Sin La Trek : Conquering yourself

“18023 ft sin la “, The number had my attention, Ajay kaka has just formed a WhatsApp group with all our trekking regulars calling for sin la trek in September.

18k ft would be the highest i have been while trekking but more than that it would be chance to reunite with the group on a Himalayan trek since our pin-parvati trek in 2015, good enough reason to confirm my participation. The other 20 for sure had the same reason.

Himalayan pass at that height was surely not going to be a cake walk, next 4-5 months had to be spent on physical fitness.

By August the list had come down from 20 to 12, we had approached Anit Sah to manage this trek for us.
First and the most important task was to get the required permits, sin la is along the Kailash - mansarovar route, closer to Tibetan border hence we had to get a go ahead from the local authorities and ITBP. We had sent out filled forms with supporting documents to Anit so that they can be processed in advance.

14thSeptember 2019, flight to Delhi and overnight train had brought us to Kathgodam, 12 seater tempo traveler was waiting for us and the 300 km journey to Dharchula, the base village for Kailash yatra as well as our trek.

Twisty himalayan roads and the usual road blocks due to landslides meant it took more than 12 hours to reach Dharchula , busty village along india -nepal boarder in Pithoragarh district. We met Anit here for the first time almost of the same age as us but had seen a lot more of these mountains than any of us . At the age of 17 he was part of the everest expedition(1992), was recently part of Nanda devi rescue operation.

We were yet to get our permits from the sub-diststrict magistrate, we were asked to deposit our ID cards , just to ensure that we dont run away to china , we had to go through regular ITBP medical tests which is mandatory for all the travellers on kailsash-mansarovar route . All this was going to take next 2 days time, we would be stranded in Dharchula till then , we could do nothing better than taking a stroll in the Nepalese market across the border

Dharchula

a casual stroll to Nepal side Darchula

Day 1 : Dharchula (2998ft )to Najang 60 km by car to Malpa ( 6800 ft) 6 km walk

In the old days the kailash yatra would begin from Dharchula on foot and would take close to 2 months but the road constructions in last few years have covered 60% of the route , even though a gravel route but most of it is motorable.

Motorable by indian standards means its wide enough for the car to fit and has gradient less than 90 degrees. Dharchula-najang road for sure in coming years would be one the deadliest roads in the world , we for sure had the deadliest driver in the world , with flattest possible tires he was practicing his Dacar rally manoeuvres on a road which has sheer 3000ft drop, mud and all the possible things a road should not have. Even then it took us almost 3 hrs to cover 60km distance.
Finally we were dropped near a makeshift hut supporting the road construction work, after a quick lunch we started our walk along the kali river.
Continuous rock cutting, blasting and construction equipment’s had made the entire terrain look more like an industry than the usual peaceful Himalayan terrain.

After around 2-3 hours of ascend we had gained around 1500ft and reached Malpa. It was just another rain shelter near a dhaba run by some Hayat Singh.

Dharchula to Najang Road

And we start walking , the arch due to mountain cut for road

Malpa halt @ Hayat singh Dhaba

Day 2 : Malpa to Garbyang(10200ft)

Today would be a long day , delay in getting permits had created a one day backlog which we had to cover. It is easy to pick up pace at lower altitudes so we had to reach Garbyang today.

The day started with steep ascend till budhi which was along the road construction work and very tiring , after almost 3 -4 hours.

we had gained around 2000ft and reached Buddhi for lunch. Landscape till Buddhi was mostly dull , dominated by the road construction. It felt as if someone had taken a scoop out of a mountain expose muddy and rocky interiors.

Buddhi was just 40% of the work we still had another 8kms to go , 3 km of which would be extremely steep ascend till Chiyalekh , point at the mountain top.

Climb till Chiyalekh was extremely slow painful and testing. 3kms took us more than 2-3 hours. This steep climb will for sure make you question yourself about your abilities to gain height at higher altitudes.

