Day 1 date :18th May 2005( Bageshwar to Loharkhet, 38 Km by Road 4 Km on foot)
This is Vishesh (Lokesh) for you, It’s a fairy tale of Pindari Trek (Bageshwar District of Uttaranchal State in India).After coming from Bangalore to Bageshwar Pindari Trekking plan was there in my mind but I have to finish few important work, fortunately I got the permission to go to my dream destination, I, Mr. P S Negi(later known as Maggie Sir, basically a software engineer working in Motorola Bangalore),Mr. Gitesh Tripathi(later known as ETV Uncle, an ETV journalist) started our journey on 18th May 05 from Bageshwar @ 12:11 PM by a Jeep. We brought some snacks, Jumping, Mountain Dew and Medicine, for Mr. Maggie, on the way to Kapkote. We all were excited as this was our first Pindari trek n @ 1:45 PM we were at Song, Kapkote. Now onwards we have to trust our feet, so we started towards our first Base Camp Loharkhet (3 Km from Song). We started in a very traditional way then we took few short cuts though it’s written in PWD Road Side Hoardings “Short cuts may cut short your Life” but we were very enthusiastic people, so we just ignored it as it is written for someone else, by 2:45 PM we were at PWD guest house Loharkhet but it was not our first base camp, we have to climb another 1 km uphill, on the way to TRC Loharkhet I met a local boy “Naresh Ram”, he shown us the way to TRC .i asked him whether there is Electricity in his village but he was not aware of that ,but I am sure that the village is already Electrified .Finally at 3:10 PM we reached KMVN (TRC) Loharkhet.I met a Bengali group ,an Israeli “Ninit”,we share few thoughts and around 5 O’clock a group from Mumbai reached there ,yes I was waiting for that group as we were supposed to join this group. The group includes 9 girls’ n 7 boys plus two Madams. I just greet them but there was “no reaction” from the group, though I was surprised but I left the matter on time, as life taught me enough fundas how to interact/react in these kinds of situations. Then we took some snacks n a brief introduction about the pindari trek n few precautionary tips.
Mean while few boys approached me, Adil, a bundle of energy, was first to met me though he is just 14 but I like his approach towards life, as he is in his early teen age so he has to learn a lot from the world ,as Its the Law of Nature/Life .After some time few more boys Aman,Kush.Kevin,Daksh n Shivangi came to me n after dinner I sat on verandah and looking into sky as this was my favorite time pass, but this time it was something special as I saw a “falling Star” for the first time, as it is believed in Hindu Mythology that if u wish anything to “falling Star” it will come true, so I wished something…….lets c what will happen in future whether my wish come true or…….
Rest of the group was a little reserve, so can’t say what will happen tomorrow …with this note I went to my bed @ 10:30 PM…………
Day 2 date: 20th May 2005 ( Loharkhet to Dhakuri, 8 Km on foot)
@ 4:21 AM I woke up and after taking bath I helped Choubey Sir to distribute the breakfast, few members were very particular about the taste ……….. But it was due to the age factor and the Metro culture, after distributing the breakfast we put our Rag-sag. the Mumbai group was divided into two sub-groups the Tigers and the Panthers ,I joined Panthers Group Lead by Vidhi, the other members were Sneha( later the Pindari Model) , Kinjal Mehta,Ravi ,Daksh,Nayan,Adil n Gitesh ,mohit Sir. We left Loharkhet at 7:06 AM, I was carrying a huge bag nearly 25 kgs, though I have trekking experience at low altitude places in southern part of India but it was my first trek at such a high altitude, because of energy factor I was enthusiastic so I started my walk towards Dhakuri with Mohit Sir, we started sharing our experiences with group members Riddhi (later I came to know that she is Vidhi,doing some course related to Tourism and is into sports like handball, she proved that she is athletic throughout the trek), sneha who is doing her Law course from Church gate Mumbai is found to be enthusiastic about life , kinjal ,just written her 12th Board exams(Her name sounds pretty attractive ,so is she but she doesn’t know the meaning of her name) anyway she looks fit for the trek. Other members of group Aman n Adil impressed me most throughout the trek with their trekking n soft skills; I personally feel that they have all the potential to become a very good mountaineer.
The way all the members of group cooperated with each other was marvelous, we discussed many topics & helped each other in a great way. At Jhandidhar we stopped a while waited for all the members who were little behind ,then again we took a short cut ,in between we interacted many groups /people those who were successfully completed their trekking Pinadri,Kafni and Sunderdhunga Glacier ,we talked to them abt their experiences and the distance we have to cover to reach our next stop Dhakuri, meanwhile i met a teacher coming from Khati village( the last Habitat Revenue Village of Kapkote on the way to Pindari Trek) to attend the Teacher’s training program stating from 21st may, its really hard for a Government Employee to survive at such a remote area where no basic facilities are available and no extra perks are there from government, I salute such a dedicated workers.
At Talla Dhakuri we took some tea, snacks and then again started walking towards Dhakuri, but it was a steep way ahead but with group we completed it in a happy way ,in between we reached Chilta Temple Gate( the Temple is 2 Km distance from Gate, in the evening Mr. Maggie asked me to come to the Temple but due to fatigue I decline his proposal ,I thought when we will return back to Loharkhet we will surely go to Temple ,but it didn’t happened…….its Hard Luck for both of us.), we stopped for a while there n then moved ahead to KMVN Dhakuri which was at 1 km down hill, but many of us including me thinking about the returning uphill task of the same path …finally at 12:13 PM I reached Dhakuri with the group members ,we waited for the next group to join us….we waited ….waited for next 1 hr ……….finally all the members including both groups reached Dhakuri so is Mr. Maggie .
We enjoyed our Lunch in group, few members specially Girls preferred to stay back in their rooms but the boys were very keen to roam around, I learnt to make tents n then with Mohit n chaubey sir I taught Girls the same and they really did a fantastic job…… then all the members of groups made the sub-groups and njoyed within, after few photo session, Revu a small lad from kolkata joined us with a plastic ball and we njoyed playing cricket making two teams lead by Mohit sir and Me. It was great fun with some controversial Decision ,Mr. Maggie ,my team mate was completely out of shocks (though he is a very fine player with suspicious bowling action) Bhakti” the Shakti” and Shivangi”Kikivangi” joined us, unfortunately we lost the little series 2-1 but the winner was team –spirit.
