Friday, February 3, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
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
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.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 (
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
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,
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
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.
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
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
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
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
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Natural Rock Climbing Session at Damdama
For all that is said about the fun in traveling together, being one of sixteen people traveling in two Innovas is not a position most people are happy to find themselves in. However, the excitement of trying to scale nature’s miniature peaks (as we’d like to believe), and the fact that the participants had already paid for the trip (which was probably the main reason) quelled any misgivings that anyone may have had, and so on that not so bright morning of November 8th, 2009, we set out for Damdama. The initial part of the trip was spent in telling the driver to turn off the radio, as the commentary of the Indo-Aus match only elicited regular curses from all of us as the Indian wickets fell like.... ummm.... well like only Indian wickets can fall when our batsmen really set their mind to it. The rest of the trip involved a lot of chit chat and sleeping, with a brief stop at IIT Delhi to pick up three more members of our team, taking the total number of people (in two Innovas mind you), excluding our by now highly irritated drivers, to nineteen.
Once we reached, we were quite struck by the ragged beauty of the rocks and the wilderness around, with Ranojay taking a special liking to the pile of buffalo bones we found there. With tall grass, and an empty sand covered landscape set against the vast expanse of rocks, there was a proper feeling of being in the outdoors. While Rohit, our climbing coach, and Asad set up the safety ropes for the first rock face we were to climb, the rest of the group gorged on the food we’d brought along. Once the whole setup had been tested, Gaurav finally kicked off the actual climbing by scampering up the rock face like it was nothing, and then rappelling down. It was an ideal rock face for someone who was getting initiated into natural rock climbing, with big gaps between the rocks in which you could wedge yourself, and even a spot halfway up where you could stand and rest, while for members of our climbing team, it was quite a nice warm-up.
While the rest of the group tried their hand at climbing up the first route, Rohit and Asad along with some others started setting up the second route. And so the climbing went on, with shouts and screams and constant demands by the person climbing that their photo be taken, especially by Luis, our Spanish companion. We even had an audience, with some local boys with bemused expressions wondering what in the world we were doing, as they climbed up much tougher routes with the ease of mountain goats. However, none of this could persuade Dr. Barua, who had accompanied us, to change his philosophical view of keeping himself firmly grounded, a view that held firm for the duration of the trip.
The second route that we tried was easily the most difficult one we tried on that trip. It was a flat rock face, with some 1 – 2 cm wide ridges as the only foot and hand holds available. Even the college climbing team members found this mini peak hard to conquer, while the belayers had a nasty time ensuring that the climbers who lost their footing didn’t fall all the way down and hurt themselves.
By the time we reached the third route that Rohit had set up for us, the energy levels had started to sag, helped in no small measure by the lack of proper drinking water. But the third rock face was a beautiful sight. With a height of about 15 – 18 metres from where the belaying was being done to the top of the rock face, it was a flat piece of rock that seemed to have been placed there for the sole purpose of being climbed up, and then rappelled down. The route had an ample number of holds, but not too many, and tested your stamina more than your skill. As I was belaying for most of the climbers, I was too tired to attempt this route, but the people who did reach the top said that the view from the top alone was worth the effort.
As the last of the climbers attempted the third route, route no. 18 at Damdama, the rest set about packing up the equipment. Finally, at the end of the session, tired but happy, we posed for a group photograph then headed towards the cars. As we were discussing the economics of the entire trip and preparing to get onto the cars, one of the driverless Innovas suddenly started rolling down the dirt road and finally stopped after climbing up an embankment on the side of the road covered with shrubs. After the ensuing panic had calmed down, it was discovered that the cause of the runaway Innova was that Dr. Barua had accidentally hit the hand brake.
Finally, we set out on the return journey, which had again been delayed by the discovery that one of the Innovas had a punctured tyre. With a stop at a petrol pump, so that the cars could have their fill of gas and maintenance while we had dinner from the adjacent dhaba, as the only break in our song filled return trip, we all headed to our beds tired, but satisfied at having pitted ourselves against Nature’s mini peaks and triumphed.
- Dipak V. C.
Once we reached, we were quite struck by the ragged beauty of the rocks and the wilderness around, with Ranojay taking a special liking to the pile of buffalo bones we found there. With tall grass, and an empty sand covered landscape set against the vast expanse of rocks, there was a proper feeling of being in the outdoors. While Rohit, our climbing coach, and Asad set up the safety ropes for the first rock face we were to climb, the rest of the group gorged on the food we’d brought along. Once the whole setup had been tested, Gaurav finally kicked off the actual climbing by scampering up the rock face like it was nothing, and then rappelling down. It was an ideal rock face for someone who was getting initiated into natural rock climbing, with big gaps between the rocks in which you could wedge yourself, and even a spot halfway up where you could stand and rest, while for members of our climbing team, it was quite a nice warm-up.
