Hanuman Tibba: An Alpine Adventure.

By Neha Kulkarni.

My neck hardly had any space to move and look around. It felt hemmed in by a bulky rucksack I was carrying on my back, whose top portion was taller than my head. With hands holding the ice axe, and crampons on my snow boots kicking front pointed steps in the snow, I really did not want to bother myself with anything more than looking ahead at the climber above me, and following his route up the steep gully that would take us to the top of the pass.

Twenty steps, stop, breathe, gather your thoughts, twenty steps, stop… I was trying to maintain a rhythm while climbing up the slope. But we were already 14000 feet above sea level and lack of oxygen in the air was making its presence felt. Leaning down on the ice axe, which I had planted in the snow to use it as an anchor, I tried to calm down my chaos filled mind with the exquisite panorama I could look at through the gap in my feet. The rocks & ice blocks that rumbled down from an ice fall some safe distance away made for a constant background sound.

Climbing towards ‘Tentu’ pass on the snow slope, with a 70 degrees gradient.

Hanuman Tibba, standing tall at 5984m from mean sea level, is the highest peak in the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas and I was making an attempt at climbing this peak in the Alpine way, under the lead and guidance of two other climbers. Alpine style meant that we were just the three of us - no porters, no cooks and no mules to carry our loads.  From logistics to food to load ferries to actual climbing, we were very much on our own.

For the last five days, my life had revolved around six things, namely, pitching the tent, putting a brew on the stove, packing the rucksack, putting on the gear, panting while walking uphill, and trying in vain to find a flat surface on the tent floor at night with the intention of catching some sleep. Afternoons and evenings were spent looking around and soaking in the magical views. By day 3, I had begun to memorize the contours of the region surrounding me.

Way towards Base camp.

We had trekked from Dhundi (near Manali) to Beas Kund, and set up our campsite some way above that. The trek route had been scenic, with gushing waters, green trees and snow capped mountains all around us. The Seven Sisters, an aptly called chain of mountain peaks, was lining one side of the route. Some way ahead in the same line lay Hanuman Tibba, and it was this mountain that we had intended to climb. Soon enough in the trek, the mountain had turned kind enough to part its veil of clouds and let us have a clear view of its three fanged peak. The clouds had taken over after a few minutes, as if the show had ended and curtains had fallen over the stage. We had then taken to shifting our focus to other beautiful mountains on the other side of the route. Friendship, Shitidhar, Ladakhi - they all stood erect to complete a three-quarter of the circle around the route, leaving the path along the Beas river open, if one wished to access the interiors.

Base camp at Beas Kund.

Enjoying a cuppa and the serene views outside the tent at advanced base camp.

The trek has been a total six days of toil. We had set up base camp, advanced base camp, an intermediate camp and could have reached the summit of the peak had we been able to proceed to two higher camps. But on day five, due to objective dangers in the mountain, we had opted for safety over anything else and aborted the climb to retrace our steps down the mountain. And still, I had not felt a single emotion of sadness or loss for not being able to stand on the top.

Intermediate camp some way up the path to Tentu pass.

Icefall accompanying us on the left throughout the climb.

Geared up for the climb on the last day. The rucksack weighs between 15 and 20 kg. The Scarpa snow shoes, crampons and the helmet are absolutely necessary.

All I had done was to challenge my physical and mental limits and the effort had been immensely satisfying. The fabulous mountain views surrounding us were an added bonus.

Turn back point on the last day of the uphill journey.

For the first time in my life, I had realized, that it is good to have a good end to a journey; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.

Go out and stretch your limits. You will be surprised to see  just how much you can go beyond what you thought was possible.

Essential Information:

Photo courtesy and our guide: Inder Thakur from Manali

Expedition Organiser: Geck & Co.

Expedition Leader: Kunal Bedarkar.

Author Bio: The author is an IT professional who happens to be in love with mountains and the art of rock climbing. She also lugs around her DSLR and likes the art of editing photographs. Her travel blog can be found at http://wondersandwanders.wordpress.com/.

For more stories off the beaten path in India, visit www.indiauntravelled.com or join India Untravelled on Facebook and Twitter. To contribute guest posts / photo essays to this blog, please send your story ideas to shivya@indiauntravelled.com. 

Surreal Spiti.

By Mansee Shah.

Mansee travelled to Spiti on a trip organized by India Untravelled in June 2012, and is back to take us on a virtual journey around Spiti.

I travelled to Spiti in June 2012. I had not even heard of the place before I came across this site  http://indiauntravelled.com/trips.html, fell in love with a snap posted on it, and decided that I wanted to visit there. I checked with a few friends if they wanted to join, but unfortunately they could not, due to work / social engagements and the works. Anyways, the enchanting photograph was still in my mind and I decided to travel solo. Joined a trip organised by India Untravelled and had one of the most awesome experiences ever!

The beauty of Spiti lay in the diversity of the place – hard rocky terrain, gushing water, snow capped moutains, greenery (though in bits and pieces– otherwise it is rocky terrain) and the beautiful monasteries…all of it just awesome  Surrounded by the Himalayas, you will find yourself seeing the varied beauty of the mountains while doing ordinary things like sipping tea, having lunch or just plain gazing.

Tying prayer flags in Spiti.

