The Wild Northwest; India's Last Frontier

Hiking in the Himalayas Part III: Back to the Basics, The Hero Returns

By the time we reached the entrance of Kuflon Basics, I wasn't sure if I could make it up the stairs. We had made it through the freezing night, hiked all the way back past Manchi and Agora, turned in our sleeping bags and tents, and walked the remaining two kilometers back to our base, and all I wanted was chocolate, beer, and internet access. Our route had taken us 48 kilometers over the past 72 hours, and with the exception of some of the more rigorous speed workouts during high school track/XC I cannot remember ever being so thoroughly exhausted. Anil greeted us warmly, and as we struggled laboriously up to our cabins the vision of a warm shower took precedence over all other luxuries. We had made it back to Kuflon in good spirits, and the prospects of two full days of rest provided no small feeling of comfort as we washed and treated ourselves to some well-earned rest and relaxation after three days of strenuous physical exertion. 

We set out as soon as it was light enough, mostly because the novelty of being surrounded by snow becomes old much quicker when one does not have sufficient layers to provide warmth. Within twenty minutes most of us were down to short sleeves, such was the heat. The distinction in temperature between the coldness of Dodital and the trail even one kilometer away was amazing. Though we still had to pass through snowbound areas on the way down, all of them were in the first two to three kilometers from Dodital, and even areas that the previous day had completely covered the trail had already melted substantially, making our passage much less challenging.

By the simple laws of physics, it is no surprise that going down was faster than coming up, yet all of us were shocked by how quickly we covered the way back. A journey that had taken the better part of two separate days was completed in one, and when we finally did reach Kuflon Basics it was only the mid-afternoon. The two guys from Yale that we had encountered in Agora were back at Kuflon as well by the time we got back, and we spent much of our time with them. The two nights that we were there passed by quickly, and though a week seems a long time there have been days that have felt longer than the total time we were away. At night the stars were brilliant; throughout this semester we have been treated to some phenomenal evening skies, and in the mountains of Uttarakhand I was not disappointed. Anil's camp was not yet licensed to sell liquor, and the liquor shop in Utarkeshi was out of beer, so we made merry with an rum from Sikkim. Gone are the days when I could drink liquor straight, so while my peers took shots or tried it the local way (rum mixed with hot water), your dear Chhatrapati drank rum and coke (minus the rum).

We had internet access, thankfully, and in the time we were away my dear Ms Chhatrapati Lukeji was kind enough to register me for the fall term in my absence. Because I am now in my sixth semester, the number of credit hours I have is relatively high compared to most of the American University student body, and I was able to get into all the classes that I wanted. Our accommodations additionally included a lounge area complete with a TV, so we were able to catch the penultimate cricket match that saw India defeat Pakistan. Spirits were subsequently high, and more rum (and coke) was joyously consumed.

At the end of our stay, I mentally prepared myself to face the hellish car ride around the mountains. Anil had offered me pills, but I had declined, preferring not to miss the view due to drowsiness. As it turned out, most of the ride back was relatively painless, though we did have to stop briefly to replace a tire that had gone flat. We drove from Utarkeshi back to the holy city of Haridwar, where we caught the second half of the championship cricket match with India against Sri Lanka. After the victory, we rushed out into the streets and were quickly picked up by a passing crowd, composed mainly of young men interested in the three foreign girls in our company. I had counted on observing the festivities from afar, but due to the unwarranted attention I found myself along with my peers inadvertently at the center of a frenzied parade with individuals jumping in to take photos of themselves with the girls, or at least attempting to get as close as Josh (our other travel companion), and I would allow them. This quickly ended the interest of our female companions in further celebrations, so we escorted them back to our refuge in the lobby of a nearby hotel and then proceeded back out to witness the festivities anonymously.

Toward the end of the night, and with everything proceeding as planned, we caught our train to Delhi after a slight setback, and several hours later we were rushing to Indira Gandhi International Airport to catch our flight back to Pune. We made it back in the early afternoon, and Josh and I stopped at one of our preferred venues to enjoy the first Kingfisher that we had tasted in over a week. I arrived home by the middle of the afternoon, and promptly feel asleep. It was good to be home.