While the rest of the group tried their hand at climbing up the first route, Rohit and Asad along with some others started setting up the second route. And so the climbing went on, with shouts and screams and constant demands by the person climbing that their photo be taken, especially by Luis, our Spanish companion. We even had an audience, with some local boys with bemused expressions wondering what in the world we were doing, as they climbed up much tougher routes with the ease of mountain goats. However, none of this could persuade Dr. Barua, who had accompanied us, to change his philosophical view of keeping himself firmly grounded, a view that held firm for the duration of the trip.
The second route that we tried was easily the most difficult one we tried on that trip. It was a flat rock face, with some 1 – 2 cm wide ridges as the only foot and hand holds available. Even the college climbing team members found this mini peak hard to conquer, while the belayers had a nasty time ensuring that the climbers who lost their footing didn’t fall all the way down and hurt themselves.
By the time we reached the third route that Rohit had set up for us, the energy levels had started to sag, helped in no small measure by the lack of proper drinking water. But the third rock face was a beautiful sight. With a height of about 15 – 18 metres from where the belaying was being done to the top of the rock face, it was a flat piece of rock that seemed to have been placed there for the sole purpose of being climbed up, and then rappelled down. The route had an ample number of holds, but not too many, and tested your stamina more than your skill. As I was belaying for most of the climbers, I was too tired to attempt this route, but the people who did reach the top said that the view from the top alone was worth the effort.
As the last of the climbers attempted the third route, route no. 18 at Damdama, the rest set about packing up the equipment. Finally, at the end of the session, tired but happy, we posed for a group photograph then headed towards the cars. As we were discussing the economics of the entire trip and preparing to get onto the cars, one of the driverless Innovas suddenly started rolling down the dirt road and finally stopped after climbing up an embankment on the side of the road covered with shrubs. After the ensuing panic had calmed down, it was discovered that the cause of the runaway Innova was that Dr. Barua had accidentally hit the hand brake.
Finally, we set out on the return journey, which had again been delayed by the discovery that one of the Innovas had a punctured tyre. With a stop at a petrol pump, so that the cars could have their fill of gas and maintenance while we had dinner from the adjacent dhaba, as the only break in our song filled return trip, we all headed to our beds tired, but satisfied at having pitted ourselves against Nature’s mini peaks and triumphed.
- Dipak V. C.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The 5th St.Stephen's Open Sport Climbing Competition
Hiking Club presents the 5th St.Stephen's Open Sport Cimbing Competition to be held on 11th of December to 13 th of December,2009.
Venue:The Climbing Wall, College Gymnasium, St.Stephen's College.
Before the actual competition commences, Hiking Club is coming up with its fest starting from 9th of December,2009 to arouse interest among those students who are not into climbing.
Venue:The Climbing Wall, College Gymnasium, St.Stephen's College.
Before the actual competition commences, Hiking Club is coming up with its fest starting from 9th of December,2009 to arouse interest among those students who are not into climbing.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Natural Rock Climbing Trip
There will be a Natural Rock Climbing session for junior members of St. Stephen's College at Damdama, Haryana on 8th November, 2009. All interested Junior members are requested to register themselves before 4th November and fill up the consent form.
The approximate cost will be Rs.200, including food and conveyance, to be paid at the time of filling of the consent form. All junior members are requested to come with their shorts/lowers and shoes. Details regarding the session will be provided after registration.
For the registration and consent forms, contact:
Dipak - 9711967398
Rupam - 9958636035
Suryash - 9873739194
Tarang - 9278420651
The approximate cost will be Rs.200, including food and conveyance, to be paid at the time of filling of the consent form. All junior members are requested to come with their shorts/lowers and shoes. Details regarding the session will be provided after registration.
For the registration and consent forms, contact:
Dipak - 9711967398
Rupam - 9958636035
Suryash - 9873739194
Tarang - 9278420651
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Climbing …..climb on!
