Treks and Rapids

Rafting Trip

The Rafting Trip is the most eagerly anticipated event that the Hiking Club organises for the students of the college in collaboration with Aquaterra Adventures. Like every year, this year also the Hiking Club did not fail to deliver when it came to the Rafting Trips.

The Club organised two 50 member trips on 19th and 26th of February, which went to Shivpuri, near Rishikesh, to quench the thirst for adventure (quite literally). The teams left on Friday night (I was on the team that left on 19th of February). The journey to our destination was a fun filled ride. The students enjoyed the bus ride up the hills to Shivpuri where the camp Silver Sands was located. We reached there at around 7:45am, a bit later than anticipated because we had a hard time finding it. That was supposed to be our home for the weekend.

Once we reached the camp, we were welcomed by a delicious breakfast and also a brief introduction to the camp and its rules and regulations. After that we settled into the tents that had been provided for us. It is imperative for me to state here that the tents were exceptionally well maintained, clean and sufficient. The tents looked absolutely eco-friendly and gave us the feeling of being outdoors.

After an hour of relaxation and exploration, at around 10am, we were asked to assemble near the rafts that were placed on the bank of the swift flowing stream. We put on the life-jackets and helmets and carried a long, sturdy paddle each, like warriors going to war. Once at the bank of the river, we were given extensive instructions on how to go about rafting in these rapids. All the safety precautions and protocols were followed before eventually settling in the raft. Even after all this, we were made to practise a few strokes in the calm waters to enhance the coordination amongst the members in a raft. There were 8 rafts in total, each captained by an adept guide. And for additional safety there were 4 life guards who would constantly monitor the progress of the rafts.

Finally, we set off on our 28km downstream battle with the rapids. We were greeted head on by a rapid called “Good Morning”. After that came other rapids like “Three Blind Mice”, “Black Money” etc. But the pick of the day was a rapid called “Roller Coaster”. True to its name, it actually gave us a scare initially and threatened to tip our raft over. But we managed to hold on and survive the rapid. Other rafts were not so lucky. Although people fell into the water it wasn’t much cause for worry because the life-jackets served their purpose pretty well and they were up and about in no time. Amidst constant paddling and shouting, we enjoyed the beautiful views of hills provided by nature. They looked majestic and enchanted. Thus we completed our day’s rafting. Everyone was completely exhausted by the end of it and by the time we finally dragged ourselves uphill to the transport waiting to carry us back to the camp, we were extremely tired and hungry!

We reached the camp and had another bout of very tasty food. After that, while half of us slept through the afternoon in exhaustion, the other half still managed to play volleyball, basketball and some Frisbee. There was also some kayaking done by a few students and it was a fun experience.

By evening the bonfire had been lit and we were served snacks. The students ate, sang, danced and had fun till dinner time. At about 10pm, most of us retired for the night to wake up to another day of adventure.

Next morning, we took a bus ride further uphill to reach our starting point of rafting. Once again, after the safety measures were repeated to us, we settled into the rafts for another ‘bumpy’ ride. This was to be an 11km downstream paddle. We encountered fewer rapids this time, so we started relaxing our minds and enjoying the breeze in our hair. But little did we know that danger was lurking just around the corner.

The biggest rapid was just half a kilometre away when we were asked to halt on a bank so that the life-guards and the guides would go up ahead and assess the huge rapid. This rapid was called “The Wall”. When they returned with news that the conditions were perfect, our hearts were already pumping fast in anticipation of what was to come. We settled back in and off we went to face the challenge The Wall posed. As we approached this huge whirlpool of white water, I am sure; each one of us could feel the adrenaline coursing through the body. The first strong wave hit our raft and almost managed to knock us off, but we persevered and survived. But as the second punch from the rapid knocked us our raft was vertically upturned and we were in the water. Baring the first few seconds when we were under water, and everything seemed to go upside down, we regained our composure and were swiftly rescued by our fellow rafters. It was an experience of a lifetime to have come so close to danger and survive it.After The Wall, it was a smooth sail through the other rapids and soon we floated into our camp.

