Kashmir Great Lakes Trek - As it happened - Day 6

Day 6 - Gangbal to Naranag and back to Srinagar - The last day of the trek

5, 6, 7 schedule. Today we don't have to unpitch our tents. This is because the group which is staying back will take care of this. Bags packed, group pictures taken, thanked all the members of India Hikes. An emotional morning. Yes we know that we will miss this place. This group. But that is life.

This could be the last day of the trek, but noone said it is the easiest day! It starts with crossing a narrow little bridge/ plank across a river (Or may be a large stream. I'm not very sure.) But there is a queue to cross. A queue of sheeps and then us. Here is the picture taken by Swaraj.

As we queue behind the sheeps and their shepherd, I spot this baby lamb! Cute little lamb! I really want to grab it but the guardian dog behind it does not allow anyone to approach the lamb. We came to know from the shepherd that the lamb is just 5 days old! Which means it was born when we started this trek! Amazing! Itsy-bitsy lamb. Super cute!

We walk past some beautiful meadows. Clicking pictures, trying to absorb as much as our eyes could. Each one of us is in love with this beautiful valley, these mountains. I have heard that doing a mountain trek can change your perspective towards life. It can help you find answers to many questions in life. This could be true. Yes I did this trek just for fun, but may be for someone who is looking for answers in life, this trek might have helped.

We walk through the meadows and pine forests for hours. Civilization is just few miles away.

Meanwhile, Farooq bhai who is our trek leader/ guide for the day mentioned that we will soon reach a dhabha where we can have some food. This is one thing which is keeping us going. Everytime we asked him how far the dhabha is, his answer is - it is 5-10mins from now. The '5-10 mins' has been happening for quite a while now and already it is more than an hour. There is no sight of the dhabha.

The day is not easy like we expected. The sun is hitting hard on us. I can feel the sunburns. I am getting drained out. Feeling very very exhausted. The day is turning out to be more challenging than the previous days! This was not the expectation! Very soon we start into steep descents. Slippery ones. Very dry and dusty. But the hope to see the dhabha keeps us going. After hours of long walk, we see THE DHABHA!

The tea and the noodles served here taste like exotic dishes due to our extreme hunger levels! Some of us get mobile signals here. First feel of digital world after a week.

We resume our trek really quick. This descent was no less than an ordeal. The trail was really steep and very dusty and slippery. My both knees start hurting a lot. My energy getting drained out. Farooq bhai comes to my rescue. He takes me through a shortcut which is helpful in one way and in another way hurting my knees more as the shortcut is steeper. But I have no choice. We descent and descent and descent for hours. Many times I slip and fall. My feet moves like a robot. I'm not in my control. That is the level of my exhaustion.

At around 2:45 pm, with great assistance from Farooq bhai, I reach the base point at Naranag! Yes I completed the KGL trek! Time to forget all the pain and just rejoice! With every muscle in the body breaking and hurting I feel so happy and satisfied for successfully completing the trek. Yes, I'm proud of myself.

All of us have a quick lunch and head towards Srinagar. Within few hours we reach Srinagar where we get into our respective house boats. The next day there is a strike in Srinagar as a protest against the beef ban. There is only one agenda for all - relax.

This trek has taught me to appreciate small things in life. My house feels so much more luxurious now than ever. A bed to sleep feels like something precious. A simple shower never felt so good. Overall, this trek taught that life can come in a bag. You really do not need a lot to enjoy life if you have health and the right people. Yes, I will return to the mountains with a better stamina. Health is wealth and this trek proved it.  I will think twice before I complain about minor things in life. World will not come to and end if kaamwaali-bhai (maid) doesn't turn up for one day. World will not come to an end if that beige color dress which I was eyeing for a long time went out of stock in the mall.

Mountains did not teach me how to be lazy, they taught me to appreciate simple things around me. They teach you to be humble. Ego melts down. Can't believe I learnt so much in this one week.