The Nature’s wonderful heights have always made me feel shortened –both in stature and pride! Nevertheless, I’ve been always in love with them, then be it the immense peaks of the mountains or the “ Delhi Heights ” of the college wall and nearby natural rocks where the college’s thrillionaires often pay their climbing visits- its all ….just indescribable. Climbing is the act of going up a mountain, hill, any steep terrain, or artificial wall. Climbing comes in many types, each having its own features and methods. There are several ways to categorize it. For instance, it can vary based on the area you are climbing. Using this category, its types include: Mountaineering or Mountain Climbing, Ice Climbing, Indoor Climbing, and Rock Climbing. Rock Climbing has become a major sport generally a risky sport, which needs physical strength and endurance, it poses a different kind of challenge, excitement, and adrenaline rush. This is probably one of the many reasons why a lot of people (me included) are so excited about this activity. The lovely ropes (as I like to call them) along with all those equipments including the artistic D shaped carribeners, are your life line once you begin climbing. The regular wall climbing sessions at the college wall and the occasional natural rock climbing have provided me great quality with these equipments to stay as far away from any mishaps as possible. But even after that there are a lot of things that one needs to keep in mind, the most important being the mandatory, “climbing” echoed by “climb on” to make sure the bilayer is ready! It is then followed by the most exciting part of the game-brisk movements of the steely hands on those varied holds providing the fashionable lizard-like climb over the footholds, discs et al; till your hands give up or the view of the top overwhelms you! The climbing, seemingly daunting, is actually one of the basic acts in the Adventure World! But still, the adrenaline rush, every time you get a bird’s eye view of the world beneath, with only you up there with the birds and the breeze, will suffice even the most veteran of the climbers.So, what are you waiting for?
CLIMB ON…!!
HARSHIT NARANG
CLIMB ON…!!
HARSHIT NARANG
NATURAL ROCK CLIMBING(AT DHAUJ)
We had all come to this beautiful, though scant in vegetation, rocky(ing) place in Haryana to have a full day,on 21st of December 'O8,of exotic adventure climbing. The hour and a half journey in the completely packed car was, surprisingly, not at all tiring!Therefore, we did not waste even a minute on reaching the destination ,and
began exploring the rocks for the fittest route to have an encouraging start. The route located,the rope was tied to a huge boulder, with a double eight and two safety knots on the harness, the climbing began.The pumping heart ,the heavy sinews as the climb proceeded, and the thrill of climbing a natural rock more than ten times your own height was just too good. One after the other, fourteen climbers (though novice)took turns at scaling the rocks. The morning saw a frenzy mob as fourteen boys and girls from the college tried to fit themselves in one single Innova which had already accommodated all the ropes, harnesses et al plus the driver, the seven seater took off from the Rudra gate only to stop at Dhauj-our final destination. And now, an hour had passed,the route changed but the excitement was still the same especially because now we were to climb up and then rappel down the same route. Mean
while, a few of us had a relaxing time at the edge of the nearby natural lake; taking turns at the lake and the rocky wall. Evening was approaching and we were all lost in the fun of the rocks,the nature’s immense heights, the spirit to scale them and above all in the lighthearted mood of the group, from playing silly games to interviewing each other on cameras(cellphones) as common villagers.The day had left us all as one family and we could feel the strength and love that our stephanian family holds.The morning might have had a few famous ‘snobs’ but the evening had us all in one hue trying to humble nature by our feats at various places in Dhauj. Packing ourselves one atop the other, we began with our ride back to college..lost in the fun that the group had to offer on the way back, and only to regain consciousness when the driver called us off at the college gate. Nature had had its toll over us in return for our toppling over it!
began exploring the rocks for the fittest route to have an encouraging start. The route located,the rope was tied to a huge boulder, with a double eight and two safety knots on the harness, the climbing began.The pumping heart ,the heavy sinews as the climb proceeded, and the thrill of climbing a natural rock more than ten times your own height was just too good. One after the other, fourteen climbers (though novice)took turns at scaling the rocks. The morning saw a frenzy mob as fourteen boys and girls from the college tried to fit themselves in one single Innova which had already accommodated all the ropes, harnesses et al plus the driver, the seven seater took off from the Rudra gate only to stop at Dhauj-our final destination. And now, an hour had passed,the route changed but the excitement was still the same especially because now we were to climb up and then rappel down the same route. Mean
while, a few of us had a relaxing time at the edge of the nearby natural lake; taking turns at the lake and the rocky wall. Evening was approaching and we were all lost in the fun of the rocks,the nature’s immense heights, the spirit to scale them and above all in the lighthearted mood of the group, from playing silly games to interviewing each other on cameras(cellphones) as common villagers.The day had left us all as one family and we could feel the strength and love that our stephanian family holds.The morning might have had a few famous ‘snobs’ but the evening had us all in one hue trying to humble nature by our feats at various places in Dhauj. Packing ourselves one atop the other, we began with our ride back to college..lost in the fun that the group had to offer on the way back, and only to regain consciousness when the driver called us off at the college gate. Nature had had its toll over us in return for our toppling over it! 