Thereafter, we had our lunch and lazed about or played till it was time for us to leave. At 4pm, we moved out of the camp and headed for Rishikesh. From there we took our bus back to Delhi. The journey back was also a fun trip and we finally reached college at around 11:30pm.

Next time when someone tells you, “The Rafting Trip is the best experience in college life”, trust me, they are not lying. It truly is a wonderful experience and we, the Hiking Club would like to bring this experience to you every year and if possible, in a more enhanced way.

-Rupam D Frank

Hike-a-Mania

The stress-buster and life saver for some, but the Harbinger of glee for all.

As the January Test had ended and everyone needed the break from their regular studies, the Hiking Club put the show and launched its very own fest “Hike-a-Mania” with an aim to promote adventure in one’s life.

The fest was inaugurated with its photo exhibition in the S.C.R. Lawns in the morning of January 25th, 2011. The exhibition covered all the recent treks, rafting trips, natural rock climbing excursions, cycling trips etc that happened in last 4years. With students walking around in the lawns and enjoying one of the best clicks of those memorable trips, we started off with the registrations for Rappelling.

Rappelling, our second event, was organized against the gymnasium wall under the experts guidance. The participation received was overwhelming for the event and we had to extend the duration of the event from 120minutes to 160 minutes.

To end the first day of the fest, we had the camp fire set in the J.C.R. Lawns and the projector on to showcase the memoirs of club’s year-round activities and treks. With the camp setting, bonfire and hot tea and snacks served in the late evening of the peak of January winters, it proved out to be more relaxing and entertaining for the resident students than the blankets in their rooms. People came for the camp fire, relaxed down on the benches, shared the jokes and their experiences with us in the last treks and hiking club activities they were involved in.

It was the end of Day 1 of the fest, we had somehow succeeded in giving everyone the much deserved break after the in-house exams. The task was not yet over but it had just started. With the next day of fest on January 27th, 2011 and the preparations for the 6th St. Stephen’s College Open National Climbing competition in next 2 days looming over our heads, we had a good sleep.

On the second day of the fest, club had its most-awaited and successful event from its last year’s fest, the Obstacle Course. And this time again living upto its expectations, the event received great participation. Set-up with one of the most interesting obstacles like tires, ropes, nets, the wooden planks and slippery and soapy panels, the course tested not only one’s physical strength but also the agility of the mind.

To end the fest on a high note, club screened the recently released blockbuster “127 Hours” in the A.V. Room. The beautiful movie attracted the students and filled the A.V. Room to its capacity. With the adventure thriller ending on a happy note, we called the fest off.

-Tarang Gupta

The Day That Was

Though the women’s category of the 6th St. Stephen’s Open Sport Climbing Competition started a day later than scheduled, the excitement associated remained undiminished.

Shatakshi Sharma, Yashasvi Kansotia and I were the women representatives in the competition from our college, going up against a national level climber who was all of 14 years old (and still sends chills down our spines when we think of her, that’s how good she was) and another participant from a renowned club. We all shared a few greetings, trying to put each other and ourselves at ease.

The competition had three rounds in all, with two routes in each round, i.e., it meant giving your best shot six times in a day – exhausting to say the least!! While the first and the second rounds consisted of lead climbing, i.e., climbing difficult routes without any top rope, the third round dealt with speed climbing and tested your speed at climbing up an easier route.

I had a blast as, even though the competition was demanding, it isn’t often that one gets to prove oneself on the wall with a crowd cheering you on. The best part was the ‘music’, i.e., the choice to play your own favourite tracks while trying your best on the wall.

Among the three rounds, the third round (the speed climbing round) was the best according to me, as it gave me an opportunity to view the performance of all the participants, which was great.

