Pindari - Day 5

Phurkia to Zero Point and beyond, Down to Dwali

The day started almost similar to the previous day, with me waking up to find out that I was feeling a little cold again. This time I knew we had no spare blankets, so I put on my jacket and tucked the blanket securely under me. A little later we were woken up again by the alarm. Vikas was really taking the lead today as he jumped out of his bed to get ready. He had planned to get ready first and leave ahead of the rest of the group with Geetika, while the others got ready and caught up later. Vikas and Geetika really did a remarkable job and managed to get ready, have breakfast and leave at 4:45 am. Meanwhile, I was not having such success in trying to wake up Diggu and others. Rest of the group didn’t share a similar enthusiasm for waking up so early for a trek they had already done once. Waking up Diggu had remained a difficult job through out the trek, as he growled at every attempt to get him out of bed. Chote had not been feeling well since coming back from Pindari yesterday, and straight away said that he was staying. At one point, I was not sure if any of us were going back since no one seemed in the mood to get up. I too had grabbed the extra blanket left by Vikas, and made myself more comfortable.

Finally Kailash declared that it was time to go and woke up for his morning chores. Kavita and I followed. Diggu was still sleeping and by now we had assumed he was staying too. When the rest of us were ready, Diggu suddenly jumped out saying he was coming with us. Half an hour later, he was still not sure if he wanted to go or not. I was really anxious to leave now. I discouraged Diggu from coming if he was not feeling well. At the moment, the suggestion was also a bit selfish one as I wanted to be able to leave as soon as possible. However, I think it really saved Diggu from another tiring day in bad health and helped him to recover for the return journey.

I had made up my mind to go solo on this stretch. I wanted to have a feel of trekking alone and also wanted to reach Pindari really early. My ego also wanted the satisfaction of timing myself and seeing how fast I can manage the 6 kms. I was carrying a very light bag today and planned to reach Pindari in an hour. So I started around 5:45 am, a little ahead of Kailash and Kavita, and an hour after Vikas and Geetika. I started in a rush almost breaking into a light run even on the ascent. Soon I was getting out of breath on the steep climb and had to slow down. I decided to stick to a steady pace on the climb and break into a run on the descent. Again I was confronted by the water stream. The water level was much higher now and I definitely didn’t want to get my shoes wet at the start of the day. So I got my shoes and socks off, folded my lower and jumped into the stream. I crossed over, put my socks and shoes on again, slightly annoyed at the five minutes the whole process had cost me.

I kept up my race with the clock. I breezed through the narrow trail breaking into an uncontrolled run at the sight of a descent, carrying the momentum into the ascent that usually followed. Looking back, it was perhaps the worst way to do any trek. My whole focus was on reaching the destination quickly. I wasn’t stopping to enjoy any view. Fact is, I didn’t stop even once during the 6 km, not for a conversation, not for a sip of water, not even for catching up a lost breath. Needless to say it was lot more punishing on the body as well. I wouldn’t advice anyone to have hurry on their mind while trekking. But on this occasion I have been already through the same route twice, once while going and the second while coming back. Also, I was enjoying the challenge of putting extra physical effort on myself. So far, this trek had been reasonably easy on the body. We had mules to carry our luggage and three forest officials were taking great care of us. We were provided with luxurious food and had always stayed in permanent accommodations. The trek had been broken down into reasonable distances and I hadn’t felt really tired or stretched so far. I clearly remember the Roopkund trek, where each one of us with a huge rucksack on his shoulders, at much higher altitude and for much longer distances had walked till each step became a journey in itself.

Midway, lady luck brought me a beautiful companion. Both of us were traveling alone and immediately some bond connected us. This bond was that of a chance meeting between two strangers, who meet, spend some time together, and finally part, not knowing if they would ever meet again but satisfied in the knowledge that the memories of this encounter would remain forever in their hearts. We acknowledged each other and started walking together, deeply engrossed in our own thoughts but drawing comfort from the welcomed company. Neither of us spoke a single word during the whole time we were together, yet this was not an uncomfortable silence. We didn’t need words to tell each other how much we were enjoying this walk. I was by far the slower mover, but my companion waited patiently whenever I lagged behind, on one occasion even coming back to check on me when we were blocked from each others sight by a steep turn. Later, I was allowed to lead, but whenever I would break into a run on a descent, I would find myself being overtaken from behind with such ease, that it would leave my ego totally battered. When gasping for breath, I would finally catch up, I would be greeted with a kiss on my hands. This affair continued for a while, when finally bored by my slow speed, and realizing that I am not going to give him anything to eat, he ran away wagging his long furry tail behind him.

