WhiteMagic Adventure Blog
There and Back Again by Rajneesh Puri
There and Back Again by Rajneesh Puri
by Rajneesh Puri | August 24, 2015
This may sound familiar to the 40 plus corporate types who meet old mates at reunions and talk about reliving their youth. Well, that's where our story begins, a bunch of city slickers who needed to push their endurance to the limit and prove to themselves that they aren't as butter-legged as seen in the movies. Many gastronomic delights and even more alcohol induced bravado later, a plan was made - "Let's do a trek in the hills" Some of us came under the 'Been there, done that' category as we had gone on an easy trek about a year ago. So naturally we were looked upon as experts and gods of fitness, even though some of us have trouble finding our own belts under the folds.
Where our "expertise" did come in handy was that we knew exactly who to call to organise this trek for us based on our trek experience from the previous year. It was a simple matter of calling White Magic Adventure and trying to ask for the friends and family discount which doesn't really exist. What we did get however was a promise that we would be have a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable trekking experience with personal attention to each one of us.
We also managed to zero in on the trek route which was - Hempta valley.
Our plan started taking shape. Many additions and dropouts later, we became a group that numbered from 9 to 47 in age and in waist size. Team WM instructed us on out-clothing, shoes, essentials, bags and even toiletries through their repeated emails and to the point information. Now all that we had to handle was the mental and the physical preparation. It is important to mention that all of us live in different cities across India and some of us joined in from the US and Dubai. Team WM worked double time to ensure that all of us made it to Himachal Bhawan for the bus to Manali. The trek manager Sanjeev accompanied us to Manali in the bus.
This is an account of the wonderful experience that we had over the next four days.
Day 1 - 30th May - Departed from Himachal Bhawan in a comfortable Volvo bus at 7:30 pm. The bus made a few stops on the way for loo breaks and meals and deposited us at the Manali bus stand at 9:30 am the next morning. We were transported to the Keylinga Inn (a nice small hotel with clean toilets, perfect for trekkers and budget travellers with a nice restaurant that serves home cooked food) in a place called Prini located just 3 Km away, on the opposite side of Manali. We all took a quick shower, some rest and a last minute trip to the main Manali market for some retail therapy. Dinner was at one of my favorite restaurants called 'The Fat Plate'. A beautiful place with an amazing garden that seems to be overflowing with a million flowers. And more importantly, a place where you can order anything from the menu knowing it will be amazing. Everyone retired early knowing almost instinctively, that every ounce of energy will be required for the trek ahead.
Day 2 - 31st May - An early morning breakfast and quick shower later, we huddled into our transport that took us to a small village about a 1000 ft above Manali called Setan. On one side we could see all of Manali spread out before us with the river Beas snaking its way through the mountains and on the other side stood this formidable mountain that we were to climb (please remember given our fitness levels, anything higher than a speed breaker is formidable for some of us pushing the wrong side of 40). A quick pre-trek meeting was held and the do's and don'ts were hammered in by our trek guide - Keerti Bhai. Part of the brief was on the importance of not to litter while climbing. Team WM has been relentless in their efforts, not only ensuring that trekkers not litter, but also in clearing hundreds of kilos of garbage off the mountains.
Today's climb was meant to be all ascent and although we were mentally prepared for it, the first 15 minutes separated the boys from the men. The boys were ahead and the men and women laboriously pulled themselves along the trail. Every bit of overeating in the past 20 years, flashed before our eyes. Surprisingly, a little more push and little more willpower later, the climb became easier. The trek was dotted with numerous pit stops and 'standing rests'. Keerti Bhai was leading from the front and Sanjeev swept up to ensure the trailing end didn't wander off. Frequent shouts of "Keerti Bhai - Kitna aur?" were always returned with the answer "Forty minutes more". It took us nearly 4 hours to reach our first camp site - Shama Fu. Located at a height of nearly 11000 ft above sea level, calling this place breathtaking would be an understatement. Wide expanse of green pastures, a beautiful stream emerging out of snow capped mountains nearby and the beauty of the valley below. The camp was already setup when we arrived and we were welcomed with steaming hot tea. Since we still had half a day left to us at the camp, some of us wandered off to explore the place and others used the evening light for photography. Intermittent rain showers did not dampen our spirits and on our request, dinner was served early.
It was a brilliant and comfortable affair considering the height at which the cooks were making our meal. Our aching bodies and full bellies ensured that all of us settled into our comfortable tents quite quickly and called it a night by 9 pm.
