Chronicles of Kanghcnejunga 3 : Heading to the basecamp

 Inspiration – Col. Narendra (Bull) Kumar

One of the most memorable and inspiring moment took place during Dec 2018. On the eve of International Mountain Day, we invited Col. Narendra Kumar. He was the person who discovered Siachen glacier and because of which, today, it is under the control of India. The government of India established a permanent base at glacier and named it ‘Kumar Base’ to honour his deeds for the country. However, his yet another proud achievement for country, and for mountaineering fraternity; which in particular, was inspiring to us was that, he was leader of India’s first successful Mt. Kangchenjunga Expedition, 1977. Mt. Kangchenjunga was first climbed in a British expedition on 25^th May 1955. Two legendary mountaineers, Joe Brown and George Brand reached to the summit. It was only after 22 years, another expedition could succeed scaling a tremendously challenging north-east spur to the top of Kangchenjunga. That was on 31^st May 1977, under the leadership of Col. Narendra Kumar after intense efforts, and arduous climbing that lasted for over two months. Major Prem Chand & Naik ND Sherpa of the Army Expedition reached on top at 2:45 PM. As promised earlier to the Sikkimese, out of respect to the mountain and the religious beliefs of locals, the climbers did not step on the top, but bowed to the mountain, from just six feet below the summit. It was the most historic moment and an inspiration for next generations of mountaineers. On 15 Jan 1978, to honour this feat, Gov. of India, commemorated postal tickets to honour this triumph.

The story of this greatest ever triumph of Indian mountaineering, we all listened through the words of none other than Col. Kumar. His story of the epic conquest, we all carried with us to the expedition.

Heading to the basecamp

6^th Apr 2019, Kathmandu.,

On the eve of GudhiPadva, one of the most auspicious days in Hindu religion, team embarked on the expedition. Before the departure, we had spent 6 days in Kathmandu. Some official formalities, including the meeting with Indian Embassy personnel, & final purchases were to be finished. Everyone had been on a roller coaster ride when in Pune. Be it fund raising, training, social events etc. So Mama wanted us to rest well, and relax for a couple of days before embarking on expedition. Most importantly, paying a visit to Lord Pashupatinath was one of the prime to-do-lists.

Lord Pashupatinath, form of Lord Shiva. This temple is one of the most renowned sacred places for Hindus. In Hindu religion, Pashu means all the animals and Nath means their protector or caretaker. Pashupatinath- the lord of all pashus. The temple is situated along the river Bagmati. Mama had arranged a special entry for our entire team directly inside the core sanctum. We all did ‘Abhishek’, a ritual practised by Hindus to take blessings from the God before embarking on a big challenge. I remembered my collage days, when I had taken my entire team to visit Mumbai’s Lord Siddhi Vinayaka temple before we departed to our Cricket tournament. Mama too seemed to be putting quite a lot of emphasis on following the rituals & beliefs. There is some extra-ordinary power - unseen, unheard, but surely felt, that boosts your morale and creates an aura of positivity around. That’s the kind of impact mountains and the nature too, create on one’s mind. One must respect it. It inspires humility and a willingness to accept that life is full of possibilities.

Our journey began with a half an hour flight to Bhadrapur. Bhushan and I were sitting next to each other. I recalled the day when we were travelling together to Massourie and were wondering when in the future, were we going to climb together. This was the time.

We landed in Bhadrapur and so did rains with thunderstorm. It was quite unexpected to have rains so early. Nevertheless, they made the climate a lot cooler and enjoyable. The airport was very small that I thought even the bus stations in my hometown were far bigger and sophisticated. We walked out from the air strip and headed towards the luggage belt. But there wasn’t anything like a revolving belt. Airport personnel brought all the luggage in hand trolleys and stacked them on a platform. The platform was covered with just a roof above and the rains and winds were surging in from all the sides. Quickly we picked up our duffel bags and walked outside to the parking where our bus was waiting. Seeing the overall appearance of the bus, I felt the standing under the roof was better than boarding it. But there was no option. In our mountaineering institute’s various courses, we preach with confidence about our motto: “Enjoy the Discomfort” to our participants. Now it was our turn to deal with it.  

