Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Sara Umga and Animal Pass - Part 2

Kuta Thatch to Sara Umga Pass Base (4270 mts)
The general direction of the Sara Umga pass was clear from Kuta thatch, but I still couldn't see the pass and I was hoping once we reach the base, we could see the pass. I also guessed that there would not be much climbing involved today and it was going to be relatively an easy day (how wrong was I). When we started for the day, the initial route was again through a well trodden trail which was surprising. We walked for some distance and reached Sara Thatch another place which can be a good campsite. We could now see that the valley on the right of us had opened up, and the expanse of the Sara Umga glacier could be seen. Sathya explained that beyond this glacial valley was the massive Bara Shigri glacier. After our trek, his plan was to cross into Bara Shigri glacier and find a route across the Gunther's Col (a very rarely traversed route). We negotiated a short boulder zone and then the valley opened up again. We had crossed multiple streams today, but this was much easier as wading in the streams was rarely above the knee. After a while, Ishu mentioned that we would have to take the route which goes down towards the Tosh Glacier and we would then have to walk on the glacier bed. There was another one way which went up and climbed a small ridge. Sathya mentioned that since we had time, we take that route, visit another glacial lake up there and then descend down to the glacier from there.Well as a certain Mr. Frost said and I quote "Two roads diverged in a wood, and --", we decided to follow Frost's philosophy and took the road that led to this mystical lake.

We did reach a small lake created by glacial melt but realized that the actual lake which was shown in the map was behind another ridge and this would take some more time. Sanju and Ved went around to recce the route, where we could get down, while we rested at this lake. They came back after a while and said that there was no route down from here. So we decided to traverse our way back and climb down from wherever it was possible. This was the most treacherous part for me. Descending down moraine was never my strength and on top of it, I did not have my shoes as well. Neither Sandeep nor I are experts in descending and we were finding it very tough.

Ishu helped Sandeep get down while I had to take help from Sathya and Anu to get down to glacier bed. This took a lot of time but we were finally on the glacier bed. After this, it took us around 45mins to reach the camp which was to be our base for the Sara Umga pass. We had not gained any altitude today. The pass was not visible from the camp, but what was troubling me was, I could not see any route to climb up to the pass. The pass seemed to be hidden somewhere up and there was a lot of scree on the route. Later in the evening, I could hear Sathya and Ved discussing on the route which we could take to climb up. I realized now, why is this not a very popular pass amongst trekkers. It looked very daunting from here. I was a bit anxious but Sandeep assured me that with a strong team and experienced trekker like Sathya, we should be able see it through.

Strava Link : https://www.strava.com/activities/709679251

Sara Umga Base – Chota Shigri Basecamp vi Saara Umga pass (5020 mts)
I knew it was going to be a long day but didn't know it would be so long and also did not realize that it was going to be one of the toughest days that I have seen on a trek. We started at around 8:30 AM with all the energy we had. We negotiated the boulders near our camp and reached a point where Ved decided, we should start the climb. Suddenly, I could see Sandeep coughing and feeling out of breath. I got worried as we had not even started the climb. But when Sathya started talking to him, I realized that in spite of everything, Sandeep was feeling extremely anxious about the climb. Sathya took Sandeep's sleeping bag and asked Ved to carry Sandeep's rucksack. I was still worried, but there was no where to turn back now. The initial climb of around 150 mts looked extremely daunting. When you climb through moraine and boulders, there are chances of falling rock hitting team members climbing below you.

This was the challenge in this treacherous section. I was with Ved and I kept telling him that I was continuously losing grip and falling. Sanju was with Sandeep and he was helping him climb up. I knew Sathya was keeping a watchful eye as all of us were negotiating this climb. One mistake, one small slip and down you fall in the glacier. We were making slow progress but it was alright because we were being very cautious with each step. The altitude was not that much of a problem, but the daunting terrain was. Ishu reached the top of the climb, kept his load back and came back to help us. At one point I was just hanging on to a ock, I was on all fours and completely sprawled on the rock face, refusing to move. It was only when Ved came and gave his hand,that I got back my bearings and started my climb again. Finally with the all the help from our wonderful friends, we managed to make it to the top of the 150 mts climb. We were all happy and were celebrating as though we reached the top of the actual pass when in fact we hadn't covered even 20% of the climb.