Eshwaran Bharatan Memorial Wall
A recent addition to the facilities of College is the Eshwaran Bharatan Memorial Climbing Wall. This artificial rock climbing wall, situated outside the Gymnasium, was funded by a former member of the Club in memory of Eshwaran Bharatan, President of the Hiking Club in 1979-80, who was tragically killed while on an expedition in the Mulkilla range in Lahaul.
The construction of the wall was carried out by Mohit Oberoi. It is 11m high and 5m wide. The lower half consists of moulded ‘3-dimensional’ panels and the top half has flat panels. It has two overhangs at different angles, and there is also the possibility of climbing on the side panels. Route lengths of up to 17m can be set by utilizing the full width of the wall.
The wall has been a great attraction for aspiring, as well as seasoned, climbers because of its accessibility. Its well-shaded location has made it a welcome alternative to outdoor trips, especially during the summer months. Since its inauguration in March 2004, dozens of climbers have been honing their skills on it at all times of the day - before, between and after classes. In September 2004, the Club organized and hosted the 10th North Zone Sport Climbing Competition, on behalf of the North Zone Sport Climbing Committee, on this wall. Students from College participated enthusiastically in the Men’s and Women’s categories, and three of them – Isha, Mehak and Pianjeli - were selected to represent North Zone at the National competition in November. This was particularly commendable considering their lack of previous experience in such competitions.
Our success at hosting this competition has inspired us to try to institute an annual sport climbing competition – to be known as the St. Stephen’s Open Sport Climbing Competition – for the best climbers from Delhi and neighboring areas. At present we are in the process of raising funds for this proposed competition, which we hope to be able to host from this year onwards.
The construction of the wall was carried out by Mohit Oberoi. It is 11m high and 5m wide. The lower half consists of moulded ‘3-dimensional’ panels and the top half has flat panels. It has two overhangs at different angles, and there is also the possibility of climbing on the side panels. Route lengths of up to 17m can be set by utilizing the full width of the wall.
The wall has been a great attraction for aspiring, as well as seasoned, climbers because of its accessibility. Its well-shaded location has made it a welcome alternative to outdoor trips, especially during the summer months. Since its inauguration in March 2004, dozens of climbers have been honing their skills on it at all times of the day - before, between and after classes. In September 2004, the Club organized and hosted the 10th North Zone Sport Climbing Competition, on behalf of the North Zone Sport Climbing Committee, on this wall. Students from College participated enthusiastically in the Men’s and Women’s categories, and three of them – Isha, Mehak and Pianjeli - were selected to represent North Zone at the National competition in November. This was particularly commendable considering their lack of previous experience in such competitions.
Our success at hosting this competition has inspired us to try to institute an annual sport climbing competition – to be known as the St. Stephen’s Open Sport Climbing Competition – for the best climbers from Delhi and neighboring areas. At present we are in the process of raising funds for this proposed competition, which we hope to be able to host from this year onwards.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Yearbook Report (2008-2009)
This year two members of the Hiking Club decided to cycle from Manali in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, crossing some of the highest motorable mountain passes in the Himalayas. With the expedition turning out to be a great success the Club is now planning to organise similar trips to other parts of the country as well (a cycling trip on the Konkan Coast is in the pipeline for the coming year!). Besides the cycling expedition, the Club also organised two treks. In October, fifteen members of the Club (many who had never seen snow!) made an attempt to cross a relatively lesser known mountain pass, the Pangchi Galu Pass, in the Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh. Unfortunately, heavy snowfall forced the team to abandon the trek but, what now seems like a blessing in disguise, the team decided to cross the Chandrakani Pass giving the team an opportunity to visit the mysterious village of Malana. In December, the 4th St. Stephen’s Open Sport Climbing Competition was held at the Easwaran Memorial Climbing Wall. The event, coupled with a photo exhibition of the Club’s recent activities, was a great success. With participants coming from as far as Jammu and Bangalore, the competition clearly seems to be gaining popularity among climbers from across the country.This year we decided to restart the weekend treks as many members were unable to make it to the October treks. So a small team of students accompanied by the Staff Advisor trekked from Barsu to Dayara Bugyal. This was a great opportunity for those who had never trekked before. Based on past experiences of heavy oversubscription for the rafting trips we decided to organise two rafting trips in February this year. The trips were quite eventful (with rafts flipping over on ‘The Wall’ and an encounter with a floating dead body!) and we would like to thank Vaibhav Kala (a Hiking Club alumnus) and his team at Aquaterra for giving us this exciting opportunity year after year. Other than these annual features, the Club held regular climbing sessions on the climbing wall and also organised a natural rock climbing trip to Dhauj in Haryana. In January, current members of the Club along with some alumni members got together for a prayer meeting in memory of Rohan Kanhai Dutta (popularly known as ‘Kan’), one of the most enthusiastic climbers of the Club. His presence will be missed by all those known to him.
