Pleasure and Pain - The Racham walk

"It is a 11km walk and my 5 yr old son was able to do it" said Rajesh, who was cheerful as usual. Somehow with Rajesh around you get the confidence that you can do things and they will turn out well. So I decided to that we all would do the 11 km trek to Racham village. And it was a decision that I will not regret.

The start of trek itself gives an idea of what is in store. We crossed a charming old bridge and entered the Batseri village. It is a small village with steep and narrow roads. The group was led by Rajesh and we had another Banjara Camp guide who made up the rear. We were thirteen in all and given that Ranjani and Harini were also trekking, our family always was making up the rear. It was almost as if the Banjara people had given us a separate guide. When Rajesh instructed the guide to bring up the rear, Gayathri told me "Poor fellow. He will be with us all the time"!! We had left around 8 o clock after having a light breakfast. There was a nice temple in the village built of wood and recently polished. We stopped for some time to admired the architecture and the carvings on the wood. The temple was closed though.

The walk continued through the village where we could see small tracts of land being cultivated. These tracts of land were fenced as there were lot of cattle around. Infact a calf kept following us for some time, looking for its mother and bellowing 'maaaa'. After some time it heard the reassurance from its mother, who replied with a louder 'Maaaa'. After seeing them happily united, we continued. The path took us on level ground from some time and then it started climbing a bit. The pastoral scene slowly vanished and we were now in the fir forest. The beauty of the trek, we realized later, was how often the landscape changed. We walked through the fir forest for some time before we saw a glazier at a height. None of wanted to climb that far and so we continued forward. After some time we came across another glazier which was on our path. This enabled Ranjani and Harini to play in the snow for some time and others to take some photographs. It was a small glazier and the snow wasnt pure white. In most of these places the snow has a dirty look !!

It was now time to proceed and we were gingerly walking on the snow to get to the other side. The guide and I had helped the kids across the snow. I then put my camera back into the bag and zipped it when the guide came running and said,"Snap, snap". I couldnt understand what he was trying to convey. I looked at where he was pointing and realized that he hadnt said 'Snap, Snap" but had said "Saanp, snap". There were two viper snakes under a stone and he wanted me to take a snap. Ranjani and Harini were excited, the others had gone ahead and missed seeing the snakes. The heads of both snakes were hidden under the stone and the typical stripes on their body was visible. I had already packed my camera and the snakes were retreating inside. So I couldnt take a snap. The guide said, "The snakes wont do anything until you step on them". I never had that idea.

After this place started the steep climb. The terrain slowly changed again and it was rocky. In some places the soil was loose and the track was very narrow and was rounding small cliffs. It was not too dangerous since there were no gorges where you would fall off vertically but there were enough places where you were walking on the edge and one slip could slide you down. Not something you look forward to !! When we started we had crossed the Baspa and it had disappeared from our sight. Now it made its appearance again and it was joy watching the bubbly white river through the trees and hearing its roar. We took a few snaps of the river and continued the climb. As usual we were bringing up the rear and people were waiting for us.

It was time for a change in scenery again. After having seen the pastoral land, fir forest and rocky formations, it was time to see the meadows. Yes, it was flat land now and here were green meadows. Rajesh suggested that we trek a bit further and rest. So we went up ahead and found a great clearing where we all sat down on the grass to have some snacks (not snakes !!). That place was good with lot of grass and surrounded on all sides by tall trees. Snacks were packed at Banjara and our guide was carrying it. It consisted on a veg sandwich for each of us, a bar of chocolate and apple juice. That was probably the optimum snack since you dont want to put on weight when you are doing some serious climbing !! People in our batch had got some cherries and walnut which they shared with all. After relaxing for some time, we started the walk again.

