The Sar Pass Trek 2011: Day 6

June 1st: Padri - Ratapani

I think I had started every entry in the journal with how the day started but this entry had to be an exception. This entry started with a description of my surroundings as I sat down to write. Here is what I had written down - "I'm sitting on a rock at the camp site. In front of me is a beautiful snow clad peak. I turn left and I see the Nagaru camp at the top of the hill and the forest that guards the entry to the mountain. To my right are a series of fully snow-covered peaks at a distance and the sky is cloudy. I can't begin to put into words what I'm feeling right now. All I'll say is that I'm VERY HAPPY today. As I write stuff, people are arriving slowly and I say hello to all of them. A herd of sheep is walking by me. Mountain dogs (wish I knew their breed) playing around me. And I'm feeling very calm, relaxed. Unbelievable." 

At the lunch point

      We started off from the Padri camp at around 9 AM and after a steep, murky descent of about 500 ft, we started climbing. As soon as we started climbing, it began raining heavily. The already slippery path became extremely treacherous now. The group of people I was climbing with went ahead and I climbed alone for an hour or two. It took me a LONG time to walk up paths which would have been a cakewalk if the ground was dry. The temperature dropped to really low levels (5 degrees Centigrade. It felt much colder because we were completely drenched) and our hands started getting really cold. Had to constantly rub hands to even feel them. I slipped a couple of times when I was trying to keep with the faster guys but I eventually decided to go at my own pace. From here on, I went on steadily and didn't slip/fall anymore. Climbing alone was a really different experience. Really different. There's silence. You think more. You think better. You pace yourself perfectly. At least that was how I felt. The forest finally opened up at the top of the hill and I reached the lunch point. The guys in front of me had just reached there too. The rain stopped just before this. Perfect timing. The location of the lunch point was perfect. I was completely wet and cold. I immediately put my thermals on and wow, the warmth was awesome. 

With Sid during the last part of the climb.

The guide then told us that the Ratapani camp was about an hour away and once we finished our lunch, we started off. This last 1-1.5 hour climb was one of the most enjoyable stretches during the whole trek. Quite steep. No room for error. Clear sky. Terrific views. Good company. Our joy knew no bounds once we knew we were very close to the camp. Shouted like mad people. Excitement unlimited. The camp site, as I described before, was at a breathtaking spot. Pretty cold though. As soon as we reached, we were given hot tea with Bonda. Felt great. Here too, there were quite a few mountain dogs. Was super fun petting them. I won't forget the incident where Rishya climbed a tent pole to get out of the way of a pair of fighting dogs. Was really hilarious. Dinner at 7.30 PM. Everyone made it to the camp by 7.30 or 8 PM. Very late in my opinion. The last part of the climb for them from the lunch point would have been tough (and dangerous) in the dark.

Near the kitchen at the camp