LIFE AND LIES #61 | The Summit Within

Dehradun to Sankri

On an early morning, towards the end of March, I was sipping a cup of tea in Dehradun, surrounded by a bunch of strangers loading their backpacks on a traveller which was going to take us to Sankri, the starting point of Kedarkantha Trek. A thought struck me. Somewhere around this place, not so long ago, Ruskin Bond was racking his brains to come up with the name of a fictitious town. Subsequently, he came up with the name: Dehra, having spent his early adolescent days in Dehradun, the place which inspired many of his characters and stories. Ingenious, huh? I am struggling with a similar challenge. Let’s see what I come up with.

I finished my tea. And soon we headed on our way. The first view of the mountains came when we were about to reach Mussourie. A smile spread across my face automatically in its unique way, like it happens when you meet an old friend after a long time. I was hoping to spot Cambridge Book Depot on the way, or even Ruskin Bond if I were lucky. Neither happened as the traveller took a different route.

Around noon, the driver made a brief stop for the loo. It was only after I had relieved myself that I noticed the beautiful view right before me. Just along the roadside, I spotted a goat track going downwards, leading to a riverside that was riddled with rocks. Such a picturesque view and there was nobody there. How was that possible in the mountains? Anyway, I felt the familiar urge to explore. I had become familiar with many of my fellow passengers. I asked them to accompany me. Some denied it because it would take a lot of time while others were uncomfortable with the steep descent. I re-evaluated my decision. Was I being foolhardy adventurous again? Concluding that I was not, I made the descent on my own, and once I reached the riverside, settled myself on one of the large protruding rocks with my feet dipped in the cold water. I guess, I had made it look easy, for soon I was surrounded by the entire group. Someone even patted me on the back. In the end, I was glad I did what I did because as it turned out, the river was Yamuna. This was the first time I was seeing Yamuna in the mountains.

Once we were back on the road, time and again, we were stopped by groups of children, making collections for Holi, which was to be celebrated the day after. They had unofficially created miniature barricades for the same. Somehow, the driver bargained their way through them. Not long after, we were delighted with the view of lush green meadows and cherry blossoms with the backdrop of the mountain range. Surrounded by one such landscape, we made a stop for lunch in Purola. There I had red rice after a long time, along with rajma.

Once we crossed Mori, the landscape added snow-capped peaks and the surrounding view became even more majestic. But the same could not be said about the roads. The last stretch to Sankri which took about an hour or so, covering 21 kilometres, was very bumpy. I could breathe in the beauty but couldn’t capture an image that wasn’t shaky.

When dejected, I often find people saying that God left this world a long time ago. I think they are only partly correct. God didn’t leave this world. They just moved to the mountains, away from the noise of their creations. Our ancestors could comprehend that and therefore they built temples/religious landmarks at high altitudes. To check and test the temperament of the people. Only a selected few, the resolute ones could make it to the top. I laboured very hard to be one of them.

Sankri to Juda Ka Talab

The entry gate of Govinda Pashu Vihar National Park loomed large as we began the trek from Sankri. There was a painting on the wall, which was basically our route plan for the trek. It depicted a river flowing downwards, separating two mountain ranges – the Rupin range and the Supin range. The former had Mt. Swargarohini as its peak, featuring a snow leopard while the latter had Mt. Kedarkantha (No featured animal, we were safe). A pin marked ‘You are here’ was painted beside a bunch of huts. A dotted line connected it to Juda Ka Talab campsite and then further to the north, a red dot on a patch of green highlighted ‘Kedarkantha Basecamp’.

Sunita, the trek leader, assigned by Trek The Himalayas (TTH) had briefed us the previous evening about the prerequisites of the trek. She was accompanied by two more people from TTH, Deepak and Sakshit. The three of them led a group of 22, out of which only 3 were carrying their backpacks, including me. Today, we were starting from 6400 feet to reach Juda Ka Talab at 9100 feet, covering a distance of 4.5 kilometres. It was a huge ascent for a single day.

It was a sunny day. We were surrounded by deodar and oak trees, but they weren’t of much help with providing shade. A few minutes into the trek, the woollens came off. The sunglasses remained on, along with the cap. In Posla, at Chacha ka Dhaba, we took our first break of the day. There everyone got to try Rhododendron juice, made from a flower that was found in abundance here.

By the time we left the forest behind and came upon a large clearing, I had started to feel the weight of my backpack. It was definitely visible on my face because time and again, my fellow trekkers who had offloaded their backpacks, came to check on me, offering to carry it. But I refused. Even so, I was very relieved when we came upon another clearing. The Trek leader shouted ‘Maggie Point’. The thatched hut with seating belonged to Bansuri Wale Baba. Once he was done taking orders from everyone, he took out his flute, living up to his name and played a tune for everyone. Apparently, he was famous, YouTube channel and all.

