Yeh hassein wadhiyan a.k.a pudhu vellai malai

Yeh hassein wadhiyan a.k.a pudhu vellai malai

The Origin

An innocent ‘yes’ to a call from Mayur while I was in Mumbai set the ground for the latest and the best trip of my lifetime. He had called to ask if I was game for a trek in himachal, so smitten by the wander bug was I that a quick math in my head about the leave & the finances & I said a ‘yes I am game’. All my way back I kept checking out comfy resorts & homestays & things to do & shop for in manali. Reality hit me when I got back to Bangalore and checked my mail. The trek mail train revealed that this was not to be like all my other trekking trips where we did a one day trek and the rest of the trip was spent as tourists. This trip was going to be different, we would be no tourists but true trekkers. Our destination was Shitidhar peak at an elevation of 17000ft above sea level. It was to be a 3 day trek and the predicted night temperatures were sub zero and I had about two weeks to prep up. All fastest means of building stamina were considered and finally thanks to finding a jogging partner it was to be wake up early and head out for wind tunnel road. The next two weeks I jogged, climbed stairs, walked whenever possible, tried to tug my laptop along on those walks to get used to weights and trust me this whole work out proved very very useful.

The course

On the 11th Oct, evening 3 enthused people (myself, mayur & ajit) set out from Bangalore on a spice-jetplane. A 4 hour journey where we were deprived of all the comforts of air travel right down to the absence of my favorite travel magazine which I had come to believe was a default on any flight. The only saving grace for Ajit (who had made the travel reservations) was the fact that the flight was on time & actually arrived at destination earlier than schedule. Headed towards Romis home where achin & nitin joined us.After a quick reorganization of luggage we set out from delhi in a quails at about 11. The others say that in the course of the 12 hour journey we had made about 5 pit stops for tea and due to a wrong turn had to travel through very bad roads. Much to the others envy & my pride I slept through this entire journey like a baby with just one break for breakfast.


We were received by our guides, Ranjan & Guptramji (to be referred to as GRJ from now on) at manali. It was a short drive from there to vashisht, where GRJs home is. This is a typical Himachal home with many houses clustered together where one gets to see apples, flowers & corn being dried on the rooftops in preparation for the cold winters. We were treated to a sumptuous lunch in the carpeted area in their balcony on the first floor. This was a dining room with a view, from where we could see the snow capped mountains. This picture postcard backdrop was to be our home for the next three days. After freshening up we set out on a short trek to Joghini falls, so that we would get acclimatized to the high altitude. This falls originates from the brigurishi lake that is on top of the mountains at an altitude of about 19000ft. the trek to the falls took us through conifer forests. It was pretty steep and gave us a good idea of how tough things would be once we had to carry our backpacks along. The waters were icy to touch but we ventured to soak our feets all in the name of acclimatization. Achin had to employ the power of ‘Laal saand or Red bull’ to power himself up. After about 2hours we got back to GRJs home. The guys headed to the hot sulphur springs next to GRJs home for a hot bath & soak in the tank while GRJ brought us the hot water to our rooms. After a great dinner of chowmein we retired for the night to our rooms. We were given our sleeping bags so that we would get used to them. We also reduced our baggage since the evenings trek had made us realize that it would not be easy.

1 : GET SET GO (At solang valley)