At 10990ft Chiyalekh opens up the main Byas valley , we had to report our arrival at the ITBP check post here.

Garbyang was another 5kms down the motorable road from here, black clouds were looming above , luckily as soon as we reached.

Garbyang it started raining heavily and it continued for another 2 hours. Fortunately we had secured our shelter in SSB (Sashastra Sena Bal ) hut.

they are called earth movers for a reason

chiyalekh top

Garbyang

Day 3: Garbyang to Gunji (10400ft)

Garbyang to Gunji is a leisure walk of about 10kms on a motorable road. Took us around 2-3 hours to reach gunji.

From gunji plan was to go to Nambhidang to catch the glimpse of om parvat but the weather had been cloudy since last few days hence it would have been almost impossible to get the clear view of om parvat, we dropped it off the list , saved one day and hence cleared the backlog.

In gunji we had the pleasure of meeting Padmashree awardee mountaineer, ex-itbp serviceman Mohansingh Gunjal, at the age of 67 his usual morning walk means walking from Gunji to Chaiyalekh

He shared his personal experiences about sin la with us “when i got married 40 years back, my wife wanted to see the ice so we hiked from Bidang to Kutti via sin la pass in one day, weather was very bad that day it was snowing continously, my wife saw enough of the snow that day “

Mohandada’s narration shows how tough the mountain people really are, for us urbanites trekking could be once in a year adventure but for mountain people endure it every day. While we crib about distances, bad weather and seek comfort in medicines, other luxuries like warm jackets expensive shoes etc , these people endure all these hardships and even more with simple lifestyle and smile on their faces.

There is a lot these mountains and its people can teach us about the way of life.

Gunji village and old houses

The team with Mohansingh Gunjal

Day 4 : Gunji to Kutti (12300ft)

Trek was about to get tougher now we had to cover 18kms and gain around 2500 ft today. Even though the road was motorable Anit wanted us to walk it for better acclimatization.

We started the walk after amazing tulsi tea at Mohandada’s house, the road was relatively untouched now and was getting more and more scenic after every mile.

After about 2-3 hours i had covered around 10kms, I heard the BRO tanker approaching and few familiar faces on board it, some of our friends had managed to hitch the ride to kutti. I obliged as well. That 8 km ride on packed tanker was one of a kind experience.

Thanks to the lift we reached the scenic Kutti village early which gave us much needed rest as well sometime to explore surrounding like Pandav Fort.

Kutti is the mythical village where Pandavas spend their exile days. The name Kutti could have came from Kunti. The village itself is very old the houses are made of wood, well carved windows, walls coated with thick layer of mud, roofs insulated by wood and layer of grass makes a very comfy stay.

No wonder pandavas chose this place.

The homestay

Village captured from Pandav Fort

Day 5 : Kutti to Jolingkong(14450 ft)

Jolingkong would be our advance base camp before we attempt the sin la. At 14k ft it was ideal destination which would help us acclimatize for the 18k height gain.

Ascend from kutti to Jolingkong was not easy it was steep and always windy . After 4 hours of hike we reached a mountain top and Jolingkong was visible at a distance but once again we learned a lesson how illusive the distances are in the mountains as it took us another 3 hrs to reach
the destination.

Jolingkong has a kmvn guest house which is in use during the yatra , Jolingkong is the place which gives good view of sacred Adi Kailash peak hence during thr yatra days it’s pretty busy.

But yatra has ended a long back now the caretaker of the property was on the way down to spend winters in comfort but he was kind enough to keep two fiber bunkers open for anyone in need.

Insulated bunker was a saving grace otherwise it would have been hard to face the freezing winds of Jolingkong plains.

The pandav peaks

kmvn huts

Day 6 : rest day and small hike to Parvati lake ( 14500ft)

We made the most of the rest day, the weather was brilliant. Day started with mesmerizing view of golden lite Adi Kailash peak.
Small hike to nearby parvati lake was cherry on top, peaceful surroundings of parvati lake was just what was needed to calm the tired mind.
We were all geared up for sin la conquer now, we agreed to leave at 2am in the morning. In dark you tend to hike quicker also the weather is stable and snow if exists stays firm hence is easy to climb. Lack of sun also means you dehydrate less.