There was much to be negotiated, climbed, crawled that was ahead of us. They say that in the mountains things always are further than they appear and sometimes much harder than they look. That could not be far from true today. We climbed further up on a little more firm ground, maybe another100mts thinking that we would be able to see the pass, but ended up staring at a huge sea of boulders. The best part about today (in fact the whole trek) was that the weather continued to be kind to us. Even now, the sun was in its full glory and we were glad we were not climbing in rain, sleet or snow. While we were negotiating the boulders, suddenly we heard a noise, as if one of the rocks was going to give in. Ved asked us to make a move fast and get away from here, because once the rock fall starts, there would be no way of getting away. We would all be crushed under those heavy stones. We all made a hasty scramble from this place. At some point, I realized that I did not have any water since starting and was feeling extremely thirsty, but there was no water in site. Finally we came across a stream but the water was very muddy, but we could not help it. We had to have this water as there was nothing else in site. From here, I could see the beginning of the snow field and thought it would take us no more than 20 minutes to reach the top. Again how wrong was I.

This last section was the big daddy of them all. Moraine, rocks, boulders and on top of it, the glacier below was melting making it all very unstable. It took us another hour to reach this snow field. To top it all, the pass was still not visible from here.
Finally Ved asked me to put on my shoes with the broken soles as it would be very tough to walk on the snow field in mere sandals. I followed his order because my feet were starting to feel numb and cold and found it to be surprisingly easy to walk up the snow fields in my shoes. After a while, I could see huge crevices on snow field, all of them were open but still looked scary to me. I knew that the pass and the glacier were heavily crevassed so extra caution had to be taken. With this in mind, Ved asked us to leave the snow field and climb up the rocks on the left of the field. At this point, my shoes gave in and both the soles came off. Still I continued to walk in those shoes. Finally after five and half hours of hauling up, we found ourselves on top of the pass in perfect weather. It was at this time only that I relaxed a bit and began to take in the surroundings. What marvelous views, there were mighty mountains all around. We congratulated each other and thanked God; we had climbed up till here without any bad incidences.
We began our customary photo session and also did a small pooja on the top. Sathya's GPS showed the pass to be at 5019 mts. That meant we had climbed more that 800mts today on a tough terrain. Even from the point where we were standing, we could see many crevices on the other side of the pass. This was technically the Spiti side and the vast expanse of the Chhota Shigri glacier was before us. I wondered if this is Chhota (small), what would the Bara (big) Shigri glacier be like. As always, getting on to the pass is job only half done. We had to climb down as well and this was equally challenging as climbing up. The descent was gradual but the risks posed by those crevices was very high. I have never seen crevices in such huge numbers. Even while getting down from Kalindi Khal, the crevices did not look so scary. But here, we had to zig zag our way a number of times. We were following the steps of Ved. He was leading and continuously checking for a trap using his ice axe. Sathya was marching in the rear making sure everyone walks safe. At one such time, I saw that Ved crossed over, but just as Sandeep stepped, the snow gave in and he slipped. The snow around him caved in and he was sitting in an awkward position propped up on what looked like a snow mound, with his legs hanging into the deep crevice. My heart was in my mouth. Sathya immediately asked everyone to clear the area. Ved gave Sandeep one end of the ice axe and Sathya held his other hand and and pulled him out safely. This was the scariest time of the trek. This is something which could not be avoided and reminded me that trekking in the Himalayas comes with its own risks. Everybody was relieved to see Sandeep get back on his feet safely. It was only later that Sandeep told me that he still gets nightmares about the incidence. The crevice, he said, went down till Patal lok. From now on we were doubly careful and the going slowed down as we made sure that no one was left behind on his own. Once we crossed the creviced zone, the walking became relatively easier and we started to make a faster progress.