Our group was more than just Giripremi team. There was a German Climber, Frank, Bulgarian Atanas & his two sponsors, who were accompanying him till the basecamp. Bhagwan Chawle from Pune, a group of four Bengali climbers: Biplab, Kuntal, Shahbuddin, and Rudra. One more Bengali climber was to join them directly at Basecamp. Along with all of us, there were four Sherpas who accompanied us: Pasang Sherpa, Chiji Sherpa and two more.

Our road journey began with ‘Ganapati Bappa Morya’, a promising slogan for safe journey. On the way Rupesh joined us at Chhapa village, where we together had a dinner. Rupesh is one of the seniormost members of Giripremi team. I had an acquaintance with him on numerous occasions. We had trained together as a group. In my observations, he was a hardworking, sincere mountaineer. Due to his hectic office work, he joined us after seven days. By 9:00 PM, we reached a place called Fikkal. This was the last place I had network connectivity. Next 50 days were to be out of network. So, I didn’t leave this chance to talk to my beloveds. That night, for the first time, during any expeditions so far, I was homesick.   

Next day was a long travel to the road head village called Hapu Khola. In Nepal, Khola means river or a stream. And this village was situated on the banks of river Hapu. Hence it was known as Hapu Khola. It was a long travel. We had begun to get closer to the mountainous terrain. Initial early morning beautiful roads, meandering through the hilly regions, had taken an ugly look by dusk. At around 6:00 PM we reached a small village, hardly 5-6 kms behind Hapukhola, when we realised that the road ahead had been washed out by rains at a critical turn. It was just impossible to drive the bus loaded with 30 odd men and their luggage equivalent to one ton. We had begun to feel the remoteness too as the network seemed very poor. We almost made up our mind to hunt for a place to sleep and get fed overnight. Mama had done the reconnaissance of this route a year ago as a part of expedition preparation. So, he desperately tried to get in touch with Finju, who was our expedition chief cook and was waiting for us at Hapukhola. Finally, after around 30-35 min, mama got in touch with him and briefed him the situation. Without wasting a moment, Finju told mama that he had arranged 4 jeeps which would drive us to Hapukhola. This was the first instance, I was introduced to a person, whom over the period of entire expedition, I had developed absolute admiration and unadulterated affection as a fatherly figure.

Though Finju arranged 4 jeeps for us, they were not able to drive through that difficult section. So, we all decided to carry entire luggage on our backs, and shoulders and walk for around 100-150 m in a head torch lights, across that critical turn. There, we loaded our luggage and boarded the jeeps.

That bumpy and a bit scary drive of half an hour, took us to Hapu Khola at 9:00 PM. The village was not more than a bunch of 20 odd houses. Our accommodation was arranged in a relatively large two storied house with tiny wooden compartments. They were specifically meant for the trekkers who occasionally dared to take off-beat trails like KBC as opposed to famous ones like EBC and ABC. In that first night itself, I could notice the stark difference between the development of Khumbu valley of EBC and this Hapu valley of KBC. You can make audio/video calls on whatApp from EBC on network services, while here on the trailhead of KBC, you can barely pass on a few sentences calling over regular phone calls. I knew that this trek was going to be not at all luxurious as it was in the case of EBC; but surely in its own way, it would offer unusual experience of untainted wilderness.

The first-hand unusual experience came right in our miniature room, which, as a matter of fact, was inadequate to accommodate one person; in which crammed were Mama, Bhushan and I. Additionally, entire electronic gadgets of the expedition were housed in that it for charging. However, the unique feature of that room was, its walls were adorned not by the paints or pictures or posters but by piles of books on travel, history, and Nepal culture.

I met Finju (dai) Sherpa at the dining table. A man probably in his late 30s, with typical squinted Nepali eyes, face with quintessential smile, and attitude to please his client by serving as wondrous meals as he could. Tanned cheeks and nose – emblems of every Sherpa. In Nepal, elderly brother is addressed as dai. Mama told us that Finju came all the way from base camp to Hapu Khola, trekking for around 3-4 days, so that our team could have fresh and tasty meals cooked by him. I was in awe about his commitment to his work, but more about his respect and love towards Mama. Mama was a fatherly figure not just to us, but for him as well. Little did I know then that Mama was going to be a fatherly figure to every resident at basecamp.

