Yeah, you read that right -this year we (the same bunch of 4 - Krishna Arjun, Rahul and Arjjun) chose a Himalayan trek with Indiahikes! We were all set for our third trip together after Meghalaya and Bhandhavgarh National Park!
Trek name - Phulara Ridge Trek (Gharwal range) is classified as 'Moderate' and has a climb of around 12,350 feet (https://indiahikes.com/phulara-ridge-trek)
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| The ridge along which we walked on the summit day! |
Logic behind choosing this - we have always wanted to do a trek with Indiahikes (IH) and but never really materialized till this year. One major reason was that IH is strict in evaluating the fitness criteria of the trekkers - this trek needed us to cover a distance of 5km in 35 mins and data has to be shared using an app - we decided to break the sweat this year and all the 4 of us qualified with our consistent efforts. While we shortlisted 2-3 treks that suited our dates, by the time we came to a conclusion, only Phulara Ridge Trek was available and it turned out to be the best choice as well!
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| The Phulara Ridge Trek circuit |
Itinerary:
Day 1 - Chennai to Delhi by flight. We booked a cab to Dehradun since we were 4 of us and it made economical sense to take a cab than taking a bus
Day 2 - Pick up from Dehradun by IH to the base camp at Kotgaon
Day 3,4,5,6 - Trek
Day 7 - Drop to Dehradun by IH. Reach Delhi by cab the same night.
Day 8 - Flight from Delhi to Chennai and back home
Prerequisites:
Fitness and only fitness is a prerequisite for any trek - irrespective of your age. If I had to change one thing about this trek, it would be me being fitter - though we put in our efforts to get fit for the trek and fulfilled the criteria by IH, the fitter you are, more enjoyable the trek experience would be! But I thought we (I, Rahul and Arjjun) fared better than we thought we would - we always knew it would be a cakewalk for Krishna Arjun given his fitness. We started running 5kms after we registered for the trek a month before the trek dates.
IH advantage:
You get to know about most of the people that you are going to trek with through the WhatsApp group that's formed weeks ahead of the trek. Also, IH gives you exactly what to pack and what not to - you needn't fret about it. You will also get to know what to expect from the trek. Also, as IH claims, their site is one of the best resources for any information on any of the treks.
Trek gears:
IH rents out almost all of the trek gears - this saves you from investing heavily in the gears - I and Krishna Arjun took maximum advantage of this and rented backpack with rain cover, 2 trek poles, tiffin box, poncho (rain jacket), padded jacket, headlamp.
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| The mandatory pic at the start of the trip - Chennai airport |
Our batch, it turned out, was a mixture of all age groups (youngest being 12 and the eldest being 60) and had people across the nation - I wouldn't do justice to the group if I don't mention their names as they made this whole trek a memorable one - Tonya (Arunachal Pradesh), Swayam, Conan, Rohan (college goers from Maharashtra), Mr & Mrs Sanjay Joshi (Drs from Gujarat), Mrs Rajani & Mohankrishna (mother and son duo from Blore), Mr & Mrs Raviraj, Mr & Mrs Someshwar, Devendra (all from Karnataka), Vikas (Maharashtra), Linto (Kerala), Mustakim, Jatin, Sanskriti, Bhavesh & Alpa (Gujarat).
Day 2 - We all met at the Dehradun pick up point - though the ice wasn't broken, Dr Sanjay made sure everyone felt belonged to the group. Below are the first pics of our group.
We tagged along with the Dr couple and Rohan & co in the Tempo traveler that was actually much comfortable - the journey was filled with music as Conan had an amazing Hindi playlist - Atif Aslam, Arjit Singh, KK - songs from the pre 2010 till date! This along with the gorgeous views of the mountains, river flowing along and the deep gorges made the 8 our journey a thoroughly enjoyable one!
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| The spot where we stopped for lunch |
We reached the basecamp at Kotgaon (at an altitude of 6455 feet) around 4pm. Our trek leader Mr Hiket was waiting for our arrival - upon arrival, we were given a tour of the facility, explained the importance of using the water judiciously and how the facility works without any dustbins.
