INTROSPECTION

New Year is what every one awaits for eagerly not only for partying and socializing but also for making the resolutions. Many a people set some really unrealistic goals and more often than not they are diluted and ultimately perish. Its good to have resolutions but they should be realistic so that there is a constant drive to work towards it and ultimately achieve it.

Its always easy to upwardly revise your targets and of course you will get a greater sense of accomplishment by setting realistic goals. By the way you can set goals anytime you like new years eve is not required for that.

MAY THIS NEW YEAR BRINGS HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY TO ALL.

AWAKENING

It has been real long since I had posted any of the blogs. Well I wont say that I have been real hard pressed for time but yes I will attribute it to the extreme lethargy. Finally I feel that I will break that streak and post regularly.

THE FATAL ATTRACTION

What is that attracts, what is it that leads a person into undergoing such torture. He is not lurking any rewards or medals that are associated with the other supports. What’s there that makes a person undergo unnerving pain and be prepared for one of the most painful deaths where in you freeze to death starting from the extremities hands legs and slowly spreading eyes freeze cold chill air makes millions pricks inside your lungs, the air might ultimately freeze as the core temperature drops and the body goes into seizures and shivers vibrantly to keep the hopes alive. Temperature rises just a bit only to plunge lower and the painful cycle is repeated many a times. The heart beats slowly and now the blood goes only to vital organs, the brain is numb eyes almost shut. Icicles cover that covered the nostrils grows inside the nose all the way till the lungs. Brain looses all ability and the heart now pumps faintly to brain and the life is soon going to plunge into the new world of darkness. The irony of the situation is on a mountain you people die in front of your eyes, it’s not like a road accident or a bullet hit, here you actually see how death tightens its claws around a person. Despite all your humanity you leave them behind to die a slow death else you will have the same fate. There are Sherpa’s who refused to leave their masters and go down to the safe zone such is the courage of these high altitude potters they choose to embrace death with their fellows. I equate them no less than the ones who should be awarded the highest battle honors. To give an account for every 7 summiteers on Everest 1 dies on mountain, 3 dies to 1 on K2 and only 50% survive in Annapurna. Annapurna North Face is the coldest place is Himalayas. Famous mountaineer ED Viesturs says Getting on top is optional getting down is mandatory. Annapurna Summit getting down was never more mandatory.

Everest is the most fatal mountain and that’s attributed mainly to the glory mountain attaches to itself. It’s an established fact that Everest is not the most difficult mountain. It has claimed more life’s than any other mountain as most attempts are made on Everest. There are mountains at lower altitude that are much more treacherous and many peaks are still virgin some due to the inaccessible approach and the virtually vertical walls laced with the ever roaring glaciers guarding like the ever vigilant presidential guards.

The attraction to such places arises of various interests’ adventure fame photography serenity tranquility and spiritually. It’s only in the mountains that you get all these elements together. It is believed that mountains are Gods adobe. Nanda Devi is the most worshipped and spiritual place along with Kailas the home of lord Shiva. Every place has few peaks that are considered to be the adobe of God and is generally not climbed else you bear the fury of disturbing the all mighty.

To me mountains are the source of inspiration and determination. I recollect the lines of an old hindi poem --- khada Himalaya bata raha hai daro na andhi pani se it means the Himalayas are telling you not to fear storm and rains. These lines carry an inspirational message to stand your ground even in the worst possible circumstances. Such is the power of mountains they attract you and if you show slight neglect or disrespect the result is fatal.

The idea is not to discourage but to leave a message of iron determination as has been displayed by Himalayas who stood test of time. The motto of HMI is May You Climb Peak To Peak. With these words I wish may u scale the un forbidden heights and see the breathtaking view from the top, for putting those feeling into words even Shakespeare would have shied.

TREAK TO ILAQUA AND TRIUND

The peaks are lovely snowy and steep,

But i have passes to reap.
And peaks to climb before I sleep,
And it is on the summit I sleep.