We were again in steep country !! In some places the trail almost vanished as we had to climb over rocks. Infact at one place, Rajesh who was leading the group almost went in a wrong direction. Our guide was quick to spot it and rushed ahead to tell Rajesh where the trail was !! The climb was almost continuous and the kids started feeling the pain now. We gave both Ranjani and Harini a stick to help them climb. The land was covered with the leaves of the fir trees giving it a soft carpet feel. But the kids were in no mood to enjoy all this. Harini constantly asking "How much more time"? and slowly that question gave way to the exclamation, "My legs are paining". In order to keep them occupied I asked them to look out for insects and whenever they see a new insect they would get 5 marks. The person getting most marks would get a price. There were 5 marks for spotting butterflies as well !! There were more rocks to climb and the climb continued being steep. Looking for insects did help in diverting the mind of the kids from the trek but it wouldnt last for long. After some time I had to promise them chocolates when we reached the camp, later promised them ice creams once we got back to Delhi and then promised them the book of their choice when we got back to Bangalore !! Gayathri was also feeling the pain by now and felt that the trek was probably a bit harsh on the kids. No other family had got their kids along and she felt that maybe I should have gone alone. I told her not to worry and that kids would recover soon.

Just as Harini was probably reaching the end of her patience, we came to flat land. We were standing on a ground which was like a plateau and looking straight at the Racham Valley, the valley which had so fascinated me the day earlier. There definitely cannot be a better sight to end an arduous trek than this. The wide valley, the hills and the Baspa river refresh you instantly.

It was great sight for Gayathri and the kids to see our car parked at a distance. Harini, who till then was lagging behind, started walking briskly and she was the first one to get near the car. I took some photographs of the valley but I knew that I wouldnt be able to capture the grandeur of the scene on my CCD sensor. These are times when you want to give up photography !!!

We went back to the camp in our car, had lunch and crashed. All of us slept for atleast 2 hrs or more. When we woke up it was close to tea time and tea was very welcome along with the pakoras that they had made. Lots of people were doing river crossing, this where you cross the river hanging on to a rope. They have an harness which ensure you dont fall and you need to pull yourself using your hands and get to the other side. Though it looks easy it takes enormous amount of effort and I was in condition to put that effort. So I gave it a go by. As expected the kids recovered pretty fast wanted to do the river crossing. In case of kids they are safely tied to the rope and pulled across and they dont need to put any effort. It was a thrilling experience for them.

We had our usual bonfire and a great round of Anthakshari and Dumb Charades. By this time all families had come to know each other well and everyone was enjoying themselves. The next morning was our time to leave and we said our goodbyes to everyone over breakfast. Many others were leaving as well and they were proceeding to places like Tabo or Shoja. We started from Sangla and went to Sarahan to visit the temple there and to have lunch. From Sarahan we came down to Tanedar by evening. We spent the night at Tanedar and the next day took us to Kalka from where we took the Shatabdi to Delhi. We got back to Bangalore after spending one full day in Delhi for sight seeing and SHOPPING !!!

Thus ended a charming trip to Himachal and the hills. Thanks are due to Banjara Camp people for having organized this lovely trip.

The enchanting drive to Chitkul

"You can go to Chitkul tomorrow", said Bishnoi, the manager at Banjara Camps. "The drive is very scenic". He turned out be 100% right and probably more. It was an enchanting drive with the scenery changing constantly and you gasping for breath after seeing so much beauty at one place.

The early morning tea was something all of us welcomed given the cold weather. The tea is served outside under a large tent. We met people once again and most of them were going to Chitkul. Infact, _all_ of them were going to Chitkul. After breakfast we started our drive leisurely.

The car climbed up from the camp site and joined the main road. Initially you get no clue of what is in store for us. The scenery remains unchanged for the first few kilometers. Then slowly you see that you are travelling on a very narrow road which curves around the mountain and far below you pure white water of Baspa river runs over the rocks. As you are enjoying this scenery you reach the small village of Racham and the scenery suddenly becomes more beautiful by a large factor (if there is some way to measure the beauty of a scene).

The narrow valley through which Baspa has been running suddenly widens up and lets you experience the vastness of this area. In front of you is the wide valley and all around the gigantic mountains. As you stand there staring at the scene, you get the same feeling when you stand alone and stare at the stars on a clear night. You are encompassed by vastness on all sides and you realize that nature can be overpowering. I asked the driver to stop and we got out and took some pictures. There was no way that any wide angle lens would do justice to what I was experiencing but it is always good to capture some memories for future 'chewing of the cud'.