The competition gave me a platform to test myself, a much needed exposure for any climber, i.e., to know his or her shortcomings while under pressure. More than physical exertion, the competition tests one’s stress management, a factor that is missing in practice sessions. Thus, while regular practice is essential and very helpful, competitions have a lot to contribute to one’s growth, as at the end of the day, it’s not wholly about winning but about one’s experiences, which will be cherished for a lifetime.

I’d like to thank all the members of the Hiking Club, especially the president of the club, Muhammed Asad, who was a constant source of encouragement throughout the competition, never letting anyone lose faith in themselves.

As the competition was not limited only to our college but was a national level competition, so everything had to be properly in place, i.e., refreshments, first aid kit, water etc., and all these were dealt with effortlessly. Thus, in the end, the 6th St. Stephen’s Open Sport Climbing Competition saw not only the climbers perform under pressure, but also the organizing committee, who together constitute the Hiking Club - OUR Hiking Club!!

-Sruthi Johnson

6th St. Stephen’s Open Sport Climbing Competition

The dates of 28th and 29th January, 2011 were memorable for the Hiking Club as we were hosting the 6th St. Stephen’s Open Sport Climbing Competition. Participants had come from all over the country to take part in this adventure sport event.

Our chief guest, the principal of the college Dr. Valson Thampu, began the event with an inspirational speech. The competition had three categories – men’s, women’s, and boys’, and participants in every category had to climb six routes, specifically, four difficulty routes and two speed routes. Each and every participant who took part in the competition gave her/his best effort.

Though all competitors put in superlative performances, as is the nature of competition, only a few could win medals. Our college ended up with a decent measure of success – two bronzes, one each in the men’s and women’s category and, along with Sruthi Johnson, I was overjoyed to be able to win a medal for my college. The judges praised the performance of the entire St. Stephen’s climbing team, saying that it was better than any performance put in by the college in the past five years.

Summing up, the event saw a great deal of enthusiasm and decent participation, and we hope to do even better next time.

-Jitender

October Trek 2010

It was a fine evening, at 6pm on the 1st of October. I had packed my backpack. Still, I ran around my home for the umpteenth time trying to see if I’d forgotten anything. I went through the ‘essentials’ list, prepared by Dr. Sanjay Kumar, our club staff advisor, who was accompanying us on the trek, once more (I’ve lost count of how many times I had done that already). I was so excited about the first ever trek of my life. And the USP of it was that I was going to turn nineteen among the hills! That too in just six more days!

Dipak was home, all ready to go. Our bus to Manali was to start at 7.30pm from Kashmere Gate. Mom was going on about how we’ll be late if we’re not off soon (and how almost true she turned out to be. Remember folks, moms are always right!). Anyway, I finally convince myself that I’ve packed everything possibly needed. We grab an auto from South Extension immediately and stuff our backpacks and four big kit-bags containing the tents, utensils, etc into the auto and leave. One and a half hour to reach Kashmire Gate. Ample time? Oh no! Not when Commonwealth Games are around the corner.

The autowalla decided not to take the Ring Road and go via Pragati Maidan to avoid traffic. The plan backfired completely. Due to the dedicated lanes for the CWG, the roads were cramped and there was a big jam. Those were some of the most frustrating moments in my life. After what seemed like an eternity, we get to a point where we could cut back to Ring Road. It was 7.15pm. Sanjay sir had already called three times.

When we reached finally, Sanjay sir took two kit-bags, Dipak and I took our backpacks and a kit-bag each and we all ran towards the bus. It was full. Everyone had come and they were waiting for us. The engine was on. We threw our entire luggage inside, stuck it wherever we found space (don’t ask me how) and sat on our seats. The bus accelerated and so our journey to the Himalayas began. And what a way to begin, eh?

The bus stopped at a dhaba sometime during the night. We took the luggage out and tied it securely on the top of the bus among others’ luggage. We had a light meal and then we were off again. Dipak, Divya and I slept throughout the journey. Next morning, we were received at Manali’s bus depot by Rinchen ji, our cook-cum-guide for the trek, a person I’d never ever forget my whole life.