Starting early also gives you that extra time in case something goes wrong at that height.

Adi Kailash

Parvati lake , temple and adi kailash

Day 7: Jolinkong to Sin La (17606 ft) to Vedang (13200 ft)

Since 3 PM in the afternoon the weather started changing, clouds were gathering on nearby Adi Kailash peak, the pandav peaks were no more visible, light drizzle started which very soon converted into a snow fall at that height. We could see snowflakes floating away in the winds, we had our fingers crossed.

Chirag had been struggling with bad stomach and weakness since yesterday he decided to move back to Kutti with the horsemen, Sin la exertion would have been too much in that condition. With the risk of bad weather, it was clear that team had to maintain higher average speed any illness could have slowed down the entire team or worst prove fatal for Chirag, it was safe for him to move to lower altitudes and take some rest.

Snowfall intensified by 6 PM, we decided to take a call at 12 AM. Sleep was hard to come, everyone was anxious and were hoping for clear weather. By 12 the rains had returned, it was clear that we cannot make movement at 2 AM. Anit decided to delay the ascend by another 3 hours, 5AM is when we would take call again.

Everyone was wide awake, Anit barged in at 5AM, “Bad news guys the weather is still not good enough, we have to wait till sun rise”. We surrendered to the comforts of our -8 degrees sleeping bag, trying to get few hours of sleep.

6 AM, Anit stormed in, “Guys lets go , we have good enough weather , rains have stopped , I don’t think it’s going to get any better but not worst either , good enough to start walking , breakfast in 30 mins , we leave in one hour” everyone was out of their sleeping bags in a minute , fastest ever during the trek.

Finally, at 7 we wished chirag luck on his return journey and readied ourselves for the long day. The weather was still gloomy, Adi Kailash was behind the clouds, Anit formed the queue, ranks chosen carefully to ensure that the average speed is not too fast, not too slow. We had to move in line and in sync.

An hour into the ascend we had crossed 15000ft, gouri kund was to our left at the base of Adi Kailash, our constant companion. Snow fall had intensified, the rocky landscape was turning all white now. “We have 5 hours once the snowfall starts after that it will be difficult to walk, keep moving, don’t stop” Anit knew that weather is not going to be any better, we had to be quick.

The ascend was getting steeper now, took us almost 2 hours to cross the 16000ft barrier, we had reached a gully, the pass was somewhere up there, lost in the clouds. The snow had never stopped, it was as if we were in a huge white cloud, even though visibility wasn’t poor, the only colour the landscape had was white.

Constant snow fall and altitude was now slowing us down , the breaks were becoming more frequent , we were getting tired physically as well as mentally. The only sound we could hear apart from our own hapless breathing was Anit’s “Keep moving guys we have to be in the pass in next one hour”. We were feeling as if weights on our back had suddenly increased two folds, everything was testing us. We kept encouraging each other and kept pushing.

Another hour went by, “Pass must be there” Ram singh said, it looked near, last few feets we said, but the distances are always very illusive in mountains as we soon found out. We were at place Ram Singh was pointing to and we could see another 1000ft before we finally reach the pass. This is the time when you start questioning yourself “why the hell I am doing this? why can’t I choose a more relaxing vacation? I have had enough of the snow, did we take the right call by climbing on bad weather day ?, weather could have been clearer the next day? or not ? “ ,It all starts in the mind. Anit knew it, more time we spend, more mentally drained we will be, he kept pushing.

Finally, we could see the last 100m ascend and the crestline, that’s the pass for sure. “15 mins more guys let’s do it “Anit was optimistic, by now we had crossed 17000ft, every step from here is going to be a challenge.

