Well its been a long time since our last postings... The reason for this is that we have been so busy in, on and around the school. The semester has been super busy but is slowly drawing to a close. Looking back on the semester there has been too many highlights to name, however the trek in Har-ki-dun in the Garhwal Himalaya has definitely been at the top of the list! To make this short and simple so I dont just ramble and put you all to sleep I will go through the hike day by day stating the highlights!
Day 1: Journey to Taluka
The first day consisted of an eight hour bus ride on easily the most crazy roads I have ever been on. My heart was in my mouth at many stages during the ride. At times the tyres of the bus were centimeters away from vertical drop offs with the river looming hundreds of feet below. At one stage the road was so narrow and dangerous that it was easier for the driver to scrape the bus along the rocks on the safe side of the road (smashing a window as he goes) rather than sending the bus plummeting down a cliff. It's funny how often the drives to the back country seem more dangerous than the hike itself. This was definitely the case.
Personally this day was a big struggle for me. I had been fighting off a nasty tummy bug (yet again) for a good week prior to activity week. I as dead set on trying to get through it this time without the use of any medications. Sadly about one hour into the bus ride, the tummy bug came on ten fold... I was dizzy and delerious with a fever and my stomach was giving me absolute grief and of course the headache did not help. It was at this stage that I decided it was time to get on the meds. Thankfully good old ciproflox saved my life yet again.... If I had not got on the antibiotics, I would have been unable to lead the hike. Better living through chemistry I say.
Day 2- Taluka to Sankri (14kms)
I woke up the next day feeling a little bit better. The stomach cramps had stopped and I was feeling more positive about leading the 18 students on the hike. However I had been given the group who were the least fit and absolutely hated the idea of hiking. These kids spend there lives watching TV and doing anything they can to avoid going outside and exploring the beautiful world that we live in. Watching the group dynamics at the start of the day (moaning, complaining, and praying for helicopter evacuation) I knew whether I was in good health or not, that this would be a challenging group to lead and motivate. Little did they know that the wonderful outdoors and taking on a challenging hike was going to be quite the transformational experience.
This day was a pretty easy hike for most people. There were a few that found it beyond a struggle. For the better half of the hike I was carrying two packs and helping students keep positive and in good spirits. There were even some students who did not know how to tie there shoe-laces, let alone walk on flat ground without falling over.
The hike itself was simply beautiful. We followed a gorgeous alpine river with snowy peaks in the distance and on both sides. The temperature was warm and the views spectacular. The path was winding and paved with river stones. Due the the heavy monsoons alot of the areas were washed out and required some technical manoevers to cross the streams. We crossed many streams, passed through a gorgeous village and ended up at a campground with spectacular views of the Himalaya. What more could you ask for in a day! The photos below will do this day more justice than my words!
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| Winding river looking back towards Taluka |
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| The peaks begin |
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| One of the many gorgeous river crossings |
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| Gongar Village |
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| Wheat ready for the harvest (Chapati time!) |
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| Mules heading home after a hard days work |
This day was definitely the most challenging of the hike. We left at 8.30 the morning and did not arrive till after 6pm in the evening. I had 100% faith that the students and the other leaders would be able to get to Har-ki-dun and in the end they did, regardless of the fact that they did not think they would have the energy or strength to get there. As for me, I found it a breeze and it was easily the most beautiful day of hiking I have ever had. The hike was moderately steep most of the way and took us to an elevation of just under 12,000 feet. Once again I was stuck at the back desperately trying to keep the students happy who were finding it a struggle. There were tears and students ready to drop there sacks and not move one step further. After alot of kind counseling rather than my 'suck it up' technique the tears managed to dry up and the students charged off on a day they will never forget.
The trail hugged the edge of a mountain about 300ft from the gushing river below. There were spectacular views of many peaks over the 20,000ft range. The air as warm and there were many Griffin Vulchers (9ft wingspan) circling up the valleys in the warm currents. I could not get the grin off my face the whole day. Infact I think it was contagious because even when I got to camp the students were tired but happy and really proud of the fact they had made it.