Apart from the chocolates that I bring with me, I don’t eat anything else on a trek. And I drink loads of water. Both of them combined help me against dehydration and altitude sickness. So, while everyone had bowls of Maggie, I put down my backpack and ventured around while munching on a Snickers. It was a large clearing surrounded by alpine trees. A mule grazed on green grass beside a narrow clear stream. It didn’t take long for me to be rejuvenated.

We began again and after crossing one clearing after another, tents popping in view here and there, we reached Juda ka Talab campsite at 2 PM, six hours after we had started. I was dog-tired, but it wasn’t something I didn’t expect. Having a group stretching exercise organised by the trek leader did help somewhat. Our tents were already set up in a space surrounded by trees. Two people had to share one. I shared the tent with another solo traveller like me, Rakshit. Thank God, he didn’t talk much. After having lunch, I was napping away without wasting a moment. The ‘Talab’ was at walking distance from our campsite. We were supposed to go there in the evening. And I would have missed it, had Rakshit not woken me up.

To be honest, I was disappointed when I reached Juda Ka Talab. While Deepak was telling us how the location was named (joining of many ponds), I couldn’t draw my mind away from the fact that the place was too crowded. I didn’t get a single moment alone.

I liked the night though, back at the campsite, which was awash with moonlight. And between the trees towering over us, I could see the stars in all their magnificence.

Juda Ka Talab to Kedarkantha Basecamp

We started at 10 AM since we had only 2 kilometres to cover. The toughest ordeal of the day was already over. Freshening up in the mountains is a challenge in itself, not covered in explicit detail in any itinerary or travelogue. And I won’t discontinue that tradition.

Though it continued to be an uphill climb, the ascent wasn’t as steep as it was the previous day. The trail, however, was covered in snow. It was easier to tread on but I remained watchful for any snow getting into my shoes. Sakshit remained at the front of the group. Nobody was allowed to overtake him. Deepak stayed somewhere in the middle and Sunita led from the back. Everyone needed to stay together. Nobody was supposed to go wandering off.

During our first break of the day, we had snowball fights. It got pretty scary. At some point, I could not feel my right ear. Sakshit was the biggest troublemaker. Eventually, my fellow trekkers exacted their revenge when they rolled him in the snow on the ground.

The second break wasn’t planned. We just happened to come across a fallen tree, fallen in a picturesque way. Its roots formed a throne of sorts, on which a lean and skinny Sakshit placed himself in a grandiose manner. Watching this, everyone gathered for a group picture.

The third break was on account of network coverage. Most of my fellow trekkers were married with children. They had people to call, to let them know that they were doing fine. I had nobody to call. My parents weren’t aware that I had gone on a trek. My sister was aware but she was confident that I could hold my own. As for my friends, they were working in their respective offices.

We reached the base camp at 11:45 AM and got the first look at the summit. Covered entirely in snow, it towered over everything in sight. Our tents formed a ‘U’, set up just beside an expanse of snow-covered ground. We had the entire day remaining with us. We were required to rest and acclimatise because we would have to start the trek to the summit at 2 AM in order to catch the sunrise from the summit. Everyone busied themselves in a game of cricket. I don’t do that at sea level. I wasn’t going to change my mind at 11,250 feet.

After having a scrumptious lunch, I decided to explore the surroundings on my own. Then on second thought, I asked Sakshit to come along. He hesitated first, looking at Deepak and Sunita in the distance, then agreed. It was difficult to keep up with him. Where I trod carefully, he ran. When I asked, he told me that he was only 19 years old, a trainee with TTH. I felt old. All the same, together we went over the undulating ground, rising and falling, covered with snow, melting, seeping into the ground to make it muddy. Broken tree trunks lay here and there forming bridges over running streams of clear water. And all the while, Mt. Kedarkantha loomed in the distance, hidden behind the trees. Soon, we left the trees behind and I could see the peak more clearly.

My mother always asks me in a worried tone, ‘Why do I do this, go to the mountains?’ And I always reply to her in a casual manner, ‘Higher I go, closer I feel to God. Maybe someday if I go high enough, I might even get to see Him.’ My mother is a religious woman. She doesn’t contradict me when there’s God involved.

It was time for evening snacks by the time we returned. Somebody had created a snowman just beside our camp. After we were done with snacks, Deepak brought about gaiters and microspikes for everyone. We would need it because the path to the summit was covered in snow, at some places, even knee deep, that too in the night. After a short brief, all of us put them on and we practised walking on snow covered ascent. I was no longer worried about snow getting inside my shoe because of my knee-high gaiters. And with the spikes, I was surer of my footing. I looked at the peak again. So far I had found this trek easier than Sandakphu Phalut, and that was a summer trek in October. I hoped for an interesting challenge. Or even better, some words, a line or two.

