Thought my experience sharing would be useful for trekkers who are eager to hear an experience and also for those who have yet to trek.
Somewhere around May 2021, had signed up for the Deo Tibba trek organized by Ankit Naithani from Wandering Boots Adventures ( https://wanderingbootsadventures.com/ ) along with the Runaway Camp by Active holidays & Gauri Jayaram at Manali.
I had
no prior trekking experience, but being a Marathoner and fitness freak had a
reasonable level of confidence that the trek wouldn't be a rocket science
experience. Also had Ambuj & Reji with his wife Hema for company.
A brochure was shared with the 5 day itinerary that had the elevation profile along with the logistic and gear requirements.
Packing
list / requirement
Trekking
Gear essential requirement was to have a trekking shoes, a fleece jacket, a
padded jacket and a raincoat (poncho), socks, woollen gloves, woollen cap, etc.
Being a bare-chested runner, ignored the raincoat and carried a Jacket and the track pant. Also thought of carrying a running shoes that I
won in one of the podiums. With the minimal gears that I had, there was a
fear of the unknown and anxiety of many factors.
My
wife (Susan) was always concerned of my carefree attitude and insisted that I
discuss this with an experienced trekker to clarify the gear requirements. 2
days before the departure, discussed the minimal gear requirements with Ambuj
and his clear instructions was to get a new trekking shoes, trekking pants and
thermals. Got them as instructed a day before the departure and that gave me
the confidence that I got better prepared for the trek. Lucky that I had an unused trekking 50 ltr backpack that perfectly fit the requirement.
But
with the fear of the unknown, wasn't sure on how my experience would turn out.
And with the known athletes Ambuj, Reji and Hema joining the trek, I knew that
I would manage to survive.
5
day acclimatization at Manali
Around
20 runners participated in the Runaway camp and got to spend some quality time
during the 5 days with Kieren . Learned a lot through his session on Trails,
Trekking and Mountaineering. Hiked through a couple of trails and got to
break into the new trekking shoes. Also got acclimatized to the altitude of 1900 meters.
The morning of the trek, did the additional shopping of Energy bars, Cadbury chocolates, peanuts, Cashew and raisins. Overall felt better prepared for the trek.
14th Sept - 2 guides Hemraj and Ravi introduced themselves and picked the 4 of us from our resort in Manali. We got introduced about certain guidelines to be adhered to, briefed the overall schedule and enquired about our baggage. He did inform us that we need to plan and progress together as a family for the next 5 days. We enquired for the possibility to complete the planned 5 day trek within 4 days, and the guides agreed that we could look at this possibility, in a couple of days based on our daily progress.
Hema the most experienced trekker among the 4 of us and the only lady was just recovering from an upset tummy, but did take up the challenge to trek through the 5 days
We were taken from our resort to AD (Allain Duhangan) Hydropower Plant at Prini, Kullu which is a drive from an elevation of 2000 meters to 2800 meters. This could possibly be a 1 day trek, but with the motorable road, we directly started from the hydropower plant. We got introduced to our support team including the 2 guides, a cook, 2 support staff and 4 mules who would carry the 5 day logistics including the tents, cooker, stove, kerosine, utensils, fruits, vegetables, etc. It initially did look strange that we had this big team to look after the 4 of us to give us a pleasant & memorable experience through the 5 days. We handed over our 50 ltr trekking backpacks for them to carry for us. We carried with us a small day backpack to put in our energy bars, water bottle, fleece jacket, sun glasses, etc. They gave us a lunch packet to have during any of the breaks.
Just before the start, our guide Hemraj informed us
that we be together as a team and need to follow his instructions sincerely. We
clicked a couple of pics, before we started the trek. I started by thanking God
for giving us this opportunity. This being my first trekking experience, was
eager to know on the kind of terrains we would have to explore through, the
difficulty levels and the altitudes to touch . Ensured that I switched on my
Garmin for us to later analyse our trekking stats.