Interacting with the locals was so engaging – they are so hard working and yet so simple. I especially fell in love with our guide – Tsering, and this cute couple in a Dhaba.

The cutest couple at Chandra dhaba.

Some of the must visit places in Spiti are:

• Kaza, a vibrant town which has a petrol pump at highest altitude levels.
• Tabo, the most charming place in Spiti – be it the charming people, the 1000 year old Tabo monastery, the caves, the souvenir shops, everything is just heart tugging.
• Dhankar, whose monastery is precariously perched on the mountains, and Dhankar lake.
• Trip from Demul to Komic — if you are fit, its a moderate 4-5 hours trek. If you are unfit (like me  ), then opt for a yak.
• Komic, a charming village and homestay, also do send some postcards from the highest post office in Asia at Hikkim (close to Komic village)

Hiking back from Dhankar Lake.

Locking horns mountain goat.

The secret lives of the lamas (monks) of Spiti!

We missed out on Pin Valley and Chaandrataal lake due to landslides but pictures show they are extremely beautiful locations so definitely “must dos” if in Lahaul - Spiti Valley.

The best and the worst part about the trip was the journey. Worst because the road from Manali to Kaza is quite rocky and is not for the faint hearted who are used to travelling smooth. But if you do manage it, I can promise its the most awesome journey ever. You will always be worried about dozing off because you dont want to miss a single moment of natural exquisite beauty. Cannot describe it in words. Especially loved the Kumzum pass   There are some moments when the entire body is smiling and you feel just happiness and quiet joy within. I experienced that there 

Enchanting times.

Go experience that you!

Author Bio: When she is not slumming it out at work, the author enjoys the good things in life - yummy food, appealing books, interesting movies, vivacious conversations, and of late, she has started to enjoy exploring various locations as well.  She writes sporadically at http://mansee-pov.blogspot.in/  and http://manseelikes.wordpress.com/ and tweets @ManseeT.

For more stories off the beaten path in India, visit www.indiauntravelled.com or join India Untravelled on Facebook and Twitter. To contribute guest posts / photo essays to this blog, please send your story ideas to shivya@indiauntravelled.com. 

Munsiari: Volunteering in the Himalayas.

By Lavanya Keshavamurthy.

My journey from Bangalore to Munsiari (Uttarakhand) via Canada seems almost like a fairy tale. When a friend shared with me a Times Now program called Amazing Indians - "Transforming lives in the hills" showcasing the work of Malika Virdi, I felt this was the kind of work that I was really looking for. So, I took a break from my studies and set off to this beautiful place near the border of Nepal and Tibet.

Stunning views of the Panchchuli range

The journey up to the beautiful "place with snow" at a height of about 2200m above sea level (Munsiari means "place with snow" in local language), with stunning views of the Panchchuli peaks in the Kumaon region, was physically exhausting as I traveled in a shared taxi from the plains of Haldwani through the lower Himalayas to the higher Himalayas. However, the exhaustion magically disappeared by the way I was enthusiastically greeted by the family who hosted my stay. In the 2.5 months I spent in Munsiari, I had the opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of 5 different homes, all part of the rural tourism program.

With Basanti – my first hostess, friend and farming guru

One of the traditional homes in the home-stay program

Work hard

During the first few days, a typical day involved clearing cow-dung, looking after goats, watering the plants, helping in the kitchen, and knitting my scarf in front of the kitchen fire. For a few days, I worked with an intern from Poland on water mapping and water testing projects. One day, I planted potatoes in the morning and drove a tourist taxi in the evening & earned some money as a driver! A happy coincidence, and I earned some more money as a research assistant on a research project in the village. Towards the end of my stay, I worked with a dozen strong women to create a fish pond for one of the families I stayed with.

Fish pond

On the way to work

Who's that?

Play harder

It was not all work and no play. On May 13^th, there was fun and frolic at the annual Mesar Van Kautik – a festival celebrating the Mesar Kund water source. We ate, we played, we sang and we danced throughout the day. I had never danced like that in my life.

Never too old to dance

In and around

I also had the opportunity to trek to a dreamy little place called Paton in awesome weather. Though the main attraction on this trip was watching the majestic Yak, I was attracted to other things in the village such as the off-grid solar electricity, the home made rice wine, and the water mills around the place.

Dreamy village of Paton

The majestic Yak

End or beginning?

The 2 months I stayed in Munsiari seems like a long time when I look at the things we created together as a community and the experiences I gained. But, as I packed my bags to leave, the same 2 months seemed to go by in a flash. Over a conversation with Malika regarding my To Do list, I said 2 months are not enough to do all the things that I wanted to do; she said 20 years are not enough!

Friends from Munsiari

As my new-found friends from Munsiari said goodbye with tears in their eyes and packed local spices and Rajma, it felt like a 'Swades' moment for me. For them, it was probably an investment for my return to the place!

Author Bio: Lavanya is an aspiring farmer and wanderer. When she is at base camp in Bengaluru, she spends most of her time in her small, urban garden. She is associated with Ride A Cycle Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes cycling. Read more of her adventures in Munsiari at http://lavanyakm.blogspot.in.

For more stories off the beaten path in India, visit www.indiauntravelled.com or join India Untravelled on Facebook and Twitter. To contribute guest posts / photo essays to this blog, please send your story ideas to shivya@indiauntravelled.com.