Gr8 Lakes of Kashmir----My encounter with Beauty Bliss and Nirvana----Day 2: Sonamarg (7,800ft) to Nichnai (11,500ft) via Shekdur

AGAR FIRDAUS BAR RU-E-ZAMIN AST, HAMI AST O- HAMI AST O- HAMI AST.

IF THERE IS HEAVEN ON EARTH, IT IS HERE, IT IS HERE IT IS HERE.

My previous Himalayan treks were round treks meaning We came back to same base village after completion of trek, this allowed us to carry an extra bag which can accommodate our travel clothes and some extra "Good to have" things which can be taken on treks or left behind depending on last moment situations.. This one was different. From first day itself we were in tents and start and finish points were two different villages 15-20 km apart. What it meant for trekkers who were jet setting from their home cities was that their travel clothes and other extra luggage would pose a problem. Indiahikes suggested that we can keep the luggage at a hotel where we would be staying after returning to Srinagar but problem was of time and uncertainties at Srinagar where at any one’s whims and fancy ,the town is shut down. Also  not all had come one or two days before the Trek and stayed in Srinagar. We did anticipate this problem and on a round table conference atop Karnala , had decided to have one bag extra which will be off loaded to Mules .

Later on we gathered that other trekking outfits had made some arrangements to keep the luggage in Srinagar. Strongly urge Indiahikes to take note of this.

Anyways, so previous night we had to re-arrange our rucksacks and stuff the unwanted luggage in the offloaded bag.

Our trek leader had tons of instructions to dish out to us regarding, medication, AMS and any other smallest change in ones body. He came across as very rough n blunt at this point to many but later on all agreed that as a Leader he had his task cut out and he was just doing his duty...No hard feelings Suman...

In previous nights brief we were told timings of 0530,0630 and 0700 meaning  Tea at 0530Hrs, Breakfast at 0630 Hrs and Start the day's trek at 0700. For me in simple terms it meant getting up at 0430 hrs to complete the most important morning Chore. For environmental reasons Indiahikes had forbidden "Open Air" system but then 2 toilet tents for 32 people was always going to b a struggle.

I had deliberately not worn a wrist watch and my mobile was switched off long back but Aashish's mobile settings were a bit funny and his Alarm ( set up for his daily jog/run in Mumbai) went off at 0430hrs even when the mobile was off. We got up reluctantly from our sleeping bags and completed the morning chores. It was a crisp cold morning with day break happening so early.

Our cooking staff was up n going and a smoke from cooking tent meant they were preparing breakfast as wel as our lunch which was to be packed for consumption en route to Nichnai.

We were categorically told to fill up an excel sheet asking for all the details, id proof etc.etc for Army verification. Our ATL Deepesh was tasked to get the required docs . Indiahikes had also started checking our Pulse and O2 saturation in our blood--Probably to get some early warning about AMS. All very good but first day of a trek is anyways lethargic and this added to the delay in start. To get 32 people out of their inertia on first day is tough. Though all knew briefly about the distance and time of journey, we all were SLOW...

One of our Horses grazing merrily

Comparatively we were ready a bit  early. Suman called for all of us to "Fall in" and after an unsuccessful headcount we had our briefing about the days' trek. It was suppose to be 3 hrs of ascent then a bit of descent and then gentle walk totaling 9 kms and an height gain of almost 3000 feet. For all of us who had jet setted  to Srinagar and Sonmarg from sea level of Mumbai this sudden gain in height was going to be a challenge to negotiate more than the distance. Our bodies were not at all acclimatized except Aashish who was in Srinagar for 2 days. 

Hutments of Shepherds

With this apprehension in mind we started the trek our backpacks on ( minimum 8-9kg additional weight). Today majority of the trekkers were carrying their own backpacks- a very good sign. We started the ascent f right behind our camp site on the meadows. the Sun was in its full glory and we were thankful of that. 

Little did we realise that the delay (we started almost at 0830 hrs) means we climb in almost scorching heat( yes that too in Sonmarg and at height of 7800 feet---but still you do feel the heat)

Its a gentle ascent at the beginning which gets  steeper till we reached a Plateau . 

Shepherd Homes seen from the Plateau- Our first stop

We were literally sweating by this time and took a water break. The moment we stopped, we were surrounded by local children wishing us सलाम आलेकुम  and asking for biscuits. We gladly obliged.

 

Sonamarg was getting smaller and smaller as we gained height. It was a lovely sight. Beautiful bright sunny day.Even the sight of our fellow trekkers laboring their way through was worth capturing

Sonmarg getting Smaller and Smaller

After a brief break we quickly resumed our ascent intermittently stopping for capturing the beauty. It was so crisp and clean weather that any camera any photographer and any angle one tried, the photo would be beautiful....


One of the oft repeated question to any locals we come face to face while trekking is  " भैय्या और कितना दूर है "  and the standard answer one gets is  "बस अभी १५ मीनट  और"

A shepherd showing us how much more we need to go 

 Another  unique aspect of Himalayan trekking is ,unlike  Sahyadris where we normally go straight up, that the climb is always a ZIG-ZAG one also called in professional lingo as Switch Backs.It is meant to reduce the stress on body and it does make climbing a shade easier but you end up walking twice or thrice the actual distance. For some reason I hate these Switchbacks. But alas, they were as inevitable and common as the beauty surrounding us. And as the saying goes " If you can't avoid it, then try to Enjoy it". I somehow could not enjoy it at any point of trek.