Day 3 - Breakfast was again a lavish spread as ever and since most of us were up earlier than planned, we were able to start for the next leg of our trek by 8:30 am. We were again briefed by Keerti Bhai on what to expect for the day. It was supposed to be all descent and that put a smile on our faces. We started off very upbeat and looking forward to simply letting the gravity do it's thing. The trail started off gently and as expected we were able to make good time due to the gentle slopes. This is where the honeymoon ended. We turned a bend around the hill and found ourselves facing a steep descent. Not only was it sheer, but it was strewn with boulders. It took us almost two hours to come down the hill with protesting knees and newly found thigh muscles. After another packed hearty lunch at a beautiful riverside location, we resumed our trek towards our camp for the day.
We crossed a few beautiful streams and rivulets and the whole experience was actually quite surreal. Our bodies had become accustomed to walking and we were fully acclimatised by now. What was a laborious effort yesterday was far more smooth today. Just when everything seemed too good to be true, the heavens opened up and it started to pour. The gentle slopes became slippery and the streams swelled up.
Walking through boulders, stepping on high stones in a stream and sometimes simply trudging through slush, our speed dropped considerably. The rain was relentless making this truly an adventure. We finally made it to the camp in one piece albeit with a serious chorus of dissent.
Our camp was a place called Cheeka in the Hempta Valley. As usual, our dinner tent was miraculously up and running before we reached and our sleeping tents looked extremely inviting. The camp site was amazing. Set up on flat ground on a pasture that was beautifully nestled between two small streams. The Hempta river roared in a distance, visible from our camp. Sheer cliffs rising on one side and a beautiful meadow with snow capped mountains in the backdrop was a sight to behold. We could see the fresh snowfall in a distance and the rain was only adding to this amazing scenic experience. A hot green tea and snacks to die for were served and all voices of dissent quickly turned into pure admiration of the arrangements. The rain finally let up and the kids were thrilled when the crew set up a sliding slope on a large glacier nearby. The kids were soon joined by the elders who forgot their age and competed with the kids down the slope.
A bonfire in the evening, fireside tales and roasted potatoes with light mist falling all around us was an experience that fulfilled our souls. The dinner was another surprise with pizzas and pasta served by our chef (Calling him anything but a Magician was an insult by now).Some of us lingered by the fire for some interesting stories by trek crew and the others enjoyed a walk by the stream in the moonlight.
Day 4 - We all woke up to a bright sunny morning and that came as a great relief. The rain had been insistent and threatening enough for us to assume that we would be find ourselves floating by morning. The combination of sun and puri - aloo breakfast prompted most of us to take a short nap. The most enthusiastic amongst to us decided to get across the river via an old tree bridge and walk up to the waterfalls that were "only" a few hours walk away.
By now we assumed ourselves to be professional trekkers. The waterfall was so beautiful and refreshing that we ended up spending a large part of the day there before returning to the camp.
The evening was spent around campfire and bonds between school friends that were formed years earlier, were now visibly being shared by our wives and kids. In the knowledge that we would all be returning to our daily lives the next day, all of us wanted to hang on to this moment. We joked about the peculiarities of some of our members without the fear of reprimand or hurt. It was a great evening made even more special because of a clear night sky lit by millions of stars that seemed within our plucking range. Not particularly tired but more out of our habit now, we trickled back to our tents and fell asleep for one last night in the wilderness that had come to call home.
Day-5 - Bags packed, mules loaded and our breakfast well stowed in our bellies, we left the camp with a bit of sadness in our hearts. It took us only 2 hours to reach the road, where we started to see the first glimpse of civilisation in the form of our waiting vehicles. We reached our hotel for a short rest and some much needed bathing.
I particularly remember lamenting on the fact that we take so many things for granted in our daily lives. A simple turn of the knob provided hot water from a shower, a miracle which was out of reach only three hours ago. Hot water would involve at least two people setting up the boiler, getting firewood and finally bringing the water boiler to the camp for a quick pat down wash.
The boys predictably reunited with the beer and the girls decided to head out early to the mall road for a quick shopping spree. We somehow managed to make our 5:30 pm bus back to Delhi.
Thus came the end of our wonderful trekking trip. Lots of bonds re-enforced, lots of memories collected, lots of promises made. Having enjoyed the professional care on our previous trek, we had expected nothing but the exceptional from Team WM and they really did not let us down. I do wonder if we had tried to do this on our own or with the help of less experienced company, we might have easily ended up losing a few friends along the way, simply out of exhaustion or frustration.
Trekking with friends as a large group or even as a solitary member is an amazing experience where you get a chance to be with yourself. I would highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't done this yet. I can't emphasise enough, the importance of doing this with a professional team. Not only do professionals understand your requirements but are also able to ensure that each member is well looked after, kept safe and motivated.
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For us, we now consider White Magic to be our real friends.
We, in our late forties, connected by technology and bonded by this experience have decided to repeat this fete every year till our bodies allow. It is most important that when so many friends meet after so long, there is a common binding factor. For us, it was provided in form of brilliant organisation, guidance, amazing food and supreme comfort by the White Magic Team.
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