Footprints on the Mountainside

Not much is happening work wise, but life looks good!

Planning a set of camps for children in the summer holidays, and this always sets me all fired up with enthusiasm. The variety is quite large this time too. Wide Aware has the usual adventure camps with mountaineering and basic orienteering, as well as some camps about life in the wilderness. On a more dramatic side, there are some wildlife tours timed specially for students in their summer vacations.

Then there is my favourite part. Himalayan tours for Spiti. This year, I’ve finally done away with the usual predesigned tours completely (I know I’d been promising that for a long time) and designed some tours specially based on my years of living in the mountains. What I’m trying to do, is show people a side of life in the Himalaya, that standard tours cannot.

Enthusiasm is flowing, and dreams are a plenty. I’ve completed itineraries for two tours in Spiti. One focuses on the culture, while the other is about wildlife at high altitudes - both subjects close to my heart.

The strange thing is that now I’ve got my pen on paper (or fingers to the keyboard) I don’t want to stop. So for all those who have been writing to me for more tour ideas and more tours along the lines of experiences I share, this seems promising. I’ve got a couple of other locations in mind.

If there is something specific you guys would like to see before I head on my own route, feel free to let me know, and I’ll see if I can make it a priority.

As for the rest….

Now is a time to take a nice deep breath and enjoy the fruits of all these months of labour. I’ve made new friends, introduced many more people to the outdoor addiction, and the payments are rolling in.

Life doesn’t get any better!

Tagsadventure,children,experience,mountain,news,outdoors,people,writingare applied to this post

This is a memory from a long time ago. Way before I figured out the internet beyond checking mail. This is a time when I was a nomadic horsewoman in the Himalaya.
I was living in the high pastures of the Kullu valley with my herd of horses. We were in the pastures below the Hampta Pass - about a 6 hour walk from Manali. The winter had been rough, and we were just camping out in the high altitude pastures where we leave them for the summers, supplementing their diet with some grain, to help them catch on on their health a bit faster.

What a place to be in! We were camped in the meadows at Juara. Alpine meadows - the air is crisp, the water is crystal clear and flows right through the pasture. A few empty stone structures that would later become nomadic tea stalls plus camps of herb gatherers dotted the scene, with sheer black cliffs rising on both sides in stark contrast with the lush comfort of the place. A place straight from some fantasy tale. Once could believe some nature spirits living here, particularly on moonlit nights, when the scene goes black and white, with the moonlight strong enough in places to register come colour. What a life - the horses living free around me, prancing with their improving condition. Pye, my bitch, by my side and the sounds of the stream for company.

The days were pretty idle. Feeding the horses a couple of times a day was no pain - they used to come happily enough for the treat. Beyond that…. not much to do. Cooking, enjoying the paradise I was living in, early to bed, early to rise. Perhaps an occasional visit to Sethan - the last village on this route, and the only fully Buddhist village in the entire Kullu valley, where my god-family lived. A timeless idyll.

Occupation came in an unexpected way. A gaddi camp was passing by, planning to camp a little higher than the pasture we were in. I recognised the shepherd, and invited him for a cup of tea. When he saw me, he decided to camp near our camp itself.

Over a cup of tea, I realized why.

A filly of his, had been attacked by a bear a week ago, and had been hurt badly. Originally, believing that she would die anyway, he hadn’t taken her to a vet. But she hadn’t yet died. She was in a bad way, with her wounds infected, and was struggling to keep up with the moving camp, to follow her mother. This was creating a problem, as the mare used to keep waiting for her, and slowing the caravan.

I had already gained a solid reputation as an animal lover, and my animals were often a point of interet for local livestock owners for the glowing condition I used to maintain them in. Plus, I was gaining a reputation as an enthusiastic “unofficial vet” from the knowledge of animal medicine I used to gather for the well-being of my horses in a land where vets were not easily available, and often very far from the place of need.

He wanted me to take a look at the filly and see if there was any hope for her, as well as see if she could be put down, if there wasn’t. I refused flat out to put her down, as I am not of the opinion that animals should be killed when they are fighting to recover. Plus I lacked the kind of knowledge and equipment it would take to put her down. I agreed to take a look and see what I could do for her.