Trek Begins

8^th Apr 2019. Our trek finally began along Hapu river. The destination was Khebang. The trail as we trekked, was predominantly through cardamom farming. It was a cash crop in that valley. Rice, wheat, and some vegetables could be seen seldom. The villagers and the passers-by were very few but knew very well the hospitality with which they must greet trekkers, especially foreigners. Though Indians are foreigners to Nepalese, their definition of foreigners is those who tip in dollars, rest everybody is local. My initial assumption - language could be a barrier - as the region was very remote, was totally crushed (in a happy way) by a young teenager, whom I met en route. He very warmly greeted me, conversed in fluent English and introduced his family members to me. He was a college goer and had come to his native for vacation.

The trek was pleasant and Khebang (1747 m) was a delightful place to be. Our host were lovely family who welcomed us with a wide smile on their faces and hands folded in a gesture of ‘Namaste’. This stay was an exceptional advancement over the one in Hapukhola. Spacious rooms with individual beds & warm blankets. There was a covered terrace offering a spectacular view of beautifully painted wooden houses, primary school building, huge playground in front of them, and a range of lush green hills in background. While most of the team members spent evening times playing chess, or munching on delicious snacks, my eyes were affixed to a gang of boys playing cricket in the field. Though it made me miss my cricket days, I preferred to be just a spectator from the distance.

I had picked up a book – ‘Annapurna – the first conquest of an 8000-meter peak’ by Maurice Herzog. It was gifted by Kiran. Kiran was my new friend in this expedition and a tentmate high above in the Death-zone. I had his acquaintance since I joined Giripremi, but I got to know him fairly well in this expedition. He was one of the oldest of Giripremi members but after so long he could make his debut to 8000er. Naturally he was very excited. Though he wasn’t great with his physical fitness, I found his company quite different than rest of the members. He had immense knowledge of Hollywood movies. There was hardly any movie he hadn’t watched. From mountaineering point of view, he had in depth knowledge of D-SLR cameras and their operational specifics. One of the nights at basecamp, Bhushan and Kiran worked hard to get excellent time lapse of clear sky. What intrigued me the most about him was, his willingness to prove his worth not just to the club but to his family. He mentioned once when we were strolling in the bustling streets of Thamel in KTM, that he has been a shy and a bit under confident guy and needed something great to happen – and for that he was willing to work hard. I’m pleased that he topped out at Kj and brought happiness and pride to the club, family and nonetheless, to himself.

Next day we began our trek towards Yamphudin. Situated on the banks of Kabeli  khola, it served as a check-post before entering the national park. Sherpa village laid at slightly elevated place, was part of Yamphudin. Most of the Sherpas in the village must be residing at a higher altitude than Yamphudin. Hence the place must have got the name Sherpa Village. Yamphudin was so to say the last village en route. Thereafter, we had to stay at five intermediate stays before reaching the base camp. Most of them were temporary settlements, deep within the national park. This revelation was enough to intimidate anyone with extreme remoteness we were to witness in coming days.

The trail from Khebang to Yamphudin zigzagged uphill through a dense forest. The sky was cloudy, and it drizzled for a while. Within an hour-long walk, we reached at a pass. On the other side, the trail opened to an under construction motorable road. It would take us directly to Yamphudin, but it would have turned out to be a quite long walk. Instead we sought help from numerous short trails which local people had carved through the jungles. They kept connecting the main road but offered significant difficulties especially while descending. Mama’s left ankle was injured during the bus drive. It had slowed him already. He was struggling a bit on that steep slippery trails, but most of us walked together looking after each other. We took a short halt at around 11:00 for tea. Pasang dai brought us tea- biscuits while he sat in a corner puffing a cigarette. He looked at us, smirked with a blush and said, “Sherpa Oxygen!” We noticed an old woman sitting outside the hut, who, despite the tea, biscuits and other food items, consumed couple of bidis in style. Ignorance was bliss in that wilderness.