After few more photo session and experience sharing by Mohit, Choubey Sir and Pushpa Ma’m about previous mountaineering expedition and the Peaks which can be viewed from Dhakuri,
A) Sunderdhunga Valley
Durga kote (5519 Mtr.)
Un-named Rocky peak (5830 Mtr.)
Bhanuti (5685 Mtr.)
Pataki Pass (5400 Mtr.)
Mactoli (6803 Mtr, on 28th sept 1992 during the expedition 4 members died due to over exhaustion and some minor technical mistake in anchoring ,there is a Pillar in memory of the mountaineers at Dhakuri, ”it was Mohit sir’s first Expiditions..”)
Cream-Roll (6337 Mtr. ,Virgin peak , many of us including me and Mr Maggie decided to climb the Peak…….lets c what is in the future…..ALL THE BEST ,)
Panwali Dwar (6663 Mtr.)
Balzuri (5922 Mtr.)
B) Pindari Valley
Nanda Khat (6611 Mtr., Nanda Devi,Nanda Khat,Mactoli are banned due to Nanda Devi Sanctury since 1982 due to Pollution and Sanctury Preservation Act, but the latest status is not clear??)
Pindari Glacier ,
Changuch (6322 Mtr, Virgin)
Nandakote (6881 Mtr.)
C) Kafni Valley
Kafni Glacier
It was a very interesting session, many members, especially Kush, fired their questions but all were pleasantly answered by the expert panel.
After appetizer (soup) we took our Dinner and get back to our bed, I njoyed Tent Night, in sleeping bags it was a bit uncomfortable for a person like me who has a unique sleeping style but somehow I find it quite interesting with LNGMC group (simple Lokesh, negi, gitesh, mohit, choubey), after a small discussion we surrendered ourselves to Sleep…….sweet Dreamz…… J
Day 3: Date 20th May 2005 (Dhakuri to Khati, 8 Km)
Again at 4:00 AM I woke up but its great fight for me to come out from Sleeping bag, somehow I came out and after finishing the necessary morning stuff, I helped kitchen members to finish the work and then I just sat on a cement bench and njoyed the Himalayan View and made a rough sketch of the same and talked to few other groups.
After taking our breakfast and taking some necessary stuff, we moved towards our next destination, Khati, I promised my self to cover the distance at a nice pace somehow I got my new trekking partner Bhakti”the Shakti” and since then we trekked almost all the trek together, she is the most lively girl in the trek ,she njoy every bit of life ,though she has written her 12th Board Exams this year and waiting for the result ,she is aspiring of an Architect ,her family business, I shared few experience of my life with her and surprisingly we two share our birthday, may be because of natural frequency I enjoyed her company through out the trek.
The Trek was little simpler and plain then the previous day trek and importantly little more picturesque, that day I couldn’t able to notice the path thanks to Bhakti”the shakti” J .we reached at PWD guest house Khati and Mohit sir and Mr. Maggie were arranging cricket ball and a wood strip, our destination KMVN Khati was just 500 Mtr ahead, I reached there with my trekking partner without much difficulties.
After taking small break we njoyed the Lunch and then again we played Cricket for some time but Mr Maggie,ETV Uncle ,Mohit sir n Choubey Sir preferred sleep (with snooze, Kharrate) and girls were njoying in group at verandah and little male members were njoying cricket , I was feeling little more poetic so I choose a rock and started writing few lines
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then Mr Maggie and Mohit “the dashing “disturbed me and I had no option but to join them I did the same and we started our cricket rivalry again but at a different venue hoping that luck will change for me, again Bhakti n Shivangi were pleasure to watch at cricket Ground, this time we defeated The Dashing Team by 2-0, while the third game was under progress the gloomy n stormy weather poured and with a huge sound a tree fall down and two other later touched the ground, we assembled at verandah and started making strategies for the next day( we were planning to trek 11 km from Khati to Dwali and then 5 Km from Dwali to Furkiya) , beside that we were also njoying snacks n tea.
While we were busy with strategic planning for the next day trek, Deepti Ma’m were busy in Kitchen with Bhakti”the Shakti” to make our evening delicious with Gujrati Dish, suddenly I saw the fire is coming out from kitchen, I just ran towards the kitchen ,thank God , there was no blunder ,thx to the attentiveness of Chamu”head cook” ,he just taken out the gas pipe from cylinder in time , then Choubey Sir,Mr Maggie repaired the Gas tube….. n Deepti Ma’m cooked a very tasty food for night, I still remember the taste ,it was awesome…..again thank you Ma’m…..
We (NGLMC) had a little Poem/Sayari/Antakshari Session and with some exchange of jokes with Daksh we went to our bed a little early……….Good Night ………Sweet Dreamz…..
Day 4: 21st May 2005( 11 Km Trek from Khati to Dwali and 5 Km from Dwali to Furkiya)
Again @ 2:30 AM I woke up (I suppose I was suffering from Sleeping Disorder….:) ), but as every one was sleeping around me I preferred not to disturb any one and then finally I woke at 4:30 AM and after discharging my regular duties , we move ahead ,as we have already decided that we will reach at our first stop for the day(i.e. Dwali) at max by 5hrs…. but some how we could manage to leave Khati at 6:30 AM (30 mins later then our scheduled time…..)
That day also I was shouting my Regular Slogan “NO SHORT CUTS” and I was the first person to break it, now I can commit that it was for Fun only and just to convey the message to group that I am around with my group and also making sound (Cu-Coo, Cu-Cu-Coo) ….again it’s a strategic way, which I learnt in jungle training at Scouts in schools ….. so that all the member of group be aware of the presence of other member …..
