I had this thing jotted down in my wish-list from school days - "To visit that frozen place I had seen on a random magazine page". I had no idea back then - what the place was, where it was, or how to go there. All I had thought was that I will visit that winter wonderland when I grow up and start earning.
The wish-list was lost with the old books and thought was buried deep within my sub-conscience. It all re-surfaced in 2015 when I saw a picture of frozen waterfall in a flight magazine and I started doing my preparation and planning for a crazy adventure.
I had it all figured out. Had read many blogs, had seen plenty of videos, had gone through plenty of checklists, had prepare enough with other winter trips and treks, and had bought everything that is needed to cruise through the freezing temperatures of -35° at an altitude of 3500 m.
However I was in for a biggest surprise when I landed at Leh Airport with layers and layers of woolens and winter jackets. The entire city was covered in snow, the clothes I had were not warm enough, even the slightest wind was sending shivers through my spine, pipes/taps were frozen, the only way to drink water was to melt the ice, and straightaway had to go shopping around Leh Market to find warmer clothing. Just the streets of Leh, not even started the dream journey of trekking on the frozen river, and I was braver and tougher than ever before.
Trekking the iconic Frozen Zanskar River began after a 3 day acclimatization, a round of health check-ups, and a series of short walks around Leh City. After driving around for 3 hours and climbing down a sharp slippery mud path, reached the trek start point. First look at the frozen sheath of river, I was lost in the flawless creative design of nature.
The next 5 days were spent walking on the slippery ice sheath, balancing on the ridges, camping underneath the starry sky, making new friends on the way, enjoying the little things of life , and being awestruck every minute by the stunning beauty of the blue frozen Zanskar River and those forever memorable gorgeous mirror reflections.
Every single thing during the journey was alien to me. It was a 180° shift from my regular days at Bengaluru. Still everything felt so dear and native. Still, I felt at home. I must admit that the hike was definitely not easy and it was extremely challenging. Spending days and nights just with essentials in freezing temperatures is not a joke and yet I wholeheartedly fell in love with all the battles against freezing temperatures. After 7 days, I was sitting on top of a rock by the river during the lunch brimming with joy and smiling ear to ear in pride.
I got to witness many frozen waterfalls, dramatic icicles on the rocks, figured out how to walk like penguin, sat by the little blue pools by the gorges, learned how to slide on the ice blanket of zanskar river without tumbling, and lived the life beyond my dreams that surpassed all my wonderland imaginations. This experience was nothing like anything I have ever imagined. The moments I spent in this mystical land are truly indescribable.
Some Creations are beyond Magical
Some Places are beyond Breathtaking
Some Journeys are beyond Ethereal
Some Adventures are beyond Daring
Some Experiences are beyond Words
This was one such Remarkable Odyssey which was beyond all the Fairy-Tales of my Imagination. It made me feel so alive among the most unknown terrain and made me feel delighted in the most unfamiliar weather.
Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things – winter wonderlands and mystical never-lands and fairy-tales and prince-charming and mighty queens and magic itself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, if made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones, I’m going to stand by the dream-world. Coz this adventure of my lifetime has reassured me that the magic can be for real and made me feel fabulously out-of-this-world.
Oh my, Chadar is an Exquisite Masterpiece of Nature and hiking this legendary blanket of Frozen Zanskar River is my 10 year old dream finally coming true. Feeling absolutely proud and pleased.
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