Sun was rising up the horizon and
the white rugged mountains beneath reminded us of the challenge ahead. The flight
was full of interesting people: army soldiers back from their leaves, ice
hockey players from foreign countries and a bunch of serious trekkers with one
destination in mind – the Chadar. From past couple of months, chadar was the
constant part of our thinking. Reading trek blogs, seeing weather forecasts: we
were mentally ready to face it! No matter how prepared we were, there was
always a question - “How can I withstand
the cold? “ Our readiness was immediately put to test as the pilot announced
“The temperature outside is -12 degress. “ From the warmth in the flight we walked
out into a giant freezer. The journey in
the cold desert had just started!
Getting acclimatized in Leh is very
important. At 11,562 ft above sea
level, at subzero temperatures, and 7 days out on the river, falling sick is
the least thing you want! So first day is just relaxing, getting used to mountain air, finishing any last minute purchases. Leh market is such amazing place, everything
you need for the trek can be found there even in winter. 90% of the town
hibernates for the harsh winter months.
A little conversation with the locals will help in realizing how tough
the next few days will be! Some of the responses we got: “Ye tho Delhi hai, asli ladakh wahi hai[wrt cold] “, “ Ham log nahi
jaayenge udhar, aap bahut himmathwale hai ”! None of the comments seem to distract us :D
With the excitement, a little fear and cold hands we marched onto the Chadar.
Chadar means a blanket of ice.
Every winter Zanskar River turns from furious flow into freezing ice. From
December to March, all roads in and out of Zanskar valley is blocked by snow
and the frozen river is the only way out. And this route is used for
centuries by the locals. In the past
decade, it’s become a hot spot for trekkers. To hit Chadar, ride along the
Leh-Srinagar highway till the grand Indus-Zanskar confluence and travel along
Zanskar. You can trek all the way from Chilling to Padum by walking on the
river!
In chadar the reality hits you soon and in hard way! We walk very
carefully on the chadar, checking the ice before every step we take. Ice is
rock solid and won’t break even if an elephant walks on most of the places. The
problem is the uneven and super slippery surface. It’s as if you are walking on
a smooth floor spilled with oil! On top of that, gum boots makes your walk very
difficult. No matter how careful you are, you will fall down! It’s your first day on chadar and you haven’t
even walked for half a day and already you would have fallen not just once or
twice, but a zillion times. “Oh gawwd,
why am I here?”,”Can I finish the trek if I fall like this?”,”What if I injure
myself”?.. Mind starts playing the ‘what if’ game very early! Occasional ice cracks, the sound of gushing water
beneath the chadar gives some more threat!
Seeing the campsite is much needed relief ! :)
Cold is your constant partner
throughout the journey. With huge mountains on either side of chadar, sunlight
falls only on few areas. And it stays for a very short time. Day time
temperature would be around -5 to -10. Night gets really cold with the mercury
plunging to -25 to -30. Staying out with
your body exposed to cold wind is tough. Your hand becomes numb, fingers loose
feelings ;) Minute tasks like opening
the water bottle, taking photo, locking the tent zip needs humungous
efforts! Drinking more than a sip of
cold water is humanly impossible. But it’s not all that bad! Kawah , black tea, soups gives enough water
to keep you hydrated. On the walk, the body generates enough heat to keep you warm.
With 5-6 layers of clothing and a decent sleeping bag, it’s warm enough in the
tent! And the body slowly starts getting adjusted to the cold!
As the journey continues, you begin to accept
the reality! Once the acceptance comes in, the journey is more fun! You start
to learn walking on ice, start learning to maintain balance, start to slide,
experiment with your footsteps ,enjoy the walk and enjoy the frozen world. Nothing seems to be in hurry here. Streams
supposed to join the river have halted; water does not fall from waterfalls; there
is no flow in the river; everything is frozen and settled in the mountains to breathe
in thin mountain air! A 50 feet waterfall,
frozen from top to bottom tells it all, isn’t it?
Imagine the life in such harsh
conditions. In cities, changing seasons no longer affect our lives. Out there
in the mountains, seasons mean everything. Summers are short and everyone is
busy! Winter cold seems to last forever. Nothing can be grown, there’s very
little to do and survive with the food stocked in summer! Staying warm is of
paramount importance. On the third day,
we just got a glimpse of winter life in the Zanskar valley. There are 8 villages
around, a steep climb above the frozen waterfall takes you to the Naerak
village. Around 25 people lead their lives in such harsh conditions. No
schools, no hospitals, no power, no communication with outside world! In summer they have to trek 34 kms to catch
the road, and in winters chadar is the only way out! 2 cute kids of our host will have to take this
dangerous route on river in March to come back to school in Leh. There’s no other
choice! In spite of these things, people
are happy, satisfied and jovial. They
know how to treat the guests well! We got to taste butter tea, Yak milk, roti
and sabzi - everything grown locally! And it was the warmest evening spent on
the trek! The journey back was more interesting as it snowed for almost a day.
Same route looked very different. There was extra grip on the chadar and extra
smiles on every one’s face! :)
Somebody wisely said "Your journey should become your destination, your thoughts should become your actions." It’s a wonderful feeling, when you are living that life! Gorgeous
mountains, ever changing landscapes, the river and the frozen marvels surprise
us at all the times. More than that the local people, their food, lifestyle and
culture add unique flavor to your experience. You follow the locals, learn from
locals, share their stories, become local for that short duration and that’s what
makes the trip complete and an epic one! The
mighty mountains continue to mesmerize, leaving more destinations to visit. Till
the wanderlust kicks in, Chadar memories and experience is all I have. Julley for now!