I was slow at the start but suddenly I decided to chase the Leader ..in that process I overtook few members but then I saw Kevin, who was walking alone in Jungle no one was near to him for 500 mtr both ways, though I wanna catch the Leader but suddenly a sense of Responsibility developed in me and I preferred to walk with Kevin ( an interesting character of 13 years of age” I am Kevin, born at USA” with a unique childish voice ….) later we njoyed few more trekking with each other …meanwhile Bhakti” The Shakti” and Aman (Bhakti’s Boy friend in trekking… and has a complaint that all the Girls tease him so much by touching/kissing his checks ???) joined us ,.. We crossed many Gandhi Bridges (the wooden bridge) and walked along Pindari River half of the trek was Plain and little uphill. Our little group was njoying n helping each other like any other group and we took few spans on the way…… Here comes Mr. Maggie, for the first time in trekking …… and believe me it was really nice to trek a with such a nature loving and sometimes little crazy person,….. so we decided to njoy the beautiful trek n sceneries, in that process my “3” other trekking partners lost somewhere ???/
Mr Maggie and I njoyed every bit of trek as we use to njoy in our college days ,we went down to springs ,pindari river ,rocks and where ever possible ,we decide to reach Dwali just b4 the deadline(11 AM)….and took many spans on the way ,while I was posing in “Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikkander” Style ,I came to a little accident but fortunately I was safe ……otherwise I could have gone to Pindari River from 50 feet or so…….but All Wells if Ends Well……
At 10:56 AM we reached Dwali and took Lunch..thn after a small break we left for Furkiya ….again the same Slogan ,everyone except Bhakti”the Shakti” was taking shortcuts ,everyone was tired after walking 11 Km in the morning but the same time all were hopeful to hit the target b4 3 PM…..It was the toughest site in the entire Pindari Trek,the slope was around 67° ,I ,the Dashing Sir, ETV uncle n Mr Maggie all were carrying luggage in 20s ,so it was hard to walk at less then normal pace, so the Dashing ,Mr Maggie n I have decided to walk ahead and to open the trek as the snow patches /Glaciers were expected ,around mid-way…to furkiya we put some more responsibilities to help the other group members to pass Glaciers ..
At Tea stall we took a small break, Shivangi was not feeling well but with the help of Pushpa Ma’m everything was fine, so we started again …….at last we all reached furkiya @ 3:46 PM……the glacier was just 7 Km away …..So everyone was excited and we all were hoping to hit the target…..the weather was a little heavy….. we took some tea n snacks and again the whistle sounded and everyone was there in the small ground to take few more tips fm Pushpa Ma’m ……….i ,Dashing sir, Mr Maggie were njoying the situation as no one really wanna hav any kind of Tips after such a long and tire some trekking….. But Kush was so energetic that he was asking any question and everyone was njoying it…….
After the session and few diplomatic dramas we got the KMVN Room and Girls were shifted to PWD Guest House…….we invited them for Antakshari but very few girls ,Deepti Ma’m ,Neema,Kinjal,Sneha,Bhakti, turned up …….(others were busy in gossiping or..bla,bla,,,,,,) we njoyed it and then after dinner we all went to our Beds…….
Day 5:22nd May 2005 (Furkiya to Zero Point Pindari Glacier,)
As we were waiting for the moment for so long ,was at a hands distance …thinking on theses lines I couldn’t sleep properly that night ….may be every one have the same feeling …..that day also I woke up at 3:30 AM and started thinking how will be the destination ……..so I asked Mr Maggie, ETV Uncle and Adil to Leave the bed and we all are walked down to fresh ,but the problem was the water source….we just started walking towards Zero point in search of water source ….our faithful companion Blakies, n the browne (all Dogs) showed the path , we were just following them but as it was a little dark and the weather was heavy ,it was drizzling and the steady wind was blowing ……so we just ignored the signal by our faithful companion and we crossed more then 3 snow patches ………..ETV uncle suggested that its useless to wonder here n there but I n Mr Maggie has decided to walk further so we crossed two more snow patches …finally we heard some noise as the water flowing just under us …..it was because of the water flowing under the thick snow patches ……at last ,after searching for more then 40 mins ,we two decided that its better to join base camp Furkiya and then ask some experienced person …so we turned back, while returning I saw that our faithful companion were looking down at one place ,I just thought whether they are trying to indicate something so I just followed them …….looking down, I was more then happy as I found the water pipe …….thx to our faithful partners. The water source was hardly 100 mtrs away from the Furkiya base camp; we discharged our regular duties and came back to the camp.
The weather was little more dark and windy ,our expert panel Choubey Sir,The Dashing Sir, Pushpa Ma’m declared that its not possible to trek Zero Point ,every one was sad so did I. I was praying to the God that in this situation He Should help us, moreover I was confident that I will try my best to trek Zero Point no matter how worst the weather is…..with lots of thought and hope we njoyed our morning Breakfast ,everyone (though some of the members had already make-up their mind that they will not try any further…) was waiting for the green Signal from experts.
Finally at 8:30 AM the Expert Panel decided to start the trekking for the day but with the condition that if possible they will try to reach Zero Point according to the weather condition and the physical fitness of members…..
But I was confident that I will reach zero point ,so I was trying to get the confidence from other members like Mr Maggie and ETV Uncle ,I knew that Mr Maggie will not let me down ,slowly-slowly we walk towards the zero point ,it was 7 km from Furkiya and we were expecting many fresh snow patches on the way .It was still drizzling and the wind was blowing its own pace….sometimes I look into the sky ,but it was important for me to look down ..so I decided to follow the foot prints/foot steps of the predecessors….the gang from PWD was helping us as they were opening the trek and making path, it was a very pleasant site for me that the Gang was working in such a tough condition despite of their Departmental demands like Worm uniform, Boots and other utensils, being a part of semi-govt organization I knew how things proceeds in the Govt culture, but HATS OFF to the Gang…..
The group members were walking slowly with all the possible precautions as it was the need of hour, but few members decided that it’s not possible for them to go any further …I feel sad for them but it all depends upon the Destiny, physical fitness and more over the will power of the person. So the group was becoming shorter and shorter with the time and difficulties, so Chamu and Choubey Sir were forced to return to the Furkiya Camp.