We checked into a hotel, freshened up and had some lunch outside in a restaurant. Afterwards, while Sanjay sir and Sudha ma’am opted to take some rest, Dipak, Divya and I went out to roam around. We went to a nature park which was nearby. There was a small river flowing through the park and at a place, river crossing equipment was set up roughly 5 metres above the river. It turned out to be a kind of mixture of river

crossing and bungee jumping. We had to cross the river and come back halfway and then the overseer would push the rope up and down from the sides for 5-10 minutes due to which we’d go up and down too. We could even touch the water. All of us tried it. Divya was hesitant at first, but seeing the fun we were having, she gave in.

In the evening, we did some shopping for groceries and other food items we needed for the trek along with Rinchen ji. This took quite some time and in the end, everyone was exhausted. So we had dinner and went back to the hotel and hit the sack. We were going to start our trek the next morning.

We woke up by 7am, got ready and had aloo paranthas for breakfast. We also got some paranthas packed for the trek. Then we came back to the hotel where Rinchen and his assistant Arjun were already waiting for us. We loaded our stuff into a jeep which took us to the place from where we were to start trekking. Rinchen had arranged for three horses to carry our luggage from our starting point above village Prini. While we waited for the muleteer, to the North sto

od majestic snow covered Shitidhar ridge above Solang Nullah. In time our horseman Arjun arrived with horses. We transferred everything except the backpacks onto the horses, and guided by Rinchen ji, we finally started trekking from village Prini. We had to walk up a hill and the going was quite tough initially. After sometime, Divya, who was asthmatic, started developing some breathing problems. We didn’t take any chances and decided to send her back to Delhi. Sanjay sir called up her parents. They were to pick her up from Rinchen’s home, where he took Divya back to, promising to join us as soon as he could. And so we had lost a companion for the trek. But this was the only low-point of the whole trip and we soon forgot about it.

By lunchtime, we had reached a tea-stall and we stopped there for a break. The locals around there were celebrating some festival of their local God and were having a communal meal. They offered us the meal too, which consisted of rice and lamb curry which was actually quite delicious. We thanked them for the meal, filled up our water-bottles and were off again, passing through village Seythen on the way. We kept asking for directions for Jhonpri, our campsite for the day, whenever we met locals grazing their sheep on the way. About 20 minutes before Jhonpri, we reached a small dam where we stopped and looked around for some time. It was the first time I’d looked at a dam up close. Around 5 o’clock, we reached Jhompri. Arjun and the horseman had already reached. We chose a suitable place near a small stream to setup our tents on Sanjay sir’s directions. Rinchen joined us in an hour or so.

The temperature started to drop quickly once the sun had set. I had to wear five layers of clothing to keep myself from shivering. Soon, Rinchen called us for hot tea and dinner of rice and daal, which we lapped up happily. Later, we made a bonfire from wood we collected from the ground around us. This was the only day possible for a bonfire because on the rest of the days of the trek, we wouldn’t find any wood or even trees as we gained height. While talking near the fire, we looked up at the sky and were awe-struck. It was nothing like we’d ever seen before. And I’m not talking about the Delhi sky where you barely see a few stars. Both Dipak and I had seen night skies with thousands of stars in our hometowns, but this was completely different. Here, the night sky was so full of stars that I could hardly make out the constellations that I knew. And we could also see the Milky Way spread across the sky like a white river clearly. We’d never seen it before. We stared at the sky before the fire went out and the cold got to us. Sowe went back into our tents and slid into our warm sleeping bags and called it a day.

The next morning, we were up and ready by around 8.30am. Rinchen had made some delicious porridge for breakfast along with tea. We packed our bags and were off on our way by 9.30am, led by Rinchen. After about an hour of trekking, we were out of the woods and entered a valley

called Chika with a small river flowing between the mountains on the side. Far up ahead, we could see a mountain peak covered with snow. This was our first glimpse of the endless views of snow covered mountains we were about to get in the following days. The valley was strewn with pieces of rocks and stones.

