27th May 2010, 21:29
| #46 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Hyderabad
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28th May 2010, 03:57
| #47 |
| Distinguished - BHPian   Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gurgaon
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28th May 2010, 10:53
| #48 |
| BHPian  | Wow!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!! Amazing, no words, that pic where the person is standing at edge, man i think he forgot where he was seeing the beauty ahead  |
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28th May 2010, 12:43
| #49 |
| BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore
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| Beautiful India, Beautiful Himachal. You are sharing a wonderful experience with us Deky. This is a visual treat and your effort to explain even the minute things is making this thread a joy to read. I am sure after reading your experience so many of us want to do such treks to enjoy nature. Walking in the snow for such a long time would have been a great experience. Thank you for sharing with us.  |
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28th May 2010, 13:00
| #50 | ||||
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Jaipur
Posts: 1,194
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| Care of Your Feet. Quote:
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Taking Care Of Your Feet Taking care of your feet is one of the most important things on the trek. The feet keep mercilessly pounding on gravel, rocks, mud, slush, snow and streams continuously for hours after hours. They also need rest and proper care and recuperation for the next days trek. While at the base camp we had an incident when a lady who had just returned from her trek had feet full of blisters and had ingrown nails in bother her toes. If not taken care properly, the feet can really hurt. So here are a few pointers as to how to take care of the feet. The pointers have been accumalated with the help of YHAI Guidebook, page 8 & 9 1. always make sure to wear the right size of shoes, that are comfortable while you walk. (loose enough to fir in 2 pairs of socks to absorb friction, that causes blisters) 2. New shoes should not be worn. Give atleast a few months to run in your shoes before you start the trek 3. The shoes should have a good grip and ankle support. 4. when you reach your destination, remove your boots and keep them out for drying/ airing. 5. take off your socks and dry them. Change socks as much as you can as dirty socks not only smell foul, dirty socks cause blisters too. 6. never dry wet shoes on fire, you might loose them completely. 7. Wash feet as often as possible, dry them, rub vigrously in between toes and apply powder.. 8. Incase of blisters:- a. clean them with soap and water b. puncture with a sterlised needle (by passing thru a flame). c. Do not remove skin. Apply adhesive plaster. 9. Remeber to keep your feet as clean as possible. | ||||
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28th May 2010, 13:20
| #51 |
| Senior - BHPian  | The last set of pictures on the snow are amazing! I think no one can muster the courage to stand on the edge and enjoy the beauty of the Himalayas! Waiting for your next post now! |
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28th May 2010, 13:45
| #52 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: City of seven islands.
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28th May 2010, 14:12
| #53 |
| Newbie Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chennai
Posts: 19
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28th May 2010, 14:13
| #54 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Jaipur
Posts: 1,194
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| Doura to Longa Thatch (10,800ft), 12 kms, via Saurkundi pass (12,900 ft) The weather today was a total contrast from previous days weather. It was beautifully bright and sunny. There were a few cotton like clouds in the blue sky but it was mostly clear. The snow peaks that were covered with clouds the previous day shone brightly in the morning sun.  This morning we realised that at what a beautifull place our tents were pitched.  Complete Kullu valley was also visible from there.  We also noticed a rock that looked like Sphinx. Well atleast it appeared Sphinx to me.  Sunshine and warmth apart from giving you new zeal to continue also acts like red bull, giving you energy to start the day. Apart from that well rested bodies were raring to go. And why not, today would be a special day as we would be reaching our destination "The Saurkundi Pass" With that new zeal and vigour we started our trek. We had a new member with us now, a dog!!  For some reason, only know to him, our group leader Vivek decided to take a different route than us. Here you can see a lone figure in the distance trekking, that is Vivek.  Today most of the walk was suppose to be in the snow, and walking in the snow without throwing snowballs at each other? Well the game started soon.  Most of the snow balls were directed only at one person. Poor Navneeth took all the brunt of our game. But he took it very sportingly.  