Sar Pass Trek

5^th June – 22^nd June 2015

Note:   This is a travel account of the trekking expedition made to Sar Pass in Himachal Pradesh. This shouldn’t be read as a guide-book for trekkers; but simply as a personal memoir. Suggestions and feedback are welcome; if any, please send them to saha.deepanjan@gmail.com. For more visuals, please visit my Facebook page for albums titled ‘Trek to the Himalayas’, and ‘Life in the Himalayas’. Thanks.

Why Sar Pass?

On the way back from Kutch Tour in December 2014, the ‘Ghanta’ Group had decided upon Ladakh as its next destination in summer 2015. While the Ladakh Plan wasn’t getting fixed, the webpage of Youth Hostel Association of India (YHAI) was shared among the group, and we zeroed in upon Sar Pass Trek as it was supposedly the most popular, going the booking statistics. Unfortunately, all the seats were full by three months in advance. Miraculously the booking windows were made open once again with a ten days’ extension! As the seats were fast filling, we got our YHAI membership made online and booked two seats in June 2015 for I and Amrites.

A month before we would start, uncertainty loomed over my participation in the trek owing to academic requirements. I had thought of every possibilities: transferring my seat to a friend; making a partial visit; and had rang YHAI several times. Meanwhile, back from the Himalayas, my Supervisor agreed to my plan and sanctioned me leave. Amrites did all the research work by following blog accounts available online. Looking at the photographs from those trek-diaries, honestly speaking, I felt a bit nervous at the first instance!

Journey begins

On 6^th June 2015, we had reached Delhi by train; and the same day had started by bus for Bhuntar. Though we had planned to spend a day in Manali before we report to Kasol Base Camp; but abruptly changed track to Malana Village – allured by its distinct identity. En route Bhuntar to Jari by bus, we met Gulabi (Devi) Aunty who led us to her home in Jari and offered tea. A cab from Jari dropped us at the footsteps of Malana, where from a steep hike for the next two hours took us to the Village.

Malana

This isolated village in Himachal Pradesh is better known for its best quality marijuana or hashish. Interestingly, the villagers claim of Greek ancestry and speak a language different from those in the region. Cannabis plants have grown here and there as if it’s been a weed, literally! We were aware of the fact that outsiders are not supposed to touch the holy temples in the village; otherwise one ends up paying a penalty of 2,500 INR or an offering of a lamb! A pair of village boys helped us find an accommodation – a guest house outside the village. It was surprising to find the excessive use of ‘tapori’ lingo among the boys here, might be an influence of Hindi movies – thanks to television. Every male person you come across in the village will definitely enquire if you had had a smoke! The village had a noticeably poor sanitation system. Children population of the village would definitely have surpassed the adult count! Boys were playing with marbles; kids on a wooden see-saw. Though it predominantly had the traditional ‘kathakuni’ architecture of composite walling of stone and timber, houses in brick and concrete are sprouting in good numbers.

Kasol Base Camp

Having spent a night in Malana, next day we reported at the YHAI Base Camp in Kasol. Off the road to Manikaran, tents were pitched by the gushing waters of River Parvati. For the next three days it was like living in an ‘Ashram’ with the tinge of a military regime! It meant waking up to the whistle at six in the morning for tea; going for rigorous physical exercises; standing in a queue for food carrying own plate or lunch-box and a mug; washing them yourselves; participate in group activities; collecting blanket and sleeping bag; sleeping in tents with nine more persons; and lights off by ten in the night. Every day a batch of fifty will depart for the higher camps; a senior batch will be back from them; and a new one would join. About three batches have been staying in the base camp at a time. The participants in our batch were from different corners of the country with noticeable concentration from Mumbai and Bengaluru. We were hailing from a wide spectrum of disciplines and were at various stages in their respective career – few graduating; the graduated ones about to start professional career; and few in advanced stages of their career. The 39^th batch was truly a mixed bag!