At around 2 o’clock, we stopped and had some paranthas and biscuits for lunch and resumed after some rest. Dipak kept clicking photos all the while. At the end of the valley was a small but steep climb to our campsite of the day, Balu-Ka-Gera. Its a plain area covered with sand that had come down with the river, hence the name. Up ahead, directly in front of us, was a snow covered mountain shrouded in a cloudy mist, towards which we were to go the next day.

After setting up the tents, we went inside. About five minutes later, it started to rain heavily. The rain drops constantly falling on the tent were making a loud noise. After sometime, the noise subsided and we thought it was drizzling outside. After about 15 minutes, the rain stopped. We went outside and were stunned at the sight. The ground, which was brown just a while ago, was completely white now. We realised that it wasn’t raindrops that had made the loud noise at first. It was hailstones! The whole place was covered with hail and it had all happened in minutes! We’d reached the camp just in time. If we’d reached fifteen minutes later...

Later, Rinchen again cooked us all a delicious dinner. Afterwards, we went back to our tents and I began to read the book I’d gotten along with my flashlight while Dipak listened to songs on his mp3 player. Soon, we were both asleep.

We were off again the next morning after breakfast. We were finally walking among some snow covered mountains right beside us. By noon time, we’d climbed up to Hampta pass. We stopped there for a while and had something to eat. We were at 14,000 feet height above sea level. From there, it was a sharp descent to our campsite, Shea-Gera, which we reached by 4 o’clock. Rinchen told us that Shea-Gera means “cold place” and by dinner time, none of us doubted it anymore.

I was in for a treat that night because Rinchen, the best cook I’ve ever known, had somehow managed to bake a birthday cake for me with icing on top of it. And all he used was a pressure cooker! My birthday was the next day, but I didn’t think about that. After all, you don’t get to eat your birthday cake at above 12000 feet among snow covered mountains all the time! And what a delicious cake it was. I’ll forever be grateful to Rinchen for giving me a modest but surely one of the best birthdays I’d ever had.

After dinner and cake, we went back to our tents and Dipak soon fell asleep. I was reading my book till midnight. At 12 o’clock, I got out of the tent and looked around at the sky. I had just turned 19! The feeling I had at this thought: happiness, excitement, whatever it was, didn’t last too long as the cold crept into me. So I went back and slept.

The next morning started with wishes. Soon we were on our way towards a village called Chhatru. On the way, we had to cross the river twice. The first time, right at the start, we just waded through the freezing cold water, the secondtime, near Chhatru, there were two rods of iron kept one metre apart meant as a bridge to cross-over. That was quite an experience. By 2pm, we’d reached Chhatru. The road from Rohtang to Spiti valley passed through here. There was a small dhaba called the Chandra Dhaba here, where we had our lunch. The horseman was going back to Manali from there. Our plan was to take a lift from some truck or car to the base of Kunjum pass, upto Batal in the Chandra valley, or to Losar on the other side of the pass, where we were to spend the night. Next day morning we were planning to get some vehicle to the pass top, and hike from there to Chandratal. Since we had to carry our luggage from now, we took the minimum number of things we absolutely required and kept the rest for safe-keeping at the dhaba till we came back. Soon, two trucks stopped there, and the drivers agreed to give us a lift. We stopped at a very windy place called Baatal just before dark. Here too, was a dhaba called Chandra Dhaba, being run by a man called Dorje for the past 40 odd years, and we had our dinner here. They also had beds inside for travellers, and we decided to spend the night there. After dinner, we slid inside the blankets to sleep. It was after a long time that we were sleeping on actual beds. It felt good to finally have the freedom to move around in your sleep.

The next morning, we resumed our journey with the truck drivers after breakfast. They dropped us off at Kunjum pass, from where Dipak, Arjun, Rinchen and I carried the luggage and walked towards Chandrataal. Soon, we reached a place from where we could see a whole range of mountains covered in snow stretching across the horizon.