2 guides joined us and the start was quite exciting, walking through the trails
which was pretty rocky. Walking up through green terrains, could hear the water
flowing through the streams, could see the mountains ahead but had no clue on
the route we had to take. All we had to do was to follow our guide Hemraj who
was comfortable walking ahead with his 2 trekking poles and his personal 50 ltr backpack. The excitement began
as we started to see the streams of water almost every 300 meters and had to
cross through a couple of them. Captured them as pics & videos through
places where I could balance myself with the Mobile in one hand and the other
arm to balance myself while juggling through the rocky terrain. Was impossible
to capture them at few routes which were pretty tricky and the team was moving fast ahead for me to stop and shoot the moments.
Continued the exciting trek and juggled through the rocky terrains. With our athletic fitness levels, the walk was not exhausting, but climbing up the altitudes was making it a bit difficult.
The scenic route continued, very often getting to see the streams of water and greenery all around. At certain sections our guide had to lay in a foundation to make it easier for us to cross the water streams.
The supporting team who started much later caught up with us and comfortably took the lead. We saw our big backpacks on the mules and many other baggage they had to carry.
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| Mules resting at around the Camp site |
A tent was setup for the kitchen and clubbed as the
support teams sleeping area, another as our dinning + breakfast area, and 2
tents for us 4 to share. Was not feeling great to settle in that camp site, as
there was no dry land for us to walk through. But the thrill of being in
between the mountains, outclassed any challenges. We were handed over our
trekking backpacks. The weather was getting colder and we were served hot tea /
coffee with Biscuits. Could not
have thought of any better experience with the sips of hot tea in the midst of
the mountains and the freedom to have nothing to be done. Within around an hour ready Knorr soups were
served . The 4 of us along with the 2 guides had lots to share about the
various trekking experiences. Since this was my first, had lots to listen to
and enjoy the stories. A very clear message from our guide was to follow every
instruction provided w.r.t. the clothing, protection, hydration, eating, care
while walking at the edges of the mountains, through the rocks and streams.
A carefree attitude could prove to be dangerous. They had a lot of real life experiences to share regarding trekkers not following instructions and hence causing life threatening casualties.
Dinner was served by 6.30 and was quite delicious with freshly cooked Chicken, dals, roti and rice. A small serving of dessert was also served and we loved each one of the them. Almost felt pampered to get such delicious food in between the mountains. Hot water was also served and was informed to minimize hydration after 7 pm, to ensure that we do not need to pee in between the night.
Post dinner, we got instructions regarding the tent and our sleeping area. I and Ambuj were allotted to one of the tents while Reji & Hema were in the other one. Each one was allotted a Sleeping bag along with a woollen sleeping bag, a blanket and a woollen sheet. The technique of entering into the 2 bags and the method to zip the 2 layered tent was also explained. The overall experience was pretty complicated and knew very well that once we were inside the tent, it would be extremely difficult to get out for a pee. The cold weather and the marshy terrain was making it even more difficult. By around 7.45 the place was pretty dark and could not miss the opportunity of relaxing, by looking up at the million stars. With no network, there was nothing to communicate with anyone or hunt around for social media updates.
Filled up our flask with hot water. Before entering the tent did my last pee for the evening and took over 20 mins to get cozy with multiple layers of jackets, woollen cap, woollen socks, woollen gloves, into the 2 sleeping bags and the blanket to completely cover myself. Once both of us were ready to sleep, used the torch to zip the 2 layered tent and wished each other a Good night sleep. The thought of coming out for a pee late night, would give me the nightmares. Though was exhausted from the tiring day, sleep was erratic. Struggled inside the sleeping bags, resisted the temptation to sip hot water. Could hear the water streams and also heard a rock tumbling sound not very far away in the mountain.
15th Sept - Eyes were wide awake by 5am and nothing could get me back to sleep. Got out of the tent by 5.45, and removed off my socks as the entire area around was marshy and would be impossible to later dry my socks. Found myself a place to stand comfortably and got immersed in deep thoughts with the scenic mountains all around. Sun was not out and was loving the chilly weather. Enjoyed every second and seriously the entire experience was just like a dream. By around 6.30 am, the mountains were getting visible with the clouds covering them. Loved the site of a mountain at a distance with snow on top. Got to see the supporting staff waking up and gave me the hopes of hot coffee to come in soon. Ambuj, Reji & Hema too got out of the tents and greeted each other to a wonderful experience. Water flowing through the streams was almost at zero deg and could not imagine brushing our teeth. The water in the flask had cooled down reasonably for use to brush.