The ubiquitous ZIG-ZAG climb 

Even the Horses need to catch up their breath

After a while we reached our first watering point and everyone filled up their water bottles. One of the biggest advantage of this trek is you get ample water stream and one of the freshest and purest water. The added advantage being that you can carry less water while climbing, reducing the weight of your backpack.

Maple and Pine Treeline

We were already on top of the Meadow and into the dense forest of Maple and pine trees. This tree line was soon going to vanish as we climbed higher and would be visible only after 4 days.

Its a very wel laid out trail and we need to stick to the one going uphill till we reach a big plateau .

Just before the final climb to shekdur one can experience the Bluest of Blue Sky.

Finally after almost three hours of ascent we reached a plateau 

This is Shekdur. On right hand side their are snow capped mountains and on the left you have shepherd huts surrounded by Bhoj trees. Its a welcome site and a very beautiful one. 

By the time we reached there we were almost Done for the Day. This is the last place where we would be getting some outside food till the end of trek. Our scheduled lunch time was still far away so we had a Maggie and Tea here. 

Aashish Santosh and Madhav resting

Everyone fell to the ground to take that wel deserved rest from the ascent. The Good news was that the major portion of ascent was over for the Day.

Aashish Santosh and Madhav resting

Shekdur-Tea and Maggie Stall

We started again after a rest from which none wanted to get up....Keeping the Stall on our left we hit the trail which starts mildly descending into a dens forest 

We come out of the forest after a while listening to the faint sound of a stream which got stronger on the right side.But it was a while before we actually saw it. The path sometimes got a bit steep to descent with loose rocks in between .

The Stream 

From top it looked small but as we approached it , it got louder and  bigger. After negotiating small rocky section we finally faced the stream.

 It was such a delight to see and feel the Icy water. You are instantly fresh and forget the toil in a jiffy.

We enjoyed the freshness and coolness of the stream under the Noon Sun. Had a good photo session as wel

 Suman also called it a Lunch time so we completed the ritual of eating our packed Lunch.

We were in the Nichnai Valley now surrounded by snow capped mountains and the campsite is further 2-3 km away. 

We were surprised to find some wild flowers near the river bank.

I also spotted some birds....Enjoying the Sun

The trail now is along the right bank of the river going upstream.Initial half an hour walk is on the Rocks. We are told that this speedy stream eventually meets Sindh River. After negotiating the rocks the vally opens up into the snow clad  patch ... Surprise Surprise....Snow in a Summer Trek... 

I was extremely delighted ,not that I was seeing the snow for first time but this was one of the factor which was why Aashish was not much interested in this Trek...For Him, no Himalayan trek can be without Snow....So I was happy for him and from this moment onwards never missed an opportunity to tease him off about how I made sure that he Gets Snow, every time we were  walking on it. 

Melting Glaciers feeding the stream

Madhav Urging Vartika to Carry on 

Aashish enjoying the snow while I circumvent it to avoid my shoes getting Wet

It was dirty muddy snow as the layer was very thin

Finally after an hours walk on the patch in the valley, It opened up a bit but the campsite was still not visible.Though the surroundings were extremely serene , the walk was taking a toll on us.

Now the frequency of unscheduled breaks was increasing and Aashish spotted a good rock for a break as wel as joint photo.

Though we are all smiles, its only for a good photo . In reality we wanted this to get over as quickly as possible.

The vastness and emptiness of the picturesque Nichnai valley with the melange' of Blues, Greens,Browns and Whites was amazing. Posting some pics of the valley which kept us going for that elusive campsite. 

 Finally after trudging through the valley for another good 30-40 minutes we could spot the Campsite from far. With one final push, we made it to the Nichnai Campsite....Our overnight halt for Day 2.

 We were welcomed by ice cold guava flavored Tang which we galloped merrily.

Immediately after settling our rucksacks into our tents I co-axed others to join for stretching exercise. It was windy but our Banglore team and Dr. Rupinder and Dr. Charu mam with Piya and Summer joined us.

Just to keep us occupied, Suman took our classes on how to pitch and un-pitch the tents. I took this opportunity to click around the campsite.

Melting Glaciers feeding the Stream

One of the stream

Juwal was brave enough to attempt a bath in this Icy waters. It must have been invigorating after the initial thermal shock.

The actual Sunset  was not visible as we were surrounded by mountains, but the falling light on the peaks made the good picture nonetheless.

The SUNSET 

CAMP Site

 We took stock of our bodies and apart from tiredness there was nothing much to worry. It was second day of the trek and still no sight of the Lake. We needed to wait one more day. After savoring hot tomato soup and then a hot veg dinner topped with LIMITED EDITION kashmiri Sweet Dish (Simply Delicious) , we had our briefing session. Again sticking to our tradition the head count was not correct in first attempt as 2 trekkers were missing. Anyways, after taking stock of everyone's health Suman announced the next days timings as 0530, 0600 and 0630. We retired for the night. It was cold but not severly cold so I discarded  my body thermals.The very good quality Sleeping Bags were extremely warm bordering hot, so it was not required. Santosh's snoring was something which we needed to get used to but both me n Aashish were not able to sleep peacefully  maybe because of too much tiredness . It was so bad that both of us got up for bathroom break around 0230 hrs and then were chatting in open cherishing the crispy cool weather and  the star studded sky. We actually did Stargazing, spotting belt of Orion , Ursa  Major and Minor and even spotted Our Milky Way. It was calm  except for the steady sound of  gushing water in streams on both sides of our campsite.This SOLITUDE was so much refreshing it was something I would remember for a long time.

To be continued.........