We finished our pack of biscuits and gulped down hot black tea and to proceed further. By 13:00 we were at Yamphudin and waiting for our lunch plate to arrive. We were extremely hungry and could smell amazing dal being cooked inside the hut. Sherpas served us with hot dal bhat, garnished with spinach, onion, and a pickle to treat our taste buds. However, what totally blew my mind was soft and granular ghee made from the Yak milk. It tasted delicious and the entire meal course in front of me suddenly became a five star treat.

From Yamphudin, hike to Sherpa village was one-one and a half hour long. As we hiked through the jungles, we came across variety of medicinal plants en route. Our guide Krishna, showed us plants which could be used to treat skin allergy, wounds, asthma, and abdominal pains. Rupesh had spotted birds and animals during his reconnaissance visit a year ago. The place appeared to be a biodiversity hotspot in Kangchenjunga national park.

We were to spend two nights at Sherpa Village. The lodge was located on the terrace of the mountain, covered with lush green meadows and dense forest around. The building was two storied painted in bright blue & white colours. The brilliant red colour of the roof above would glitter in clear sunny day.

That evening, the host introduced me to a local wine called Tongba. The wine was particularly found in eastern remote Nepal. There I learnt that it was a culturally and religiously important drink for people in Taplejung district. It is served as a token of respect to the guests on special occasions and festivals. It was made of fermented millet. Though I didn’t much investigate on its preparation, I found its way of consumption surprisingly unique. The fermented millet is poured in a wooden cylindrical container. Boiled water is poured into it. It is kept undisturbed for a while. A bamboo stick perforated on one side is inserted in the container. The perforation acts as a filter. From the other end, warm alcohol is sucked from the millet grains. I’m not an alcohol consumer but the gourmet in me could barely resist from tasting such fine drink. As I sipped that warm drink, I noticed that there were 10-12 Thongba wooden containers in variety of sizes, very neatly arranged on a shelf, way beyond the reach of 3 mischievous sons of the owner. Mischievous would prove to be an inadequate adjective as they had been the reasons to agitate someone like Rupesh, who is otherwise known as calm personality. On the second day at Sherpa Village, we had after plodding for over 3 hrs, collected a few samples from around the jungles for our Eco project. Rupesh was the incharge of this field trip. We packed them in sealed plastic bags and kept in a veranda undisturbed so that the soil samples would settle from the water. These little monsters came out of nowhere at night and threw away the samples and left only dry bags as a good morning gesture outside Rupesh’s room.   

After spending quite relaxed nights at Sherpa village, we left for Torongden. This was one of the treacherous treks through the thick forest. We started by 7:00 AM. The trail initially skirted around the mountain with gentle ups and downs. After an hour-long walk, the trail began to go uphill. And it practically seized to flatten or show any signs of descend. It became apparent after speaking to the guide, that we had to gain altitude from 2200 m up to the hilltop Lalsane Bhanjan (3500 m) and then descend to Torongden (2900 m). The climb was truly demanding. The sky was barely visible. Just for a comparison, it was equivalent to climbing 4-5 Sinhagad forts near to my city. By 12:30 we made it to the top where it had started to rain and the fog had gathered in split second, compromising the visibility. We quickly had our packed lunch in an only hut available there. Mama told us his experience from reconnaissance trip, how he, Rupesh, and Avinash Foujdar had to spend a night in that same shelter, when it was raining torrentially, and the cold air gushed through the numerous gaps in the wooden walls. We realised that we were in significant comfort zone than what Mama and co. had to endure. We were glad that there wasn’t much rain nor any snowfall.

After the lunch, we continued further. Now was total descend and into a new valley. The river that bisected this valley was Simbuwa. Another densely forested valley with massive tree trunks. By 5:00 PM, after trudging for 10 hours, we finally reached Torongden.

We were tired due to ten hour-long walks. However, the climate was a lot cooler and it provided some relief. The rapidly flowing Simbuwa Khola was very close by. Warmth of Chullah in the dining was another factor that appeased us and delicious dal bhat revitalised our fatigued bodies.