We went out into the pasture and unloaded his horses to set up camp and then look for the filly. She was in a bad way. She was sleeping, exhausted at the end of the pasture without even coming to join the herd, once she saw that they had halted.

We got her up and brought her up to my tent and tied her in front of it. I started to take a good look at her and see what it was that I was up against.

She was a beautiful, black filly. Three months old, lovely conformation - she would have made a fine mare when she grew up, if she survived this scenario. Her rump and neck was covered with deep gashes from the bear’s claws, and a week of neglect had allowed infection to settle in. Most of the gashes had developed pus, and a couple had maggots in them. My whole being recoiled at the thought of having to clean up this mess.

If I had to save this filly, I had to do it, no matter how repulsive it was. I felt a surge of anger at the shepherd for neglecting her treatment like that, and vented my fury in choice words, yelling at him and his wife for being callous to the very animals that made their livelihood possible.

The filly stood there shivering from the early morning air and her exhaustion.

I made the couple promise to rest in the pasture for at least a week, before I would touch the filly - it was pointless to begin something, if it wouldn’t be sustained. As an incentive, I praised the quality of the filly, and asserted that she would become a very valuable animal and bring him good money and work very well, if she was helped to recover. This seemed to strike a note of interest.

I had some anitbiotic injections in my animal first-aid kit. I gave her a shot. She hardly noticed. Then I knew, that I had to get over my nausea and actually deal with those wounds, and took a look at my medical supplies. They were minimal. The anti-septic I had, would hardly deal with half the wounds she had before running out. The same with the creams. Now what? I shoved the supplies back into my sack, and kept only the bottle of phenyl. The rest would have to be home remidies (which was what I preferred in any case).

I made a strong solution of tea in a huge pot and used that to clean the wounds. Yes, I just plunged in, and cleaned them all thoroughly, pus, maggots and all, till the flesh showed clean. Some of the deeper wounds still harboured maggots - of that, I was sure, so I used some gauze soaked in phenyle on them to dress them. On the rest, I applied a light film of honey and stuffed them full with crushed garlic.

All done, I walked away from the tent area and puked.

The evening saw a repeat performance. On the next day, the maggot wounds were clean too, and they received the honey and garlic treatment, and by that evening, some of the lighter cuts had begun to heal, and the filly was acting more interested in life, and giving me trouble to catch for treatment But she seemed to understand that I was trying to help, so she flinched and nudged with her nose, if it hurt, but never tried to kick at me or hurt me in any way.

After that, I taught the couple how to do what I was doing, and told them that they would have to repeat this till ALL the wounds were healed, and that the filly could probably begin walking in a day or two.

They seemed to have got the point, and the two days were uneventful - so to say (not counting one of my fillies who seemed to be jealous of all the attention this one was getting)

The time was up, and the gaddi camp moved on, and the filly became another memory, until a few years later, when I ran across the same gaddi again. There was a beautiful mare in his herd - the one I had treated. I recognised her instantly and was happy for her. The couple put camp once more, to spend some time with me, and that evening, I was invited to a special dinner, where they thanked me with tears in their eyes for saving their beautiful mare.

Their animals also looked better cared for, since the last time. I was happy, that things had worked out well, and that they had developed some love and concern for the living factors in their “business”

Tagsadventure,animals,destinations,experience,experiential-learning,first-aid,high-altitude,Himalaya,horses,inspiration,memories,mountain,people,performance,reaching-out,trekkingare applied to this post

The New Year is almost here, and the greeating cards with best wishes are flooding in. Just today, I received some 34 greeting cards. Many of them were from people I don’t even remember. I doubt if I am going to read them all - ever. Perhaps some of the really interesting ones, I might read.

If this is the state of my cards, what is happening around the world? How many trees have died, for cards, no one even bothers to read?

I rarely use paper for my work. And when I do, I use both sides, most of the time. It not only keeps the number of papers more controllable in terms of storage, but also helps me be more organised with a computer, leading to an efficient information storing and recovery method, which ends up saving a lot of time and effort for me.