I had been walking for 50 minutes when I ran into a couple of people coming from the opposite direction. I asked them how much distance remained and was told that it was around 2 km to Pindari. I had made good time but still I was going to miss the one hour mark. Another surprising thing was that I hadn’t run into Vikas and Geetika till now. I had hoped to catch them a lot earlier but evidently they were going a lot faster today. May be a day’s rest had done them some good. The weather was also lovely today, with pleasantly cold air and bright shine. I increased my speed for the final leg of the journey. After 10 minutes, I saw first glimpse of our leading party - Vikas, Geetika, and Tiwariji. I ran to meet them. To my utter delight, my furry friend was also with them. He was a mountain dog with brown furry coat and patches of yellow in between. He appeared quite healthy and I am sure, amidst his group, he would be the desired male. He had a bell strapped to a wide metal collar around his neck. Clearly, the dog belonged to someone but had enough liberty to roam around and make new friends. At the time, I had wondered why there was a metal collar around his neck and whether it caused him pain. The collar was around 5 inches wide and had sharp metal teeth pointing outwards. I was later told by Babaji that the dog belonged to the shepherds and his job was to guard the sheep. The collar was to protect him from snow leopards. A leopard usually kills his prey by grabbing the neck and choking off the air supply. The metal collar and the teeth would prevent a leopard from biting into his neck.

I ran the last kilometer of the journey. Soon, I was greeted by the familiar view of the Pindari valley. This time round, however, the valley had an even more beautiful look. The sky was crystal clear and the morning sun was shining brightly. The lush green valley had patches of rocky stones and snow. Pindari river was flowing on the left of the valley along a small hill that had a narrow trail leading to the Zero Point. Babaji’s ashram and temple were in the centre of the valley, along with a few tents. Nandakot and Pindari Glacier were visible at the far end. The valley was surrounded by snow-capped mountains from all side. A herd of sheep were grazing midway between where I was standing and the ashram. Everything combined to give the place a heavenly feel. I walked slowly between the herd, trying to slip past the grazing sheep. But as soon as I reached near one, it would suddenly get startled and run away, in turn startling the others. It was sort of like a ripple effect.

I walked into the ashram where I was greeted by Babaji and Kandpalji. Babaji asked me about my friends and I told them that they would be coming soon. Babaji offered me tea which I accepted gladly. All of us talked for a while. The ashram was still in shade, so I moved across to a low rectangular boundary wall enclosing a small plot of land, some 100 m from the ashram. The plot carried Babaji’s plantation of potatoes, spinach and other vegetables. I perched myself on the wall, removed my shoes and socks, and basked in the sunlight sipping on the jasmine tea and enjoying the view. A new tent had been pitched nearby, definitely belonging to the group we had met the previous day on our way back to Phurkia. Soon, I saw Vikas and Geetika trace the same route I had followed, through the herd, into the ashram and out to the plot to join me. Vikas got his camera out and started capturing the surroundings. After half an hour, Kailash and Kavita joined in to complete the group.

The Pindari glacier trip ends for most at an arbitrary point which has been designated `Zero Point'. Beyond this, the going gets relatively technical and ordinary hikers do not go. We started walking towards the Zero Point through the green valley. Our canine friend also decided to join us. We had to cross the river at one point and again the water level had risen above the stones at the centre. A couple of us picked up a big flat stone from nearby and placed it at the centre completing the bridge. The winding trail to the zero point went up the face of a small green hill. The whole trail right to the zero point runs parallel to the valley below. The valley and the hill were blooming grounds for numerous species of wild flowers that had grown in abundance. I noticed a small red flower the size of a marble that looked very similar to a rose complete with the petals. Then there were bright yellow ones, and small purple ones that grew in a circular bunch. The climb was a steep one and soon we started losing our jackets.

