“Adventures in the Himalayas”
Stories about the first MSU trekking group to
Running
for the Train: Our first mishap of the trip occurred during the first
day in Delhi. Students rose early and had the whole morning free. Most walked
into Connaught Place (the central shopping and business district
in New Delhi) and took-in the sights of crowded New Delhi. At noon the group
gathered to go out to lunch. Harry and Mary were with friends and John chose
to stay back at the hostel to work. We were expected to be back and ready
to depart to the train station at 2:30 pm. Harry and Mary were alittle
late in returning to the hostel because of the traffic but they arrived thinking
that the students were already loaded onto the bus. But instead, John and
the INDEBO travel agent were pacing frantically because no one was around…the
students had not returned yet and it was already 2:30! We decided to bring
the luggage out of storage and place it near the bus for quick loading. Then
we waited and waited and paced from one side of the street to another looking
for the group. We were panicked!
Finally at about 2:50-3:00 the students arrived! They had late service and couldn’t get their bill! We quickly identified our bags and jumped on the bus. We wanted to hurry to the station, but it seemed that our driver was in no hurry and took his time. Needless to say the traffic was terrible and we had to go around to the backside of the Old Delhi Station. It took forever!
The bus finally had to stop a good ways from the station entrance because
of the rush of people and rickshaws. We quickly grabbed our luggage and started
to run toward the station, dodging people and vehicles on the way. Up the
stairs, over the tracks and down the stairs and a final sprint to our boggy….the
clock was on 21:59 when I entered the train….and it was actually moving by
the time the last student entered! WOW! We were sweating and exhausted, but
on the train!
We found our seats, but since we were the last ones on the train, all the luggage racks were full. Many of us had to bring our big bags into our seats and thus had no leg room. Sweaty and relieved, we sat down in second class AC chairs to enjoy our upcoming seven hour journey!
Throughout the trip, vendors came by to sell biscuits, chips, drinks and water. At about 6:30pm the train stopped at a station for the crew to eat dinner. Many of our group bought puris and subji from the platform vendors. It was a long journey in the presence of holiday reverie from the other passengers. Others were going to the hills for their summer holidays to beat the Delhi heat! We couldn’t help but become infected with the excitement of going to the mountains. We were on our way to the Pindari!
Rock Climbing in Mukteswar
We planned
to spend two days in the hill station, Mukteswar,
in order to get acclimatized to the altitude (7500ft) and become familiar
with the terrain. We were staying at Somerset Lodge, an old British style
bungalow turned into a lodge. We had four girls in two beds in one room; two
boys in another; John, Mary and Harry in the new section and four sleeping
in tents on the front lawn. The place was entirely ours and we spread out
very comfortably.
During the first day, we had a morning lecture and then a long afternoon
walk through the forest to a shrine. The walk gave us a chance to tryout our
gear and get our muscles moving after all the long plane and train rides.
We 
were lucky enough to see the long line of white peaks off in the distance…our
destination! We were hot and tired and stopped at a tea stall on the way home
to relax. Ian provided the entertainment by spilling his tea all over himself….luckily
it wasn’t too hot!
That evening a local musical group came to our lodge to provide 
entertainment. They played local instruments and presented their local Kumaoni
songs and dances. In anticipation of the evening, most of the student hit
the local “wine” shop for refreshments. Later some regretted buying the most
inexpensive varieties! The evening was delightful—good conversations about
religion and philosophy with our guests, Mohan, Subash and the Khurwar’s (Exambassador and wife). The lively music was intoxicating
and the dancers came out to the lawn to invite us into a large circle dance,
a tradition in the area. Later we had a bonfire to accompany dinner and to
keep us warm (the night was chilly). It was a good first day and night in
Mukteswar…but the next day was even better!
We had a lecture right after breakfast and then we were off to see the little town of Mukteswar. It is about a 6 km roundtrip walk from the lodge, but we ambled along trying out the new handpumps along the road and stopping to shop for chips and ice cream. People along the way greeted us and watched curiously. We thought our goal was a visit to the temple high on the hill above the town. But just at the entrance to the temple we veered off the trail and cut around the hill to the cliff wall.
Manoj had his team already positioned to assist
us in rock climbing! This is not just any rock climbing….this is climbing
from one ledge to the top of an escarpment that tumbles at least 1000 feet
into the terraced fields below!!! It felt like being on top of the world.
The vultures and 
hawks
were streaming on the air currents all around us!
