My First Himalayan - Partial Hampta Circle - Day3: Srottu-Thatti-Tilgun

Day3: Wednesday, 21st May, 2014

It feels good when your body clock and stomach clock are in sync. That relieved feeling early in the day adds a certain enthusiasm. The enthusiasm is short lived when you realise that your stomach clock has malfunctioned and is triggering alarms every few minutes. Such was the start of this day.

The fact that to clear the alarms one had to trek downhill and then uphill for 70-80 feet didn't help matters. The Srottu campsite has two water sources and both involve a short hike, which in the rarefied Himalayan air feels like a major task. The best part of the day, however, was that the weather had cleared up with bright sunshine throughout enabling us to dry our wet ponchos.

Raunak enjoying the sunshine

Pic by: Krunal

I had a light breakfast, complemented by an Eno and some stomach soothing medication. The campsite was then duly wrapped up, We packed our eatables - same as last time. By 1000hrs were ready to go!

Leaving Srottu

L-R: Raunak, Arpit, Sandhya, Sarita, Mayank, Ishwar Dutt, Rudra Chand, Anmol, Nisha, Priya, Tejal, Chinmay

L-R sitting: Krunal, Pritam, me, Budhi Singh

Our plan for the day was to hike up to Thatti - the highest point of this route where we were expecting a lot of fresh snow -, spend some time there and then descend to the Tilgun campsite using a different route. The initial section from Srottu to the approximate snow line was to be very steep. After the snow line the incline tapered off, but the snow would increase the effort of walking. considering these factors, a few members of the group decided to have their bags ferried by the mules to Tilgun along with the kitchen equipment. The mules were to bypass Thatti and use a simpler shorter route.

The initial incline, as described, was quite steep with small stones and boulders dotting the landscape. The non-rocky sections were thoroughly covered by grass-like vegetation. The steep incline was negotiated using small switchbacks. We took frequent breaks during this ascent. Within an hour, we had our first glimpse of snow.

The initial incline after Srottu

Pic by: Krunal

The snow here was in small patches and visibly 'stale' - remnant of the winter snowfalls maybe. This however did not deter us from having a quick snow-ball fight. The snow gradually increased to swallow up the path at places. The rarefied air and poor stomach was taking its toll on me. A steady head ache had started to manifest. This could be ominous. 

The path through the snow

Pic by: Krunal

Short beaks were mandatory here for me to collect my self and my thoughts. We reached a section where the path was now completely lost to the snow. We had to ascend about 80 feet through fresh snow - 1 feet deep in some places. Budhi Singh taught us the technique - Hit the snow side-on with the boot, lean towards the incline and use the stick for balancing. We were trudging steadily through the snow. After this patch we reached a small clearing where we were asked to wait.

Chinmay trudging through the snow

Pic by: Krunal

The clearing was an area of 10x15 feet which was not covered by snow. Below us was the path though which we had just come and above was a longer stretch of fresh snow, beautifully inclined and perfectly set for some fun. This was precisely what the group set out to do. Snow-balls, snow-poses, poncho-sledding and skiing followed unabated for some time. I however opted to rest awhile to quell the headache. There was still some height to be gained and I did not want to over-exert at this point. 

Egyptians in the snow

L-R: Arpit, Sandhya, Sarita, Mayank

Pic by: Krunal

After the extended break we made our way for the final ascent of the trek, through the patch we had just played in. The snow here was an bit more difficult to navigate as compared to the previous patch, but most of us had grasped the technique needed and managed it easily enough. 

Arpit the Redeemer - Near the final ascent

From this point we made our way to Thatti - a ledge with a majestic view of the Fa-Konda range ahead and the Beas valley below. A brief halt to soak in the view - the beauty of the place - and then we were off. The descent had begun.

Chinmay and Ishwar Dutt with the Beas valley below

Pic by: Chinmay

The initial descent was steep. Gathering a footing at this point was a bit difficult due to the unsteady vegetation. We slowly and steadily made our way using small switchbacks. The descent then on alternated between patches through trees and vast sloping meadows. 

Starting the descent

L-R: Sarita, Mayank, Arpit

Background: Bhdhi Singh, Sandhya

We started the descent sometime around 1300hrs and reached Tilgun at about 1600hrs. As we were reaching close to Tilgun, a sense of deep melancholy overcame me. The feeling that I would be leaving these beautiful woods in not much time. A beautiful thing had started to end. I then slowed down to less than a stroll, soaking in everything that the place had to offer. Eventually, I could not even see the people ahead, nor the people behind. I was alone. And it was beautiful. 

By the time I reached Tilgun, the sun was about to set on the opposite range of the Beas valley. And fresh momos were waiting to be devoured. 

The kitchen tent - source of fresh momos

Tilgun as a campsite is pretty vast.  But most of it is occupied by the local sheep-folk and they leave their traces. The entire campsite is littered with sheep droppings. We managed to find a small clearing and pitched our tents. It was dark soon and we retired to our tents for the evening. 

The dinner was followed by an active campfire - song and dance stuff underneath the stars and pinged by a cold breeze. It was fun. We returned to our tents for the night - our last in the Himalayan woods.

- Kapil Pilankar