My trek to the Himalayas on Sar Pass has so many 'first times' to its credit. First trek. First snowfall. First brink of death!
Over two years ago, I had the near-finish experience of my life. However something magical happened that defied science and restored my faith in destiny.
It was a moderate level trek that Ashwini and I signed for. We often joke how we both should adopt the mountains and settle there for good. Our love for adventure in the Himalayas have only grown after we bike-travelled Ladakh half a decade ago. This time we decided to explore the beauty of the uncluttered mighty mountains while trekking on the Sar Pass.
Sar Pass is a five days trek in the Parvati Valley originating from the hippie town of Kasol in Himachal Pradesh. We reached our base camp a day prior to our trek where we were checked for our fitness levels and were briefed about do’s and don’ts of the trek. Almost 50 of us – beginners as well as seasoned trekkers - started our expedition to one of the most beautiful high altitude treks in the country.
Treading on the lap of the valley, we were accompanied by the gurgling sounds of Parvati river flowing by and embraced by the tall pine trees guiding us deeper into the woods. We were ecstatic. The fast-changing backdrops looked like a time-lapse movie of our three hilly vacations stitched together.
Soon the beauty of the surroundings started withering away. The heavy backpacks, raging heartbeats, fraying knees, aching muscles of our untoned bodies and an unceasing 10-hours-long journey started taking a toll until we crashed into our camps at Grahan Village.
For the next two days, we enjoyed the magnificent vistas of Chandrakhi range as we made our way to Nagaru from Min Thatch. The stint at Nagaru was going to be the most thrilling. At 13000 feet, our tents were placed right over the thick sheets of snow. Our adrenaline levels shooted up as we were greeted by a howling wind at our base camp. The cup of tea turned cold even before it could make it to our shivering lips while our pees could dig a deep rabbit hole in the freezing heaps of snow. The bodies were numb. The night was cold. The wind was so loud that it kept the tents shaking throughout the night. Dug into our sleeping bags with layers of clothes and spooky thoughts; it seemed like the longest-scariest night ever. How we wished we had Night’s Watch to guard us!
At the strike of the dawn, we had a palpable pleasure on our faces. Two reasons. First, we were rejoicing in being alive and two, we were climbing the summit today. Hiking over the white trail and delving into the fluffy blanket of snow, we looked like wildlings marching to cross the ‘wall’. Soon the heat of the sun started melting the snow and despite the spikes and gaiters we had, walking over the snow felt daunting. We somehow made it to the crest of the Sar Pass.
The descent was going to unroll for the next two days. Our guides began pushing us down the snowy slides. It looked simple; just like the slides we have in kids’ park areas. Ashwini among many others enjoyed the slide thoroughly. Next was my turn and here starts my story.
No sooner had I begun sliding than I got myself turned upside down. My legs were in the air and my head kept banging against the 200-meter-long stretch of snow. I offshoot the landing and went further down on another 150-meter-long snow slide until I finally crashed at the base point. People witnessing the fall doubted if I had survived. Was it the lack of supervision, or my feeble body weight, or naseeb-me-likha-tha sort of explanation; I knew I had to see the rest of my beautiful life. A large crowd soon gathered around me, checking my nerves, offering me water and extending all sorts of help. Hurray! I was the first to reach that descent. Ashwini gasped in relief as I said, “ I could have given stunt men a run for their money. Couldn’t I?’
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