Next day was a peaceful hike to Tseram at 3700 m. A place from where real high altitude was to begin. We walked through the jungles initially. Peculiarity of the tree en route was that their trunks and branches were heavily sleeved with 3-4-inch-thick and soft moss. I wondered if they could be used as bedding in case of bivouac (unplanned shelter). We came across Lord Shiva’s temple, nested in the thick woods. We could realise of its existence because the trees around the temple were decorated with colourful Nepali prayer flags. Sherpas of this region observe a ritual of placing a metal trishul, Lord Shiva’s weapon at sanctum before heading further to the basecamp. Finjudai had brought a pair of Trishul with him. He respectfully placed them inside the temple before heading towards Tseram.

 

Tseram (3700 m)

Tseram was no more than two double storied wooden huts separated by a large field, where hikers would pitch their tents in case if the accommodation in huts was unavailable. Next to our hut, was a helipad. Unlike EBC trek route, where the choppers can land practically in every village enroute, here, at Kj, the situation wasn’t the same. There were only two places where the chopper could go from base camp. One was Tseram and the next was Tapethok, the roadhead in Simbuwa valley. The rooms in Tseram were congested as everywhere so we preferred to spend most of our day in the dining area. We spent two nights at Tseram as we had gained significant altitude from Torongden (2900 m) and were in the realm of high-altitude. From here onwards, our ascent was going to be slow and with multiple camps in between with fewer height gain.

The dining area was pleasantly warm and could easily accommodate 20 persons. As we entered, on the right side, was the kitchen, from where various delicacies made their ways to our long dinner table. Though Dal Bhat was quite common, here the owner satiated our taste buds with cheese omlets, pan cakes, Pastas, Parathas etc. Large thermos bottles, in various colours, filled with hot water, tea, coffee, and milk, were kept in one corner of the room. The left side of the wall was adorned with famous global personalities, mostly historical, political, and some sports persons. I wondered how there weren’t any from mountaineering!

Our team had some exceptional Chess talents. Not just the talent but were able to stir interest among entire team to play chess. Anand, Sumit, and Prasad were the champions and rest of us dilettantes, struggled to hang around until they defeated us. With Anand’s initiative, we all played a chess tournament that lasted for almost entire day. It was our rest day, so we spent the day playing chess, sipping a lot of warm liquids and revitalising ourselves with dal bhat power.

A trail from Tseram would go through Selele la at 4500 m and lead to the Northern Kj basecamp. Next day early morning, we decided to hike up that trail till the snowline (approx. 4400 m) as an acclimatization walk. It was a slight drizzle when we started our hike. The trail passed through thick woods and as it steepened, the treeline began to vanish. Gaining the height was a pivotal task as it would adjust our bodies to low Oxygen levels. Towards east of Tseram, we could spot high mountains like Kabru dom I, Kabru dom II. Just beyond these mountains, was Sikkim, India. India’s prestigious Himalayan Mountaineering Institute’s (HMI) base camp is situated beyond mighty Kabru range. At the top we rested for an hour at the banks of a small lake. In this region, lake is called as Pokhari. This word reminded me of my previous year’s trek to HMI base camp, where, when we went to the height gain from base camp, we came across a huge lake known as Bhale Pokhari. Such was the closeness between Nepal and India here. We were, so to say, that close to the India yet far away from her as well.

I badly missed one of our friends - Ganesh. He is a senior mountaineer in Giripremi. I had an opportunity to climb under him in one of Giripremi’s rock climbing expeditions. Those two days of climbing boosted my confidence in my abilities to the next level. Thanks to Ganesh that he gave me opportunities to climb famous crags of Pahine, Scottish, & sport routes in talavade khind (pass). Since then, I have a deep admiration for him. Mama too must have missed him a lot. He would proudly tell Sherpa members, “Giripremi has our own Sherpa, who is equally capable of climbing big mountains like Nepali Sherpa. He is Ganesh More”. However, today, he wasn’t with us. He could not get leaves from his office. Pity that he couldn’t. Far away at Base camp, we all would often think of our friend who had to stay back.