The only thing is there was no end seen to the snow field. The glacier just seemed like never ending. After walking for about 7 km from the pass, we came across a big rock jutting out of the snow field. It was around 4:30 PM and we decided to have our packed lunch here. The day was still not over and there was still a very long way to go. I knew that a boulder zone would be waiting for us somewhere near by as the snow field ended. We decided to move ahead as we wanted to hit the camp before sundown. I was with Ved and Sandeep was with Sathya. The others decided to go ahead. We had to be true right of the river, so when the glacier endied, we got down to the boulders on the right.

Negotiating these huge boulders again seemed like massive task given that we were tiring with every step. However, we had decided not to take any breaks and continued to walk to the campsite. We were making slow but steady progress and even if I was tired, I knew there was no option but to walk. After crossing the boulder zone, after about an hour and half we could see cairns pointing the way, which told me that we should be nearer camp now. Sandeep and Sathya were a little behind us. It was starting to get dark but there was no still no sight of the camp. We were on the true right of the river and the entire bank was filled with boulders. There was not a single place which was flat ground. So there was no chance of the campsite being nearer. After a while, Ved decided to speed up further and I tried to catch up with him. I was thirsty,hungry and tired. Finally I asked Ved, “camp kab aayega” but I knew he also didn't have the answer. I was worried a bit about Sandeep and knew he would be in an irritable mood himself. Finally, I saw some color among all the brown surroundings and realized that it was the our campsite. It was still a considerable distance away, and finally when we reached the camp, it was 7 PM. It had already gotten dark by this time and I was worried about Sandeep and Sathya. Ved left his rucksack at the camp, at decided to go look for them. Finally, in another 20mins Sandeep and Sathya arrived at the camp and I felt tremendously relieved.
What a day it had been. We had walked for around 11 hours, were exhausted, hungry, thirstly but there was a lot of happiness all around. It was celebration time and Ved prepared “Kheer” for dinner today. The campsite is at the base of the Chhota Shigri glacier. It has a small camp where a person from the glaciology field stay. He goes up the glacier once a week to get readings.
After spending a good amount of time in the kitchen tent we decided to call it a day. Both Sandeep and I could not sleep properly today; partly because we were very tired but mostly I think, because were were sad that this was going to be the last night on the trek.
Strava Link : https://www.strava.com/activities/709679348

Chhota Shigri Base Camp – Chhota Dhara road head.
We all woke up little late as we knew it was a short walk to the road head. I prepared poha for everyone today (I had to get back to the habit of making breakfast again). It was an easy walk till the Chandra river where we had to cross it using a pulley mechanism (or “Jhula” as the locals call it). This was first such crossing for Sandeep and me and it did look a little scary in the beginning. But finally managed it. There is a HP PWD rest house in Chota Dhara. We had another round of breakfast here as we waited for the bus from Kaza to take us to Manali. Sathya and Ved boarded a bus for Batal where they were planning to stock up on their rations. They were both planning to explore the Bara Shigri glacier in the coming days. The trek ended as we boarded a bus for Manali.


Looking Back
This was the first trek where we got excellent weather through out all the days. We had a very strong team, where each one always made sure everybody was safe. We had the company of our friend Sathya (after the Chadar trek), which made the trek even more enjoyable. From lush green valleys, meadows of wild flowers, winding glacial streams to boulders, snow fields, huge glaciers, truly this trek will remain one of my favorite treks.
I have always felt emotional and have had a feeling of humility after reaching the pass on almost all of our treks. The feeling of nothingness in the middle of the majestic nature all around, is always overwhelming for me. I know mountains are dangerous and will always be, but somehow within me, I always had this feeling that the same mountains have protected us during our difficult times on the treks.
A famous mountaineer has said “My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing.” That’s exactly how I felt once we were back to civilization. Cleansed, purged and energetic.

Sara Umga Pass and Animal Pass Part 1 is here

See Sathya's blog on the trek here

More Photos
Shilpa's photos

Sathya's photos

3 comments:

Jyoti said...

Very well written Shilpa as you always do !! Proud of you both....

The Classic Outdoors said...

Thanks for the information. I really like your post. keep it up!!
Lobuche Peak Climbing

Dohas Raik said...

Nice and informative. Thanks bruv. Where is animal pass tho? like on the map..we'll be planning the same route i guess..