Our group was determined to concur the Zero point, so in a team spirit we all were njoying the trek and with precaution we were aiming to the view point (4 Km from Furkiya) ,unfortunately Kinjal and Nayan were struggling with the atmospheric condition ,so they just decided to stay there, rest of the group decided to trek till Baba’s Temple (1 km away from Zero point)…….Aman,Adil ,vidhi ,sneha,neema,Ravi,ETV Uncle ,Mr Maggie and I ,with the Dashing Sir reached there at 11:20 AM and we all were satisfied and took blessing from the Baba,”Baba ji were doing meditation for last 15 years at the same place ,in severe Atmospheric conditions ,He has done so much for the betterment of people and it was like a miracle to find Tea and Halwa ,Puri at such a height(3650 Mtrs),what to talk of humen …..we all were curious to find the solution of all the worldly queries……Its really a magic experience for all of us,”
Now comes the decisive moment for the Dashing ,I know it was a bit harsh decision for the group that they were forced to return back just 1 km away from their ultimate destination(Zero Point), I was particularly sad about the group member as I tried to take the members with me,Mr Maggie and ETV Uncle but the Group Leader Mr Dashing was thinking on other lines, Its very easy to criticize any decision but its really tough to make any decision ,thinking on these lines I ,Mr Maggie and ETV Uncle left the Baba’s Temple and walked towards Zero Point ..
The path was relatively easy, so we didn’t got any kind of problem, apart from we three, there were few more members An Archeologist (from Australia) with his Guide Mr Bisht, JE PWD Mr Bhatt ,we were heading towards the same goal ……..we all wanted to reach there as soon as possible because the drastic weather conditions.
At last around 12:25 PM I reached at Zero Point, just beating the Archeologist from a fraction of second margin, I was more then happy and satisfied person,” the Famous Pindari Glacier was in front of Me but it gave me a panic scene as Mr. Bisht (the Guide) told us that earlier, say 15 years back, the Glacier was till the present Zero Point,but now the glacier has shifted around 750 mtr Back ,mainly because of the humen intervention in Nature and the change in Climatic conditions, we all discussed about the same for few minutes and make a resolution that we will try to save nature to the best possible way and make other people ware about the same”
At Zero Point we did the “Pooja” ,ETV Uncle was busy with his interview duties ,he interviewed the guide ,and asked me to say few lines about the Pindari…….but I was speechless ,both due to over excitement and ever imaginable sceneries of Pindari,…….. I was missing my Pindari Model”Sneha”, as we decided to shoot a small advertisement for Pindari Water ,but as She couldn’t come there ,so Mr Maggie and I tasted the Mountain Dew at Zero Point but we find that Pindari Water has more energy and Appeal at such a high altitude in comparison of any other artificial Energy drink.
We stayed there for half an hour and then we returned back to Baba’s Temple we took Blessing and Prasad from Baba ji and with the unforgettable image of Pindari we walked towards Furkiya, I was in a hurry so I took a lead and I was walking alone through the entire Glacier and reached at the Furkiya Base Camp @ 3 PM ,but rest of the group had already left for Dwali base Camp……so I decided to wait Mr. Maggie and ETV Uncle ,then we took Tea and Met Revu ,my little friend and Mr. Maggie and I Climbed the Rock and went to the temple …….again we started our journey towards Dwali at 4 PM and with all the excitement and talking abt Pindari all the time, we reached the Dwali camp at 5:20 PM ….
All the members were greeted us and we were also happy to meet our Group, after exchanging the experience of Zero Point we jnoyed the Camp Fire with the group…………….i too was njoying the camp Fire but somehow I got Depressed, because of some personal problem and moreover I didn’t want to see the generation …anyway it happens with everyone …………DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY
That night we slept around 10:30 PM, with some Masti with Daksh,Nayan,Mr Maggie…………Good Night and Sweet Dreamz”It was really a Sweet Dream Night for all of us”……
Day 6: 23rd May 2005 (Dwali to Dhakuri, 19 Km)
As Usual on the sixth Day also, I got up early and after finishing the regular refreshment schedule, we started towards Khati ………this time my regular Trekking Partner was not with me for some time, but the Dashing Sir shared some Secret with me (as we two have faced more or less the same situation in Life…..) ……..soon my regular trekking partner joined me and with lots of jokes and exp. Sharing we reached Khati in No Time….
At Khati we njoyed the Lunch and started walking towards Dhakuri (few members including me,didn’t want to leave Khati,My point was that I want to stay one more day with Nature and the Group,,,) ………..As it was an order from the Group Leader so we just followed it and marched towards Dhakuri……… this time with some new trekking partner I njoyed the trek and around 3:45 PM we all were at Dhakuri.
We njoyed Tea and Snacks with the group and we share some more mischievous experience with each other ….. ETV Uncle interviewed Vidi, Sneha, Kevin, Aman, but at the same time Ravi and Daksh got an accident, but both handled in it a great way and the anxious group was relaxed. We njoyed cricket at the same venue and at dinner we njoyed the Paratha ,after dinner all eyes were at Adil, He was so shy that he could not even tell the reason(in detail) of his blushing ……..he was trying to collect some Poems/Sayari for the known (know to him but unknown for all of us..)
And some very good and intense discussion regarding the generation gap …..With the interested group members ……..with this sweet note we went to beds……….
Day 7: 24th May 2005 (Dhakuri to Bageshwar, 14 Km on foot ,38 Km by Road)
Last night was the sleepless night for me as I didn’t want to see the sun ,but the Law of Nature can’t change for any one and it is the biggest universal truth that life flows for ever……….so after finishing the routine work and few photo session we started for Loharkhet ,it was Tuesday and I took Fast on every Tuesday ……so no food etc for me today, I also started with the group ….first km was bit tough but with group everything was easy so I hardly felt any pressure of the first Km…at Chilta Temple Gate we took a small break and then with all the possible short Cuts we reached the Rippling point and njoyed the rippling …then again proceed towards Loharkhet …….few members were singing songs and I maintain a small lead to them and was njoying the songs……………Bhakti” the Shakti” sharing some secrets with Adil and my duty was to stay Aman with all these discussions .so I njoyed the trekking with Aman….and Finally we reached Loharkhet…
After taking Lunch, the group moved towards Song and took three vehicle and moved towards Bageshwar……all the members were busy contacting their dear ones………and this was the last day of my Fairy Tale …..It was really a Life Time Journey for me….i njoyed it with core of my heart as I knew I have to take one of the most difficult decision of my Life……..