We were on top of a mountain overlooking the valley below. River Chandra was flowing through it. Chandrataal was hidden from view behind a mountain. The view was so beautiful that we just stood there for quite some time, taking in everything with admiration.

Soon, we got going again to seek what we had come for all this way. After a long and tiring walk, we finally reached Chandrataal. Now, we’d read a lot about this lake before we started the trek, but we were still awe-struck by its beauty. The water was a clear blue colour. The lake was surrounded by mountains covered in snow, whose reflections were visible on the lake’s waters. The place was breathtakingly beautiful. The only reason we didn’t jump in for a swim was that the water was ice-cold. In my case, there was another problem - I can’t swim!

After setting up the tents, we took out our foam mattresses and lay down near the lake under the warm sun for some time. We were almost asleep when Rinchen called us to have maggi and soup. Soon, it started to get colder and windier and we went inside the tent. The place was very cold at night. We could hear the strong wind flapping against the tent. Sleep was hard to come by. But by around 1am, the wind had ceased and we slept peacefully.

The next morning, we started our 14 km trek back to Baatal by road. The plan was to catch the bus to Manali that stops at Baatal at around 11.30am. The bus went past us when we were about 5 km from Baatal. We increased our pace and reached Baatal after sometime, but we’d just missed the bus by five minutes! Luckily

, we met two taxi drivers inside the dhaba who were returning to Manali from a trip. We agreed on a price with them and started our journey. Soon, everyone was relieved that we weren’t going back by bus or truck, which would have been extremely uncomfortable due to the bad condition of the road, or rather, the lack of it. We stopped at Chhatru to pick up the rest of the luggage and had some tea before resuming. We reached Manali by 7 o’clock in the evening. We got back to the hotel, freshened up, called home and watched TV (India was doing well at the CWG, which in turn was going incident-free. Surprise!), before we fell asleep.

The next day, after breakfast, we

stayed at the hotel all morning, sorting out things and packing everything properly. We booked tickets for our return trip to Delhi by bus that evening. Afterwards, Dipak and I roamed around the nearby market, checking out different food-stalls. Soon it was evening and we boarded the bus to Delhi. Rinchen came to drop us off to the bus-depot.We reached Kashmere Gate early next morning by 6am. Dipak and I went back to college to keep the kit-bags in the store-room and then went back home.

Overall, those ten days were a few of the best days of our lives, rich with moments and memories that would stay on with us forever...

_Bijoy John Mathew

Natural Rock Climbing Session

Second Term. Back from the holidays, and the college was awake with the tumult of upcoming exams. Studies were back in the air. Among all this, the climbing activities of the Hiking Club continued will full enthusiasm. The climbing team was gearing up for the competition. Climbing sessions at the wall were not enough to satisfy the thirst of us climbers. We needed new and more challenging routes. It was time to take on natural rock formations. Going into the winter, the session for natural rock climbing was scheduled for a Sunday. This year it was going to be at the Ramjas Mountaineering Institute, New Delhi.

Junior climbers, having received enough training, were very excited at the prospect. Senior climbers, reminiscing about earlier sessions, raised the level of excitement all around. Finally the day arrived - bags packed, equipment ready, a hasty breakfast and we left the college at 0830 hrs. Travelling by metro was easy; a rendezvous had been planned with the other half of the team at the Shadipur metro station. W

The institute had a small main gate which opened up into a huge ground having cricket fields, tennis courts etc., but our destination lay to the left where large chunks of inviting natural rock formations lay. We noticed a few of them had been modified as well.e reached the institute shortly, thanks to the famous Delhi rickshaws of course.

And so it started. We were assigned two coaches and eleven routes in all. Everybody was anxious, and geared up, and we were all set to go. The first three routes were easy, a warm up, with easy foot and hand holds. Going up and down was pretty easy for everyone. The fourth route was longer, and the feeling of going up and reaching the top was something to fight for, so the team decided to do that route once more.