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| This serves as a basecamp for Kedarkantha, Har ki Dun treks as well |
IH is known to serve sumptuous, nutritious food throughout the trek - the food at the basecamp was an example. We were shown our dorms to rest for the night, asked to pick the rentals up, finish our dinner and were made to assemble at the briefing hall where Hiket introduced the guides for our trek - Upendhra aka Upidha ji and Mantri ji - both of whom were instrumental in making this trek an experience of our lifetime by going beyond their call of duties. Upidha ji briefed on the trek trail and what everyday will have for us.
This trek involves walking on the ridge, crossing it to reach the summit and reaching the campsite after which the descent begins - this is the actual circuit of the trek. We were told that since there is much snow beyond the ridge and it is dangerous to trek, we will not be crossing the ridge to complete the circuit but would return back the same way to descent to the basecamp - though this was a disappointment, we had no other choice but to accept the safety as our priority. We never thought there would be a twist in the tale later!
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| Basecamp has the basic but comfortable facilities for the trekkers to stay for a night |
Day 3 - Trek distance - 6.5km, altitude gain - 2500 feet, campsite- HargaonA typical trek day will have the following - 6am - wake up call & black tea, 7am- breakfast, pack the trail snacks, fill your water bottles, 7.30am - be trek ready, warm up by playing a game or two. Trek would begin around 8.15am.
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| The batch just before the start of the trek! |
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| The first sight of snow-clad mountains on our trek |
The first day started with the excitement of looking forward to the trek after the breakfast. We encountered gradual to mildly steep descents. The view of the mountains, freshness of the forests kept us going till we took the first break.
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| A rare instance where Krishna Arjun was with us ;-) |
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| Maple tree. The forests had chestnut, walnut trees as well. |
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| The furry one trekked with us as well from the basecamp |
Upidha ji explained the flora and fauna of the forests while we munched on the snacks. And this is when we knew that the breaks would be followed by steep ascent / rough terrains :-)
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| Resting like this in meadows feels like a luxury after hiking! |
After the rest in the meadows, Hiket paired us with a trekker each and handed us a set of questions to be asked to each other so that we get to know our partner better. I had Conan as my partner and the fact that he was so close to becoming a pro cricketer before fate had its way surprised me - we discussed how unfair life is and how you actually start appreciating life as you grow older.
There were very deep sections of forest in which we were asked to do silent walks and keep all our senses open and be present to feel the nature!
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The sight of campsite brings such a relief everyday after the trek!
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We reached our campsite around 1.40pm. Hiket made us do warm-down exercises so that there will not be any cramps the next day. Our tents, bathroom, dining tent, kitchen tents - all would be ready by the time we reach the campsite everyday - words cannot express how hard the camping team, mule team, kitchen team work!
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| Food is something you look forward to when you trek with IH! |
We had time to relax in our tents after the lunch till 5pm when we will be served snacks. We were served aloo chat and tea that evening after which Hiket took us to a view point 5 minutes away from the campsite - undoubtedly, it was one the amazing views on the trek.
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| The middle Himalayan peaks - Swargarohini, Ranglana could be seen - some haven't been climbed yet! |
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| As the sun sets, Alpenglow adds a hue of orange colour to the scene! |
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| Night sky captured by Mustakim's Pixel :) |
Before we retired for the bed, we were told that the next day would be DIY day - we would need to volunteer to guide on the trek, serve the food, capture body vitals and wake everyone up.
The breaking news was that Upidha ji and a person from mule team would go to the ridge the next day to see how bad the snow is - to assess if our team will be able to cross it to complete the circuit.
Day 4 - Trek distance - 8km, altitude gain - 2500 feet, campsite- Bhoj Gadi (highest altitude campsite on this trek)A typical trek day will have the following - 6am - wake up call & black tea, 7am- breakfast, pack the trail snacks, fill your water bottles, 7.30am - be trek ready, warm up by playing a game or two. Trek would begin around 8.15am.
8km a day is a long day in any of the treks but we were told that today would be easier than the last day (and we kept hearing this everyday;)) - but the fact that the team has gone to inspect that snow on the ridge kept us motivated that we still stand a chance to complete the circuit and this motivated us to chug along.