This is Vishesh (Lokesh) for you, It’s a fairy tale of Pindari Trek (Bageshwar District of Uttaranchal State in India).After coming from Bangalore to Bageshwar Pindari Trekking plan was there in my mind but I have to finish few important work, fortunately I got the permission to go to my dream destination, I, Mr. P S Negi(later known as Maggie Sir, basically a software engineer working in Motorola Bangalore),Mr. Gitesh Tripathi(later known as ETV Uncle, an ETV journalist) started our journey on 18th May 05 from Bageshwar @ 12:11 PM by a Jeep. We brought some snacks, Jumping, Mountain Dew and Medicine, for Mr. Maggie, on the way to Kapkote. We all were excited as this was our first Pindari trek n @ 1:45 PM we were at Song, Kapkote. Now onwards we have to trust our feet, so we started towards our first Base Camp Loharkhet (3 Km from Song). We started in a very traditional way then we took few short cuts though it’s written in PWD Road Side Hoardings “Short cuts may cut short your Life” but we were very enthusiastic people, so we just ignored it as it is written for someone else, by 2:45 PM we were at PWD guest house Loharkhet but it was not our first base camp, we have to climb another 1 km uphill, on the way to TRC Loharkhet I met a local boy “Naresh Ram”, he shown us the way to TRC .i asked him whether there is Electricity in his village but he was not aware of that ,but I am sure that the village is already Electrified .Finally at 3:10 PM we reached KMVN (TRC) Loharkhet.I met a Bengali group ,an Israeli “Ninit”,we share few thoughts and around 5 O’clock a group from Mumbai reached there ,yes I was waiting for that group as we were supposed to join this group. The group includes 9 girls’ n 7 boys plus two Madams. I just greet them but there was “no reaction” from the group, though I was surprised but I left the matter on time, as life taught me enough fundas how to interact/react in these kinds of situations. Then we took some snacks n a brief introduction about the pindari trek n few precautionary tips.
Mean while few boys approached me, Adil, a bundle of energy, was first to met me though he is just 14 but I like his approach towards life, as he is in his early teen age so he has to learn a lot from the world ,as Its the Law of Nature/Life .After some time few more boys Aman,Kush.Kevin,Daksh n Shivangi came to me n after dinner I sat on verandah and looking into sky as this was my favorite time pass, but this time it was something special as I saw a “falling Star” for the first time, as it is believed in Hindu Mythology that if u wish anything to “falling Star” it will come true, so I wished something…….lets c what will happen in future whether my wish come true or…….
Rest of the group was a little reserve, so can’t say what will happen tomorrow …with this note I went to my bed @ 10:30 PM…………
Day 2 date: 20th May 2005 ( Loharkhet to Dhakuri, 8 Km on foot)
@ 4:21 AM I woke up and after taking bath I helped Choubey Sir to distribute the breakfast, few members were very particular about the taste ……….. But it was due to the age factor and the Metro culture, after distributing the breakfast we put our Rag-sag. the Mumbai group was divided into two sub-groups the Tigers and the Panthers ,I joined Panthers Group Lead by Vidhi, the other members were Sneha( later the Pindari Model) , Kinjal Mehta,Ravi ,Daksh,Nayan,Adil n Gitesh ,mohit Sir. We left Loharkhet at 7:06 AM, I was carrying a huge bag nearly 25 kgs, though I have trekking experience at low altitude places in southern part of India but it was my first trek at such a high altitude, because of energy factor I was enthusiastic so I started my walk towards Dhakuri with Mohit Sir, we started sharing our experiences with group members Riddhi (later I came to know that she is Vidhi,doing some course related to Tourism and is into sports like handball, she proved that she is athletic throughout the trek), sneha who is doing her Law course from Church gate Mumbai is found to be enthusiastic about life , kinjal ,just written her 12th Board exams(Her name sounds pretty attractive ,so is she but she doesn’t know the meaning of her name) anyway she looks fit for the trek. Other members of group Aman n Adil impressed me most throughout the trek with their trekking n soft skills; I personally feel that they have all the potential to become a very good mountaineer.
The way all the members of group cooperated with each other was marvelous, we discussed many topics & helped each other in a great way. At Jhandidhar we stopped a while waited for all the members who were little behind ,then again we took a short cut ,in between we interacted many groups /people those who were successfully completed their trekking Pinadri,Kafni and Sunderdhunga Glacier ,we talked to them abt their experiences and the distance we have to cover to reach our next stop Dhakuri, meanwhile i met a teacher coming from Khati village( the last Habitat Revenue Village of Kapkote on the way to Pindari Trek) to attend the Teacher’s training program stating from 21st may, its really hard for a Government Employee to survive at such a remote area where no basic facilities are available and no extra perks are there from government, I salute such a dedicated workers.
At Talla Dhakuri we took some tea, snacks and then again started walking towards Dhakuri, but it was a steep way ahead but with group we completed it in a happy way ,in between we reached Chilta Temple Gate( the Temple is 2 Km distance from Gate, in the evening Mr. Maggie asked me to come to the Temple but due to fatigue I decline his proposal ,I thought when we will return back to Loharkhet we will surely go to Temple ,but it didn’t happened…….its Hard Luck for both of us.), we stopped for a while there n then moved ahead to KMVN Dhakuri which was at 1 km down hill, but many of us including me thinking about the returning uphill task of the same path …finally at 12:13 PM I reached Dhakuri with the group members ,we waited for the next group to join us….we waited ….waited for next 1 hr ……….finally all the members including both groups reached Dhakuri so is Mr. Maggie .
We enjoyed our Lunch in group, few members specially Girls preferred to stay back in their rooms but the boys were very keen to roam around, I learnt to make tents n then with Mohit n chaubey sir I taught Girls the same and they really did a fantastic job…… then all the members of groups made the sub-groups and njoyed within, after few photo session, Revu a small lad from kolkata joined us with a plastic ball and we njoyed playing cricket making two teams lead by Mohit sir and Me. It was great fun with some controversial Decision ,Mr. Maggie ,my team mate was completely out of shocks (though he is a very fine player with suspicious bowling action) Bhakti” the Shakti” and Shivangi”Kikivangi” joined us, unfortunately we lost the little series 2-1 but the winner was team –spirit.
