Footprints on the Mountainside

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”

I just came across this bizarre, but interesting bit of news on the internet. Where most of us whine about the sorrows of travelling on rough terrain in sorry local transport, here’s a novel idea that transforms it into an adventure anyone would wish to join.

Take a look:

Tralliance Corporation, the .travel Registry, is sponsoring the latest travel adventure in the name of charity, The Rickshaw Run – a 2,000-mile trek across India’s toughest terrain in the world’s most unsuitable vehicle, the auto-rickshaw.

Based on the success of this year’s Mongol Rally, an 8,000-mile charity race from London to Mongolia, the League of Adventurists and .travel, the top-level Internet domain created exclusively for the travel and tourism industry, have once again teamed up to bring travelers a memorable charity event.

Beginning in Cochin in Southern India on December 28, 2006 with a game of cricket, 34 teams from seven countries will embark on the two-week journey through India’s mountains and jungles, encountering everything from searing heat and mud to mechanical failure along the way – all in an effort to cross the finish line in Darjeeling for a spot of afternoon tea.

“These auto-rickshaws are uncomfortable, loud, smelly and totally unsuitable in every way imaginable,” says event organizer Tom Morgan. “They’re the perfect vehicle to tackle a monstrous 2000-mile adventure over wild terrain and dirt tracks. Each rickshaw is only 150cc and is sure to break down on us at every possible and inconvenient point. Think of them as a motorized mule.”

Throughout the course of the Rickshaw Run, the teams will travel through very remote areas with no support system of any kind. While there is no specific route, drivers have the option to cross a number of prearranged checkpoints. The knackered, bruised and dirty teams that manage to cross the finish line are expected to arrive for a celebratory cup of tea in Darjeeling after roughly two weeks. ”The Rickshaw Run is going to be incredible fun,” explains Morgan. “It’s a great adventure, but also a great opportunity to contribute to a worthwhile cause and help out some of the poorer members of the communities we’ll be visiting.”

“We are proud to be the title sponsor for this amazing event and worthwhile cause,” expressed Andruff. “As part of an initiative that promotes a new age of how travel information will be found and with a goal to galvanize the global travel community under its exclusive space on the Internet, we believe .travel provides the perfect ally for the League of Adventurists and their Rickshaw Run.”

Like the Mongol Rally, the Rickshaw Run also aims to make a significant contribution to charity. Each team must raise a minimum of about $1,300 to cover the cost of purchasing their auto-rickshaw, as well as any necessary repairs. At the end of the race, all vehicles will be donated in an effort to combat the injustices of excessive hire charges and exorbitant loans common to poor auto-rickshaw drivers. The process is being coordinated by a local NGO, monitored by Mercy Corps UK.

Established to lift the tourism industry out of the anonymity of the ‘.com’ web, .travel empowers the broad spectrum of bona fide travel-related businesses and organizations to better promote their products and services within their own industry specific space on the Internet. Travel entities that wish to purchase a .travel domain name can e-mail placenames@travel.travel or call 001-954-769-5999.

Link:http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/article/20061213103850191

This is very interesting and welcome news among the mountaineering community, as well as those concerned about the Kashmir peace process:

A mountaineering base has been planned at Siachen to promote adventure activities. So, while the political establishment may find it tricky to compl.
According to reports published by leading TV Channel, that the government of India is likely to open up the Siachen Glacier for mountaineering expeditions. The Army is clear that demilitarization of Siachen is a proposition India can do without. But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s idea of converting the world’s highest battlefield into a mountain of peace, it appears, is getting a push.

A mountaineering base has been planned at Siachen to promote adventure activities. So, while the political establishment may find it tricky to completely overrule, the Army viewpoint on troop disengagement is that this could be the way forward for a Siachen thaw without provoking a backlash in the form of security concerns.

The idea seems acceptable to the Army’s Siachen icons. Colonel N Kumar, a Siachen Pioneer, says, “There’s no shelling there; no firing. We should allow freely so that awareness will also come that Siachen is with India and you can go and climb there.”

A Siachen peace park driven by adventure sport may also create room for a politico-strategic interaction between India and Pakistan, even though military disengement may yet be some distance away.

Kapil Kak, a Strategic Analyst, says, “You look at joint mountaineering expeditions. You look at joint tourism boards which will look at this area and provide clearances to other foreign expeditions which come there, and in the process, greater contact between the two sides without coming into the inherent fundamental issue of territoriality.”

Opening up Siachen to actors other than the military may just be an idea whose time has come. There’s peace on the world’s highest battlefield for the last three years. The next step in normalizing Siachen could be to dilute the military character of this frozen frontier. There are many who believe that a Siachen thaw will be a precursor to peace in Jammu and Kashmir.

Well, I’m kind of late on this post, as the trip happened in May, but the pictures are up in any case for quite some time.

What do i say, it was a mixed bunch that left for the trip. Raka and I were there of course. Mugdha, Sneha and Sagar were Raka’s old friends from Himalayan treks they had participated in and Vinay Savla was a friend I had made online.

We started off with intros in the train. Seemed like a luxury after some of the tours we have been on. Playing cards, and songs on Raka’s fancy phone ruled.

We went to Pench, stayed in a resort near the Tiger, and came back with memories of a successful trip without having seen a tiger.

We did see a lot of other wildlife though, and it was a beautiful experience. Part of the success lay in the group attitude that we expected a wildlife tour to be more than the sighting of one animal.

Planning to add lots here, but made a start at least.

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.