Dayara Bugyal Trek
The night bus to Rishikesh and then an early morning jeep to be changed on the way by another one was all the transport that our six member team took to reach the foot of our weekend trek-Barsu ,at around 3 in the cold afternoon of the garhwal hills. We aimed to reach the Dayara Bugyal the next day so without any further delay, we took some meal from the village of Barsu and hence in another half an hour we all set forth on to our 8 km trek to the bugyal (meaning a meadow).
It was a steep trek and we were pushed to the limit after all that traveling even to finish the three km that we targeted before the night. the steep path, with a meandering stream here and there was a lovely sight even to our hard stressed minds.As, the sun set,we had a hard time groping our way but that was not to last for long because soon we saw some Gujjar huts in the village of Barnala,which had been vacated owing to the harsh winter,and therefore we spent the night in there.We cooked our own food on ‘choolha’-each one eagerly taking their place near the fire(not because of the cooking part essentially but because the cold was so intense that staying in any other part of the little hut would have been a mere foolery! Our novice hands soon showed up their mistakes as the process carried;soon the whole hut was full of amoke-so we made a small chimney ny plugging out some stones from the extreme end of the hut. After having that simple food., which seemed better than any feast to our hungry stomachs,we prepared our beds and soon were all set to sleep. But, perhapsthe slumber was not that eager to follow us to our sleeping beds for the major part of the night was spent gazing here and there by all of us ;envying the other to have fallen asleep so easily;but the truth came forth in the morning when it was made overt that we all had actually spent an almost sleepless night and thereby giving us all a chance to have a hearty laugh!
Next morning after a speedy breakfast, we all put our foot on the next trail to our final destination. It took us around two hours to cross Gorganda and thereby reach our final destination-the Dayara village in another hour from Gorganda.The second part of the trail was not that steep and since we were all full of rest and had also acclimatized by now,so this part was cheerfully welcomed by one and all.Soon ,we found ourselves in another Gujjar hut with bits of snow surrounding our domain.We took a brief break and again began our seemingly neverending walk to the Bugyal itself which was just a fifteen minutes walk from our newly found home.
Located at a height of 3,048 metres above Uttarkashi, the magnificence of this rolling meadow surprised us all. Endless tracts of yellowish-green grass speckled white flowers and snowflakes undulate the landscape, framed by soaring jagged peaks capped with snow.
Dayara Bugyal is what every trekker and nature lover would yearn for. Dayara Bugyal is a most unspoilt wonder. In the coming months of winter, it was to receive heavy snowfall(as told to us by the guide) and was to be soon converted into a dream destination for skiiers. It is one of the best ski slopes in India and offers alternatives to the regular, crowed slopes of Auli, Manali and Gulmarg. Still cocooned from commercial tourism, Dayara is clean and offers skiing slopes spread over 28 sq km.
We spent some nice time at the Bugyal-lying on the sun filled hill top and later even took a small walk with the guide to the adjacent Kana Tal(lake) which remained frozen during this time of the year.The beauty of the Nature overwhelmed us and we just did not want to leave.But evening and with it –the cold was approaching,which pushed us back on our way to the little hut that was to be our home for a night.Once back in the tent ,the whole night was spent in jovial mood-cooking,singing songs ,playing games et al.
Morning approached and before six we were all on the path back to Barsu.It was dark in the jungles but otherwise the full moon showed us the way.The hill tops surrounding us dazzled in the moonlight and gave us a great view of the area.In another three hours we had walked down straight to the village of Barsu.We boarded the bus back to Rishikesh and from there to Delhi;but the beauty of the hills and the sundry picturesque views that we had just refused to leave us.