So what is that which makes us go for high altitudes? Why take such high risks with the mountains? So this is my experience. The mountains stand tall roaring at us. You cannot tame them. All you can do is strike a deal with them. Pretty much everything about mountains is unpredictable. So it gives you that high-octane experience with adrenaline rushing through your body. There is a slight chance of losing sanity while going for extreme adventures. There is also a chance for calamities. But it is your choice. You chose it and go for it. That is the fun of being adventurous.

Here is the crew from India Hikes. Pictures taken by Adithya/Deepak.

Dushyant - Our Leader

 Farooq bhai - Djokovic look-alike

Javed bhai - Guiding us all the way

Ravi - The cowboy

Mountain's child Shravan bhai with Javed bhai

Making some noise in the kitchen - Mumtaz aka Ratta

Someone rightly said, it is the journey that matters more than the destination. See my journey in the form of a video. Keep your speakers on for a better experience.

https://studio.stupeflix.com/v/RukArfTkjTPk/

Kashmir Great Lakes Trek - As it happened - Day 5

Day 5: Zach Pass and Gangbal-Nundkol twin lakes

Having a partially injured knee can bring your enthusiasm down when you are in a trek like KGL. This was happening to me. As far as the landscape was concerned I really want to enjoy the entire trek to it's fullest. As far as physical conditions are concerned, 50% of my energy level was getting drained away in managing my leg. I even talked to Ravi to find a way to skip Day 5 and start descending to Naranag. But I was told that there is only one way to reach Naranag - complete this trek. Okay so I need to go with the flow. Also we were told that today was the last day with ascends. And the next day which is the last day is going to be much easier than today. So it was all about gathering some energy and tackling this day.

The trek for the day starts with ascending through a whole bunch of boulders. Okay so my knee is in a certain situation. And I need to ascend through boulders. Seriously?! But out of nowhere I got this energy. It was like lightening struck me! I started playing around with these boulders and lo and behold, I'm running through the boulders! I am having fun, super fun! This is not boring like the normal ascends which we have been doing. This one is tricky and fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the climb, in fact my run, and reached the top in no time. I could not believe myself! WOW! I felt like a hero!

This was followed by more ascends (the normal ones) which I struggled. I guess I was in love with boulders but not with normal slopes. We reached the last pass of our trek - The Zach Pass.  Yet another mind-blowing view! We could see the twin lakes of Gangbal-Nundkol and also 2 more lakes (whose name I cannot recollect). Another victory moment. I guess we were at 11,800 ft above sea level now.

By now I have completely forgotten about my knee. From here we had to go through a very steep descent. It was very tricky given that the path had loose rocks. Boulders are fun and safe as they are big and chunky. So you can land on them safely. Loose rocks are very tricky. You can slip if you land on them carelessly. You need to focus a lot while descending through a narrow path with loose and sharp rocks. Hence all of us together walk quietly. Focus, focus, focus. For some reason my legs are unstoppable. Anurag, one of our trek mate, helped me in certain tricky situations.

Pretty exhausting descent. It is amazing how locals, who are not wearing any kind of shoes, glide through these slopes. I saw one old local lady who took minutes to descent through this slope. Experience cannot be beaten!

Steep descent comes to and end and we take a short break for our lunch. We click some pictures here. Adithya had pointed out some wild flowers. Interesting ones. Also we spot some garden lizards. Weird creatures! I am super scared of these reptiles!

Soon trek resumes. My legs are again unstoppable. Descend, descend and more descend. Then we cross a small stream and there is a pretty meadow. This is followed by an ascend again which drains away a whole lot of energy from me. This is followed by a meadow walk. We can already see those orange tents, our campsite! On almost all the days, campsite always sounded like a myth. This is because even after walking for hours together, the campsite was just not possible to be spotted.

Any campsite will have a huge obstacle to cross and today was no different. Yet another hurdle created by some boulders. Again I jump around and in record time reach the campsite! It was just 1:35 PM! Wow! Dushyant had estimated 3.30-4 PM. Me, hubby and few others were very well ahead of time! Moment of happiness!