Raka is also very particular about being careful with resources, and we often collect the clean plastic bags we have and return them to shops so that they can be reused.

I am sure we make a difference - however small. What if the many of us could actively involve ourselves into making tiny changes in our habits, to create a massive positive influence on our planet?

With this in mind, I went to the WWF website and got this information to share with the readers here, so that anyone interested, knows exactly what they can do and can begin, without further ado.

I’m not inviting anyone. It is your planet as much as mine.

Save Wood and Paper Return unwanted mail and ask for your name to be removed from the mailing list. Always use both sides of a sheet of paper. Use e-mail to stay in touch, including cards, rather than faxing or writing. Re-use envelopes. Always recycle paper after use. Share magazines with friends and pass them on to the doctor, dentist or local hospital for their waiting rooms. Use recyclable paper to make invitation cards, envelops, letter pads etc.

In your Home Turn off equipment like televisions and stereos when you’re not using them. Choose energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs. Save water: some simple steps can go a long way in saving water like for e.g: you should always turn off the tap when you are brushing your teeth. And try to collect the water used to wash vegetables and salad to water your houseplants. Let clothes dry naturally. Keep lids on pans when cooking to prevent your cooker having to work extra hard. Prefer to use gas ovens, Geysers etc in place of the electric ones. Recycle your paper, glass, plastics and other waste. Use rechargeable batteries. Send e-greetings instead of paper cards. In your Garden Water the garden early in the morning or late in the evening. This reduces water loss due to evaporation. Don’t overwater the garden. Water only till the soil becomes moist, not soggy. Explore water efficient irrigation systems. Sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation can be adapted to garden situations . Make your garden lively - plant trees and shrubs which will attract birds. You can also put p nest boxes and put food. Try growing sturdy grass in bare patches of land , and convince people in your neighbourhood to do so too. Put waste to work in your garden- sweep the fallen leaves and flowers into flower beds or under shrubs . This will increase soil fertility and also reduce the need for frequent watering. If you have little space in your garden , you could make a compost pit to turn organic waste from the kitchen and garden to soil enriching manure . Don’t use chemicals in the garden - as they will eventually end up in the sea and can upset the delicate balance of lifecycles. Organic and environmentally friendly fertilisers and pesticides are available - organic gardening reduces pollution and is better for wildlife. Reuse and Recycle Use washable nappies instead of disposables if you can. Recycle as much as you can. Give unwanted clothes, toys and books to charity shops or jumble sales. Use mains electricity rather than batteries if possible. If not, use rechargeable batteries. Use a solar-powered calculator instead of one with a battery. Instead of a plastic ballpoint, use a fountain pen with bottled ink, not plastic cartridges. Store food and other products in ceramic containers rather than foil and plastic wrap While Shopping Buy fruit and vegetables that are in season to help reduce enormous transport costs resulting from importing produce and, where possible, choose locally produced food. When buying fish look out for a variety of non-endangered species and buy local fish if possible. Prefer vegetarian options for your meals. On-line Shopping Purchase solar powered products. Send e-cards, if you can, rather than buy paper cards. Shop online, not only will this reduce fuel consumption and emissions by not driving to the shops, but each time you buy something on-line WWF receive a donation. You may even buy products from the nature shop. At your workplace Use printers that can print on both sides of the paper ; try to look into this option when replacing old printers. Use the back of a draft or unwanted printout instead of notebooks. Even with a double-sided printer there is likely to be plenty of spare paper to use! Always buy recycled paper - for your business stationery and to use in your printers. Switch off computer monitors, printers and other equipment at the end of each day. Though in standby mode they’re still using power - and that adds to global warming. Always turn off your office light and computer monitor when you go out for lunch or to a meeting.