It was then that I truly understood the meaning of Keat’s line:
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”
-Harshit Narang
It was a steep trek and we were pushed to the limit after all that traveling even to finish the three km that we targeted before the night. the steep path, with a meandering stream here and there was a lovely sight even to our hard stressed minds.As, the sun set,we had a hard time groping our way but that was not to last for long because soon we saw some Gujjar huts in the village of Barnala,which had been vacated owing to the harsh winter,and therefore we spent the night in there.We cooked our own food on ‘choolha’-each one eagerly taking their place near the fire(not because of the cooking part essentially but because the cold was so intense that staying in any other part of the little hut would have been a mere foolery! Our novice hands soon showed up their mistakes as the process carried;soon the whole hut was full of amoke-so we made a small chimney ny plugging out some stones from the extreme end of the hut. After having that simple food., which seemed better than any feast to our hungry stomachs,we prepared our beds and soon were all set to sleep. But, perhapsthe slumber was not that eager to follow us to our sleeping beds for the major part of the night was spent gazing here and there by all of us ;envying the other to have fallen asleep so easily;but the truth came forth in the morning when it was made overt that we all had actually spent an almost sleepless night and thereby giving us all a chance to have a hearty laugh!
Next morning after a speedy breakfast, we all put our foot on the next trail to our final destination. It took us around two hours to cross Gorganda and thereby reach our final destination-the Dayara village in another hour from Gorganda.The second part of the trail was not that steep and since we were all full of rest and had also acclimatized by now,so this part was cheerfully welcomed by one and all.Soon ,we found ourselves in another Gujjar hut with bits of snow surrounding our domain.We took a brief break and again began our seemingly neverending walk to the Bugyal itself which was just a fifteen minutes walk from our newly found home.
Located at a height of 3,048 metres above Uttarkashi, the magnificence of this rolling meadow surprised us all. Endless tracts of yellowish-green grass speckled white flowers and snowflakes undulate the landscape, framed by soaring jagged peaks capped with snow.
Dayara Bugyal is what every trekker and nature lover would yearn for. Dayara Bugyal is a most unspoilt wonder. In the coming months of winter, it was to receive heavy snowfall(as told to us by the guide) and was to be soon converted into a dream destination for skiiers. It is one of the best ski slopes in India and offers alternatives to the regular, crowed slopes of Auli, Manali and Gulmarg. Still cocooned from commercial tourism, Dayara is clean and offers skiing slopes spread over 28 sq km.
We spent some nice time at the Bugyal-lying on the sun filled hill top and later even took a small walk with the guide to the adjacent Kana Tal(lake) which remained frozen during this time of the year.The beauty of the Nature overwhelmed us and we just did not want to leave.But evening and with it –the cold was approaching,which pushed us back on our way to the little hut that was to be our home for a night.Once back in the tent ,the whole night was spent in jovial mood-cooking,singing songs ,playing games et al.
Morning approached and before six we were all on the path back to Barsu.It was dark in the jungles but otherwise the full moon showed us the way.The hill tops surrounding us dazzled in the moonlight and gave us a great view of the area.In another three hours we had walked down straight to the village of Barsu.We boarded the bus back to Rishikesh and from there to Delhi;but the beauty of the hills and the sundry picturesque views that we had just refused to leave us.
It was then that I truly understood the meaning of Keat’s line:
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”
-Harshit Narang
Rafting at Shivpuri...by Shauna Rodrigues
For those who wondered what rafting trips are like – they are incredibly exhausting, extremely taxing on both the mind and the body; involves eating, sleeping and peeing in tents, and having the best time of your life! On our trip to Shivpuri, we also got to experience an Uttaranchal Bus Transport Strike and therefore got to travel in a luxurious Volvo vehicle with a blaring T.V set and seats that could lean all the way back and stopped at the U.P –Uttaranchal border at 4 in the morning, in the middle of a reserve forest so that we could switch buses. But nothing beat getting into the water and rafting through the whipping waters of the Ganga. What happens is this: we’re initially given our rafting gear which includes helmets, insanely tight life jackets which make us all feel like proud 36-D’s and bright yellow paddles. We’re instructed to wear shorts – the philosophy behind this wise idea is that shorts dry much faster than pants; hold on to the ends (T-grips) of our paddles and are given lessons on the correct manner of front paddling, back-paddling and moving to the high side of the raft incase of instability, before our rafts are pushed into the water. If you are on a raft with a bunch of over-enthusiastic swimmers, then you are bound to be pushed into the pristinely clear and freezing waters of the river Ganges as soon as the preliminary puny rapids are crossed. But the shock of hitting the cold water and being lugged back into the raft all shivering and cold is totally compensated for when one rafts through rapids which have probably existed for centuries. One doesn’t need to be particularly fond of the water to thoroughly enjoy the experience of riding over a rapid in an inflatable plastic raft. There is something unbeatable and exhilarating and about maneuvering through swirling waters and fighting gushing waves that makes you want to repeat the entire process again and again. We did several grade 3 rapids (there are higher levels of rapids going on to grade 5 and grade 6 for which we scrawny beginners are too inexperienced), some of them with very interesting names like ‘The Golfcourse’ and ‘three blind mice’. Our rafts would dive into the churning waters and we generally came out unscathed though on some occasions we had to fish out lost paddles, grimy crocks of a fellow rafter and on one instance our logic lecturer from the water. No amount of volleyball on the beach or building sandcastles or having peanuts and krackjack biscuits or grumbling about sore arses and aching shoulders prevented us from tackling ‘The Wall’ the next day. ‘The Wall’ was the toughest rapid we encountered through the 40 kilometres of rafting that our trip included.It is famous for the stealthy way in which it comes upon a raft, one cannot really see it as we glide through the waters, but it pounces on you after a quiet corner and the raft suddenly plunges into happily churning waters with a particularly nasty eddy rotating its way underwater.