We get enough time to take rest, unpack our rucksacks, munch some snacks, have a cup of tea etc. The group was pretty relaxed as the trek is almost coming to an end. There are no more campsites to conquer. Guys in the group take this opportunity to take a dip at a nearby lake. Pretty cool experience they might have had.

Our campsite is at the foot of Mount Harmukh. This one has some religious beliefs associated to it. It is believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva. Below pictures are taken by the avid photographer of the group - Deepak.

I and hubby spend some time at the lake shore. The Nundkol lake is sapphire in color, pristine and very attractive. A soothing experience. Another beautiful evening to remember.

As I said in the beginning, half of us had not really registered for KGL. It just happened that our original plan got cancelled and we were put into this. For us, this is the last campsite and the next day we are descending back and returning to Srinagar. The original KGL group is staying back and they can enjoy their rest day.

Dushyant arranged for another fun evening to share our KGL trekking experience. Also he distributed our KGL Trek completion certificates. Proud moment!

This was followed by something very special. The next day, i.e., Sept 11th, I & hubby are celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary. A pretty interesting date to remember. In fact it is for the anniversary that we planned to do this trek. During a conversation we had conveyed this to the group as well. Also our trek mate, Shikha, was celebrating her birthday on the same day. All of a sudden a beautifully decorated cake appears! OMG! India Hikes has arranged a cake for us! To celebrate our wedding anniversary as well as Shikha's birthday! This was unbelievable! How can someone bake a cake in between these mountains? Kudos to the chef!

Cutting cake in the middle of mountains has been the most special moment I can remember till date! Thanks a ton India Hikes!

So our trek was coming to an end. This is the last day in our respective tents. I go to sleep with mixed feelings. I'm pretty relieved that I'm going back and hence my legs can relax. But I was sure that I will these mountains and the people! One more beautiful day to remember.

Kashmir Great Lakes Trek - As it happened - Day 4

Day 4 - Gadsar to Satsar

We have an easier schedule today. It is 6, 7, 8. We are been told that today is pretty much relaxing. A lot of meadow walk expected. When I wake up I feel feverish and there is a sharp pain in my knees and muscles. I do not pay much attention as this is expected after what we achieved the day before.

The day starts with a tricky situation. We are supposed to cross an ice bridge. It sounded very exciting to all of us. Soon news spreads that someone heard the bridge crack. This creates a lot of confusion. We might have to take an alternate way. Which means we need to walk more and also cross an ice cold stream. Nobody is interested in taking this alternate way. By now our trek mate Deepmala has crossed this tricky bridge. Javed Bhai, Dushyant and Ravi check the situation of the ice bridge which has cracked a bit and decide that we carefully cross it. I am pretty nervous, given that I'm able to walk very very slowly due to my knee pain.

With our fingers crossed, one by one we start crossing this bridge. I'm crossing the bridge at the speed of a tortoise with Javed bhai's help and all of a sudden a very sharp pain shoots through my right knee. I freeze in the frozen bridge. We all are told not to stop but keep moving slowly as the bridge is a bit tricky. I always have a situation! That too tricky! I pull up all my energy and cross the bridge and here comes another ascent. This was never accounted! This is not how a breezy day starts! I find a place to sit. My leg is not cooperating anymore. Here comes Ravi the savior. Fortunately he has a knee cap which he hands over to me. Also I take a pain killer from Dushyant and resume my trek.

There is no meadow walk today! We need to walk through the narrow path of these beautiful mountains. One more day which is a treat for the eyes. Only if my knee was not hurting I could have breezed through this path! My DSLR goes click-click-click.

I have read that Himalayas will stun you with it's vivid landscapes. Seeing is believing and I'm fortunate to have seen it.

Also we spot Nanga Parbat. It is located in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan. That is the information I received. Here is the picture of the beautiful mountain.