Hema stomach issue got aggravated and she took the decision to not continue further with the group and return back to Manali. This was a disappointing news, and we felt that was a difficult but a wise decision of not taking a risk of going ahead. One of our guides took the responsibility to accompany her back to Manali.
Hot coffee was served and loved every sip. Took another cup and was all ready for another lovely trekking experience. By 7.45 am, breakfast was ready. Egg omelette, Parathas, Milk with cereals, bread, butter and tea was served. Loved the spread and lovely tea. We filled our bottles with the hot water to keep ourselves hydrated through the day.
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| Each one loving the breakfast spread |
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| The kitchen on the left and our breakfast tent on the right. Our support staff washing utensils with the stream water |
The route got a bit more challenging as we were going higher. Our guide was comfortably walking ahead while we struggled to ensure that he was in sight. Almost felt like little kids running behind to keep pace with the elders. The excitement continued of seeing the streams besides us, rocks and mountains around, and no other humans in sight.
A bit ahead we met a shepherd family with his herd of around 100 sheep. Our guide knew him and got a couple of clicks together. Kept me wondering about their survival tactics across the various seasons through the year and also their financial support systems.
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| We disturbed the shepard, while he was bathing |
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| The shepard couples house since over 2 months |
In around 3 hrs of trek (including the breaks), just around noon, we reached Seri, our next camp site. The area was drier than the previous camp site and was besides a shallow water bed. We scaled around 370 meters altitude and trekked around 4 kms and was at an altitude of 3870 meters from Sea levels. As we were waiting for the support team to arrive, we had few friends to welcome us.
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| Horses were wondering on who occupied their territory |
We did get a closer view of the snow-capped mountain around.
Since we had a lot of spare time, our guide recommended that we explore Goru pass which is at an altitude of 200 meters above our camp site and would acclimatise us to higher altitude. The route required us to cross through the water bed and then go up the mountain. This process of removing the shoes & socks is quite challenging and then walking through the shivering cold water for around 15 meters made it quite difficult. Wearing back the socks on the soiled wet feet and then the shoes with no area to support on, required mutual help. This short patch took away a lot of our time and then started the challenge of a steeper mountain and was a lot more exhausting experience. Quads could feel the struggle, breathing was difficult, while our guide was progressing on at his comfortable pace. If any one of us would ease down a bit, it was pretty easy to get the team out of sight. Every 400 meters guide would turn back to ensure that we were not left far behind. Reji was a lot more comfortable and hence had the confidence to walk fast through the edges with almost no fear factor. I was almost shivering with fear and was snail slow at certain edges. We huffed and puffed and kept moving up.Though the distances were pretty less, climbing up the altitudes was making it challenging. We took a couple of breaks to energize and hydrate ourself. This was probably the difficult section to reach up the Goru pass at an altitude of 200 meters in around 2 kms trek. Enjoyed the experience of being on the top, took a small break and started our faster walk down which was again tough. To reach back to our camp site, we again had to cross the shallow water stream. Water was almost at 0 ℃
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| Our tents |
By around 8 pm, filled our bottle with the hot water, did our final pee and started the complicated process of entering into our sleeping bags and zipping the tent. Struggled to sleep during the 2nd night and was awake most of the time. Somehow managed to sleep a little to recover reasonably well for trek to the base camp.
16th Sept - From 5 am was eager to get out of the tent, finally was out by 5.30. Did a bit of stationary warming up drills to keep myself busy till some lights were out to enjoy the view around. By 6.15 the team gradually started getting out of the tents. By 6.30 hot tea was served, by 7.30 a good breakfast spread was ready with boiled egg, bread, butter, milk, cereals, tetra packed juice and coffee.
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| A selfie in the Kitchen tent |
Included a fun shoot of me washing the apples offered as our Lunch packet.
For the night the camp site would be the same and hence the support team did not have to move around.