Rafting straight into this rapid was, by infinite amounts, the best moment of the trip.We watched as a couple of rafts ahead of us flipped through the massive waves, throwing their passengers into the deep blue before we went into the evilly grinding waters ourselves. We nearly flipped, our star rafter was thrown into the water, the paddlers on the right side of the raft were pushed to the left side, a couple of rafters lost their paddles but the puniest people on the raft responded well to the screaming guide’s instructions to back paddle and steered us to safer waters. It was brilliant, unforgettable. The rafting was not the only activity that made this trip so amazing though. We camped on the banks of the Ganga in tents and experienced the intricacies of using sand-pit loos (too long to explain), sleeping in tents under the most comfortable quilts and having amazing food under a star filled sky. Several of us spent long, productive hours after rafting playing poker and resorting to winning on luck and getting beaten by novices who have just learnt to play the game. One raft even sighted a body floating through the waters of the sacred Ganges precariously close to ‘The Wall’. Several of us jumped off a 15 foot high cliff into the river below, some of the girls needed a lot of convincing before they agreed to jump off and did everything the instructors told them not to do (like look down instead of looking straight ahead n screaming with their mouths wide open) but everyone came out of the water looking absolutely thrilled and ready to take the jump again. Between worrying about sore ankles and pimples, we had a dazzling experience. The adventure and the mere thrill of overcoming a rapid was extraordinary. It was good to wake up in the morning and see the blue river flowing peacefully just a few metres away from our tents. It was good to know that even though individually we are scrawny and ridiculously helpless with a paddle, as a team of 7-8 people, we were quite strong. It is good to know that even though we are small, compared to the might of the Ganga and the huge mountains of the Himalayas surrounding us, we could cross the waters and made it to the other side.
Rafting straight into this rapid was, by infinite amounts, the best moment of the trip.We watched as a couple of rafts ahead of us flipped through the massive waves, throwing their passengers into the deep blue before we went into the evilly grinding waters ourselves. We nearly flipped, our star rafter was thrown into the water, the paddlers on the right side of the raft were pushed to the left side, a couple of rafters lost their paddles but the puniest people on the raft responded well to the screaming guide’s instructions to back paddle and steered us to safer waters. It was brilliant, unforgettable. The rafting was not the only activity that made this trip so amazing though. We camped on the banks of the Ganga in tents and experienced the intricacies of using sand-pit loos (too long to explain), sleeping in tents under the most comfortable quilts and having amazing food under a star filled sky. Several of us spent long, productive hours after rafting playing poker and resorting to winning on luck and getting beaten by novices who have just learnt to play the game. One raft even sighted a body floating through the waters of the sacred Ganges precariously close to ‘The Wall’. Several of us jumped off a 15 foot high cliff into the river below, some of the girls needed a lot of convincing before they agreed to jump off and did everything the instructors told them not to do (like look down instead of looking straight ahead n screaming with their mouths wide open) but everyone came out of the water looking absolutely thrilled and ready to take the jump again. Between worrying about sore ankles and pimples, we had a dazzling experience. The adventure and the mere thrill of overcoming a rapid was extraordinary. It was good to wake up in the morning and see the blue river flowing peacefully just a few metres away from our tents. It was good to know that even though individually we are scrawny and ridiculously helpless with a paddle, as a team of 7-8 people, we were quite strong. It is good to know that even though we are small, compared to the might of the Ganga and the huge mountains of the Himalayas surrounding us, we could cross the waters and made it to the other side.
Hiking Club
A Brief History
Founded in 1949, the Hiking Club of St. Stephen’s College is one of the oldest mountaineering clubs in India, second only to The Himalayan Club in Bombay. It is older than such institutions as the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and the Delhi Mountaineering Association. Its list of achievements too is unmatched by any similar college-level club.