13 morning saw us rise and shine early. We set out from GRJs home to doondi by qualis. On our way we saw a whole batch of basic mountaineering course students tugging along with their heavy bags and gear. Come doondi and for the first time we saw that the mountains were at an arms distance now. Our food supplies, tents and sleeping bags were loaded on ponies and this entourage would be accompanied by the three cooks. The eight of us(6 + ranjan + GRJ) set out towards our base camp, bakhartaj. Along the trail few parts were really steep and we needed to take a break after every 10 steps. Lots of narrow bridges crossed. There was a distinct change in scenery as we gained height. Trees were replaced by shrub and later by grass. Where the snow capped mountains had been a distant backdrop they were now all around us and every view looked worthy of being captured and recorded. Ranjan & Grj old us that during winters the path we were treading would be covered with about 3 metres of snow. We reached our base camp by about 3 in the evening. When we were nearing it snowed lightly. This camp is located in a valley with mountains on all sides. It was located amidst boulders and shrubs. Seated on a high boulder we lunched on yum parathas and delicious himachal apples. Our guides set up the tents. Once that was done 4 of us set out to a snow patch that was closest to us. As we crossed the boulder ridge it started snowing more heavily and ranjan decided that it would be risky to cotintue since the rocks would get slippery so we headed back to base camp. This was the first time I saw snowfall (one of the many cherished Moments on the trip). Since there were only few more hours of daylight left we had to pack our stuff for the next day. We decided to carry only one bag amongst us loaded with medicines, chocolates and other paraphernalia (the guys call this unnecessary stuff). A camp fire was set and we dined around it. It was a wonderful first time experience, under the stars and the moon, with the sound of gurgling streams and snow capped mountains all around you – Wow . GRJ and ranjan told us of their other expeditions and experiences and made us feel petty about our deskjobs. After a heavy dinner we were sent to our tents by 6 in the evening since the plan was to set out in the early hours if there would be no snowing in the night. Our guides told us that they preferred a cloudy night rather than a clear sky since it would become very cold without the clouds, and the water would freeze on the boulder s and the trail would be very slippery and risky to tread on. That night was the toughest. Firstly going to bed as early as 7, secondly the temperature was surely below zero. No amount of woolen wear could keep us warm and all of us struggled to catch some sleep. I for one longed for the comforts of a warm blanket, a cozy bed and a pillow (things we so take for granted at home).

Fortunately or unfortunately the clouds did not come and ranjan did not deem it fit to trek in the dark. We were woken up by GRJ at 6 in the morning with piping hot tea. By 6.30 we were geared to go. Here is when I did my first & biggest mistake. I thought it would be very cold at the peak going by the night before, so I wore the thick jacket that Ranjan had carried along. Since the day before I did not find it very difficult I offered to carry the common bag we had packed for the days trek. We set out but myself, Achin & GRJ were the last to set out. Due to the jacket I was finding it difficult to breathe and I got scared thinking it was a bout of altitude sickness. GRJ insisted I take off the jacket and this put a large distance between the 3 of us and the others. We then took off on a wrong track, a very steep one and this took us farther away from the others. We then had to walk along the side of the mountain and catch up with the others. The next part of the terrain was huge boulders piled on top of a glacier. These boulders have taken the form of ridges and so it meant ascend and descend. The guys found this part easy thanks to their long legs but I really found it strenuous and also the boulders were loosely fitting so it was tough to find foot holds. Once this stretch was crossed it gave us our first view of the beas valley, a huge 2km diameter valley with snow clad mountains on all sides. After another scary walk along the side of a mountain and we went down into the valley. From here we could spot our destination, the shithidhar peak in all its glory. As we walked along the valley myself, mayur & ranjan approached the peak from the lhs while the others checked out Beas kundh(the lake from where the river beas originates. On our way up we treaded through a little bit of snow. Before we set out ranjan told us that we would trek till whatever height till 11.30 am and then we should start back since it would start snowing in the afternoon. From there on it was 3 hours of continuous but discrete trek. Each one came up with their own methods of conserving energy and continuing with the climb. After one pit stop Achin decided that he would break there and wait for us to get back. I cannot translate to words the experience of climbing, pushing yourself to your limits, looking at the one ahead of u and trying to get there, taking 20 steps and then trying to catch your breath, in between looking at the breathtaking peaks around you, walking along a narrow ledge which slopes down on either sides to running water or snow (this is the best I can translate). Finally at 11.30 am we reached about 15oooft above sea level. Further up we could see the completely snow covered parts of the mountain. Two foreigners who went ahead returned after a certain point since it was too difficult to descend on the fresh snow. We took a break at our summit (we christened it “humidhar” coz we did not reach “shithidhar”).