During Holidays Go on holiday during the off-peak period to prevent over straining resources - you’ll also avoid the crowds. Find out about your destination before you go on holiday - it may be an environmentally sensitive area. Doing this will also ensure you are informed of what to see and any local customs. Find out about places before you visit. You may be visiting a environmentally sensitive area, in which case you must take extra care to stay on footpaths and follow signs. Don’t travel by air if you can avoid it because air travel uses up large amounts of fossil fuels and creates greenhouse gases. Avoid taking things on holiday that you will throw away. Dispose of any rubbish responsibly - it can be hazardous to wildlife. Ask your travel agent or tour operator what they are doing to be environmentally responsible. Use public transport, cycle or walk instead of using a car. Use facilities and trips run by local people whenever possible. Don’t be tempted to touch wildlife and disturb habitats whether on land, at the coast or under water. Be careful what you choose to bring home as a holiday souvenir. Many species from coral and conch shells to elephants and alligators are endangered because they are killed for curios or souvenirs. Don’t leave any rubbish at the beach - turtles are often killed by plastic bags they’ve mistaken for jellyfish and many items take years to degrade as well as being dangerous. Boats and jet-skis create noise and chemical pollution which is disturbing to wildlife - don’t keep the engine running unnecessarily.

© [date of material] WWF. Some rights reserved.

Tagsdestinations,Environment,news,outdoors,people,ponderings,self-improvement-journey,travel,writingare applied to this post

Of all my wanderings in the mountains, the one location which comes to mind the most is Chandratal - The Moon Lake. Before anyone thinks I’m a hopeless romantic, I’d like to stress that I am quite a practical person most of the time.

I don’t know what it is that draws me here repeatedly, but there is something about this lake that is irresistable. Locals insist that a world of Gods lies at its bottom, and you can sometimes see it if you are a really pure soul. Maybe it is so, or maybe, the powerful aura of the place gives birth to such fantasies.

There is a legend about the origin of the Chandratal and Surajtal lakes as a result of eternal love between the son of the Sun and the daughter of the moon and their quest to meet, that is an apt description of the celestial presence the lake evokes.

I can speak for myself and what I feel when I’m there. At Chandratal, I’m at peace from the world. Not the most demanding clients or worries from back home can hurt me here. I feel protected by the energy of the place. It is a very beautiful location as mountain lakes go. A medium sized lake you can walk around within an hour. The crystal clear water is of course because it is fed from an underground stream in its bed. No pollution, no contaminants. Germs hardly survive here. All drinking water overflowing in a steady stream giving birth to the mighty Chandra River. All around are mighty peaks of the Chandrabhaga range and some of the most challenging climbs to be found in this region. Shimmering in their snow cover and glaciers in the warmth of sunlight striking camp in the morning.

A mug of tea in hand, it is time to watch the shepherds on the other side sending their flock out to graze in the day. Distant bleats echo each other, and a new day is begun.

This is my best experience for an ideal morning, and each time, it feels new. Still, many other places have such charm - why Chandratal.

It is difficult to put in words. The place has a tangible feeling of wholesomeness, healing and there seems to be magic in the air. People are at their best, awed into respect by the very place itself. The lake offers quiet companionship, and it is rare to hear loud voices.

The lake gets deep quite quickly from the shore, yet it is fascinating to see the shore extend for a long way before the distance blurs the details. the hypnotic and rythmic distortion from the waves makes one aware that the water is actually there.

Afternoons are a good time to visit the neighbouring nomadic shepherds, share local news over cups of strong goat milk tea, and watch the livestock feeding on the nourishing grass. Even the animals are at peace. Horses are known to wander away from camps on treks, creating a huge inconvenience to staff and clients alike, but at Chandratal, they seem content to graze on the highly nourishing ‘neeru grass that grows here in abundance. Their reluctance to leave can be seen on the day the group leaves.

There is no shrine or temple here, nothing to denote any religion. Yet spirituality envelops one and all, and the presence of God, or if you prefer, an all encompassing power is undeniable.

I am not trying to make a sale, but this is one place worth a visit. It is an essential pilgrimage of the soul, whether you do it with us, or anyone.

Tagsanimals,clients,destinations,experience,high-altitude,Himalaya,horses,mountain,news,people,religion,trekking,worriesare applied to this post