Although it was initially formed with the aim of introducing students to outdoor activities in general, the Hiking Club quickly graduated to more serious mountaineering activities, especially under the guidance of the late Mr. Balbir Singh of the Department of Economics, who was the Staff Adviser through the 1960s.
By the end of the 1980s, the Club had an unrivalled record of high-altitude treks, many done under the guidance of Mr. Balbir Singh and his successors as Staff Adviser. Many of the routes the Club did were truly pioneering, done in the years before the development of infrastructure made them popular and accessible.
The Club also has a fine record of climbing. Though a complete list of all expeditions undertaken is not possible, some significant achievements have been as follows:
first passage through the lower Rishiganga gorge into the Nanda Devi Sanctuary (while attempting one of the Devistan peaks), in 1977
first entry by a climbing team into the Kalabaland glacier system
ascent of Deo Tibba (6001 m) in 1980 by an all-girls expedition
first ascent of a 21,800 ft (6645 m) peak in the Chango valley in Spiti in 1982, which was named “Ninjeri” (Pure mountain) by the team
ascent of the Bagini Pass leading to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary in 1984
ascents of various other peaks, including Bandarpunch (6316 m) and Hanuman Tibba (5928 m)
Closer to home, many of the rock climbing areas around Delhi that are now popular with all climbers were actually discovered and first climbed by the active members of the Club in the seventies and eighties, like Rohan Kanhai Dutta, Mandeep Singh Soin, Yousuf Zaheer and Sanjeev Saith. Well-known climbers among the Club’s alumni also include people such as Suman Dubey, Hari Dang, P.M. Das, Romesh Bhattacharji and Ajay Tankha.
All in all, the Hiking Club a great legacy to live up to. In the recent past, the emphasis of its activities had shifted somewhat from high altitude climbing to trekking, but it has been the intention of the present members to revive that tradition. Still, the Club remains committed to introducing students to a wide range of adventure sports. After all, we have always been involved in many different activities, perhaps best exemplified by one of our former Presidents, Ajeet Bajaj, who was once described as “the only Indian to have rafted down three Indian rivers and climbed Jogin III who can play the saxophone”!
Founded in 1949, the Hiking Club of St. Stephen’s College is one of the oldest mountaineering clubs in India, second only to The Himalayan Club in Bombay. It is older than such institutions as the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and the Delhi Mountaineering Association. Its list of achievements too is unmatched by any similar college-level club.
Although it was initially formed with the aim of introducing students to outdoor activities in general, the Hiking Club quickly graduated to more serious mountaineering activities, especially under the guidance of the late Mr. Balbir Singh of the Department of Economics, who was the Staff Adviser through the 1960s.
By the end of the 1980s, the Club had an unrivalled record of high-altitude treks, many done under the guidance of Mr. Balbir Singh and his successors as Staff Adviser. Many of the routes the Club did were truly pioneering, done in the years before the development of infrastructure made them popular and accessible.
The Club also has a fine record of climbing. Though a complete list of all expeditions undertaken is not possible, some significant achievements have been as follows:
first passage through the lower Rishiganga gorge into the Nanda Devi Sanctuary (while attempting one of the Devistan peaks), in 1977
first entry by a climbing team into the Kalabaland glacier system
ascent of Deo Tibba (6001 m) in 1980 by an all-girls expedition
first ascent of a 21,800 ft (6645 m) peak in the Chango valley in Spiti in 1982, which was named “Ninjeri” (Pure mountain) by the team
ascent of the Bagini Pass leading to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary in 1984
ascents of various other peaks, including Bandarpunch (6316 m) and Hanuman Tibba (5928 m)
Closer to home, many of the rock climbing areas around Delhi that are now popular with all climbers were actually discovered and first climbed by the active members of the Club in the seventies and eighties, like Rohan Kanhai Dutta, Mandeep Singh Soin, Yousuf Zaheer and Sanjeev Saith. Well-known climbers among the Club’s alumni also include people such as Suman Dubey, Hari Dang, P.M. Das, Romesh Bhattacharji and Ajay Tankha.
All in all, the Hiking Club a great legacy to live up to. In the recent past, the emphasis of its activities had shifted somewhat from high altitude climbing to trekking, but it has been the intention of the present members to revive that tradition. Still, the Club remains committed to introducing students to a wide range of adventure sports. After all, we have always been involved in many different activities, perhaps best exemplified by one of our former Presidents, Ajeet Bajaj, who was once described as “the only Indian to have rafted down three Indian rivers and climbed Jogin III who can play the saxophone”!
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