The coaches then shifted their attention to our climbing technique. We were given ro

utes five and six to build up some new climbing techniques. They were difficult to master, but were accomplished nevertheless. The draining morning came to a close with the last route before lunch, which was the vertical gap climb and tested the endurance of the climbers.

The entire team was very happy with the performance as everyone had completed the routes with minimal difficulty, and this called for a good lunch consisting of paranthas, achaar, bananas and eggs. We also finished all our water, and had to go all around the campus to find some more. Rejuvenated by the large amount of food that had been consumed, we were all raring to take on the final routes.

The final routes tested the mettle of the climbers; they were relatively difficult routes focusing on the advancement of the techniques learnt in the morning. Routes eight, nine and

ten were advanced forms of routes four, five and six. By this time, evening was upon us, and we looked towards the last route to end the day’s activities.

The last route, the most difficult of all, tested every ounce of our endurance and skill, and required a combination of everything that we had learnt all day. Every technique we had learnt had to be applied, the foot holds searched for carefully. The patience and perseverance needed made this route the most testing of all.

Almost everyone finished the whole course and learned quite a few new techniques. Having said all this about the natural rock climbing session, it is hard not to mention our stint at the climbing wall of the institute. The day was wrapped up with every one of us trying the wall. Although only our best climber was able to reach the top, we did learn a lot.

All in all it was a great ending for the day, and we were all smiles while bidding goodbye, heading home.

-Mohamin Khan

Churdhar Trek

The enchanting Churdhar in Sirmour district of Western Himachal Pradesh is the highest sub Himalayan mountain at a height of 11965 feet. Churdhar, commonly known as Churichandni (Bangle of Snow), is blessed with some of the most spectacular and beautiful landscapes in this region.

And so, after the never ending meetings regarding the do’s and d
on’ts, what to carry and what not, after the “humungous” effort to put everything in place and the last minute rush for water and food, we finally bid farewell to all our friends and set forth on the weekend trek to Churdhar on 29th October, 2010. That Friday night, 20 of us split into groups and seated ourselves in the two mini buses that had been arranged for the journey, which were quite comfortable! Most of the journey time was spent getting to know each other. We tried our best to keep ourselves awake but after the heavy “Friday” dinner of biryani at the college mess, how long could sleep evade us? We, however, did take a couple of small “chai” breaks to keep our drivers awake through the night.

In the morning we stopped near Solan at a guest house to use the washrooms. Since all of us made quite a long queue, some of the girls (including myself!) had to use the “mens” washrooms. It was quite an unexpected “first” in my life. We moved on from there and reached Nauradhar, from where we had to start our trek. We had breakfast consisting of Gwyer hall paranthas with achaar and, after filling our stomachs, set out to shed those extra kilos!!

Everyone started with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement, but only a few could sustain it till the end. It was not long after we had started that we saw Arjun Deswal, who was lea

ding the trek, and Harman Singh carrying two rucksacks each. The trek soon started getting tiring, but the scenic view kept us engaged. Our aim was to camp at Tisri by the end of the day, so that we could climb up to Churdhar the next morning and return the same day. But to our surprise the information that we had was extremely misleading. When, even four hours after we had started, Tisri was nowhere near, we couldn’t resist taking a half an hour break to rest and soak in the mesmerizing sight of the mountains and the trees. It was then that I realized that Friday night was not a farewell to my friends but a break from the fast, busy and monotonous “Delhi” life which, after two years, I’m still trying to get used to.

After the much needed rest, we all filled our water bottles with water from a nearby stream. To my surprise, the water tasted very different. It was cold and extremely refreshing. We washed our faces, drank glucose water, stuffed ourselves with whatever l

ittle food was left and proceeded. The trail wasn’t that tough but the heavy rucksacks made it quite an ordeal. For once, I wished that I had not packed so many things in my bag. We trekked for another hour, then decided to stop and wait for the entire group since our porter (a local resident) had told us that camping at Tisri was not possible as it was too windy there. We decided to wait for Prof. Nanda, the teacher accompanying

us, to come and decide the next plan of action. Prof. Nanda and the others joined us after about an hour or so, and we all decided to set up camp where we were as it was about to get dark which, in that “wild-life sanctuary”, was not all that safe.