Sun was shining mercilessly on us. Though it was not hot but still it was nice for our game to continue for a while. Mind you sun shine and height is the recipe for getting a sun burn. Well we had been warned before!!!  Some members decided to take a break from the game while others joined in throwing heaps of snow at each other. Well I shall put that as a team building exercise in hilly areas.  In between play and rest the walk continued. It was easy walking following the first persons foot steps to avoid sinking in soft snow, hence the straight line.   The dog continued his walk along with us. This image always reminds me of Yudhisthir and his last journey with a dog. No wonder Himalayas are so mystical, they make you imagine and see things that you have only read in story books.  Soon we were at Saurkundi Lake. Saurkundi lake if literally translated means the Lake of the Sun. It is also known as The Lotus Pond by some.  Saurkundi Lake is a semi frozen lake and is revered by the locals. The nereby villages come up to have a dip to wash away their sins. We were just tourists so we decided to stay put and just enjoy the beauty of the lake through our lenses.  Lake surrounded by mountains all around it looked heavenly.  But this was still not our highest point, We still had a bit higher to go before we could cross the Saurkundi pass, the highest point in the trek at 12,900 ft.  Soon we reached that point. The views were truely amazing from here. With a sense of achievement the whole group sat down and just gazed at the mountains in awe.  Here is a 360 degrees panorama showing the mountains visible all around us from this point. We could see Manali below, Kullu far far away on the other side, Rohtang pass just above Manali and a few other high mountains like Indrasan, Hanuman Tibba, Deo Tibba etc. We were indeed blessed to have such a wonderfull day to enjoy such views.  Then came another interesting part of the trek that we were waiting for this day. Sliding down the mountain side on snow. It was about a 150 meter slide full of fun.  The only problem with sliding is that your whole back side gets wet. Being a sunny day that was not a problem today as the clothes would dry of immediately. The locals though had a better was of sliding, well just use your feet as ski's  Another problem is that sliding down doesnt have any breaks, so the landing can be a bit bumpy. But still we all enjoyed.  Infact Navneeth and I enjoyed it so much that we decided to climb the mountain again to give it another go. That meant cutting down on our lunch time break but it was worth it. After lunch we had a last ascent of the whole trek to negotiate and then it was all down hill from here.  When we reached the top, the winds picked up. Infact it got very very windy and had it not been for the extra weight on our backs we would all be flying off the cliff.  With the wind the rain clouds also started to close in. It was amazing to see a portion of a close by range half under rain and half under sunshine.  Since it had started to drizzle we decided to move on before we were trapped in a full storm. The descend had started on slippery ground. It was a steep descend so we had to be carefull.  The tree line was soon visible again. It started to get more and more greener as we came down.  Then the camp for the day was also not very far. Actually in the mountains the distances can be a bit deceptive. The camp did seem near but it took us a while before we could reach it.  Finally we reached Longa Thatch after about 8 hours since we had started.  |
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28th May 2010, 14:27
| #55 |
| Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gurgaon
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28th May 2010, 15:13
| #56 | |
| BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 129
Thanked: 130 Times
| Quote:
I have read few articles/ blogs on the net about few people who after trekking In the Himalayas gave up their well paid jobs, city lifestyle, comforts . etc ..to take up a spiritual life. Some of them gave up jobs as bankers/ IT professionals to become school teachers/ guides/ yoga and spiritual teachers in Himalayas Guess there is some great power or a divine force in the mighty Himalayas that can make one feel humbled and realize the true essence of life..Have you also experienced something similar after your trek in the Himalayas ?? I don’t know when I might get the opportunity to experience the beauty of the Himalayas.. but your travelogue has just increased the hunger in me to take a break from the mundane daily life and set out on self discovery trip to the mighty himalays ! Thanks once again Deky for this great travelogue ! | |
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28th May 2010, 15:34
| #57 |
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28th May 2010, 15:37
| #58 |
| BHPian  | +1, 5* from me as well deky. No words to say. Those snaps are so wonderful. I see all of you playing like kids  |
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28th May 2010, 15:42
| #59 |
| BHPian  | with the temp being 45 degrees outside ,all you need is this travelogue. truely refreshing  |
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28th May 2010, 16:02
| #60 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: 515134
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