THU 10th APR 08 : As I reached Dhramshala, I saw the tranquil Dhauladhars in their might with the sun rays kissing the peaks with the morning bliss. It had been long that I have been planning to cross the Inderharapass, and every time weather showed its might to me. I knew its not the season to cross nor did I had equipment and time. Still as I walked down the road i felt something is attracting me and it had been like mountain calling so finally I decide d to trek till the place i can and stay up the night.

It was around 0830 hrs when I reached home and then at 1100 hrs I was at Dhramkot to start the climb. the trek is an easy and moderate climb on the well marked route that was once made by Britishers to reach Triund - which is famous for its scenic beauty and ski slopes however i disagree with the latter as its not a good ski slope.Passing through the woods i reached the 1st village which was frequented by few foreigners who were enjoying coffee in the lap of nature. It was about 3 hours walk till Triund as i had detoured a bit just before the last climb and took the re entrant straight up to make it a bit challenging.

It was good to see few ppl on top and exchanging greetings with them on the way up. there are few shops in Triund and i ordered maggiee and also booked a sleeping bag for me. i met up a group of 3 nationals of Finland who were with t he guide and were going further up. After having lunch and a short break i made my move towards the Ilaqua glacier where I would halt and would try to make it to Lahesh Caves if possible.

After a slightly trying climb for about 2 hours , thought through a well marked route i made it to the Glacier which was shining white with fresh snow. After inquiring about the caves I decided to stay back at Glacier and make a dash in the morning. Truly I would say it was a good decision as i could find some comfort there by the presence of other humans and also by then hot food that was made available at moderate rates for such an altitude. Mr Jai chand sharma owns a small make shift shop that caters for his earnings from the trekkers and enthusiasts who are driven by adventure. Shortly after reaching there i cleared up snow and put my tent over there and also took a blanket on rental for the night as the weather was now deteriorating and sleeping bag wont give full protection in the increasing cold.

None can fight the forces of nature.Now my joy was again turning into a worry about the weather and rain. The magnificent view of the Mun peak and Inderhara Pass was now getting eloped in the clouds that engulfed it like a knight. In a short span of time the Magnificent mountain was gone as if it never existed all that was left was mist and the cloud cover. I would certainly consider me lucky as I had seen the peak and the Inderhara Pass.

There was sudden restlessness in me and I exactly knew what was it that I had always wanted. I am a nomad a wanderer and would be taking a step forward fr being a mountaineer and in one sense I have already taken a step, the question now is how far and how I balance it in life. I had planned a light weight dash to the summit of course i was badly equipped and still had the urge to go as far as I could. 0400 hrs I considered would be best to start of as the snow will be hard.and I will have good day hours with me.

As I was sleeping in the shadow of the peak,I kept peeking from my tent for the clod cover to clear up and to my dismay the mountain seemed to have enjoyed clouds around as I cuddled myself in the sleeping bag. It was at 0445 hours that I decided to make a dash. I secured my camera and took my tripod. Now the trails moved down above the snow and I moved forward towards Lahesh Caves. It had been hardly an hour and the downpour started leaving no choice but to retreat. After reaching the tent I just packed all the stuff and decided to move down ASAP as the weather was fast deteriorating and time was the luxury that I wasn't having. i almost sprinted down at places and thus the memorable trip came to an end in a rather hasty manner.

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

I realised the true meaning of this statement while traveling through the roads of Ladakh. The experience of this journey has been unforgettable. In my opinion, it is worth sharing with other enthusiasts who wish to follow the ‘Road Less Travelled’

Having earned my coveted dolphin, I was looking forward to some adventure in the leave that was to follow. I and my friend Anant, an avid adventurer himself hit the road in my car. We had decided to move to Chandertal Lake and then to cross over to the Spiti valley through the Kunzum La.