By this stage the group dynamics were starting to drastically change. There was encouragement for the strugglers, the students were starting to see the value in working as a team and others were even taking on leadership roles with the setting up of camp and the running of activities around the campfire. A few of us stayed up till around 11pm waiting for the moon to slowly rise over the peaks. The purple looking snow, the full starry night and the warm flicker of the fire was something to behold. Everything was just perfect until I hoped into bed.
The temperature was below zero and I knew that some students may not be to prepared for a night in those conditions. Luckily I was completely wired and awake due to the insomnia caused by the altitude I was at. The first complaint came just after 12.30pm. Immediately I got out of bed and from this point until day break I was helping students warm up using many different techniques.
Finally I settled down to an hours sleep before waking up to one of the most beautiful areas I had ever been in. Har-ki-dun!
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| Two house village |
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| Narnia |
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| Dusk in Har-ki-dun |
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| Group shot! |
Day 3- Relaxing in Har-ki-dun and camping just before Osla village (8km)
The hard work was over and now it was time to let the students have time to soak in and really enjoy their surroundings. We all had a magic morning in Har-ki-dun. Waking up to blue skies and snowy peaks in all directions was a real treat. We feasted on lovely Indian style scrambled eggs and chapati for breakfast (along with at least three cups of chai). I spent my morning strolling through the snow and staring out in awe at what was around me. This was until I decided it was warm enough to start bouldering! I challenged our porters to a bouldering competition and that went on for a good part of the morning before packing up and heading out to our camp ground for the night which was at a better elevation for getting some sleep and a warmer temperature. The students were all in positive spirits and were happy to have an easy day infront of them. We arrived at our campground at around 3pm, giving us plenty of time for a good game of Frisbee and a solo reflection session. During the solo reflection session I wrote some good notes to myself and spent a good two hours letting all of my emotions out that had built up during this big move to India. There was laughing, tears, feelings of loneliness/happiness and feelings of overwhelming thankfulness to God, my wife and family for making me the man I am and giving me the life I have been able to live so far. Once again I was blown away by the power of the outdoors and the transformation that can happen when you leave technology behind, thus giving yourself the true time to reflect and evaluate life and where you are heading!
Super excited, I went back to the group ready to teach some compass skills before getting the camp fire ready and falling into a deep slumber. I did not quite get the sleep I was after due to the fact that the porters wanted me to sleep next to the fire and join them in singing garhwaly songs and smoking chillum's full of hash to celebrate and give thanks to shiva for being able to enjoy the environment in which 'he' resides. I did not partake in the celebrations apart from trying to sing the songs the best I could and drinking chai all night to keep me warm.
A magic day and night indeed!
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| Campground in Har-ki-dun |
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| Wonderful alpine boulder field |
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| Icicle with Mt Har-ki-dun in the background |
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| Bouldering time |
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| Keeping warm by the fire at 4am |
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| Still smoking at 6am |
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| A tired but happy camper! |
Day 4- Back to Sankri Rhrough Osla Village
Once again this was a very easy day hiking which was well accepted by everyone on board including myself after having next to no sleep in the past 72 hours. The highlight of this day was going through Osla village. This town can only be reached by a 14km trek and is one of the most gorgeous places I have ever seen in my life. The buildings are made of solid pine and the roofs are covered with stones from the river. There was ornate carvings on almost every house and temple within the village. The best things about the area was definately the people though. Beautiful smiles, weathered faces, active children and a true sense of community. These people live hard lives yet appeared to be some of the most happiest people I have ever seen in my life. I was simply blown away... I have a connection in the town now and hope to go back to stay and continue to learn how to be happy with next to nothing and focus on the true things that are valuable in life (relationships, family, religion, environment etc). Amazing!
At the camp ground we went out and enjoyed the rest of the day's sun by chilling at the rivers edge. Myself and two other students managed to jump right into a big alpine pool. Thankfully none of us froze!
Once again an epic day to say the least!
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| The many faces of Osla |
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| A cold dip |
The final two days of the walk were relaxing and alot of fun. The group was all working well together and finally understood 'why' we head into the outdoors and the power it has! The changes noticed within the students was huge. They understood team work, had gathered some leadership skills and had overcome and enjoyed a challenge that they did not think they were capable. The students had all got the time to reflect on life and were ready and excited to get back home and get back into the swing of every day life.
Amazing!
