Heavy rains, Dark night, A stone cave and Just Me
This is a continuation of a travel series. Read the previous blogs here:
- To The Himalayas - Unguided Solo Travel
- Niti Malari - Where People Are Gods
Travelling to Badrinath, Mana and initial days
(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, one of the four holy shrines of the Hindus, used to see a huge rush of tourists seeking blessings and purification. 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, nor did I eat in the dhabas, nor did I buy mineral water, Kurkure, chips, etc. or hire 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, 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 Chamoli for his daughter’s education, and he stayed there alone.
I stayed in Mana for two days, gathering more information on the route, roaming around the village 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 a lot of blood loss. The injury was bad, and he started to feel dizzy. I used my safety kit for first aid, and then took him to Badrinath. I got no cars, and Badrinath was 3 km away. We walked all the way, where an NGO had a medical ambulance ready. They checked him, 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, surviving 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 had remained quite clear until now, 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 tall green bushes everywhere. I could somehow make out the route by following grass patterns, and soon I could hear the vigorous sound of the Vasudhara falls. It was jaw-dropping to see it fall so elegantly some 400 ft to the ground.
(picture: Mana village, from the other side)
I crossed Chamtoli, where I met a few shepherds, and further reconfirmed my knowledge of the route from them. It was indeed trickier from here through boulders marked with cairns. I reached Laxmiban soon, marked by Bhoj Patra trees. A little ahead, on the opposite side of the river, was Alkapuri, the snout of the Alakananda and its glacier.
(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 jacket and trousers and had covered my rucksack too. I ignored the drizzle seeing its low intensity and continued walking.
(picture: near Alkapuri)
I was happy that I was making good time and headed up. Swirling through the boulder zone, following the cairns, I kept moving. I touched Pandu Dhara, crossed it, and went behind it to reach Sahastra Dhara. It would have just taken me a couple of hours more to reach my planned campsite for the day. But in just 2 minutes, it suddenly rained so heavily that I couldn’t move forward. The drops were hitting me, trying to pierce my facial skin. My rucksack was covered, but slanting rain with force drenched it from the sides and top. I was terrified by that sudden change of weather.
The Stone Cave
I recalled seeing a cave behind and went back to it. Out of four stone caves, only one was okay; the rest were filled with sheep shit.
Let’s See Off the Rain
The cave was quite spacious with a thin blanket of dry grass. It was a shepherd’s cave, and they usually put a blanket over it to insulate against the cold ground. I had to crawl to enter the cave to take temporary shelter and see off the rain. It was around 1:30 PM then. The inside of the cave was mostly dark, with a big opening on the right faintly lighting it up. It didn’t bother me as my plan was just to wait out the rain, which I expected to clear soon.
I Was All Wet Within. So Was My Rucksack.
Having decided to stay there for some time, I started to unpack, check my rucksack, and remove my raincoat. It was then, to my shock, that I realized I had been wearing wet clothes for a long time, and all the clothes in my bag were wet too—including my sleeping bag. About 15-20 minutes in that rain had caused all this. Luckily, I was carrying an emergency blanket.
(picture: drying my clothes in the cave door)
(picture: my shelter for the night)
The Rain Won't Stop. I Will Have To Spend My Night Here Only
After quite some time, I realized that it was 3 PM, and the rain wasn’t showing any signs of clearing. It was getting heavier instead! Considering it as a warning, I decided to call it a day and sleep off the night. Pitching my tent was out of the question, hence I decided to stay in the cave itself.
Arrangement and Protection
As it was decided I’d spend the night in the cave, I started arranging my things. Firstly, I put a stick at the door and hung all my wet clothes on it like a curtain. I was carrying spare shoes and changed into a few remaining dry clothes.
There was a big gap in the cave on the right. When I switched on my headlamp, I could see white clouds entering the cave, making it very cold. I tried covering it with my rucksack cover, raincoat, and waterproof trousers, but in vain. It was still raining heavily, and I couldn’t go out to fetch stones to block the gap. I somehow had to manage.
So there I was—wearing wet clothes, all other clothes wet as well, needing to sleep in a wet sleeping bag, in a stone cave, with heavy clouds blowing in.
Food-wise, I was fine with dry fruits, biscuits, and chocolate bars. My rucksack was empty now. I had a good, big Rambo knife too, in case required!
(picture: The gap in the cave)
Feeling Insecure
By now it was past 5 PM and starting to get dark. The clouds made it even darker. I entered the sleeping bag. It was wetter at the bottom and a little wet on top. I started munching a few cashew nuts. I noticed some wet mud in the corner. Suddenly, images of floods flashed in my eyes, and fear crept in.
What if an earthquake triggered and the stone collapsed?
What if the rain increased further and the cave flooded?
These thoughts gave me enough reason to put on my raincoat and go outside to check the stability of the rock supporting my cave. I also checked for any chance of water entering the cave. I found that my cave was well-supported by a solid rock at the bottom and another slanted over it forming the ceiling. To the right was another big rock forming the wall of the adjacent cave. It was well covered with mud and grasses grew over it. I could even walk over it from the other side. Though there were chances of seepage, I trusted the shepherds’ experience who used it and decided to take the chance. I had very few options anyway!
What If A Bear Or Other Wild Animals Enter The Cave?
It was very cold outside, and the rain hadn’t stopped yet. I got into my sleeping bag 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, I got lost in my thoughts when suddenly the fear of a bear attack came into my mind. I tried to convince myself that it would be rare 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 attract wild animals, it got under my skin. After some good counter-argument with myself, I concluded that I actually had nothing to do if a bear or other wild animal entered. I would either have to chase it out or fight it. 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 about wild animals and the cave’s safety, my comforted mind made me realise my body was uncomfortable inside the wet sleeping bag. It was getting colder. In the dark, when the cave was lighted, clouds flowing in could be seen so clearly—I was almost sleeping inside the clouds! It was time for me to use my last card: the emergency blanket. I’d never imagined this situation when I ordered it online, but now it was a lifesaver. I wrapped myself with the emergency blanket and then got into the sleeping bag. In an hour, I started feeling warm, though it made an annoying crackling sound with every slight movement. A minor issue, considering the situation.
The rain hadn’t stopped. I planned to trek to Satopanth Taal the next day 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 opened my eyes around 5 AM. As I crawled outside the cave and faced the valley upwards, it was very densely clouded—but with white clouds. I told myself that my trek was on. But when I turned around, I was frightened by the sight of the sky. Thick, dense black clouds were moving up the valley. I dropped my trek plans right there and decided to return.
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 dal 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 nothing else 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 stay and food, it was full of fun and peace 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