Our first short break was at Juda ka Talab where we did a clean drive for a few minutes while admiring its beauty!
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| Mythologically significant Juda ka Talab - a pristine lake and a famous campsite |
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| Purest water from the streams with a whiff of freshest air from the mountains would keep us going! |
We had the view of Himalays almost most of the trek this day - you just can't take your eyes off of them! More you see them, more you would want to see!
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| Mules take the same way we do - epitome of hardwork! |
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| Trail snacks - cheese sandwich! |
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| A typical descent that warns of the ascent ahead :) |
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| A much needed water break to refill our bottles and refresh ourselves! |
A steep ascent after the stream led us to this meadow where we had a long break and played a word game a well - much needed rest before the next part of the trail!
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| A vast meadow to have all by ourselves! |
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| Unusual long break here indicated the path ahead - these are some signs you pick up as you trek! |
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| The walk past the meadows - the ascent that you see is just 'the tip of the iceberg' |
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| Our first access to the snow during the trek! |
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| In search of the campsite.... |
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| The perk that you get for the long walk! |
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| And we kept walking! |
And as we saw the tents pitched, it was like seeing a plate full of food when you are starving for food! We have finally reached the Bhoj Gadi campsite that IH says one of the toughest to reach.
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| As Alpa says - you get to find the best views after a hard walk! |
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| Sunset view from the campsite |
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| The ridge that you see behind is the one we would walk on the next day! |
That evening was spent on soaking in the views while a few of them played word / song games, dumb charades inside the dining tent. As we were in a higher altitude, the temperature was low as well.
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| The 'bliss' moment :-) |
The most awaited event today was the news from Upidha ji who had gone to inpect the ridge that would decide our course of trail the next day - but there were no signs of him as it grew darker. Hiket informed us that there was a glitch in the walkie-talkie that he had carried and there was no remote communication possible and that he actually has to reach Bhoj Gadi for us to know the status.
As we finished our dinner and were washing our tiffin boxes, we saw a couple of lights descending down the mountains behind - it was Upidha ji and his team. As they reached the campsite, Hiket held a closed door meeting with all his team and then called us inside the dining tent for the brief.
We all gathered and there was a pin drop silence when Hiket began his speech - he said only a very few people who are fortunate could reach Bhoj Gadi, forget about the summit. By this time, we made up our minds that we aren't going to make it past the ridge. But then came the surprise - Upidha ji had inspected the path beyond the ridge and he had made way in the snow using the axe and he was confident that our team could tackle the challenge! He asked us to have a very strong 'Why' we would want to climb the summit - this, he said, would push us past our fears & obstacles! He reinforced the point that mental fitness matters most to do the trek successfully than the physical fitness - its all in our minds! Its not about conquering the mountains but to feel humble before them that would make this trek a purposeful one.
I already had the 'Why' - it was my wife who introduced me to Indiahikes in Instagram - she came to know about it from the celebrities she follows in Insta who had trekked with IH. She has always been saying that I should do one trek with my friends with IH. And when I started for this trek from my home, I didn't get to see my wife and daughter since they were at my in-laws place for the vacation. I spoke to my daughter just before we started our trek from the basecamp and the last words I heard from her was -'Appa, I miss you so much' and she burst into tears - and so did I! So I wanted to do the summit for my wife and my daughter - I know how much this would mean to them!
We retired to our tents with mixed thoughts as to what's in store for us the next day - the most important day in our trek.
Day 5 - Trek distance - 10km (largest distance of the trek), altitude gain - 1300 feet, campsite- Pushtara
After the typical start for the day, we were all looking forward to the day as to how it s going to unfold. For the first time in this trek, we had our lunches packed in our tiffin boxes.
We were distributed microspikes (that would help us tread through the snow when worn over our shoes) according to the size of our shoes and were asked to keep it in our bags.
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| The humble 'Upma' that satiated our taste buds! |
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| The girls gang! |
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| IH introduced the concept of microspikes in India to trek on the snow |
While we knew how significant this day is, little did we knew we would be blown off by the views from the ridge and the summit. The ascent, when compared to the other days, is lesser while the distance to be covered is the longest.