Today was not as easy as expected but has been visually very pleasing and there is no 'Pass' to cross. The long walk is a bit exhausting though. Nasarullah, our trek mate, who was expecting a more breezy walk says 'Why is life throwing stones at us yaar?'. We correct him saying 'Life nahin, mountains are throwing stones at us'. Himalayas is not ready to give anything for free. We need to walk miles and miles before we sleep. The sights remind me of Silk Route.

Very soon we reach the army check post. Seeing Indian flag flying high gives me goosebumps. All of a sudden patriotism runs through my veins. Gathering every bit of energy all of us march towards the camp. Our ID cards are checked by the jawans. All of us click pictures with jawans and the Indian flag. A very proud moment for me. It feels great meeting the jawans who dedicate their lives for us. Day and night guarding us. Talking to them on their lives in these mountains gives a new perspective towards life. Why do we crib about silly things in life? Bangalore traffic is not worth dreading about. My work is nowhere challenging compared to what these army jawans have to go through. Then why do I crib so much? The talk also gives us understand that the valley is not as dangerous as it is depicted by the media. Checking out army bunkers is a new thing for many of us. Sheer excitement grips the group! Slowly we move towards our campsite.

Now comes the rough part. It is only boulders everywhere. With my hurting knee, I struggle to cross these ones. Ravi comes my rescue. I need to appreciate this guy's patience. He tries to convert his entire energy to induce some positivity in me and encourage me. On the way we trace some remains of sheeps and other animals. Wold there be mountain lions too? (Thought injected by movies/ NatGeo). We are told that this area have some wild bears. Once again sheeps flock in and create a traffic jam. A cute traffic jam.

Soon we reach our campsite at Satsar. I am dieing of hunger! My knee is in a very bad shape! There comes one of the yummiest food I have ever had. Dal-chawal-butter-sabzi-pickle! I pounce on it! Hog-hog-hog and then go for a nap.

Meanwhile the energy bombs in the group - Adithya, Ronak, Pushpam and other guys, go for India's favorite sport - Cricket. Unable to move my body, I watch the game through the window of my tent. The soundtrack from Walter Mitty movie - Don't let it pass, is ringing in my head. Here is the picture taken by Swaraj.

The day is pretty good. The group seemed very relaxed. We sip some hot tea and popcorn in the evening. Dushyant arranges for a fun session where all of us talk about our ourselves. We crib about our city life and a bunch of us get into a philosophical mood. A fun evening I must say. This is followed by a musical evening. Thanks to Aamir. The mood of the group is fun and light now. Bollywood songs topped by some cool rap from Dushyant on Yo Yo Honey Singh. I love this evening. We have a nice and fun dinner followed by ginger water (of course). Oxygen levels checked. This was the most relaxing evening of the entire trek.

Our campsite is surrounded by rocky mountains. The temperate is supposed to drop a lot but fortunately it did not. Thank God there is no snow! The photographers in our group go for some expert night-photography. I just relax and slip into my sleeping bag. 

Kashmir Great Lakes Trek - As it happened - Day 3

Day 3 - The Big Day! - Gadsar Pass & Vishansar-Kishansar Twin Lakes

5, 6, 7 schedule. I wake up after a good night's sleep. Our tents are covered with a thin sheet of snow. Last night the temperature had dropped a lot. We fill up our bottles with a good amount of glucose. We need it! It's a big day! We are supposed to reach and cross the Great Gadsar Pass!

I try to incorporate the valuable lessons taught by Dushyant (also backed up by my hubby). I take very short breaks while I walk. My mind is really drifting. I feel exactly like Walter Mitty in the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time. I try to frame what I'm experiencing in the form of a blog. I've already prayed to all Gods before I started the day. I am talking to myself trying to motivate me. I need to succeed today. I need to do this!