After few more photo session and experience sharing by Mohit, Choubey Sir and Pushpa Ma’m about previous mountaineering expedition and the Peaks which can be viewed from Dhakuri,
A) Sunderdhunga Valley
Durga kote (5519 Mtr.)
Un-named Rocky peak (5830 Mtr.)
Bhanuti (5685 Mtr.)
Pataki Pass (5400 Mtr.)
Mactoli (6803 Mtr, on 28th sept 1992 during the expedition 4 members died due to over exhaustion and some minor technical mistake in anchoring ,there is a Pillar in memory of the mountaineers at Dhakuri, ”it was Mohit sir’s first Expiditions..”)
Cream-Roll (6337 Mtr. ,Virgin peak , many of us including me and Mr Maggie decided to climb the Peak…….lets c what is in the future…..ALL THE BEST ,)
Panwali Dwar (6663 Mtr.)
Balzuri (5922 Mtr.)
B) Pindari Valley
Nanda Khat (6611 Mtr., Nanda Devi,Nanda Khat,Mactoli are banned due to Nanda Devi Sanctury since 1982 due to Pollution and Sanctury Preservation Act, but the latest status is not clear??)
Pindari Glacier ,
Changuch (6322 Mtr, Virgin)
Nandakote (6881 Mtr.)
C) Kafni Valley
Kafni Glacier
It was a very interesting session, many members, especially Kush, fired their questions but all were pleasantly answered by the expert panel.
After appetizer (soup) we took our Dinner and get back to our bed, I njoyed Tent Night, in sleeping bags it was a bit uncomfortable for a person like me who has a unique sleeping style but somehow I find it quite interesting with LNGMC group (simple Lokesh, negi, gitesh, mohit, choubey), after a small discussion we surrendered ourselves to Sleep…….sweet Dreamz…… J
Day 3: Date 20th May 2005 (Dhakuri to Khati, 8 Km)
Again at 4:00 AM I woke up but its great fight for me to come out from Sleeping bag, somehow I came out and after finishing the necessary morning stuff, I helped kitchen members to finish the work and then I just sat on a cement bench and njoyed the Himalayan View and made a rough sketch of the same and talked to few other groups.
After taking our breakfast and taking some necessary stuff, we moved towards our next destination, Khati, I promised my self to cover the distance at a nice pace somehow I got my new trekking partner Bhakti”the Shakti” and since then we trekked almost all the trek together, she is the most lively girl in the trek ,she njoy every bit of life ,though she has written her 12th Board Exams this year and waiting for the result ,she is aspiring of an Architect ,her family business, I shared few experience of my life with her and surprisingly we two share our birthday, may be because of natural frequency I enjoyed her company through out the trek.
The Trek was little simpler and plain then the previous day trek and importantly little more picturesque, that day I couldn’t able to notice the path thanks to Bhakti”the shakti” J .we reached at PWD guest house Khati and Mohit sir and Mr. Maggie were arranging cricket ball and a wood strip, our destination KMVN Khati was just 500 Mtr ahead, I reached there with my trekking partner without much difficulties.
After taking small break we njoyed the Lunch and then again we played Cricket for some time but Mr Maggie,ETV Uncle ,Mohit sir n Choubey Sir preferred sleep (with snooze, Kharrate) and girls were njoying in group at verandah and little male members were njoying cricket , I was feeling little more poetic so I choose a rock and started writing few lines
.........
then Mr Maggie and Mohit “the dashing “disturbed me and I had no option but to join them I did the same and we started our cricket rivalry again but at a different venue hoping that luck will change for me, again Bhakti n Shivangi were pleasure to watch at cricket Ground, this time we defeated The Dashing Team by 2-0, while the third game was under progress the gloomy n stormy weather poured and with a huge sound a tree fall down and two other later touched the ground, we assembled at verandah and started making strategies for the next day( we were planning to trek 11 km from Khati to Dwali and then 5 Km from Dwali to Furkiya) , beside that we were also njoying snacks n tea.
While we were busy with strategic planning for the next day trek, Deepti Ma’m were busy in Kitchen with Bhakti”the Shakti” to make our evening delicious with Gujrati Dish, suddenly I saw the fire is coming out from kitchen, I just ran towards the kitchen ,thank God , there was no blunder ,thx to the attentiveness of Chamu”head cook” ,he just taken out the gas pipe from cylinder in time , then Choubey Sir,Mr Maggie repaired the Gas tube….. n Deepti Ma’m cooked a very tasty food for night, I still remember the taste ,it was awesome…..again thank you Ma’m…..
We (NGLMC) had a little Poem/Sayari/Antakshari Session and with some exchange of jokes with Daksh we went to our bed a little early……….Good Night ………Sweet Dreamz…..
Day 4: 21st May 2005( 11 Km Trek from Khati to Dwali and 5 Km from Dwali to Furkiya)
Again @ 2:30 AM I woke up (I suppose I was suffering from Sleeping Disorder….:) ), but as every one was sleeping around me I preferred not to disturb any one and then finally I woke at 4:30 AM and after discharging my regular duties , we move ahead ,as we have already decided that we will reach at our first stop for the day(i.e. Dwali) at max by 5hrs…. but some how we could manage to leave Khati at 6:30 AM (30 mins later then our scheduled time…..)
That day also I was shouting my Regular Slogan “NO SHORT CUTS” and I was the first person to break it, now I can commit that it was for Fun only and just to convey the message to group that I am around with my group and also making sound (Cu-Coo, Cu-Cu-Coo) ….again it’s a strategic way, which I learnt in jungle training at Scouts in schools ….. so that all the member of group be aware of the presence of other member …..
