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Continued from The Silver Lining (Rupin Pass Trek - Part 1)
When I woke up in Jakha, I was happier than the day before. Maybe because RCB had won the IPL final previous night. Maybe because my prayers were finally answered. It was still cloudy but rain seemed unlikely. Still, we wore our ponchos and rain jackets, just to be safe. And even though my knee didn't hurt anymore, I put on my knee brace anyway. Something positive inside me had woken up and it wasn't going to let me ruin the rest of the trek.
"Mayank," I called out once we were back on the trail. Today, we were staying in tents, and Mayank seemed like a genuine, sincere, polite and humble person to have as a tent mate. He followed every instruction to the letter and was always punctual. In short, he was the opposite of me.
"Are you sure?" he asked politely, after I made him the offer. "Don't you want someone in your age group?"
"Age is just a number, my friend. The mountains don't care. Why should I? So, are we sorted?"
Mayank gave a courteous smile and continued on the trail. First stop for the day came when we were about to enter the woods. Varun gave the instruction that all of us must cover the forest stretch in total silence, and recommended we hug the trees on the way.
Walking in the woods is always a delight. Immersed in a profound silence, I could just breathe in the fresh air and hope for an inspiration to strike so I could turn it into my next piece of prose or poetry. To my surprise, none came. My muse was deep asleep somewhere or maybe she too was immersed in the sound of the surrounding silence. I didn't disturb her, just walked beside her in a shared silence.
I spotted Varun hugging a tree. When he let go, I asked him in a whisper, "What did it say when you hugged it?"
"Same thing they always say. Reduce pollution. Don't cut me down." He said it with a smile, and I was impressed by the witty reply. I almost asked him something else, the question I wanted to ask on day one, when he introduced himself during the briefing.
Are you from abroad? At least your parents must be foreigners? Or are you just a foreign traveler who came to India to witness the Himalayas, but fell in love with the mountains and decided to stay?
I didn't ask him any of that. After all, I am not an ingrate who repays sincerity with racist remarks. He had come to check on me the night before, during dinner, said he had been looking for me during the village tour, wanted to know if I was sick or something, since I had missed out on a great experience. If I wasn't well, he said, I should let him know rather than keep it to myself. I told him I was fine, just tired.
Once the forest stretch was over, a bend in the trail revealed a surprise: the Rupin river flowing gently in the valley below. Varun must have witnessed that view numerous times, and yet I found him standing there, awestruck. I checked with him if I should take out the poncho. Rain seemed unlikely. He agreed, but advised me to put on my jacket and cover my head and neck. Together we descended the steep trail that led to a bridge, and then to a dhaba, where I quickly enquired if they served Siddu. Thankfully, they did.
Siddu ordered, I looked around for MJ. She wasn't around. Then my eyes drifted to the bridge I had crossed moments ago. She was busy with Pallavi, both clicking pictures of each other in multiple poses. By the time they reached the dhaba, my plate was already finished.
Like it happened on every other trek, there came a moment, when I was walking at such a middle position in the group that I was aware that there were people both ahead and behind, but I just couldn't see them. All I could see were little tributaries from the upper reaches of the mountain flowing into the Rupin river on my left, which had changed colour to a glorious icy blue, the water clear as crystal. For a stretch of time, it felt like it was just me and the valley. I owned the place. The scenery changed constantly, but I forgot to click a picture, or even when I didn't forget, I didn't click a picture to ensure that my rhythm wasn't interrupted by tapping out of the continuous flow.
My WiFi had finally connected with the mountains.
Ultimately, the trail climbed and curved right, and I came across a small grassland, that had been turned into a campsite. I noticed the banners of a few trekking agencies. I spotted the name of the location on one of them: Burans Kandi. And not so surprisingly, I found a stall nearby selling Burans (rhododendron) juice.
MJ would love it. But where was she? Was she all right? Were her knees hurting? Or was she lagging behind for the most obvious reason?
Making a mental note not to say the last part out loud, I waited for her, maybe a bit too long, until I saw her approaching with Ronit. She looked distraught, and Ronit followed closely behind in her footsteps. My announcement regarding Burans juice, turned her frown upside down. She finished the glass in one gulp, then turned to me and said, "I wish I would take back home a carton of this juice."
"Well, don't look at me. My backpack is already too heavy."
"Shut up, idiot!"
Once we resumed, I stayed with Ronit and MJ. Crossing the campsite, we entered a forested area. The ascent was steep, but manageable since I kept my focus on the Rupin below, joined here and there by mini waterfalls, some of them frozen. MJ noticed I had slowed my pace on purpose and told me to go ahead, not to wait for her.
"Listen," I said. "You brought me on this trek. It's only fitting I accompany you to the campsite, not for ensuring your well-being, just to soothe my overinflated ego."
MJ rolled her eyes, having nothing to counter my well-balanced justification.
The climb didn't last long. The trail wove through low hanging branches, one of which caught Ronit's fancy. He jumped to grasp it, followed by a few pull-ups, grinning the whole time. Some time later, I spotted the group, waiting for us up ahead. I was walking behind MJ, so she didn't notice when I signalled the group to clap. They did. Nitin patted her on the back, told her she was doing great.
A little motivation goes a long way.