It was late evening once we reached Manali ,the roadhead for the trans-Himalayan highway for the near-legendary journey to Ladakh's capital, Leh and to Spiti valley. It was an awesome experience to be in the valley after 11 years. We quickly moved through the streets of Manali, in order to equip ourselves for the trip as we were grossly under equipped for the weather and the terrain that we were going to face. We decided to spend some time with locals and the drivers to have the better insight of the route . After 15 minutes of the mingling around with them we knew that we had to change our objective as the Kunjum La was not feasible because of the rains. The decision was then taken to persue the drive towards Kelong and explore the roads as far as we could. We bid good bye to manali at 0830 hrs on 26^th and started towards our first way point – Zero Point. On our way, as the signboard read the last petrol pump of the valley of gods we topped up our car and then we perused the journey ahead. As we took the snaking turns on that beautiful road, I was reminded of our childhood I had spend in these hills.

It was a lovely sight to see the clouds playing a childish note in the valley that is called the valley of gods. We took small breaks for capturing the magnificient views that nature offered. Finally just before zero point we took a halt to see Beas Kund that is considered to be the origin of river Beas. Having reached Zero Point(Rohtang Pass) we could fee the purity of cold air on our faces. Just standing there ,facing the vast expanse of the land ,untouched by the spoilts of man.

The descent from Rohtang to the floor of the Chandra Valley affords tantalizing glimpses of the shining white sail massif. Koksar is where the road finally reaches the river. I can't forget the parathas we had there. The next few hours were some of the most memorable of the entire trip. As the road runs across the slopes of the valley, you see towering peaks and hanging glaciers. A sharp descent around the base of the sacred Rangcha mountain brings you to the Chandra-Bhaga confluence at Tandi – the place where you find the the last filling station between Manali and Leh which is still 365 kms. We topped up our car and wished for better roads, it would be real tight to make it to Leh though Sarchu looked feasible. Around a km short of Kelong the car swung across to one side and we could have plunged into the valley, dammm the tyre had bursted. We quickly got to the job and replaced it and then got the bursted one made. By this time the weather had stared playing its colours there were clouds was there going to be rain, now we were not left with any spares tubes and now till leh there would be no help no service station what if we are stranded on the way filled with fear of all these thing we started again towards Sarchu, where we shall camp.

All buses stop at Darcha, we reached here at about 1700 hrs. A hot bowl of Tibetan thupka from a roadside dhaba was refreshing . We also cherished dimsums( momos ) and then we moved on. From Darcha, the road climbs steadily along the mountain side of wine-red and pale-green scree to Zingzing Bar. As you move from this desolate land, you see a refreshing Suraj tal next to the road which and then the steep curly climb to Baralacha La, which will blow your mind. The "twelve-horned" pass forms the head of three valleys, the Bhaga, the Chandra, and the Yunan. Very rarely you will find vehicles plying at night crossing Baralacha La and the reason became quite evident while negotiating towards the pass. We finally got down at 2030 hrs to step on the pass only to feel the chilling wind piercing through us. The decent from the pass was through the bumpy road and tyring till we reached the plains next to Bagha river at the bottom of a high, straight peak. Sarchu the last village of himachaL; which is mearely few tents and dhabas. We pitched out tent and snuggled in our sleeping bags. The layers of clothes were not able to protect us from the chilling cold that kept troubling us throughout the night. We were really ill equipped for such terrain.

At 0730 hrs We headed for Lachlang La (5,059m) from Sarchu, the second highest pass on the highway, before descending to Pang at 4,500m. The view was something that could only be imagined, the transision of the colour of the peaks to golden as the sunrays kissed and then the gold would spread along the valley. The series of hairpin bends take you to the other side of mountain and now there is no civilization but only solitude. 3 km from Pang is the extraordinary Moray Plains (4,800m), a 45-kilometre-long plateau encircled by rolling hills and brilliant white Himalayan peaks. Such a awesome sight and I had my worried as the road was full of sand over the plateau and few vehicles and already got stranded there like bolero and sumo. There was only one question in our mind at that time will we be able to cross the sea of sand that lie ahead like an enemys ambush. We had no choice but to pass as retreat was out of question. After talking to few drivers the plan was to detour away from the road and drive on not loosing the reference of the road as we were already low on fuel any mistake would leave us stranded and time is the luxury that we were devoid off. It was like a eight lane highway as we drove over the pleateu with the snow clad mountains on the sides and the speedometer showing 90kmph. The joy was shortlived as we saw a truck struggling with sand. We were now driving on the dried up lake and somehow we were able to pull through that beast of sand and make it back to road. It was indeed one of the most happiest moment of my live we had just conqured one of the biggest hurdle.