Basecamp to Kedankantha Summit

We started at 2 AM under a starry moonlit night. I could spot Ursa Major, Ursa Minor and Orion among a sea of stars. We walked in a single line, slowly and carefully, as we were not used to the microspikes. We were soon joined by people from other groups/agencies. All the way, we went on encouraging each other. I especially reminded everyone to keep sipping water. Gaining height caused headaches. Drinking water was the best preventive act.

During one such water break, Rakshit was standing right beside me. And over a jutting snow-covered rock, I could see the moon between two trees, as if it was sneaking on me, speaking to me in a whisper.

Bhai kamaal karte ho

Roshni humari sang lekar

Dhundne Suraj ko jaate ho

Apparently, I had uttered my thoughts out loud because I heard Rakshit reply to me.

Chanda Mama

Itna guroor kyu karte ho

Roshni ye tumhari

Suraj se hi to udhar lete ho

Waah, waah, I replied before resuming the trek. The moon must have been embarrassed for he hid himself behind the clouds. Up ahead, just above the high rise, I could see the silhouette of the mountain and in the foreground, a tent, bursting with light. Maggie Point. We were halfway to the summit and this was our only planned break.

I had come upon a song a few days ago. For some reason, it started playing in my head, a few of its lines specifically.

I go to the mountains

I go to the mountains, in my soul

Looking for an angel

But these demons take control

And they say, Oh Oh Oh

And so it happened with me, sitting there, with everyone having tea or Maggie, the demons took control. Something inside me spoke that I had to be the first one in the group to reach the summit, no matter what. It wasn’t a competition but still, I needed to win. And so I went on and on. I was with Sakshit in the front. Many times, I even overtook him but he gained up on me and told me not to do it as it was not allowed. So I stayed just behind him, ahead of everyone else.

It was only after the break of daylight, that I realised how far I had come. The scenery around was breathtakingly beautiful. The snow-covered ranges that towered over us were now at my eye level. Another Godly thought crossed my mind. Humans can only shoot films in IMAX but God created this in IMAX.

It was evident now that none of us would be able to witness the sunrise. Clouds hovered all around, hiding the Sun somewhere behind. I had almost reached the summit. I turned around. Down the slope, I could see only 3-4 people from my group. They were relaxing or clicking pictures with the amazing landscape. Sakshit caught my eye and signalled me to wait. I smiled. He understood and then signalled me to keep going.

So I went on and on. I reached a point where the slope was very steep and snow-covered. There was hardly any foothold. One wrong step and I would have gone sliding all the way down. That is when I had to do what I hadn’t done until now. I used my hands and sort of crawled my way upwards, until I reached the rocky ground that wasn’t covered with snow.

It didn’t take me long after that to reach the summit. There was a stone formation, built from piles of rock, stacked upon each other with a spiritual flag on the top. I bowed my head down in a Namaste. Then I looked around for people from my group. There were none. I had done what I had resolved. But the summit feel wasn’t quite what I had expected. I had expected a repeat of the Chandrashila Summit, where I could not find another human for hours. This place was crowded. I almost felt the excitement of reaching the summit melting away. That is when I found an isolated corner, away from everyone.

And something happened to me that had previously happened to me in Phalut. I started crying, looking at the mountains surrounding me. But why did it happen this time? In Phalut, I was looking at Mt. Everest with my naked eye. It was a moment of a lifetime. Totally understandable! 

Then it dawned on me. I guess, I cried because I owed all of this to my teenage self who could only dream of making this climb, physically and financially.

I whispered a thought into the air, ‘I wish I was born above 10,000 feet.’

There came a reply, just when I reached Sankri and completed the trek. ‘No, you don’t. You would have hated it here then. Familiarity breeds contempt, remember?’

And on the way to Dehradun, another thought popped into my head. I kept it to myself. I had decided to do the Everest Basecamp trek. Not necessarily this year or the next. But definitely, somewhere down the line.

***

Liked what you read? Leave a comment.

Didn't like what you read? Hope you like the video then: Kedarkantha Trek Video

***

I have borrowed the title "The Summit Within" from a chapter in NCERT textbook that I read back in school. It is an inspiring true story of India's most iconic mountaineer named Major H P S Ahluwalia. He was a member of India's first successful expedition to Mount Everest in 1965. The lesson "The Summit Within" opens with the narrator expressing how he felt as he stood at the summit of Everest.