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| The ascent began immediately from the campsite |
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| Deep gorges and valleys on one side! |
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| Rahul and Arjjun with Linto |
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| That's the ridge that extends upto 5km |
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| The famous ridge walk of this trek! |
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| With Upidha ji - a personality we won't forget in our lives! |
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| With Mantri ji, whose patience ensured even the last person on the trail doesn't feel lost! |
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| Upidha ji giving us a brief on the 'peaks' |
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| We are all ears! |
While the ridge walk was nothing short of stunning, we found the walk to be easy since it was a flat trail. But after the ridge walk began the challenge before we reached the spot for the lunch break. This section was one of the most difficult among all the days and to make things worse, I ran out of water a good few kms ahead of the lunch spot.
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| So close, yet so far! |
I breathed easy after reaching the break spot and waited for Rahul and Arjjun to arrive to have the lunch.
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| Lunch break |
After everyone had their lunches, we were asked to wear the microspikes. The mules along with the team started ahead and we could see why it is difficult for the mules to walk on the snow and why snow held back the earlier batches crossing the ridge.
While we didn't know we would have to trek on the snow when we started the trek, that's how nature pans out and most of us uttered a prayer or two when we took the initial steps on the snow!
As we started to tread through the sections of the snow, the batch, naturally, split into 3 groups, one going ahead, one at the end while a group was in between. Hiket, Upidha ji and Mantri ji escorted a group each.
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| Happy faces at the start of the snow section |
Wherever there was a risky manoeuvre involved, Upidha ji lent a hand while Hiket and Mantri ji were also there to support us. Barring a few instances of slipping / sliding, by God's grace and with the IH team's support, all of us crossed the snow safe and sound.
Further trail led us to the SUMMIT! I was overwhelmed with emotions and so was most of us - we were reminded of our 'Why'. We remained silent for a few minutes to soak in the views and to sink in the fact that we were surrounded by the mighty Himalayas! To add to the emotions, we were handed a post card each by Hiket who asked us to pen down a letter to whomever we want to.
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| Photo ops! |
And as any other day, walking the last few metres to the campsite looks to be the toughest part of the hike - so we walked and walked and waded through the descent to reach the campsite at Pushtara!
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| Towards the campsite |
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| Rain Gods ready to welcome us to Pushtara! |
Our descent from the summit to the campsite gave us a hint of what's in store for us the next day where we would have to descent 8km all the way! And as the campsite was within our site, rain (hailstones) started and the temperature dropped to 0 degrees celsius! Our hands literally froze without the gloves. While a few of us tucked ourselves inside the tents, a few settled inside the dining tent till the rain slowed down.
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| Camping team sincerely working despite the hailstones |
Krishna Arjun braved the cold weather and captured this moment!
Our legs were so tired of the long day and given the rains, we couldn't do much but just stay put in our tents. When we heard pasta was the snacks for the day, we rushed out of our tents and had hot pasta and piping hot tea!
After a few hours of stretching ourselves in the tent, we again assembled for the dinner. This was supposed to be the 'last supper' in the campsite of this trek - it was made an unforgettable one by Upidha ji by his hilarious ghost stories that we laughed our hearts out!
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| Mustakim's Pixel magic! |
Day 6 - Trek distance - 8km descent to reach Taluka and then by road to the basecamp
We keep hearing that it is the descent that is tougher than the ascent since the stress is on the knees when we climb down - we experienced this for the first time today! While climbing up sucks your stamina / energy out of you, descend does nothing of this sort - but the pressure your legs face is enormous when compared to the ascent and the probability of twisting the ankle / knee sprain is more during the descent.
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| IH reserved the best breakfast for the last day - chole bhature! |
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| All set for the descent |
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| Pushtara is known for its flowers filled meadows! |
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| A break during our descent |
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| Water station on the way |
After covering more than half the distance, we stopped to have the packed lunch by the side of a stream. A much needed break for our legs! Stairs climbing sessions, as a preparation to the trek, will help us get through the descent easily.
I happened to spend some time with Hiket as we hiked down - Hiket narrated us some interesting instances from his experience as a trek leader.