The following day was a rest day. Though the trek wasn’t exhausting so far, at high altitudes, the rest days after 2-3 days of workload were vital for acclimatization. At around 7:00 AM I woke up and saw Mama had arrived in our (Ashish & I were roommates in Tseram) room. Mama’s knee had improved significantly, so both of us went out for a morning walk around the settlement. Over the period of five years, Mama and I had developed a special bond. Beyond just Giripremi. He asked about my future, family issues, marriage etc. as if a father would talk to his son. Of all the team-mates, I could feel that he was paying special attention to me. May be because he had seen me on ventilator five years ago when I had suffered from Dengue; knew not then if I would even survive. Yet today he had given me a chance to prove my capabilities. What a daring he was doing! No disputes a sensitive leader would have a special corner reserved for a delicate member.

That day at around 11:00 in the morning, Mama got a call from Kathmandu about a disaster at Lukla airport. As per the reports, an aeroplane while taking off, lost its control and hit directly on to a chopper standing away from the runway. It was a serious accident as 3-4 trekkers and chopper crew members seemed to have died. Flying to Lukla has recently been a far riskier affair than actual mountain climbing. There had been many accidents at Lukla before and I wondered why Nepal Government hasn’t taken any concrete steps yet. Lukla airport is a gateway to many Himalayan treks and expeditions including the most famous Mt. Everest. Given the status of this vital place, the government must formulate certain safety measures and implement strict policies to curb the unorganized business model of air travels. There wasn’t much we could do from Tseram, but we thanked Gods that our group of trekkers who were to go to EBC on the same day, were safe in KTM.  

Late afternoon we spent packing our duffle bags. Dinesh Kotkar, one of our colleagues in GGIM and a dear friend of mine, was to lead a group of trekkers to Kangchenjunga Base Camp. He was to arrive at Tseram by 20^th Apr. So, we decided to send something to our beloveds back home. It was after almost 5 years; I was writing a letter from the mountains to my family. Back in 2014, I had been in Kumaun Himalaya for NOLS mountaineering course. It took place during the same season as Kj expedition. Perhaps on a same day, I had written a letter to my family from the last village called Khati. However, it never reached home, thanks to the local postal service. Dinesh, being a close friend, and a support member of the Kj expedition, I knew this time the letter would reach safely to my family.     

We still had three more days of trekking to reach basecamp and seeing the weather conditions, it was evident that we might encounter heavy snow enroute. Hence, we kept our mountaineering boots with us from Tseram. Some of the western climbers preferred to stay back at Tseram, acclimatize by hiking upto Selele la and then fly to basecamp skipping the two challenging camps. There were significant logistical challenges of basecamp yet to be resolved, including the ration, fuel, Oxygen masks & cylinders etc. Looking at the poor situation of logistics, Mama opted to stay back at Tseram to ensure smooth planning for upcoming challenging days.

Trek to Rameche

Walk to Rameche was so steadily uphill, that we didn’t even realise when we gained 400 vertical meters within just four hrs. Clear skies of the morning were transformed into thick dark clouds by noon. Some rains and then the whiteouts soon followed diminishing the visibility. We would follow the footsteps of the person in front. From midway, when we crossed the treeline and began to hike on the huge plateau, the trail was wanded with long, thick, red coloured wooden poles. They were separated at an adequate distance for guiding the trekkers to the destination.

As we trudged our ways through the whiteout, stone walled tiny shelters of Rameche began to reveal their existence. Nested in the laps of giant mountains like Rathong, Kabru etc, Rameche was the last outpost en route base camp. One could find very rudimentary accommodation facility. The rooms were walled with granite rocks and slabs. The gaps in between them were filled with small pebbles and gravels. Then they were quoted very inadequately with a layer of wet soil hoping that the wall would withstand to outside harsh conditions. The truth in fact was, the rocks, and pebbles had already broken the mud layering on it. They protruded out from everywhere and could fall upon our beds anytime. The doors made from wood, had numerous gaps for cold air to gush in, leaving the existence of doors questionable. The wooden beds with thick woollen mattresses were the luxury though as they offered significant warmth and comfort. It never felt very cold inside the rooms, even though in the late afternoon the weather had turned bad and resulted in snowfall.

