Stok Kangri - July 2012

Welcome to Matho Doksa – @ 14550 ft – 17^th July

As the day broke, I came out and I was numbed by the chill…. It was freezing cold outside….. managed to take a dump….. people were not willing to come out…. Everybody was waiting for the sun to come out….. It was that day again…. The day of realization…. Why our ancestors believed Sun to be GOD…. The radiating energy brings not just light to remove darkness but the vital energy brings life into every being….!!! @ 14000 + ft you start becoming a believer……

All in line....

We did our normal routine of warm up and had a nice breakfast. We cleared the tents and got ready for the day’s trek. It was going to be a tough grind… And so off we went…. In the groups to start with… but very soon we all got mixed… evry trekker has his own pace with which he/she is comfortable. And it turned out that Angchuk, our trek expert, was a brilliant pace setter. Till we stopped for our first break he managed to keep us all together.

Need some rest folks

It was lovely out there…. Some green patches and the yaks were grazing merrily. We met with pretty clear blue sky most of the time. So it was quite hot. And there was calmness all around. We were so far off from the hectic life that we lead. Always behind schedule, trying to play catch up with Father Time and thereby getting into more frenetic pace…….! When was the last time I experienced such peace around me… perhaps it was on Raigad fort about 8 months back…. Sitting in the courtyard of the Jagdishwar temple…. or may be before that… I don’t remember….…. !! Sweeper’s job is funny. As you are shepherding the tail all you have to do is to ensure that the laggards don’t lose morale…. A bit of encouragement, and a sense of comradeship…. Someone is with me…. That’s all you really need to provide. Besides there is a big advantage as you get enough time to catch your breath, take rest and to reflect….. on this mysterious thing called life….!!!

We soon approached the Shang Fu La pass…. @ 16700 ft. In the distance I could see the trekkers… exhausted….walking one step at a time…. It was hot, and the gain in altitude was killing…. Hari was in trouble. Its not that he couldn’t do it…. But the poor guy wanted breaks more often…which was not advisable though. More breaks break your momentum…. And climbing is all about momentum. You lose it and you are in trouble. Doc, Brahma & I kept walking with Hari, then both of them went a bit ahead. We could see trekkers reaching the pass and taking a good long break there. Soon, the mules too were in the vicinity, and after a tiring trek Hari & I reached atop the pass. 16700 ft… wow….!!!

Approaching the pass - can you see it in the distance?

Hari.... almost there @ Shang Fu La - 16700 ft

Yours truly @ Shang Fu La - 16700 ft

We had to descend another 2000 ft again….. I started ahead and was watching Hari following me. I thought the staff with the mules would bring him up. And so I continued slowly, clicking merrily. There were so many pics to click, shadows, snow capped peaks, barren mountains….. the vista was just too good. I soon came to where Sridhar was sitting. I asked him if there was any problem. The guy was furious…. “the buggers don’t want to enjoy this beauty…. Just keep running….we’ll reach the camp…where else we go… but if you have come here all the way…you might as well enjoy this majestic landscape. Everybody is in a hurry”, said Sridhar. So true he was….!!! I really liked the way he expressed it..... just loved his attitude.....!!

The descent....

The shadows....

We waited for a while. Mules and the staff passed us by. Hari was not in sight. I was worried. But then he appeared. I didn’t like the way IH staff handled this. Everybody thought that the last man would bring Hari along with him. And so everyone went ahead and Hari was left alone. The camp was not far and by the time we reached, the tents were up and the hot meal was being served. Maggi……!!!! Whoever invented it is a genius….!!!!

It was time again to catch up with fellow trekkers. It was fun lazying around in the sun and discussing random topics…. Especially after such excruciating trek…. There was a learning for the day as I knew the real meaning of “ Tashreef rakhna”…. Thnx to Abhishek & Archana. In fact that was one of the most memorable afternoon I had spent in a while.…. thnx to Abhishek, Archana, Vani, Neelima, the 2 Saurabhs & Hrishikesh.

Matho Doksa Camp View - From Acclimatization Climb....

It was time again for acclimatization climb of the day. Raghav was too tired by that day’s excursion and so I went alone on the hillock behind our campsite. There were many “Marmots” around and they ran helter skelter as they feared for their life. I decided to return to the camp to have a cup of chai. As the sun set, it became cold again. I was still braving the cold but it was becoming increasingly difficult. After dinner we were served a hot glass of Bournvita…… wow….. to savour the taste of Bournvita after all those years I had to come up to 14000 ft….. tht’s life….!!! J