I was slow at the start but suddenly I decided to chase the Leader ..in that process I overtook few members but then I saw Kevin, who was walking alone in Jungle no one was near to him for 500 mtr both ways, though I wanna catch the Leader but suddenly a sense of Responsibility developed in me and I preferred to walk with Kevin ( an interesting character of 13 years of age” I am Kevin, born at USA” with a unique childish voice ….) later we njoyed few more trekking with each other …meanwhile Bhakti” The Shakti” and Aman (Bhakti’s Boy friend in trekking… and has a complaint that all the Girls tease him so much by touching/kissing his checks ???) joined us ,.. We crossed many Gandhi Bridges (the wooden bridge) and walked along Pindari River half of the trek was Plain and little uphill. Our little group was njoying n helping each other like any other group and we took few spans on the way…… Here comes Mr. Maggie, for the first time in trekking …… and believe me it was really nice to trek a with such a nature loving and sometimes little crazy person,….. so we decided to njoy the beautiful trek n sceneries, in that process my “3” other trekking partners lost somewhere ???/
Mr Maggie and I njoyed every bit of trek as we use to njoy in our college days ,we went down to springs ,pindari river ,rocks and where ever possible ,we decide to reach Dwali just b4 the deadline(11 AM)….and took many spans on the way ,while I was posing in “Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikkander” Style ,I came to a little accident but fortunately I was safe ……otherwise I could have gone to Pindari River from 50 feet or so…….but All Wells if Ends Well……
At 10:56 AM we reached Dwali and took Lunch..thn after a small break we left for Furkiya ….again the same Slogan ,everyone except Bhakti”the Shakti” was taking shortcuts ,everyone was tired after walking 11 Km in the morning but the same time all were hopeful to hit the target b4 3 PM…..It was the toughest site in the entire Pindari Trek,the slope was around 67° ,I ,the Dashing Sir, ETV uncle n Mr Maggie all were carrying luggage in 20s ,so it was hard to walk at less then normal pace, so the Dashing ,Mr Maggie n I have decided to walk ahead and to open the trek as the snow patches /Glaciers were expected ,around mid-way…to furkiya we put some more responsibilities to help the other group members to pass Glaciers ..
At Tea stall we took a small break, Shivangi was not feeling well but with the help of Pushpa Ma’m everything was fine, so we started again …….at last we all reached furkiya @ 3:46 PM……the glacier was just 7 Km away …..So everyone was excited and we all were hoping to hit the target…..the weather was a little heavy….. we took some tea n snacks and again the whistle sounded and everyone was there in the small ground to take few more tips fm Pushpa Ma’m ……….i ,Dashing sir, Mr Maggie were njoying the situation as no one really wanna hav any kind of Tips after such a long and tire some trekking….. But Kush was so energetic that he was asking any question and everyone was njoying it…….
After the session and few diplomatic dramas we got the KMVN Room and Girls were shifted to PWD Guest House…….we invited them for Antakshari but very few girls ,Deepti Ma’m ,Neema,Kinjal,Sneha,Bhakti, turned up …….(others were busy in gossiping or..bla,bla,,,,,,) we njoyed it and then after dinner we all went to our Beds…….
Day 5:22nd May 2005 (Furkiya to Zero Point Pindari Glacier,)
As we were waiting for the moment for so long ,was at a hands distance …thinking on theses lines I couldn’t sleep properly that night ….may be every one have the same feeling …..that day also I woke up at 3:30 AM and started thinking how will be the destination ……..so I asked Mr Maggie, ETV Uncle and Adil to Leave the bed and we all are walked down to fresh ,but the problem was the water source….we just started walking towards Zero point in search of water source ….our faithful companion Blakies, n the browne (all Dogs) showed the path , we were just following them but as it was a little dark and the weather was heavy ,it was drizzling and the steady wind was blowing ……so we just ignored the signal by our faithful companion and we crossed more then 3 snow patches ………..ETV uncle suggested that its useless to wonder here n there but I n Mr Maggie has decided to walk further so we crossed two more snow patches …finally we heard some noise as the water flowing just under us …..it was because of the water flowing under the thick snow patches ……at last ,after searching for more then 40 mins ,we two decided that its better to join base camp Furkiya and then ask some experienced person …so we turned back, while returning I saw that our faithful companion were looking down at one place ,I just thought whether they are trying to indicate something so I just followed them …….looking down, I was more then happy as I found the water pipe …….thx to our faithful partners. The water source was hardly 100 mtrs away from the Furkiya base camp; we discharged our regular duties and came back to the camp.
The weather was little more dark and windy ,our expert panel Choubey Sir,The Dashing Sir, Pushpa Ma’m declared that its not possible to trek Zero Point ,every one was sad so did I. I was praying to the God that in this situation He Should help us, moreover I was confident that I will try my best to trek Zero Point no matter how worst the weather is…..with lots of thought and hope we njoyed our morning Breakfast ,everyone (though some of the members had already make-up their mind that they will not try any further…) was waiting for the green Signal from experts.
Finally at 8:30 AM the Expert Panel decided to start the trekking for the day but with the condition that if possible they will try to reach Zero Point according to the weather condition and the physical fitness of members…..
But I was confident that I will reach zero point ,so I was trying to get the confidence from other members like Mr Maggie and ETV Uncle ,I knew that Mr Maggie will not let me down ,slowly-slowly we walk towards the zero point ,it was 7 km from Furkiya and we were expecting many fresh snow patches on the way .It was still drizzling and the wind was blowing its own pace….sometimes I look into the sky ,but it was important for me to look down ..so I decided to follow the foot prints/foot steps of the predecessors….the gang from PWD was helping us as they were opening the trek and making path, it was a very pleasant site for me that the Gang was working in such a tough condition despite of their Departmental demands like Worm uniform, Boots and other utensils, being a part of semi-govt organization I knew how things proceeds in the Govt culture, but HATS OFF to the Gang…..
The group members were walking slowly with all the possible precautions as it was the need of hour, but few members decided that it’s not possible for them to go any further …I feel sad for them but it all depends upon the Destiny, physical fitness and more over the will power of the person. So the group was becoming shorter and shorter with the time and difficulties, so Chamu and Choubey Sir were forced to return to the Furkiya Camp.