Everyone was invited to try out the rocks. All the students and John succeeded in making the short climb. It created some tense moments as boots slipped on the smooth surfaces and finger holds vanished—but it was exhilarating for the climbers. We got some good pictures and hopefully a Moosejaw Award Winner as the flag flew high and proud!
We hurried
home for lunch as it was already way past lunchtime. We found our two colleagues
who stayed behind with stomach problems had not really improved much—so we
were off to the local health clinic to see a doctor. Poor John, he was so
dehydrated that they wanted to give him a drip—but after six unsuccessful
needle sticks to find a vein, they gave up. He got some medicines instead.
Both were sent to bed with instructions to keep taking fluids and their medicine.
So they went off to bed and the rest of the group gathered for a short walk
in the other direction to visit Dr. Malik (one of
the guests the night before). Mukteswar, as well as all of the lower hills are experiencing
rapid housing development. The hills are a prime destination for Delhites and 
others
who can afford summer holidays. Dr. Malik was one of the first new summer home owners (the Khurwar’s are neighbors in the same development). We walked
up the road to his house, passing three new restaurant/lodges and a most inappropriate
high-rise hotel! We were warmly greeted and sent to sit in the “sunroom” on
the second floor. We had lemon tea, good conversations and impressive surroundings.
We reached home just as the cloudburst erupted in a downpour. We crowded into
the livingroom of the lodge and resumed our conversations about
development. Dinner was delicious as always. We held off on the local brew
and went to bed early. Tomorrow would be an early start on the first leg of
our journey to the trailhead and the Pindari Glacier!
Cross Country to the Trailhead
It was 7am
and breakfast was finished. We cheerfully climbed into the three SUV-type
jeeps that had come to transport us to Loharket.
The drivers had arrived at 3am and didn’t have much sleep. Our packs were
secured on top and those with queasy stomachs sat in front. The trip was like
an amusement park ride that jerks you from side to side! We descended one
hill and ascended another, around sharp turns and through a number of switch-backs.
We entered beautiful pine forests and saw many terraced hillsides. We actually
drove through the busy market town of Almora, District
Center and home-base for many trekking companies. At about 1pm we stopped
for lunch in a small crossroads town of Bageshwar. It was a simple restaurant but Manoj
had ordered ahead and the food was wonderful….dish after dish and unlimited
refills!
We pushed forward after lunch knowing that we had another 2 hours on the road. But just outside of town the vehicles stopped. We had reached a local swimming hole and were offered the chance to swim!
Most of the guys dropped their pants and dove in. The girls were alittle more circumspect and walked down the banks aways to undress behind some rocks. We were shielded from the group in the river, but we looked up and all of the drivers were having a great view!!!
The water was not that cold, in fact it was refreshingly warm. The most difficult part was entering and leaving the water. The silt build-up was very deep and you would sink up to your ankles or even knees unless you found a rock. This was a good lesson in erosion! After everyone had a chance to swim, we dressed (wet underwear and all) and returned to the jeeps just as it started to shower. We grabbed all the packs from the top of the vehicles and shoved them into the interior…it was crowded and steaming, but no one complained!
By the time we reached Song, the end of the road; it was much later than
planned. Our drivers were anxious to turn around as they had long drives ahead.
We unpacked the vehicles, loaded our packs on our backs and trudged up the
hill from the main road to a small rocky older roadbed that ran from Song
to Loharket. This road is periodically cut off from
the main road by rock slides (as it was when we arrived). 
But a few vehicles were caught on the Loharket side
during the last slide, so they serve as “ferry” service. Luckily we found
a jeep taxi that agreed to shuttle us up to Loharket.
It was raining lightly now and the rocks were beginning to get slippery.
A first group of students jumped into the jeep. Luckily the side flaps were down, so we couldn’t actually look over the edge of the road as we swung from side to side and spun-out on the rocky path! For some students this was the scariest part of the entire trip! The road was narrow and the drop-off looked like a flight into space. In order to get around turns, the jeep had to move forward, back-up and try again! The jeep dropped the first group off near some tents that were set up for us. In the meantime, an old car materialized at the place the others were waiting, and a second group jumped in. This car had seen better days. The windshield wipers were not working so the driver had to stick his head out the side window to see—and there was so much slack in the steering wheel, he had to guess as to how much turning was needed to round the various switch-backs! This was another adventure!!!