"How far is the campsite?" she asked Ronit, once we had rested enough to start again. Nitin had gone ahead with the group, already well-rested. Only Pallavi and Shabar chose to tag along with us.
"Just half an hour," replied Ronit.
"Don't listen to him," I cut in. "He's a guide. He's lying. First thing they learn to become a guide."
I had walked only a bit further, when I came across a big clearing. I was in a glade with the Rupin running at the same level as the trail. Small boulders lay scattered in our path, and across the river a few tents were visible. MJ perked up instantly. "Is that ours?"
Pallavi looked at Ronit with hope, but he only gave a shamefaced smile. Shabar laughed. "Do you think Indiahikes would make camp somewhere this easy to reach? We'll see the campsite only when all hope is lost and our legs are at God's mercy."
Thank God, it was not our campsite, because a little further along I caught the first glimpse of the famous Rupin waterfall in the distance. It was mesmerising to see the U-shaped valley and Rupin climbing down from the snowy peak. For a moment I forgot how tired I was. My eyes landed on a fallen log at the very location it needed to be for a great photograph. I sat down on the log and asked Shabar to click my picture, then returned the favour. When MJ saw the photo, her eyes doubled in size. I knew what was coming next, so after the group photo, I left silently. Once I had gathered enough distance, I smiled at my trickery. I had entrapped Shabar to conduct the rest of the photoshoot with MJ and Pallavi, while Ronit looked on, smiling as always.
I went on and on until I came upon a bump on the trail. There, lay in wait the most wonderful view of the entire day. Down below in the valley, a row of tiny orange tents was pitched on the green slope of a giant mountain, the snowy peak towering behind them, and just along the campsite, a stream flowed through a rubble of grey rocks. Standing there, I experienced a quiet that could only be experienced if you let go of yourself and acknowledge something that was older and larger than you are. A single view justified every step I had taken that day.
This has to be our campsite.
When I saw MJ and the others approaching behind me I realised that I hadn't moved in a while. Maybe because I was immersed in the view and lost track of time, or maybe once I had my fill of the view, I wanted to share my joy with others. So I waited, and once all of us were together, we descended the last stretch. We had to walk on a make-shift bridge made up of rocks to cross the stream and reach the campsite. Ronit warned that only one person could cross at a time. Pallavi was so nervous crossing the bridge that she didn't even stop halfway for a photo.
At last, all of us reached the campsite. A yellow sign announced 'Saruwas Thatch'. What followed happened in quick succession. I found Mayank, dropped my backpack inside the tent he had already claimed, took out my glass, rushed to the kettle sitting atop a stone containing the evening drink, Aam Panna, a speciality of Indiahikes. It tasted a thousand times better after a day's hike. I savoured every sip. A cool-down session followed, then a briefing from the camp in-charge, and then it was time for lunch.
What do you do when you have nothing to do?
With a satisfied tummy, I wandered aimlessly around the campsite. So did everyone else. I was bursting with euphoria, not a hint of tiredness in me. It was sunny, but windy. I half expected Nitin or Varun to appear out of nowhere and tell me to put on my woollen cap. The Gen-Z gang - Kamya, Jagrav and Syed - had found a large rock to climb and sit on. A few adventurous ones went off to explore a frozen waterfall visible from our campsite.
The best thing about a high altitude trek is reaching a campsite devoid of network coverage and electricity. I had finally reached that place. No network meant no calls, no emails, no social media, and even downloaded content only went so far once the lack of electricity forced you to ration your phone battery and power bank alike. Himanshu learned that lesson the hard way, going tent to tent asking to recharge his phone. I couldn't say no when he asked to borrow mine, but I told him — only for a short while.
I still had videos to shoot, to capture the whole trek from start to end.
When I came across MJ, she was wearing a colourful woollen cap that had two tiny tails hanging on either side. I felt the urge to make fun of her, but let it go. Instead, I punched her lightly on the shoulder and, with the most sincere expression I could manage, said, "Thanks MJ for bringing me on this trek. Otherwise I would have really missed out on one of the most wonderful experiences of my life."
"I know." She looked around the valley, trying hard not to let her face give away that even she was pleasantly surprised at her own choice. "You are welcome. This is just the beginning, by the way."
Thereafter, we made multiple rounds of the campsite, one end to the other. At some point the clouds rolled in, swallowing the far end from view. I finally said what was on my mind. "Let's go down to the river."
"No, I can't." She shook her head. "It's a tricky descent. I can't risk hurting my knee."
Maybe MJ read my expressions, because she quickly added, "You may go if you want. I won't mind. I just can't come with you."
"Great!"
I turned around and started towards the snowy mountain which was invisible now because of the cloud cover. I picked my way down the tricky descent with caution. The path was riddled with rocks. One wrong step and I could twist my ankle. Upon reaching the riverside, I found a large enough rock to sit on, one with minimal risk of tumbling in.
What now?
What do you do when you have nothing to do?
And then suddenly, I knew. I rested my eyes on the distant campsite, where I could see a miniature red blot that could only be Nitin in his red jacket. And just like that, moments later, the red blot vanished into the rolling mist. Hazy thoughts drifted through my mind, trying to assimilate and merge into words. They weren't successful. I didn't mind. One of those thoughts had made me smile. It was a peaceful calming thought.
Neil would have loved it here!
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End of Part 2
To be continued...
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