There was a small wooden hut close by, which the locals called a “hotel”, from where we got tea and our dinner of dal and rice. The hot tea and food was welcomed by one and all in the chilly weather.

After dinner, we pitched out tents, laid out our sleeping bags and rushed inside to escape the cold. We all gathered in the larger tent and chit chatted till around 12:30am inspite of the fatigue that we all felt. Later at night, when we stepped out of the tent, I saw the mos

t spectacular sight that I had ever witnessed in my life.
I was below the clear open sky that seemed not more than a metre away. Stars twinkling, brighter than ever I had seen, all closely packed. Soon we got engrossed in spotting constellations and shooting stars. I wished I could have stayed there all night, but the freezing cold got the better of me. Inside our tent, inspite of the three pair of gloves and socks, my hands and feet were numb due to the cold. It was then that I wondered what would have happened if I had not packed so many things in my bag.

We went to sleep very late, that too only when Arjun Deswal threatened to pull down our tents if we didn’t get ready to start trekking by 6am the next morning. To be very frank, that was quite a lot to ask, given how tired we were. The moment I entered my sleeping bag, I slept, only to be woken up in the morning with the much needed “hot tea”. As soon as we finished our tea, we were told to march to Tisri, without even allowing us to attend to nature’s call! Prof. Nanda agreed to stay back with our rucksacks to make it easier for us. And so, with the “Orbit” chewing gum packs fighting our bad breath, we headed out.

The ascent was steeper than what we had experienced till then, but since we were now trekking without our bags, it was a little easier to manage. We trekked at a good pace, and managed to reach Tisri in 2 hours. It was the view from Tisri that left me at a loss for words. There were the snow clad Himalayas right in front of me. “Wow!!” was all that I could say. I was spell bound by the magnificent mountains standing so tall and firm. We waited for an hour for everyone to join us, and had some food from another “hotel” up there in Tisri. It was then that everyone decided to trek up to Churdhar, but Arjun blatantly refused to let us go further since the trek up to Churdhar would take us much longer because of the snow and the much steeper incline. We also had time constraints, since Prof. Nanda was down at the camp site, waiting for all of us for lunch. But since we were all so determined to atleast see snow, if not climb up to Churdhar, we all decided to go a little further, find snow, and then come back.

And after just fifteen minutes of trekking, we encountered snow!! That was the first time I actually saw snow! We had fun playing with it for quite some time, and then returned to our camp site. We had Maggi cup noodles for lunch, packed our rucksacks, packed the tents, posed for pictures, celebrated Halloween (thanks to the two exchange students, Sonal and Nonan) and started the downward journey.

After the strenuous uphill journey, the return seemed fairly easy. We enjoyed our way down and could not help admiring the beauty of nature. The return journey took us less than half the time we had taken to trek up, and by 5pm, all of us had reached Nauradhar. After refreshing ourselves, we left for Delhi in our mini buses at around 6pm.


The journey back was fun too. We stopped in between for dinner and took quite a few “small” breaks now and then to keep the drivers awake. We stopped at a dhaba at around 3:30am for almost one and a half hours, to give our drivers some much needed rest, as the driving was getting too risky. We had a lot of fun interacting with Prof. Nanda, who told us about his college life, the changing times and attitude, the change in students and teachers and how St. Stephen’s College has evolved over the years. It was quite an enriching discussion! We started our journey back to Delhi at 5am and reached college at around 6:30am on Monday, 1st November, 2010.

Most of us were too tired to attend classes on Monday, but a few did, only to sleep in between the lectures. Nonetheless, it was an amazing experience and I shall not miss any other trek in the coming year. I also urge all of you to go for a trek atleast once in your college life!
-Era Kaila