Our group was determined to concur the Zero point, so in a team spirit we all were njoying the trek and with precaution we were aiming to the view point (4 Km from Furkiya) ,unfortunately Kinjal and Nayan were struggling with the atmospheric condition ,so they just decided to stay there, rest of the group decided to trek till Baba’s Temple (1 km away from Zero point)…….Aman,Adil ,vidhi ,sneha,neema,Ravi,ETV Uncle ,Mr Maggie and I ,with the Dashing Sir reached there at 11:20 AM and we all were satisfied and took blessing from the Baba,”Baba ji were doing meditation for last 15 years at the same place ,in severe Atmospheric conditions ,He has done so much for the betterment of people and it was like a miracle to find Tea and Halwa ,Puri at such a height(3650 Mtrs),what to talk of humen …..we all were curious to find the solution of all the worldly queries……Its really a magic experience for all of us,”
Now comes the decisive moment for the Dashing ,I know it was a bit harsh decision for the group that they were forced to return back just 1 km away from their ultimate destination(Zero Point), I was particularly sad about the group member as I tried to take the members with me,Mr Maggie and ETV Uncle but the Group Leader Mr Dashing was thinking on other lines, Its very easy to criticize any decision but its really tough to make any decision ,thinking on these lines I ,Mr Maggie and ETV Uncle left the Baba’s Temple and walked towards Zero Point ..
The path was relatively easy, so we didn’t got any kind of problem, apart from we three, there were few more members An Archeologist (from Australia) with his Guide Mr Bisht, JE PWD Mr Bhatt ,we were heading towards the same goal ……..we all wanted to reach there as soon as possible because the drastic weather conditions.
At last around 12:25 PM I reached at Zero Point, just beating the Archeologist from a fraction of second margin, I was more then happy and satisfied person,” the Famous Pindari Glacier was in front of Me but it gave me a panic scene as Mr. Bisht (the Guide) told us that earlier, say 15 years back, the Glacier was till the present Zero Point,but now the glacier has shifted around 750 mtr Back ,mainly because of the humen intervention in Nature and the change in Climatic conditions, we all discussed about the same for few minutes and make a resolution that we will try to save nature to the best possible way and make other people ware about the same”
At Zero Point we did the “Pooja” ,ETV Uncle was busy with his interview duties ,he interviewed the guide ,and asked me to say few lines about the Pindari…….but I was speechless ,both due to over excitement and ever imaginable sceneries of Pindari,…….. I was missing my Pindari Model”Sneha”, as we decided to shoot a small advertisement for Pindari Water ,but as She couldn’t come there ,so Mr Maggie and I tasted the Mountain Dew at Zero Point but we find that Pindari Water has more energy and Appeal at such a high altitude in comparison of any other artificial Energy drink.
We stayed there for half an hour and then we returned back to Baba’s Temple we took Blessing and Prasad from Baba ji and with the unforgettable image of Pindari we walked towards Furkiya, I was in a hurry so I took a lead and I was walking alone through the entire Glacier and reached at the Furkiya Base Camp @ 3 PM ,but rest of the group had already left for Dwali base Camp……so I decided to wait Mr. Maggie and ETV Uncle ,then we took Tea and Met Revu ,my little friend and Mr. Maggie and I Climbed the Rock and went to the temple …….again we started our journey towards Dwali at 4 PM and with all the excitement and talking abt Pindari all the time, we reached the Dwali camp at 5:20 PM ….
All the members were greeted us and we were also happy to meet our Group, after exchanging the experience of Zero Point we jnoyed the Camp Fire with the group…………….i too was njoying the camp Fire but somehow I got Depressed, because of some personal problem and moreover I didn’t want to see the generation …anyway it happens with everyone …………DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY
That night we slept around 10:30 PM, with some Masti with Daksh,Nayan,Mr Maggie…………Good Night and Sweet Dreamz”It was really a Sweet Dream Night for all of us”……
Day 6: 23rd May 2005 (Dwali to Dhakuri, 19 Km)
As Usual on the sixth Day also, I got up early and after finishing the regular refreshment schedule, we started towards Khati ………this time my regular Trekking Partner was not with me for some time, but the Dashing Sir shared some Secret with me (as we two have faced more or less the same situation in Life…..) ……..soon my regular trekking partner joined me and with lots of jokes and exp. Sharing we reached Khati in No Time….
At Khati we njoyed the Lunch and started walking towards Dhakuri (few members including me,didn’t want to leave Khati,My point was that I want to stay one more day with Nature and the Group,,,) ………..As it was an order from the Group Leader so we just followed it and marched towards Dhakuri……… this time with some new trekking partner I njoyed the trek and around 3:45 PM we all were at Dhakuri.
We njoyed Tea and Snacks with the group and we share some more mischievous experience with each other ….. ETV Uncle interviewed Vidi, Sneha, Kevin, Aman, but at the same time Ravi and Daksh got an accident, but both handled in it a great way and the anxious group was relaxed. We njoyed cricket at the same venue and at dinner we njoyed the Paratha ,after dinner all eyes were at Adil, He was so shy that he could not even tell the reason(in detail) of his blushing ……..he was trying to collect some Poems/Sayari for the known (know to him but unknown for all of us..)
And some very good and intense discussion regarding the generation gap …..With the interested group members ……..with this sweet note we went to beds……….
Day 7: 24th May 2005 (Dhakuri to Bageshwar, 14 Km on foot ,38 Km by Road)
Last night was the sleepless night for me as I didn’t want to see the sun ,but the Law of Nature can’t change for any one and it is the biggest universal truth that life flows for ever……….so after finishing the routine work and few photo session we started for Loharkhet ,it was Tuesday and I took Fast on every Tuesday ……so no food etc for me today, I also started with the group ….first km was bit tough but with group everything was easy so I hardly felt any pressure of the first Km…at Chilta Temple Gate we took a small break and then with all the possible short Cuts we reached the Rippling point and njoyed the rippling …then again proceed towards Loharkhet …….few members were singing songs and I maintain a small lead to them and was njoying the songs……………Bhakti” the Shakti” sharing some secrets with Adil and my duty was to stay Aman with all these discussions .so I njoyed the trekking with Aman….and Finally we reached Loharkhet…
After taking Lunch, the group moved towards Song and took three vehicle and moved towards Bageshwar……all the members were busy contacting their dear ones………and this was the last day of my Fairy Tale …..It was really a Life Time Journey for me….i njoyed it with core of my heart as I knew I have to take one of the most difficult decision of my Life……..
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