3 : Humidhar : our summit

Took a lot of pics and started the tougher part of coming down. After the narrow ledge I decided to slide down since that gave me better stability. The tallest slippery slide I have ever been on. Since there was part snow & part wet grass it was a fast descent. I chose the wrong descent path and found that I was on the next hill with only kaalu(the shepherd dog) on my side. To get back on the right track I had to slide down on a snow covered side and that was fun but scary since you cannot brake that easily. Caught up with achin and from there myself, mayur & ranjan headed towards the green waters of the beaskundh. Ranjan said that these placid waters were dangerous to swim in due to the cone like shape of the lake which had a centrifugal pull at the centre. The waters were crystal clear but the lake had assumed a green colour. From here we trekked to the centre of the valley where we were joined by the others who had trekked down the other way. Had a quick lunch of bread, butter, jam & gulab jamuns all washed down with the crystal clear icy waters from the stream nearby.

Then began the toughest part (for me) those boulders and slippery slopes, and the fear within made it tougher. Negotiated this part of the trek with a determination to get to the base camp as fast as possible. GRJ kept me company and we reached the base ahead of the others. It was about 4 in the evening by then. Once the others got back the camp fire was set and we were given piping hot soup and dinner. This time we were all worn out and the thought of another nite in the cold was formidable. Once in the tents we took nearly half an hour of getting prepared for sleep. I had nearly four layers of clothing over me and this made any movement within the sleeping bag impossible. Inspite of being tired sleep still eluded me and so had to pop a pill to fall asleep. That night was not as cold as the previous one. Woke up in the morning, freshened up and started our descent from baktharkunj. The last session of clicking pics in that beautiful abode of the Gods and we were homeward bound. Ranjan kept reminding us that most accidents happened during the descent and he could not have been further from the truth. We were crossing the river and I did the mistake of placing my foot on the rock on which there was a layer of ice and lo I slid into the waters (just when achin mentioned that all but me, mayur and ajit had not fallen yet). One of the gallant guys from the mountaineering group helped me out. Once more along the way I slipped and sprained my ankle. Gera had a tough time due to his knees but he kept on. Mayur was still not in his element, we figured he is not a high altitude person. The return was more scary for me, especially the narrow bridges. This time we walked the 7km stretch from doondi to solang valley. Back at GRJs home, we went and soaked ourselves in the steaming hot waters of the sulphur spring. It was rejuvenating and healing to the aching and bruised muscles & bones. After a quick lunch we set out from vashisht. This part also like all downward bound journeys was scary since we always were on that side of the road facing the mighty river and our daredevil driver,Pradeep preferred to drive at the edge. Unfortunately this time the evil eye (of the others) had hit me and even I could not sleep until we hit the plains. Back to delhi & Bangalore, we have come with snapshots in our hearts that we will cherish forever. The title of this write up is justified since this is the one song that I carry in my heart that accompanies every memory of the “Himalayas” J

I thank
I thank romi & mayur for counting me in on the trip
I thank Aarti & namit for the very useful bag
I thank Gaurav for jogging with me every morning
I thank Ranjan & GRJ for their wonderful company
I thank …
I still feel like GOD ;-)

(For further understanding please refer to bajaj Avenger ad)


Tips for the first timers:

Work out on building your stamina atleast two weeks before the trek so that you can enjoy while you are on the trek
Trivial but nonetheless important, trim your toenails, It can make your descent down the hills much less painful
carry a good trekking bag, the kind that has enough straps to transfer the load onto your hips. Pack only what is necessary
A good pair of UV protected glasses, sunscreen, basic first aid and medicines
Good trekking shoes with soft soles so that you have better grip
Always go along with local guides who know the terrain
talk a lot with your guides and know more about the local culture and other places where they have been to
not for the weak hearted ;-)
if you are headed to the himachal contact
Ranjan at 9816467939 or 0177-2860337