There was a common kitchen around 50-55 yards away from all rooms, where all of us gathered at 7:30 PM for the dinner. Apart from regular Indian cuisine, that day, Finju dai had cooked Yak meat. It tasted soft and juicy. I ate just a few pieces as I wasn’t sure if it would suit me or not. I didn’t know then that my stomach would safely digest this awesome Sherpa cuisine even at Camp 3, 23000 ft.

Next day, the sky was clear and bright. All giant mountains were dazzling in bright sunlight. Prayer flags far away in one of the mountains col, fluttered sending the waves of blessing upon the trekkers.

Our march began towards middle camp. The trek was very pleasant and gently uphill. We were to trek till Oktang, another place, where there was a small temple of Lord Shiva. From Oktang, real mountaineering was to begin. We had to deal with rock falls, moraines, boulders & scree, crevasses… typical features of a glacier walk. The blissful side of Himalaya trekking was soon to supersede by harsh and testing times of hardcore mountaineering.

The giant mountains had revealed us their physical features and we were hiking while chit-chatting about possible climbing routes on them. Suddenly someone shouted, ‘Look.. That’s Kangchnejunga!’

Finally! Right in front of our eyes, immense snow & rock massif, shining under the sun like a crystal, had risen through the clouds. It was my first encounter with any 8000er mountain. So close and so clear the spectacle was! I was to be honest, speechless for a moment in the face of this tremendous structure. Pictures and videos had introduced us to the mountain before, but the view was so moving and awe-inspiring that I couldn’t utter a word. Then slowly the reasons to arrive here began to supersede our amazement, and we began to take pictures and examine its features, especially the rocky ones near the top.

We reached Middle camp for lunch. It was pitched in the middle of the glacier where there was a small tarn that could be used as a source of drinking water. It was meant to be a temporary camping site with very minimum facilities and food ration for bivouacs situations.

In the late evening the weather began to worsen with continuous snow fall. At night there were thundering sounds that didn’t let most of us sleep. The snowfall didn’t stop even in the morning. However, middle camp was not a great place to spend another night. So Bhushan and Rupesh took a call for heading to the basecamp.

Accordingly, we packed our bags. Sumit, Kiran, Anand, & Prasad wore mountaineering boots as it was almost a knee-deep snow. Rest of us preferred with regular trekking shoes. Mountain boots offered insulation from snow but created difficulty in trekking through tricky boulders and moraines route. While the trekking shoes were comfortable for manoeuvrability, our feet were to get drench and numb very soon. Any which way, we had to march. The testing times had begun.

To Base Camp

We left middle camp by 7:00 AM and dark, thick clouds stormed into the glacier leaving the visibility next to nil. The route till base camp was marked with red paints on boulders. However, these boulders were also shielded with thick layers of fresh snow deposition. My initial excitement of taking photos and videos while negotiating the boulders disappeared, when I slipped off and fell miserably on my right shoulder. Thankfully the phone was intact and so was I.

The visibility turned so bad that only next 10-20 yards further could be seen. Footprints of the trekker ahead, would vanish in no time due to unstoppable snow fall.  Till middle camp, we all had walked together in sync. We would wait at times for the slower ones. However, on this treacherous basecamp route, it was difficult to remain idle as it would cool down our bodies. Naturally, everyone walked at their own pace. Bhushan, Ashish, and Rupesh were leading. Jitendra, Anand, and I were in the middle. Krishna, Prasad, Sumit, & Kiran were at rear end. Prasad was ill. Weather didn’t seem to improve at all. I wondered if the decision to walk further was right. Had something happened to Prasad or anyone for that matter, it would have put the entire team in a jeopardy. Sending him back to Tseram all the way was not a suitable option either. So, the only way was to keep walking.

At 1:00, Jitendra, Anand and I halted under a huge boulder. Soon Finju dai joined us. He urged us to eat quickly and keep moving. Jitu had a few sweet laddoos which tasted heavenly. We had no clue how much we had covered and how far the base camp was. We kept going.