The road further was equally beautiful. Suddenly coniferous trees started appearing and with them appeared round white boulders. It was fascinating to see so many boulders strewn around. Added to this were the streams which ran over these boulders forming tiny waterfalls. At one place the water stream was running on the road for some length. Gayathri and the kids were sure that they wanted to stand in the waterfall and wet their feet on the way back, little realizing that it was not an option !!

After some time, the trees disappeared. We were in barren land with the mountains around us barren and with lot of boulders and small stones all around us. The beauty of the scene made us stop again and take some photos. The wide area strewn with white round rocks, the distant barren mountains some of them covered with snow, the deep blue sky with a fluffy cloud or two, everything seemed to be made only for photographers. It was difficult to move away from the beauty but as they say 'Woods are lovely, dark and deep'. I guess you know the rest :)

We then reached the village of Chitkul. On this side of Himachal, this is the last village. Three kilometers from here is the last Indian outpost, which is manned by the Indo Tibetian Border Force. After that, when you cross the mountains, you get into Tibet.

The car stops at Chitkul and we need to trek for 3kms to reach the last place that you can go as far as Himachal is concerned. We started walking and the sky started turning dark. The air was gathering water and rushing all around. I met a local old man as I was walking and we started talking.

Old Man: You enjoying youself here
Me: Yes. The scenery is wonderful
Old Man: You should come a few months later. This whole area will be green and it looks even more magical !!

(Well, those who have kids whose school starts in June cannot think of going anywhere during the months June to Aug. All you can do is to imagine how much more beautiful this area would be in those months !!)

The old man had a Pomeranian dog. Needless to say Ranjani and Harini immediately went and patted the dog and took photos with it.

By this time the sky was fully dark and a light drizzle had started. We had no option but to return back to some shelter. We were each wearing one sweater and we had no spare. If that got drenched we were in serious trouble. So we rushed back to where our car was parked and took shelter in a small shop which was selling almost anything. The rain had intensified and those who had gone earlier than us for the trek came back fully drenched. There is absolutely no shelter once you start trekking.

Gayathri was very upset that it was still raining and that we may not have a chance to stand in the small waterfalls. Luckily for her the rain had almost stopped as we were going back and I asked the driver to stop at a place where the water was running on the road. Gayathri and kids got down to go and stand in the water and were back inside the car almost immediately !! "The water gives a shock" said Ranjani and Harini, with lot of excitement. The water was probably a glazier melt and it was must have been freezing cold. Gayathri was upset. "This is injustice. Such beautiful flow of water and you cant keep your feet in this even during summer !! How will anyone enjoy this?"

We came back to Banjara Camps, had a great lunch and relaxed for some time. Then we went down in the evening to sit on the banks of Baspa. The bank here is full of pebbles of different sizes, shapes and color. The river water is cold and crystal clear. The river rushes with a good force over the boulders. It is not very wide here but you cant think of walking across the river due to the cold and the force with which the river flows. I took some snaps of the pebbles and was cursing myself for not having got my polarizer which would have been very useful here.

The river flowing continuously, the mountains in front of us with green trees, the distant horizon with the sky a deep shade of blue, the white clouds floating around, the calmness of the area and absolutely no trace of any humanity around can put you into a philosophical mood !! As I sat next to Gayathri I realized this as she asked me, "Just like the waves of the ocean, the river keeps running on and on, without ever tiring". True. The mysteries of nature are many and in times like this we can feel a calm descend on us as we take in the scenery and forget our trivial worries. The water cold but not very cold. This allowed us to put our feet in the river water for some time, withdraw it and put it back after some time. We sat there till it was starting to get dark and came back to the room.

An elderly couple who we had met in Shoja had come to Sangla that evening. We were talking with them for some time. Then we had tea and the kids started playing. The bonfire as usual happened at 8 o clock. After that we had dinner. The cook had decided to go continental that day, which meant baked vegetables and lots of dishes whose names you cannot pronounce !! Gayathri had a look at it and said that she cant eat any of it. Where were the chapatis? The day was saved by another family which had ordered Jain food. Gayathri got her strength back when she saw rice, dal and chapati. It was important that she got her strength back. She didnt realize it at that point in time but the next day, the Racham walk, would make her realize it !!