top. I started to munch on a few cashew nuts. I saw a few wet muds in the corner. Suddenly, the images of the floods flashed in my eyes, and I started to fear.

What if an earthquake triggered and the stone collapsed?

What if the rain increased further and the inside of the cave flooded?

It gave me enough reasons to put on my raincoat and go out to check the stability of the rock which supported my cave. I also checked if there were any chances of water entering the cave. I found out that my cave was well supported by a solid rock at the bottom, and another rock slanted over it to make the ceiling. To the right was another big rock, which formed the left wall of the adjacent cave. It was well covered with mud and grasses grew over it. I could walk over it from the other side. Though there were chances of water seepage, but on this, I trusted the experience of the shepherds who used it, and took a chance. I had very few options as well !!

a night is a cave

 

 

What If A Bear Or Other Wild Animals Enter The Cave?

It was very cold outside, and the rains had not stopped yet. I got into my sleeping bag yet again trying to warm myself but in vain.

Time was passing very slowly as I waited to see the night off !! Munching occasionally on biscuits or dry fruit, O got lost in my thoughts, when suddenly the fear of a bear attack came into my head. I tried to convince myself that it would be a very rare case for a bear to come inside a cave to fight me, but then again I thought since it's not a tent, and the smell of Sheep poop could actually attract wild animals, it got inside my skin. After some good amount of counter-argument with myself, I concluded that I actually had nothing to do if a bear or other wild animals get in. I will have to either chase it out or fight it out. To fight, I had my Rambo knife and a hand torch, ready beside my head.

 

 

Emergency Blanket To My Rescue From Cold

After satisfying my mind on the wild animal attack debate and safety of the cave issues, it gave me enough comfort, and my comfort mind made me realise that my body was uncomfortable inside the wet sleeping bag. It was getting even colder. In the dark, when the cave was lighted, clouds flowing in could be seen so clearly.. I was almost sleeping in the clouds. It was time for me to use my last card - the emergency blanket. Little could I imagine my current situation when I had ordered it online.. but now, it would come to a great rescue. I wrapped myself around with the emergency blanket and then got into the sleeping bag. In an hour, I started feeling warm, though it made an annoying cracking sound with slight movement. A very minor issue considering the situation.

The rain hadn't stopped. I planned to trek to Satopanth Taal tomorrow itself directly from here and fell asleep, unnoticed.
 

 

Morning, And A call to abandon the trek


I woke up to a dry morning. I had slept well and straightaway opened my eyes in the morning, around 5 AM. As I crawled outside the cave, I faced the valley upwards. It was very densely clouded, but with white clouds. I told to myself that my trek was on. But when I turned to my back, I was frightened by the sight of the sky. Thick dense black clouds moved up the valley.. I dropped my trek plans there itself and planned my return.

heavy cloud

I quickly packed my bag and trekked down to Mana. I met the shepherds on my way down, and they were happy to see me. They said they were concerned about me. I gave them the biscuit packets I had. In return, they asked me to have a little 'daal chawal'. Bidding them goodbye, I headed down to Mana.

 

 

The Conclusion And Confidence Boost

Failures might not be celebrated but for me, people who fail are extra lucky. They might not have achieved the satisfaction of success or the joy of accomplishment, but it adds the 'most valued' experience to one's life like none other can. Success can be achieved with another attempt as well, but talk to a man who has failed, he definitely will have more to say !!

After a terrific experience of spending a night in a stone cave, all alone, with heavy rains outside, in a lonely place, deep in the Himalayas, I was more excited about the direction my travel was taking. I knew, I could complete the trek on the next try, and was not quite sad about it.

I spent 3 days with the sadhu babas of Badrinath after that in their ashram. While it ensured free to stay and food, it was full of fun and peaceful too !! Knowing them from the inside was a big eye-opener. These men are some serious travellers !!