Last 100M took us close to one hour, ITBP has installed radium poles, Sin la is their regular exercise route, we were by now just counting the poles remaining before the pass “just 3 more poles to go, keep going”

Finally, amidst the intensifying snow fall and winds, we made it to the top, all the questions vanished or were answered, we do it for this very moment, when you reach the top you feel as if you have arrived home, the feeling is as comforting as coming back home after tiring day at work. You may have been cursing mountain a while back, but when you reach the top, your mind just calms down, all you have is respect for your mates and for the mountain who let you do this.

We hugged each other, tears were rolling down, the job however was only half done. Usually on a clearer day we would have sung national anthem, Ganesh aarti, shared sweets, but the weather was not letting us do any of it, we had to keep moving.

We spent not more than 2 mins at the top, we had spent 6 hours reaching there. But we knew, descend is sometimes more dangerous and tricky than ascend. 27 years back Anit had done sin la pass from Vedang side, he knew the terrain well, he knew the exposed descend could prove fatal in such weather for a relaxed mind, he ensured that everyone was well focused and not too relaxed.

Descend was very steep, we could not see the bottom but for sure it was more than 1000ft drop, we had to be really careful. When it snows so much, it’s hard to judge where to keep your foot for solid footing, one mistake at that height can prove fatal. On one such tricky traverse Vijay lost his footing, somehow managed to hold on to his walking stick, all hearts skipped a bit, we were all stunned for a moment.

We were losing height quickly now, we were literally skating through mud, ice, gravel and whatever else was there, we were desperate to see a flat ground and some sunshine, it wasn’t to be seen for few more hours though.

Finally, after 3 hours of mind numbing descent we could see some meadows near the horizon “ITBP camp was somewhere after that meadow” Anit said to provide some relief. We had been walking for almost 10 hours now, all we had since morning was a cup of porridge, 2 5-star chocolates and some biscuits. “Let’s wait for lunch “Anit finally said, we had crossed 15000ft mark now and were safe from the snowfall, a well-deserved lunch break at last.

Smiles were back now, we were on the planes again and in some sunshine, just 5 minutes after we touched down on planes, we looked back and the weather was as clear as if nothing has happened, sun was shining on the sin la pass, sky was clear, as if a magic. Mountains were testing us and were now rewarding our hard work with magnificent views of the Darma valley.

ITBP camp was still 3-4 kms away but now there was no risk, we were safe, we had endured the pass day and accomplished our mission. Panchachuli peaks were glowing at a distance above the camp.

Ascend Start ( Picture Credits : Ajay Dhamdhere)

Nearing the sin la ( Picture Credits : Ajay Dhamdhere)

Joy of reaching on top ( Picture Credits : Ajay Dhamdhere)

at the pass

17606 Ft achieved

The descend ( Picture Credits : Ninad Bartakke)

Finally the plains are in sight ( Picture Credits : Ninad Bartakke)

( Picture Credits : Ninad Bartakke)

Clear weather as soon as we reach the plains

First view of beautiful darma valley

Day 8: Vedang to Duktu (11200 ft )

Vedang to duktu is the most scenic route of the entire trek, passes through the Darma valley, beautiful darma river always at your side and panchachuli peaks at your front, ideal landscape to recharge you after a previous day’s hardships.

14km route passes through meadows, pine forests, glaciers, silver birch trees, you name it and it has everything. It’s not a leisure descend as you would expect on a last day, it does test you, has 4-5 steep ascends to keep reminding you that it’s never easy in mountains.

But after 5-6 hours of continuous ups and downs you will reach Dantu and the view will leave you spellbound for sure, Duktu is just across the river bank, but when you see the road and the bridge which takes you to the other bank is still some 2-3 kms away, one final deception from the mountains before it all ends . Thankfully there is another bridge hidden from the view which makes the last leg of the journey a little less tiring.

Few transport vehicles run daily from Duktu to Dharchula , Anit had reached a lot earlier and was able to secure one for us.

Return journey has started