First day will entail acclimatization walk in the adjoining forest. At a clearing in the forest, our batch-members gathered in a circle and introduced each other; a team-leader was selected; and a slogan too: ‘SP 39: Pahaar jhukana hai, Sar Pass hum-e aana hai’ [‘(We) have to make the hills bow (to us), (we) have to reach Sar Pass’]. The cause of staging a show for a batch senior, which would have been starting for higher camps the following day, had broken the ice among the group; and like kids again, we performed songs and danced with torch-lights! On the second day, I couldn’t believe myself that I would accomplish the training assignment of rock-climbing and rappelling, that too unhurt! The experience of capturing the nature around me in a sketch-book, seated on a rock in the river, was amazing.

As only five kilos is recommended to carry in your rucksack to the higher camps, we all were struggling hard to get it right; and it meant unpacking and re-packing the bags and taking it to the weighing machine several times till the magic number was reached! Excess luggage was deposited at the base camp. Having had collected the necessary items in Kasol (‘hunter’ shoes with extra in-soles, rain-sheets, woollen gloves and socks), I felt ready for the trek.

Higher Camps

Having spent three nights at the Base Camp, the following morning SP-39 marched its way forward for the higher camps, carrying the best wishes all at the base camp. It was a great feeling to cross the stretch being lined up by the two junior batches who were clapping as the whole battalion would pass through it.

A usual day in the higher camps would start be like waking up to the camp leader’s whistle for tea at six o’clock in the morning; followed by breakfast at seven; depositing individual blanket and sleeping bag; cleaning the tents; collecting ‘packed-lunch’ at eight; and ‘fall in’ by nine; and then we would resume our journey till we reach the next camp. Daily we would take a relaxed trek covering distances ranging from 8 to 14 km. covered in about five to seven hours. The journey will be punctuated by occasional resting points and a lunch point where we would consume not only the lunch taken along, but also gorge upon noodles and tea / coffee at the canteen there. Before evening we would reach our next camp where we would spend the night; have ‘welcome drink‘(litchi juice/ tea / soup); explore the campsite; collect blanket and sleeping bags; have dinner before it gets dark; and sleep.

Usually the higher camps are situated in a forest-clearing on a valley. It would comprise of seven to nine tents and a kitchen tent. The camp-site will mostly have a single water-point incessantly pouring water which would be a pipe carrying water from a far-away water-stream. The same would be supplied to the kitchen-tent; for washing our tiffin-boxes; and even to fill in jars carried to the toilets. Tented toilet-kiosks were set up few meters away from the camp. However, there were no such provision at the highest camp at 12500 ft; and one whole mountain slope was allotted to answer nature’s calls; one for the each sexes!

Grahan

The trek along the river Parvati, through a semi-dense forest, had taken us to Village Grahan – the last settlement which we would come across in the next six days. En-route, we had a long and relaxed break at the lunch point by the river bank. Lying down on a wooden log with water flowing beneath it incessantly, and looking up at the sky as clouds hover and paint the large blue canvas and birds cross it, was an indescribable experience. Rest of the journey till the Village was made in rain. Kids at the village would flock to you in search of toffees; will take you along in the silly games they play. Once the sun did set, stars started filling up the sky, gradually increasing in count till they would be infinite. Lying on the stone, gazing at a star-studded sky was something which our cities could never offer us.

Padri

The second in the series of higher camps at Padri at 9800 ft was set in a valley surrounded by forest and flanked by a hill on one side, across a thin stream, with a snow-clad mountain range as its backdrop. We were excited in having identified the most dreaded Nagaru Camp up on the ridge – the fourth and the highest in the series of higher camps.

Mingthach

Mingthach Camp at 11200 ft – the third in the series – was placed on a ridge with green slopes. Snow-clad mountain ranges were looming at the horizon, while sunlight was beaming through the clouds. On the way from Padri to Mingthach, heavy rain at the lunch point had forced all 45 of us, along with our belongings, to find shelter inside the small canteen-tent; we were completely at the mercy of Nature – which was highly unpredictable.