Loitering in Badrinath | Sadhus, Cannabis, Free Meal, Free Stay

me with sadhu baba

 

 

View User Profile for Suman

Every day I keep learning new things, but as of now, I think I can describe myself as a Loyal Himalayan Lover, Avid Trekker, Student Of Mountaineering, Amateur Photographer and an Enthusiastic Anthropologist. I am a Computer Science Engineer by education and previously worked as a Software Developer for premium IT companies. However, I quit the luxury of a high-earning corporate job and left behind the herd to walk towards the spiritual path laid down by the Godly Himalayas. At the age of 27 with no savings at all and being the only son from a lower-middle-class family, it was too young to fight against the family who in turn had to fight against the rules laid down by society. However, with my determination and perseverance, everything became smooth by passing time.

It wasn't easy for me as I learnt the hard way from mistakes - my own and by observing others. I fought 2 major road accidents that broke my right tibia and femur. I underwent 7 surgeries that kept me away from the mountains, but I patiently fought them all to get back to trekking again in the Himalayas with rods and plates in my bones. Despite doctors saying I cannot walk properly ever again to getting back to trekking on the difficult routes again, Life made me understand very clearly what it wants out of me in this World. It wants me to serve the Himalayas and its community, live a peaceful, content and simple life. That's what I have dedicated my this life to. I am not religious, but spiritual. The Himalayas define my road.

The Himalayas today is spammed by mushrooming trek agencies and big companies who take pride in being India's Largest, biggest, oldest, etc. They are exploiting everything for the sake of profit. It is in dire need of regulation by credible Government authorities, Sustainable Tourism Practices needs to be forced upon every organisation, Small Group Sizes needs to be mandated, Fixed camping should be restricted in alpine zones and Negative Ecological Impact Trekking Protocols should be laid down immediately by governing bodies. With all these objectives, I founded Himalayan High in the year 2015. Learn more about Himalayan High on About Himalayan High

Posted by Suman Chowdhury Sunday, September 13, 2015 3:53:00 AM Categories:

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We are Incredible India and Indian Mountaineering Foundation approved proficient adventure tour operator and mountaineering experts serving exclusively in the Himalayas of India, Nepal, and Bhutan. We operate in the altitude range from 4000 to 7500 meters and support mountaineers from all around the globe, and of all grade in achieving their dream.

We pledge to realize our client''s mountain goals by all means and effort. From the moment you start communicating with us, we start building your experience right away by crafting an authentic, raw and immersive travel experiences in the Himalayan, blending uncompromized safety standards with deeper knowledge of the terrain, locality, sprituality, and professional skills which have been roughened and shaped by loads of successes and failures in the Himalayas. We maintain a harmonious balance between luxury and comfort on the treks, Our entire team from top to bottom, is very friendly, highly flexible, and, most importantly are genuinely committed towards your goals and will leave no stones unturned to realize the success on the summit.

Since our inception, we have been devotionally committed to responsible tourism with strict adherence to eco-friendly and low-impact trekking practices. While there are a lot of companies boasting of being the largest, crowdiest, cheapest or oldest in the Country, we in Himalayan High take immense pride in being one of the smallest, yet the strongest and most trustworthy service provider in the Indian Himalayas. Our professionalism, mountaineering expertise, morality, work ethics and business conduct talk for itself as we are a growing business without putting any effort towards glamorous marketting because thats not where our audiences are, and thats not what our clients seek as well!

Our pioneering SMALL GROUP Policy, coupled with a trekker to guide ratio of 1:2, provides us unparalleled flexibility and strength which stands as the bedrock of our exceptional success on the summits in the field of mountaineering. With us, you are in the absolute right hands to build your experience. Its not just because we are professionals doing our duty, but because most of our initial efforts are put towards understanding you and your requirements first, and not to draw you towards a rigid travel plan and ride you through. Our reviews boasts of the same.

Come, join us to gift yourself a life-changing experience in the mighty Himalayas. We believe, if a person is not changed from inside after visiting the Himalayas, he actually didn't visit at all!

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  • Objective Oriented - Safety First

    With an unwavering focus on the objectives of the trek, we plan the best for summit success while always prioritizing safety, and have a proven track record of keeping our this promise intact right from inception till date

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    Committed to organizing lesser-done, un-crowded, less than 10 members trekking groups, ensuring an intimate and immersive trekking experience. Personalized plan make our treks dynamic, flexible, and successful

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We only organize lesser done, uncrowded, customizable & personalized, small-group private trekking tours in the himalayas of India, Nepal and Bhutan

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