Got our day backpack ready with the lunch packet, hot water and other winter wear to reach the base camp. We started at around 8.30, again crossed the shallow water bed and was mentally prepared for it. The day was the most challenging with the altitude climb of over 600 meters and distance of over 6 kms to touch the base camp. Started the exciting walk towards the base camp. With all the mountains around, we were given an indication of the direction to walk towards, but our only choice was to trail behind our guide. Since the altitudes were higher and the mileage was longer, we took a small additional breaks. The trails were steep and tiring.
Within around 4 hrs (including the breaks) we were at the base camp. This was quite exciting, but felt a bit incomplete as we were not in the snow, and could see the mountain covered with snow within a short distance ahead. To be around the snow, we trekked another 30 mins further.
Continued our walk and then was an unbelievable experience to stand adjacent to a glacier. The experience of trekking and standing besides a glacier so fulfilling. Got to shoot a video of me entering into a small cave like entrance below a glacier.
Had a very short careful walk of not over 10 meters on top of the glacier with a constant fear of possible crevasses. The experience was exhilarating. Also got a glimpse of Deo Tibba peak which was a jaw dropping sight. The beauty of the peak was just incredible could just not take my eyes off it. Each one of us had the highest respect towards the peak. The peak was visible at an aerial distance of around 1.5 kms and was partially covered with the clouds. The experience of being around the base, getting to be besides the glacier and the view of the peak far exceeded our expectations and our plans.
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| Deo Tibba Peak view |
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| Deo Tibba peak behind the clouds |
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| Deo Tibba peak hidden behind |
We got over 30 mins around and was finally time to return back to our camp site. The base camp is at an elevation of 4475 meters and the peak is at an elevation of around 6000 meters. Would have loved to experience the expedition to the peak but the skill set, experience and gear requirement is very different.
With the thrill of a successful mission, the return was quite a fulfilling experience. The route downwards has to be a bit more careful causing higher impact to the calves, quads and knees. The trek down is a bit faster and less tiring, but one has to be careful of every step.
For the first time it started to drizzle and we had to take out our Poncho. Walking around with the Poncho increased the difficulty levels. Our guide also decided to bring us down and cross the water bed through a different route. We expected it to be a bit easier, but turned out to be a more riskier choice. The ice cold water with the high force and a wrong step would turn out to be dangerous. But the overall sense of mission achievement and getting to see far more than our plans, kept the spirits high.
We reached back our camp site before 5pm and was welcomed with the nice hot coffee and biscuits.
With the successful mission experience, we brainstormed the possibility of reducing our return trek to Manali from 2 days to a day. Guide was pretty optimistic based on our progress during the past 3 days, and was pretty confident about the pace we could maintain. Loved the delicious dinner and the dessert and as always spend some time enjoying the late evening beauty and gazing the stars. Sleep continued to be a struggle and was looking forward to see the morning light.
17th Sept - nd was all smiles. Had couple of cups of nice hot coffee, early breakfast and got ready for the last day return trek back to the AD Hydropower station at Manali. Since this was a stress free return walk, took a lot more time to click the final day pics for memories. Though the return route was the same, there was very little in the route that we could recollect. Experiences and scenic view of the trekking route looked new, and we had a lot more fun time in the relaxed moods.
Within around 3hrs 30 mins we reached our Day 1 camp site (Panduropa ) and we did recollect the nice moments.
Took our lunch break around and then continued our trek to reach back to
the start point at the earliest. Most part of the route was besides the water streams
and took a lot more time to cherish the moments. Within around another 2 hrs we
were at the Hydropower plant. The most exciting part was the thought to connect
with family as we had lost complete connectivity for the past 4 days and also
give them the surprise of reaching back a day earlier than schedule.
To summarise, we came back with loads of memories to cherish and glad that nothing went wrong through the 4 days. The scenic landscape, mountains, streams, colors around and getting to be on the Glacier were the highlights. We had a very good and experienced guide who ensured that we were comfortable and took good care of the team. The challenge was primarily to be out of the comfort zone by sleeping in the small tents, simple food, cold weather, loosing connectivity from family and a fear of a possible sickness or injury.
Overall an experience to cherish and looking forward to many similar treks in around Himachal, Uttarakhand and Kashmir. Would also love to experience a couple of Summit expeditions.