Nagaru

The highest of the camps during the trek was at 12500 ft above MSL at Nagaru. A few weeks ago the campsite was covered in snow; now in grass. It was exciting to be able to trace the complete trail till then from Nagaru. The campsite being on a slope was bordered by snow-slope at the upper edge. A melting glacial channel sloped down by the edge of the site; leading our sight to a wide view of mountain range presented in the front. Amidst the still setting offered by the mountains, the floating clouds and the dynamically changing sunshine were running the show which had left us spellbound. Water at Nagaru Camp was drawn from a melting glacial chunk which would freeze in the night; hence, we were advised to fill in our water bottles in the evening and keep it inside the blanket, otherwise it would become ice overnight!

Sar Pass

The day we were supposed to ‘conquer’ Sar Pass started in the dark of the night at 3:00 AM with morning tea; followed by breakfast at 3:30 AM; ‘dry packed-lunch’ of biscuits and sugar-coated patties. As the water-source had frozen overnight, we had no water to fill in our bottles. By 4:50 AM at dawn, while sky was gradually getting lit, we started for our special-day. It snowed on our way till we reached a flat ground at the ridge covered in snow. We had a batch photo with the tricolour.

Next was the painstaking journey of crossing the snow-covered mountain slope for the next two to three hours at a stretch. It meant moving in a single-file along a trail which had at times only space enough to place a single feet. Every single step had to placed very carefully upon finding a good grasp with the shoe into the snow; if failed one would skit and get down the snowy-slopes. Moreover, hiking up the snow-slope was literally a test of the nerves; till we reached the ridge again. Then after was the most awaited sliding down the slope – the only way to continue the trek!

Once getting down the slide, a solemn mood had filled me; it seemed the journey is over. The bunch of tiny flowers in yellow and pink did go extra length in livening me up. Next onwards, we started descending. The trail till Beskari Camp was lined by beds of Sentha flowers.  

Beskari

Tents at Beskari Campsite were pitched along the edge of a valley which immediately sloped down. Next morning, we continued with the descent. The trek was far from being over; as it made us rappel down a cliff; took us through wide green meadows to Bhandakthach Camp.

Bhandakthach

Bhandakthach was claimed to be ‘Mini Switzerland’. Though I don’t know if it truly resembled the Alpine landscape; it would surely be no less beautiful than the latter. Many had left for the base camp the same day; the heavenly campsite and meadows was to be enjoyed by only sixteen of us. Cattle would graze the meadows; followed by a family of horses who would run across the fields.

Being back

The final day we left the hills, collecting strawberries on the way, to reach motor-able road at Barshaini. Sadly the dust and concrete of a large dam-building project site had to embrace us when we were back to civilization. The ‘paranthas’ at the road-side dhaba tasted so very good, as if we were having them after ages! A bus dropped us by Manikaran – a major pilgrim town known for its hot sulphur water springs. Having hot-water bath (from the springs) after a gap of six days felt heavenly indeed! Having had ‘langar’ (communal meal) at the Gurudwara, we continued by bus to Kasol.

The Trail

Apart from the fact that we were at 13800 ft crossing Sar Pass, what had deeply influenced me were the landscapes which were changing daily along the trek over the seven day. First we were led through moderately dense forest along a river valley; having crossed numerous water-streams on the way; taking rests on the stones by the river bank. Gradually as we gained elevation with every passing day (about 2000 ft. daily), forest started thinning away to meadows with shrubs; and later to grass-slopes which are usually covered in snow for most of the months; and ultimately we crossed the snowy slopes at Sar Pass. We met a reverse pattern on our way back to lower altitudes. This cycle of thinning away of vegetation to terrains painted in white, and regaining the green cover was very interesting and made realize the aura of Nature. We met a wide variety of flora along the way: ferns and lilies to moss and lichens which grow on stone in the freezing climate at high altitudes which represent the indomitable spirit of life.

Integration

Besides what nature had to offer us during the trek, fellow trekkers play a pivotal role in shaping one’s experience along the journey. We were blessed to have a full spectrum coming from distant corners of the country; bringing in their culture and sharing their experiences. Sincere thanks to each and every member of SP-39; the staff at all the camps and YHAI. ‘SP-39: Laashyein beechha dengey!!’

It being a year around being back from Sar Pass trek, rekindling the memory with the sketches from my diary.