Wednesday, April 11, 2007

NIM, here I come, (to get creamed?)

I saw the Himalayas for the first time in 2003. Knew instantly that that wouldnt be the last. I had gone on a 9 day trek in the Himachal region (near Solang Nala). That was my first real trek. And the real reason for my going on that trip was neither Himalayas nor trekking. But i am glad i did that. It got me totally hooked. All around you, things are beautiful. You are heading to a peak or a glacier that has an exotic name. You exert yourself crazy doing so. A bunch of people tag along. Some swear. Some want to kick themselves for having gotten into such a predicament. Some want to kick others for getting them into such a predicament. Some are way too tired to complain or to see the beauty around. And then the destination is reached. All ills are forgotten. The entire exercise gives an illusion of purpose. It is truly amazing. And there is something surreal about defecating at 15000 ft. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Moon rays reflecting off the icy slopes. It offers such a profound contradiction. The beauty and the shit. And you anxiously keep looking over your shoulders. Someone from the camp could walk by. Or worse, a bear from the forests could walk by (thats far-fetched, but your mind can think up any crap). I got totally taken in by the idea of carrying a heavy bag and walking on trails for no specific purpose. Went there again in 2004. This time Himalayas was the real reason. After that I've been doing random treks in random places whenever possible, always wanting to do something more serious, like they show in Adventure-One and stuff. I sent a request to join some expedition in the Himalayas by a group called Stikage in Delhi last year. They politely turned me down saying i didnt have enough high altitude experience.

Anyways, shook off lethargy this year and enrolled for the Basic mountaineering course at Nehru Institute of Mountaineering at Uttarkashi. But could not shake off lethargy enough to train myself for it adequately. So here i am, 10 days away from the course. Awfully underprepared. Quite anxious. Blessed with a back that is not the best in the world. But still, looking forward to the 28-day slog-fest that is in store. Hoping to pull through. And hoping that my body does not have other plans...

18 comments:

Parth said...

How easy is it to plan a trip to Ladakh/Leh etc.? I would definitely love to do some hiking/trekking in that area. I think you'll enjoy the mountaineering course. I did one at Mt. Abu when I was a kid. Very exciting :-)

balai said...

All the best Avi! Have fun.

sou said...

WOW! sounds like a whole lotta scary fun!

i'll send all good positive thoughts so your back and body co-operate.. you've inspired me now.. i really need to go for another trek sometime soon.

have fun!! be safe and healthy too.. will wait for the posts that result from those 28 days.

mani said...

Have fun da... Learn the knots properly... and then maybe we can buy some rope and carabiners and go climbing... you'll have to instruct me, of course ;-)

Persona non gratis said...

That needs some commitment, so best of luck, dont run out of batteries, I like the snaps you have taken in previous posts.

partly cloudy said...

you'll be fine. your back wont break.
i know, i used to be psychic when i was 3, and occasionally some symptoms resurface. take good fotus. i'm very jealous , what to do..

Anonymous said...

good luck da. enjoy pannu

RTD2 said...

Sounds very cool and very brave - something I probably can never see myself doing!
"I got totally taken in by the idea of carrying a heavy bag and walking on trails for no specific purpose" - this reminds me of this arbit image I'd forgotten for 10 years now...When I was in Himachal in 1995, I saw this oooold man carrying a goddam refrigerator up a mountain! I have no idea what the motivation behind that was but it obviously left an impression!

tj said...

Hey all the best. Have a good food...egg+ milk..!!

before u go we can go couple of times to kumarakom and have the Egg Curry..!! `:)

Ctrl+V
“If you concentrate on the mental aspect it is inevitable that the physical side will follow.”
Herb Elliot, Gold Medalist, 1500m, Rome 1960

Anonymous said...

Wat d heck???????????????
Mf'ed in Madras, so you are going all the way to Himi's to get C'ed????

WOW!!! Tatz some life!! huh!
I am sooooooo Jealous, that even if i were to consume a bottle of ENO it wouldn't help :)

//And there is something surreal about defecating at 15000 ft//
Kindly don't forget to do the cat's act please!!

Hav a blast!! (to be taken as Fun and not the Pakistan definition of the word :D)

Good Luck! Enjoy maadi!! Koothu adichify :D

Jabber Mouth!!

PS: BTW, please be well equipped when it comes to your camera, batteries lifeline :(
Take loadssssssssssss of PICS and let me know :)

Kousik said...

Enjoy your training and don't let it go waste ... use it! Sign up for a Manas trip too!

/me is planning for Valley of Flowers trip since last 3 years ...

frissko said...

parth - never been to ladakh/leh..try indiamike.com...that has a bunch of informed ppl...(if you want to see Ladakh on screen, watch 'Samsara':)...

balaji - thanx da...

sou - sou thanx...

mani - ofcourse man...even if we dont need them, we'll use ropes to go up KP next time!!...

shreemoyee - thanx...and yea learnt my lesson...will be carrying more batteries than i need this time around..

frissko said...

partly cloudy - thanx...coming from a former psychic, that very reassuring:)..

swami - thanx da..

rtd2 - hmm..old man carryng a refrigirator in Himachal..thats strange enough for the memory to remain vivid:)...when you see the village folk walk by in those regions, with more luggage and no shoes et al, you feel kindof funny and over-dressed and over-prepared!..

turbo - thanx man...

l - well, in the past did not do the cat's act..will remember it this time..

/<0usik - thanx..and yea intend to follow up with some real trips later..want to go to Manas too, but with the number of applicants so much more than the no: os slots, it is pretty much like a lottery...will try though..yea, 'Valley of flowers' is supposed to be stunning...the 15km trek sees to it that only the kind who wont spoil its beauty get to see it...(couple of my friends are going this year)..

Anonymous said...

Totally unrelated to this post, if I need to see promptness as your forte when it comes to quickie replies, I must write here is it? :p ;-):D Life is unfair; a game of dice!!! *SIGH*

Coming to your trip, brilliant venture. Have a good one. Write a travelogue and own a scrapbook. Make sure you print a few pictures, turn them into postcards and send it across to us friends! :D If possible get autographs of local chaiwaala, shepherds, guides, drivers etc., They will give you excellent short stories to put in your travelogue. The real touch of culture and the real depths of the living souls to embrace!

Will await your return to know more about your expeditions..

Till then, Make merry living la vida :D

You-know-me!(For this post, envious is my last name!)

Anonymous said...

Hey... best of luck for you trip. Hope everything works out well. Do get lots of snaps.

So.. when will u be back frm the trip?

Anonymous said...

that's me

-Nagendra

frissko said...

i-know-you: sorry, couldnt be prompt this time around too:)...had gone away...and honestly, i do not have romantic notions about chai-walas and shephards...they're regular ppl trying to eke out a living...(and they'll be as excited about seeing tall buildings as me and you are about seeing himalayas and vice the versa)...

nagendra - saw this after the trip..thanx anyways...

Ankur Arora said...

Well, woefully unprepared, Basic coming up in some 10 days (hey, just like you), here I come.

It was nice to see your blog entry (and to see that you lived through it).