The third group arrived after we all had tea and were sprawled-out on floor pads in a large dormitory style room in the Loharket resthouse. Our plan had been to tent-it that night, but given the rain and the fact that rooms (in fact two) were available, we opted for “dry”. We rested and at about 8pm we got our tech gear out to prepare filtered water for the first day on the trail. This was fun to see all the different makes of filters and listen to all the stories of how they were used the last time! After dinner in candle light (electricity was out), we all jumped into our sleeping bags for our first night on the road.
First Morning
People started to wake-up early (5:00-5:30). As soon as one person got up however, the noises woke everyone else up. We dressed for a hot day even though the misty clouds surrounded us. Breakfast was hot tea, chappatis and potatoe palua. It tasted fantastic! Our two sick persons were up and at it. A few were having signs of trouble and started preventative medications—but Vicki was not moving. She had stomach cramps, the runs, nausea and a fever! What to do?
We decided that she needed to stay back at least for one or maybe two days
to rest and let the cipro get a chance to work.
Mary stayed back with her at the mercy of the resthouse keeper. Manoj was going
to send one the his men back to check on us the next
day. The whole group planned to spend an extra day at Kathi,
the last village on the route. If Vicki got well, we could catch up with 
them there. If she wasn’t well, we would need to start back to base camp in
Mukteswar and forego the trek.
The group watched as the ponies arrived and were loaded with cooking and camping gear. A few of our guys carried their own large packs, but others gave them over to the ponies. After all the ponies were loaded some packs remained. The crew hoisted them onto their backs and the group was off! It was about 8:15am!!!
The trail out of the resthouse is straight up…a great introduction to the trek!
It would be a 2000ft climb in 8-9km that first day. The trail wound around
a number of hills and over a pass into a river valley. This second drainage
system would lead to Dhakuri, our second rest stop.
Struggles to catch-up
Vicki and Mary stayed back. Vicki slept most of the day, although she got up in the late afternoon to walk around alittle. Mary tried out her new walking poles and wrote in her journal. She didn’t have a book—it was back at Somerset Lodge! It turned out that Ram stayed back with the women. Rama Krishna is one of the crew members. He stayed at our side throughout these days on the trail alone, making sure that we had food and taking care of us.
The next morning Vicki’s fever was down and we thought that we could start-off…if we could hire a pony to take our stuff. We asked Ram if there were a pony man available….and like magic two ponies and a pony handler arrived! Our decision was made…we would go up! (Although we were unaware, Manoj had sent the ponies back for us at 5 am that morning.) We tried out our water filter, packed our gear and started out. We knew that it was straight up at the beginning and then a gradual up. But we didn’t realize how slow we had to go with Vicki not feeling well---10 steps and stop, 10 steps and rest..etc. Amazingly the pony man and Ram kept right with us as patient as can be!
Three
Israeli trekkers started out just after us and passed us on the steep part
of the trail. Later we met up with them at the first tea stall, high on a
mountain meadow. They offered us a piece of bachlava—it
was so good! Vicki wouldn’t eat her share, so Ram ate it.
The trail wound around one hill, up and over another, endlessly. After six hours of up we reached the pass and stopped to see a small shrine. We met lots of Indian trekkers returning from the Pindari. They were a group of 70 adults and children from Maharashtra strung out over the trail.
The next hour was straight down—eventually we could see the Dhakuri resthouse nestled in the pine trees. In the meantime it was pouring rain. It seemed that everyday around 1:30 or 2pm the clouds would break loose for an hour or two of rain. Mary had a rain coat and Vicki put on a plastic poncho—but we were soaked when we arrived in Dhakuri. We had spent 71/2 hours on the trail when others made the trip in 4! Luckily there was room in the resthouse and we found two beds and just collapsed…clothing and all. We wrapped up in one of the thick raw wool blankets that were provided and just fell asleep. The blanket steamed our clothing dry, so that when we awoke for dinner, we were relatively dry. It was a good but simple meal, although Vicki just ate some plain rice.
We filtered water in the morning and gathered a watchful crowd. The British trekker that shared our room during the night didn’t have a filter, so we prepared some water for him.
Breakfast was potatoe stuffed paratha and hot tea. It was good. We packed the ponies and took off at about 7:30. Today was mostly down hill for the first hour or two, but it was treacherous given the wet trail. Then it was up and down until just before Kathi which was up again. This 8km day took us just over 5 hours…a real achievement!
As we approached the village of Kathi, we kept
looking for our camp. People along the way had mentioned that they had passed
a group of Americans…but they were not visible to us. As we entered the village,
some older men directed us to an old building. The group was there—visiting
with Scott from