Just when the weather cleared for a while, far away and about 200-250 m above the glacier, Finju dai pointed us to yellow dots scattered over the slopes of apparently a huge mountain. It was first difficult to spot but we soon could spot… and when we did, we struck with another thundering jolt of reality. Those tiny yellow dots were our tents at the base camp. From where we spotted, it was surely a three hours long trek; first through all the moraine & glaciers then the uphill climb of around 300 m till the base camp. The thought of seeing the base camp for the first time was as much a pleasant felling as it was intimidating to accept how far it truly was.

My feet were soured, and the exhaustion was piling up with each step. Suddenly I saw two extremely lean gentlemen walking towards us. They seemed in a quite a professional mountaineering attire, with state-of-the-art clothing and mountaineering boots, above all they bore dashing confidence in their elegant walk yet humbleness on their faces. They were two Sherpa guides, who were sent from the basecamp for serving us the hot drinks and cookies. Also, Finju dai must have informed about the tiring conditions of some of the climbers. Hence, they had descended from base camp to support them.

They greeted us with a smile and a cup of hot black tea. I asked them their names.

‘I’m Wangchu Sherpa and He is Mingmar Sherpa.’

Wangchu, in first impression seemed extremely polite, soft spoken and incredibly fit climber, while Mingmar’s face and his style of speaking was so mischievously funny that even in that exhausted moment, a small chat with him brought some smiles across our weary faces.  No disputes on his fitness too. Later in the actual ascent of Kj, Mingmar became a part of route opening team; while Wangchu played a major role in bringing exhausted Prasad back to base camp.

We whole heartedly thanked both for serving us invaluable hot drinks and cookies and continued walking further. Now we were at the foot of the hill. Just two more hours and we were to be in the safe zone. However, no one was aware that the biggest risk of this entire trek was about to show up on this last two hours hike. Continuous uphill climb, poor visibility, knee deep snow. If all this was not enough, the Rock Fall!

No sooner did we begin to ascend, a few loose rocks, ranging in size from a cricket ball to basketball size, flung down from the slopes. As they passed us in split seconds, we though unharmed, were in absolute fright. Anand was ahead of me and Jitendra right behind me. We quickly found places to hide as the rocks continued to fall. Finju dai showed presence of mind and quickly assumed a vantage position from where he could guide us and keep a watch on potential rock falls. At his signal, we began to walk speedily. When he would shout out for rock fall, we would quickly find shelter to hide. At times, the rocks hit on hard surfaces and split into multiple smaller rocks, leaving us in bewilderment as to where exactly to run and hide. Thankfully we all negotiated the rockfall and reached to a point of safe zone.

This whole adrenaline gushing drama was scary but truly boosted my spirit as I felt like I had conquered some truly heroic deed. From there, the base camp was in sight, but a rope was fixed at some tricky sections. From that point, Rupesh, Anand, Jitu, and I walked together counting the steps till we reached base camp at 5494 m.  

What a feeling it was! Despite heavy snow & rock falls, numerous injuries to both legs, numb and sour feet, shivering hands, completely drenched cloths, and above all fatigued minds, we had reached the base camp. Never in any of my treks so far, I had faced so many nerve wrecking challenges of such extreme ruthlessness on one single day. I wondered how the climbing ahead of base camp would be like. By 7:00 PM, the last member of our trekking party including all Sherpas, arrived safely at base camp. Continuous snowfall, numbed fingers and toes, drenched cloths had sapped away our energies but not the morale. We knew we have made it to a safe zone braving all odds.

Sitting across the only cook-stove available for all ten of us, I pondered on how we dream of goals as precious as Kj; which seem quite amusing and scintillating from distant and then we set forth in achieving them. However, the destiny has for us, the obstacles planted on our way to reach the goal. During the process of achieving it, we are challenged; forced to face adversities. At times we are agonizingly wounded, mentally disturbed, suffer emotional setbacks. The path is all through darkness. It is in these crucial moments, some throw in the towel on further walk, some perish with inadequacies. However, there are some, who are prepared, and bear optimism coupled with rational thinking. They carry hope in their hearts. They believe that the night though darkest, isn’t eternal. Soon it shall dawn. Those brave ones are in process of expanding their capabilities to newer levels.  and they begin to experience the existence of some indestructible force within. It is this realization that eventually propels them through the darkness to the summits of their dreams.