Note#2: A comedy of errors… Kathgodam to Dharchula
This year’s trek was decided much
in advance. While some of us were rooting for Nanda Devi east base camp…our
organizer sold us this trip. And every bit was worth it. The route is Delhi to
Kathgodam station (by train or bus) and a day long journey via Pthoragarh to Dharchula.
I was rushing to get to platform#13
in Old Delhi railway station to catch the Ranikhet express. I saw them before
they saw me…and each step down the stairs to the platform only brought more
familiar faces into focus. It was a happy reunion. I never felt I was meeting
them after a year. It was like meeting old school friends. So there was
Jyotsna, Nidhi, Babita, Haroon, Dilip, Amit, Rahul, Sarang from the last trek
and Anuradha, Ashley, Gauri, Sayee, Deepak, Pareesh and Ankur who I met for the
first time. Most knew each other from before except me.
The fun started when the train
rolled in and we were standing just below the stairs the ‘wrongest’
inappropriate place one can imagine…with our bulky backpacks. We created an
instant lockjaw jam…no one could more forward of back… not to mention the crazy
surge of human population; a meele of bawling children, plump aunties, sweaty
men, buckets, suitcases, bags, all struggling to get into the train or get
through us. I even had a man trying to get through between my backpack and my
back only to realise they are connected. Being short didn’t help as all we could see on
both sides were more people and the best thing to do seemed was to get into the
nearest 2nd class bogie. We pushed and got in…only to see that the
rest of the platform ahead was completely empty. We created the jam by trying
to get into the wrong bogie!!!
Finally got into our AC compartments
and it felt like a 5 star lobby… That night I was declared Dr. Devi owing to my
universal and versatile cure of ‘salubrious mountain air’ and ‘lots of
laughter’…from fever to constipation. We got to know each other and Sayee saved
me by getting us some bread pakoras in the night. And we woke to the sounds of
people getting off at Kathgodam station. We took our time getting ready and
Jyotsna noticed Ashley brushing his teeth for a looong time…he being a dentist
made it sound funny:)
The road trip to Dharchula was
made in 2 Mahindra Maxx…with full Kumar Shanu festival blaring in our ears. Our
driver Karan needed the music to keep him pepped up. The music finally let up
towards the 2nd half of the day and moved to mellow hum-able Kishore
kumar and Lata aunty tunes. We stopped midway to see a leopard sanctuary that
had three very healthy but bored leopards, they are fed 3 kg of buffalo meat
everyday but nothing much to sustain their wild spirit. We also stopped at many places for our
breakfast and numerous teas, but the best was the stop for lunch. It was a
quaint little dhaba named ‘Lohani’s about 70 kms before Pithoragarh. While half
of us feasted on the mustard flavoured kheera raita and simple chana the rest
went next door to have chicken and local fish. I was stung by the nettles or
‘bichu buti’…this plant is also boiled and eaten in the hills and many use it
as a pain bam. Pithoragarh is a big cantonment of both the Army and the
ITBP…and I was remembering all that my mom said about this place when my
parents were there.
The route was very scenic along
the way and it only got better. But just then we received some bad news that
someone in the Roopkund trek died by a strike of lightning. Sandeep our organiser
had to rush back. All the beauty around went suddenly bleak. I could only feel
pained by thinking about his family and what he must have been thinking. I
really liked Nidhi’s perspective that fated or not, or his time had come or
not, but what is certain is that we have limited time in this world and we have
to live it to the fullest.
Anyways come evening and we
rolled into Dharchula. It was a busy town and after the long and lonesome
winding hilly roads, all the bustle, lights and crowd was a surprise to our
senses. And like Jyotsna said it reminds one of Joshimath. Dharchula is the
border town with Nepal and has a connecting bridge that is open till 7 pm
daily. We were received by Mr Lakshman who runs an adventure tour company. He
introduced his team to us and briefed us on the trek. He was giving us standard
briefing procedures but we were a tired lot with no Sandeep in sight and a
change of plan at hand. It was a totally confusing confounding interesting
evening.
And what ensued is a comedy of
errors.
He said the wrong things. We
asked the wrong questions. He painted a
bleak picture and gave us one plastic lunch box each in which we were supposed
to carry boring lunches like pulav, upma and other tasteless food. He also
warned us of the heavy snowfall along the glacier and that we might not be able
to do the last stretch to Panchachuli base camp due to the weather. At that
point he was of an emotional and reactionary nature and those who were of
similar disposition immediately sparked with him resulting in some pricelessly
funny conversation exchange. He told us to not mingle with the locals, that
smoking and alcohol was forbidden in the trek and that women need to be extra
careful on the trail. Some of us argued on all points while some of us wanted
to know why the stretcher has to be in the front and not the back and many such
questions that had him simply foxed!
He had invited a 3 time Everest
summiteer who is also a Padmashree awardee. He is an army ex-serviceman and
during his career has skied down from most peaks of the Himalayas. He also is
the only person to have spent 6 days at the final Everest camp without having to
come down.
We finally retired for the night
in hope of some good sleep. I was a bit apprehensive after the evening’s
discussion wondering if with so many new factors it was going to be just an
easy walk in the park. But as the night got darker old wisdom and earlier
lessons learnt in the mountains came to me that going with the flow is the
greatest adventure and that anywhere in the mountains is always beautiful and
worth the while. The rest I don’t remember as I fell asleep.
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