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| Packed lunch - Veg briyani! |
Rahul developed a sore knee just before the lunch - he popped a tablet and had his knees sprayed with Moov during the lunch break and the entire batch started descending again - this is the last part of the trek. As we approached Taluka, we could see children along the trails asking for dry fruits, chocolates with their innocent faces. An elderly woman asked if we had any medicine for the eyes - it broke us to see that even a chocolate, medicine - something that's basic for us - has been eluding this habitat! Another instance emphasizing how grateful we should be for our lives!
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| Kids along the trail as we approached the town |
Rahul felt the pain in every step and I and Arjjun were with him as we trialed behind the rest of the batch. Mantri ji was patient and kind enough to be with us till we reached the end point. The rest of the batch reached Taluka half an hour earlier and was waiting for us to arrive. Finally, we joined them ending the trek successfully.
The vehicles were ready to take us to the basecamp - it was a 45 minute drive from Taluka.
The IH team welcomed us by lining up and clapping for us in the basecamp as we were the first batch this season to complete the Phulara Ridge circuit. Congratulations followed and there were emotional speeches by the slope leader, Mantri ji, Upidha ji and Suman ji. We headed back to our dorms and returned the rentals. There were a couple of other batches in the basecamp whose trek will begin the next day - their faces as curious as ours were when we were at the basecamp before our trek. Vegetable noodles and hot tea went down our throats effortlessly. We were asked to assemble for the closing ceremony after our dinner (Roti, soya, rice and dal).
The closing ceremony was headed by Hiket and he briefed about our whole trek taking us through the important events everyday (30 hours and 32+ km of the trek).He gave everyone of us a chance to speak out and as expected, it was a culmination of emotions! Mantri ji ws there and addressed us one last time. We expressed our gratefulness to the entire IH team. Dr Monisha mam and Ravi sir were given the Spirit of Trekking batches - rightly so. Mohan Krishna bagged the youngest trekker batch. As a surprise, we were presented with an in-house baked marble cake at the end of the ceremony after which we retired to our beds.
Day 7 - Started from Kotgaon basecamp around 6.30am and reached Dehradun around 4pm. We bid bye to our fellow trekkers. What an experience this was!
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| The farewell pic at the basecamp |
Random thoughts / tips:
- I and Krishna Arjun were on a course of Diamox right from when we reached Delhi airport. Diamox helps prevent Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) that results in nausea, headache, loss of appetite, etc. Though this wasn't mandatory, we took the precautionary measure and we were better off with it.
- The trek will test your last bit of endurance of your body - you would just have to follow the fitness routine, warm ups, warm downs and you will be just fine.
- You don't get travel buddies easily - when you do, hold on to them tight - that's what I have been doing with Rahul, Arjjun and Krishna Arjun all these years ;)
- The entire batch of 24 were fine after the trek though a few of them had symptoms of AMS during the trek days, curative pills helped them and given the magnitude of this trek, I would say our batch was more than reasonably healthy throughout.
- By God's grace, weather didn't play spoilsport when we trekked - imagine if it had rained when we were on the snow! As Hiket kept saying, pray God everyday before the start of the trek. If you don't believe in God, pray whatever you believe in. A divine intervention goes a long way in safeguarding the trekkers.
- Fortunately, our group gelled so well that no one was felt alienated / lost - we were there for one another throughout the trek. Fellow trekkers kept checking on others by asking 'Are you ok?' on the treks - a simple gesture but means a lot.
- All the 23 others in a way were an inspiration to me. Those who were elder than me proved that age is just a number - their spirit & determination at their age is something I admire. Those younger than me were wise enough to have chosen this trek at such an young age.
- I had read a few blogs on the Himalayan treks - while a majority of them was scary, a few of them exuded positive vibes. So do not get carried away by the scary blogs - trust yourself, get yourself fit, take precautions and the results will follow!
- On the after effects of the treks physically, I literally had none! I had a small family function the next day after I got back home and I had no complaints whatsoever. And I was back to work per my routine as well.
Would I go for another trek - if yes, when - I don't know. But I have enough inspiration and memories that I can fall back on whenever I need a push in my life! No wonder Indiahikes says -'Everyone should trek'!
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