Hours into the steep ascent my heart almost stops! I can hardly breath. Each inch seems like a mile! I can hardly see through the snow falling onto my eyes. I have removed my sunglasses as it was doing more harm than help. I am frozen in this steep mountain. All of a sudden I hear someone screaming 'It fell'. I am nervous. Did someone fall and roll down the mountain??? And someone said 'Sathguru's bag fell'. For some reason in my mind it got translated as 'Anjana fell from the mountain.' I think I'm expecting that to happen at any moment.I feel the path where we are walking cannot be measured in terms of inches. I can hardly keep my feet! The wind is becoming stronger and stronger pulling me backwards. Everyone is struggling! All are trying their level best to make it to the Pass. Coming back to the bag which fell - Shravan bhai runs through the mountain, defying the term called 'gravity' and gets the bag back in minutes! This guy has immense flexibity - mountain's own child! This also gives me a confidence that even if I roll down the mountain, Shravan bhai might probably be able to rescue me. But so far noone heard the news of 'Anjana falling and rolling down'. Shravan bhai keeps chanting the 3 words - 'Chalo, chalo, chalo'. This keeps even the slowest trekker moving. In fact, if I hear 'Chalo, chalo, chalo' in my sleep, I might just wake up and start walking. We are that much used to hearing these 3 words by now. With immense support from my hubby, Shravan bhai, I somehow cross those narrowest possible paths and reach the Great Gadsar Pass!!!!

Words are not enough to explain the satisfaction and happiness I felt at that moment. Tears rolled down! I immerse in the view! Yes I climbed and reached 13,750 ft above sea level!!!!! THIS IS ACHIEVEMENT! AND I'M QUITE PROUD OF MYSELF! I thank God for helping me survive till here!

We can see the twin lakes - Vishansar and Kishansar from here. It is simply marvelous! It is truly surprising how those horses with the heavy baggage tied to them make it to this tricky Pass. I overheard someone saying that at times horses roll down while climbing this pass and have a tragic ending. Fortunately our horses came up safe!

All of us try to click as much as 'victory' pictures as possible. A couple of group pictures taken too. 

After tasting success we all are pretty charged up. There is a reason why Day 3 is called as 'The Day 3'. The ordeal is not over yet. Now starts the steep descent. You need to double your focus now. It has to be focus, focus and more focus. Nobody wants to slip and roll taking the whole team down this steep mountain. The trail is very slippery given than a good amount of snow has already melted. I take advantage of my descending skills. I do a pretty good job in moving fast.

We can see some breathtaking glaciers to our left and some stunning flora of Kashmir valley to our right. I pick those beautiful flowers to make a small bouquet. I love these small and beautiful flowers - violet, yellow, white and what not. Soon we reach a very beautiful meadow where a beautiful lake is to be seen. We are supposed to wait for the entire team here before going further. We relax here for a few minutes, click pictures of the glaciers, meadows etc.

Trek resumes. We walk past the beautiful meadows and reach Gadsar lake where we finish our lunch.

What follows from now is a visual treat. Truly stunning Kashmir valley covered in lavender colored flower blanket. My legs are unstoppable. My DSLR is getting utilized to the utmost! I'm reminded of Switzerland on one side and New Zealand on another side. Kashmir is truly paradise on earth! The unparalleled beauty of Himalayas makes me speechless! My DSLR could not do justice to the beauty of this breathtaking landscape.

After taking a short break with trek mates, I continue to breeze through this breathtaking landscape. I have already forgotten my muscle sore, congestion, cold and everything which happened an hour back. This walk has been a treat to my mind, eyes and soul.

There is an army checkpost on the way towards our campsite. Our ID cards checked. One of the jawan gives a cup of hot water which is a big relief after this long walk. It felt pretty good being at an army checkpost and have some small-talk with the jawans. Also we came to know about some notorious paths/'galis' through which militants are expected to infiltrate. These 'galis' are pretty close to our campsite. I got very excited on hearing this news!

I reach our tent with a feeling of complete satisfaction. I start to feel my muscles aching and breaking! I am feeling very feverish. I take a short nap. My evening is pretty short as I quickly finish the dinner, take a couple of medicines, ginger water and get into my sleeping bag. Temperature has dropped quite a bit. Someone said it is going closer towards -3 degrees. Oxygen level checked and again it seems pretty good. I have ensured that I drink at least 5 liters of water every single day! I drift towards sleep in no time.