The road starts its ascent from Dibring Camp to Tanglang La at a head-spinning 5,328m. This is the second highest pass in the world and by the time you reach there, your nose might well start bleeding slightly. This is a symptom of altitude-sickness. The road was all bumpy with big holes and then the ascend took tool and sometimes the car almost refused to move up. The view at the top was breath taking and ofcoures so chilling that our soles too froze, but the fact that we were now on the second heighest motorable road of the world kept us warm. At this juncture my heart saluted our soldiers fighting in such harsh condition where survival itself is an art and to the BRO ( Border Road Organisation ) that makes and maintains the road in such conditions where the nature humilates you and pushes you to limits.The Karakoram range of the Himalayas, visible from here signals that you are approaching Ladakh. This road goes along our age-old Indus (Sindhu) valley. Sindhu is the river which was the lifeline of India for thousands of years. It fed one of the oldest civilizations of the world (Indus Valley civilization). It is natural to feel overwhelmed at the sight of this great river. As we decended towards the other side we decided to switch off the engine and procdeed with caution - this could have proved fatal but there was no choice as we were extremely low on fuel now.

Upsi is the gateway to leh the project for constructing and maintaining the highway, undertaken by the Indian army concludes. Considering the rugged terrain of the mighty Himalayas, maintaining this road itself is a Herculean task. Project Himank, as it is called, is amazing. One roadside board read, "If you want a road to the moon, please contact Himank". And we didn't find any exaggeration in it! on the way from Upshi to Leh (40kms) there are high peaks crowned with village houses and gompas. Gompas are Buddhist monasteries, ranging from solid stone structures to fairly large temples

n the way from Upshi to Leh (40kms) there are high peaks crowned with village houses and gompas. Gompas are Buddhist monasteries, ranging from solid stone structures to fairly large temples. The signboard welcome to leh was such an relief and the sight of civilization was like a sight of an oasis in the middle of a desert. The overnight stay in leh was in the transit camp and we enjoyed the full hospitability of the army. We were woken up in the morning with the roar of the aircraft that was an awesome sight as the aircraft made a final approach for an airfield surrounded by the mountains. We were to bid good bye to leh that afternoon and move forward for another journey which was a rush back to yol camp through kargil, drass srinagar jammu pathankot and finally home. The memory still lingers and one requires one month to spend in to see and explore the place. Wish to be there again……….

LEARN TO FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS

11 JUN 07 : I will always remember this day as one of the most auspecious days of my life for it was the day on which a long charished dream came true and I was in the league of the chosen few who belong to the Silent Service and yes I had quallified for the Submarine arm. There is a long way ahead now but the 1st hurdle has been crossed and the dedicated dolphin bhatch now is pinned on my cheast which gives an immense pride .

It had not been easy to get the dolphins for quite some time I was lost in the pipes and the circuits that bugged me a lot as it was not my branch but then submarine arm is all abt team work so i had to put extra efforts for all this . It was then I took up learning more about the weapons and the sight through the periscope is awesome especially the sunset, and can any one guess whats even more exiciting than this ------------ ofcourse its the sight of the enemy ship that may even freeze you for a moment and you now know that '' THERE ARE TWO TYPE OF SHIPS IN WATER SUBMARINES AND TARGETS ''. Obviously I am on a submarine so I am not the target for I am a SILENT HUNTER .

LEARN TO FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS