"Iss Raat Ki Subah Nahi!!!"

Stok Kangri

15^th Aug 
1.00 am  -  I am tired. My feet drag. My lungs crave oxygen. I am cold. I plod on.

3.00 am  - I am dead tired. Every step is agony. My toes are numb. My feet are cold. They are slipping in the snow. The wind is chilling me to the bone. I keep walking.

5.00 am - My eyes are shutting. I need sleep. I need rest. I need oxygen. I need water. I need food. I need to pee. I need the warmth of my bed. I need a tight hug. I drag myself up.

The summit is still far away!

Let me start at the very beginning!

9^th Aug – my birthday! With the taste of delicious chocolate cake swirling at the tip of my tongue and the refrain of the birthday song playing in my ears, we set off at 7.15 am in a traveller tempo from our hotel in Leh. The ride was supposed to take us as long as the road existed. Yes, the road had been washed away in the floods just 15 days ago. We rode along, 14 of us who had signed up with Bangalore based Burn Boundaries, to attempt Stok Kangri Summit standing at 20,182 feet, the highest non-technical peak in India. We were listening to songs and singing along too. The comfort was short-lived. In about 1.5 hrs it was time to walk. There was just no road ahead.We began our trek through the broken road and stones. It was the easiest day of our trek, though we didn’t know it at that time. Just the act of walking at 12,000 feet is by no means an easy feat. Suddenly at 10.30 in the morning with the harsh sun blazing down on us, we spotted a crescent moon in the sky! What a strange sight it was. By 11.30 we had reached our first campsite – Village Sumdo. But the mules took another 2 hours to reach. Our tents were finally up by 2.30 pm. And we were set for the real trek - for more difficult days ahead.

Day 2, 10^th Aug

We were up by 5.15. I love this part about treks because it’s so different from the busy, noisy and chaotic urban life we lead. On treks you are asleep by 9.30 pm and you are up at dawn when everything is so quiet, serene and pure.

At 8 am we had left Camp Sumdo behind. We had a new trekker with us today, Badari, the founder of Burn Boundaries. Unknown to all of us, he had joined us the night before. Today was a gentle incline of 20 to 30 degrees. Initially we picked our way through the broken road but soon we were walking on moraine by the gushing stream. 

The stream looked so dainty and pretty like a delicate petite woman, flowing languorously. It was time for our first water crossing.

Our trek leader, Angchuk, threw some large stones into the water to make stepping stones for us. The water simply swallowed the large boulders away in a fraction of a second, without a moment’s hesitation, without a moment’s pause. The stones were all gone! We stared in shock as the force and fury of the water sunk into our heads. This was not going to be easy. Removing our shoes and socks, rolling our track pants up to thigh level and with the guys helping us, we somehow crossed the thigh-deep freezing water. The temperature and the power of the water left us numb.

The sun was blazing down at us, it was unbelievably hot. But I knew, all it needed was a large cloud to cross by and I would begin to feel cold. The stream gurgled beside us, again donning its pretty petite avatar and the white and grey stones glistened in the sun. We sat by the stream and had our packed lunch of boiled egg, boiled potato, cheese sandwich, cheese slice, frooti and a nutribar. The meal was sumptuous. Post lunch, we continued walking through the mountain ranges of myriad hues and colours, a couple of more water crossings and finally I walked into Camp Shang Phu, being the first person to reach, a first for me. Throwing all modesty away, let me tell you, it feels simply awesome to reach the campsite first! I revelled in the moment knowing it may never happen again and it was just a matter of time that the others would start filtering in.

The tents were already up and looked inviting. It was 3.30 pm and we were at 14,000ft.

Day 3, 11^th Aug

Pass at 16,300ft

We had been warned that this was going to be a long day. 3 passes, 9 hours! The highest pass would be at 16,300 ft. This was going to be our introduction to an altitude of 16,000+ ft. The important thing while ascending a mountain is to maintain a pace. No sudden stops, no sudden speed gains, no talking. Just attain a rhythm and keep walking, breathe in and breathe out with each step. As we ascended the high pass, the feeling of excitement was immense. This was the first time in my life I was at that high altitude. We were surrounded by tall mountains. It was an unbelievable sight! There was a cold breeze and we had to zip up and cover our heads. It was 11.10am. After a lot of pictures, and half hour at the pass we were shooed away. It wasn’t a good idea to stay at that altitude for too much time. Sunita and I started our way down, it was a delightful downhill for a long time. It was so much fun – no feeling deprived of oxygen, no gasping for breath, no trying to draw deep breaths! By lunch time, the group had split into two.

Mountains like forts

As we had lunch, I looked around and saw mountains wherever my eyes fell. We were surrounded by not just mountains but entire ranges of mountains. All kinds of stones, all kinds of sizes and in the midst of the magnitude of the mountains, tiny inconsequential me! It was fascinating to observe that one mountain top had a formation of tall vertical stones which looked like a fort. And all of this naturally formed! It blew my mind away. Was there any limit to the beauty of nature!

We still had a long way to go! There were two more passes to cross, though not high as the first! We traversed the next mountain on a ridge, just wide enough for one person to walk on. The focus required for such a trek can be very tiring, it sapped me of all my energy. By now it seemed like an endless journey and the eyes were yearning to spot the campsite and the feet were craving rest. There was yet another mountain to cross. But first a gorge and one more water crossing. The water was so shockingly cold that I nearly lost my senses and my balance. Thanks to my co-trekker Aditya who held on tight, even as I nearly pulled him along, I was safe!

Dining Tent

We still had some more distance to go. Sunita and I reached our campsite Gangpoche at 14,600ft at 5.30 pm (via Matho Doksa). We dumped our stuff into our tents and rushed to the nearby stream to freshen up. It was quite cold here and I needed to layer up. But for now it was time to hit our night spot – the dining tent! For our daily dose of jokes and laughter, leg-pulling, singing and hot dinner. We had a surprise in store for us after dinner. Gagan, our most awesome cook, made our day by serving us, can-you- believe-it, rasagullas! They have never tasted yummier. As the sweetness tingled through the mouth, I was suddenly aware of how weary I was. It was time to shut my eyes to the world, albeit for a few hours.

Day 4, 12^th August

It was a bright sunny day. The weather had been lovely all throughout. It was humbling to acknowledge that all our progress on the trek had been possible only due to nature being magnanimous enough to allow it. Let’s not kid ourselves in thinking that we were some kind of fit cool dudes. Bottom line was, we were irrelevant!

Today was a fully uphill trek ranging from 20 to 60 degree incline till we reached the pass at 16,000 feet.Today’s scenery was, yes you guessed right, mountains again! Hills and mountains rolled on endlessly, resembling meadows because they had a green cover. This against the backdrop of the clear blue sky made it absolutely picture perfect. Add to that, pristine air and a tranquil silent setting, why would anyone want to go back to the noisy crowded polluted cities we live in? But even as this question crossed my mind, the answer flitted by just as quickly – my family! I missed my kids sorely.

This was a busy route, as if to mock my recent chain of thoughts. We chanced upon many people both ways. Also mules crossed by with baggage every now and then, causing traffic jams!!! Of course, I exaggerate a wee bit, but we did have to step off the trail more than once to let mules and people pass by. The trail was narrow, barely enough for one person to walk on. Once we crossed the pass it was all either flat or downhill. As we approached the busy campsite at Mankarmo (at 14,550 ft), I suddenly spotted a familiar face across the stream - Colonel Harmeet! What on earth was he doing here?

To our delight, we learnt from him that he was going to attempt Stok Kangri Summit with us. Nearly the entire group knew him as he had played wonderful host to us at Leh. So now we had one more addition to our group. We had reached campsite by 3.30 pm – it was time for hot pakodas by the stream and our own little music band!

Day 5 13^th Aug

We set off at 8.30 am after a fabulous breakfast of egg bhurji and parathas. We knew it was a short trek today so had taken it easy in the morning. We had been warned by Angchuk during the briefing the earlier night that the entire distance was going to be about 60 degree incline. It was a difficult trek – laboured breathing had become a way of life now. Every step, even on flat surface, was difficult. Uphill made the task herculean. Never had I thought so much about breathing, never had I been so desperate for oxygen, making me realise how much for granted we take that one activity. Our breath stops, we cease to exist!

Base Camp!!! At 11.30 am we reached base camp. In my imagination base camp was a glamorous location, high above the world, one step closer to the Summit. To my dismay, I saw the whole place dotted with colourful tents. The place was like a carnival with perhaps 50-60 tents! But the spirit was uplifting.

Day 6 14^th Aug

This was a rest day, to acclimatize to 16,300ft, in preparation for the Summit climb. The entire trek up till now had been in preparation for the Summit attempt. And no matter how difficult one may find the earlier days, it is good to have perspective – it is all going to seem pretty easy in comparison to the finale!

Hurray! Phone Network!

Base Camp too had a surprise waiting for us in the form of a rock a few feet higher! We got phone network at the rock. Hurray! It was time to call family. My mother answered my call and could not hide the panic from her voice as she said urgently without even letting me say “hello”! “Roopa, what happened? Why are you calling? Is everything all right?” That’s when I realised how scary it must have been for her to see my name flashing on her phone – treks are all about being incommunicado. They work on the old adage – no news is good news. Anyway, I made calls to my heart’s content from here.

This was also the day we made a “short” acclimatisation walk along the Summit route. It was entirely uphill and as we groaned and complained, little did we know that this was just a precursor to what lay ahead. Tonight was going to be the “night of our lives”!

10.30 pm – We set off!

The Night

No matter what you may have read or heard about this night, nothing really prepares you for what lies ahead. It seemed like an endless night which stretched on like the movie name “iss raat ki subah nahi”.

Our headlamps threw rings of light on the ground guiding us to our next step. Other than the sound of our shoes crunching on snow, it was a silent night. Nobody spoke a word and anxiety was palpable in the group. All energies were concentrated on the act of climbing.

We walked on and on for what seemed like eternity. I kept reminding myself that the summit was only a 6km walk and it was doable. But I was truly tested and stretched throughout the night, I was plagued with self-doubt and self-questioning several times that night. “Main aur meri tanhai” truly describes the scene, however, the lines change dramatically thereafter! “Agar tum hote…toh mujhe yahan se le jaate” is all I could come up with.

A combination of lack of sleep and oxygen had lulled me into a zombie-like state. I was just climbing now, numbed to the core. Was this nightmare going to end? I was dead-tired right to the marrow of my bones. Even the act of removing my water-bottle from my bag for a sip of water for my parched throat seemed like an impossible task. Somewhere a thought was nudging me, trying to remind me of the toffees I was carrying in my pocket for times like this. Sucking on the toffee would have made my throat moist and temporarily eased my distress. Words fail me to describe my exhaustion – I couldn’t gather the energy to take out the toffee from my pocket, remove the wrapper, stuff the wrapper back into the pocket and put the toffee in my mouth. These simple tasks appeared humongous and challenging. So I ignored my discomfort and plodded on – weary and thirsty.

Suddenly I slipped! It was time to wear crampons. It was the wee hours of the morning and we had been trekking for over 6 hours. As we all settled down in the snow to wear crampons, I nodded off to sleep. Sunita shook me up, I could have rolled off into oblivion, never to be found! Everywhere around for miles was snow.

Climbing with crampons gave a steady grip to each stride. By now, the first rays of the sun were filtering out from behind clouds. Night was handing over the baton to day. As the snow was bathed with golden light, it was probably the most glorious sight my tired eyes had ever seen. I forgot my fatigue for a few moments as I silently admired the breath-taking view. How spectacularly God had designed nature! How awe-inspiring sunrise was! I was truly humbled. Who was I to grumble about my weariness? Just a speck in this colossal vista! Was I not fortunate to be alive? Was I not lucky to be standing here witnessing the most magnificent scene. Shaken out of my self-pity I started my climb with renewed vigour. The “shoulder” looked spitting distance away!

But it wasn’t!!! It took us another hour to reach the most famous milestone on this route – the shoulder. Here we all were harnessed together, because the route to the summit from the shoulder was narrow and tricky. We were all to be anchors for each other, with Angchuk leading the way. Our progress was painfully slow as one or the other was always slipping. The others had to then wait patiently till he pushed himself on his feet (a very challenging task at 19,000 ft, I assure you). Slowly tempers had begun to come undone at the seams, patience was frayed as sleep, exhaustion and AMS began to wash over us cruelly. The summit looked tantalizingly close, and yet we just never seemed to come any nearer. It was eluding us! Was it a mirage that was playing merciless tricks on our drowsy eyes? “What the hell am I doing here?” This question attacked my brain over and over again.

As the sun kept climbing higher and higher into the sky, I had begun to doubt whether I would ever be able to make it. The thought of giving up was never very far from my mind, and I was treading ahead with everything that I had. My reserves of strength and resilience were close to empty, I knew I wouldn’t last long. But just as these disheartening thoughts were threateningly close, I pushed myself to take yet another step and finally stood atop the Stok Kangri Summit at 20,184 feet above the world.

Hurray! Atop Stok Kangri at 20,182 ft!

It was 15^th Aug, 9.30am! We had been walking close to 11 hours, the entire stretch uphill, braving the cold, wind, snow, fatigue, lack of oxygen and sleep. But it had all been worth it – the feeling, as I pumped the air with my fists in triumph, is indescribable. Synonymous with Independence Day, I too had freed myself of my demons of fear and failure. A feeling of overwhelming joy, pride, gratification and exhaustion swept through me. I stood tall, I stood proud as we hoisted the Indian tricolour and sang the National Anthem. I had achieved a feat which even in my imagination had seemed impossible. 

Hoisting the Indian tricolour - a moment of sheer joy and pride!

It was time to head back, but not without some photographs to freeze the moment in time, not without soaking in the magnificent sight of snow-capped mountains to my heart’s content, not without drowning myself in the exhilaration of the accomplishment, not without throwing my head back shutting my eyes and breathing in the pure crisp air, not without capturing this special moment and imprinting it in my mind and making it indelible forever!