As we approached the top of the hill, we looked down the other side to discover an amazing view. There was a deep U shaped gorge running through the other side of the hill. The side of the hill facing the gorge had been cut into a vertical muddy cliff. Looking from the side, it would give an impression as if someone had sliced the hill with a big knife and taken the other part away. Pindari glacier was on the opposite side of the gorge. I searched the internet later for such U shaped formations and here is what I got – “A valley carved by glaciers, or glacial valley, is normally U-shaped. If we can see the valley, it means the glacier that formed it is no longer there. When the ice recedes or thaws, the valley remains, often littered with small boulders that were transported within the ice.” Evidently this gorge/valley had been carved by the Pindari Glacier that had receded since then.

Walking forward, we reached an abrupt point, with a sign board claiming that we have arrived at the zero point. Another sign board warned us that it was dangerous to go forward. I could see the reason why. The trail narrowed down running along the top of the hill with one side an almost vertical cliff. Zero point offers splendid view of Pindari glacier and an opportunity to get yourself clicked with the glacier in the background. We took a few photographs. I decided to explore the trail further and continued along the narrow path carefully. I went down the trail for about 100m and sat down waiving for others to follow. I was joined by our furry friend as he came and sat beside me while I patted his back. I offered him a few raisins from my pocket which he gulped down quickly. We enjoyed the view for a while wondering if the others are going to follow. Meanwhile, I shouted at Kailash to take our picture. I saw Geetika turning back for the ashram, while the rest of the group started towards me. We continued along the top of the hill walking parallel to the valley on one side and the gorge on the other side. Going forward brought us views of the glacier from different angles. After a while Vikas decided it was enough adventure for him and descended into the valley. Kailash, Kavita and I moved on determined to reach the end. In between we spend ample time taking photographs and enjoying the view.

After one and a half km from the zero point, the trail terminated in a wall of rocky mountain that stood at right angles to the valley and the hill we were walking upon. This was the nearest we could go to the Pindari Glacier. Now we had a steep fall to the left and a vertical wall in front. The only option left was to descend into the valley towards our right where Vikas was waiting for us. At the bottom, we wondered where the Australian couple would have gone from here. The valley had suddenly terminated here and was bounded on both sides by mountains. The forward path was blocked by a vertical wall. The left side was bounded by the gorge. The right side looked like the only possibility with a gradual slope leading to snow covered mountains. We argued about exploring this climb. Vikas didn’t think it was possible to reach the top and was worried it might be dangerous. I agreed with him but wanted to get as far as possible. We climbed straight up the mountain getting out of breath with every step. The clouds played a spoilt sport again and soon it was threatening to rain. Kailash and Kavita decided to stop, while we continued to climb. A little higher we saw footsteps cutting across the snow in the direction of a faint trail. The trail skirted up the vertical wall that had blocked the valley and lead to the other side of the cliff. So finally we had solved the mystery of the missing Australians. We thought about going up the trail but decided we didn’t have enough time.

Vikas turned back but I continued to climb up our original path. There is something about a peak that makes me loose my mind. The irresistible urge of getting to the top makes me ignore all logic in favor of going back. A passion keeps driving me forward till the point of complete madness. I realize that there is no purpose to all the effort and hard work, yet I keep going on. And so I plowed up, alone and tired, till I reached a point where I couldn’t go any further without taking considerable risk. It was getting late and looked like it could rain any moment. I knew I had to turn back even if I didn’t want to. I could see the others at the bottom of the mountain. They were waving for me to come back. I waved back indicating that I am not going any higher and would walk back parallel to them from here, towards the ashram. They got the message, and we started back. It was nice to walk higher up, the view being so much better. I could see the others way down walking along with me. After a while, I lost sight of the group below. This had me worried as I was on my own now. The thought of running into a snow leopard crossed my mind. I neither had a dagger nor a camera – so couldn’t imagine any positives out of the encounter. I thought about going down to join others. But I saw that some distance away the face of the mountain was covered with snow. I imagined that if I was able to reach that I could slide down on the snow saving me the effort of climbing down on the rocks.

It was then my little adventure started going wrong. I was confronted by a wide stream running right across my path flowing down into the Pindari below. I looked for a possible place to cross the stream. But unlike the regular trekking path no stones had been arranged here to enable someone to step over. I made a couple of attempts to cross over from a few likely spots. Each attempt brought me to the middle of the stream with no stepping stones to go any further. I had already got my shoes wet and was beginning to lose my patience. Realizing that there was no other way, I got my shoes and socks off, folded my lowers, and jumped into knee deep water. I carefully stepped on the slippery stones forcing my way against the current. As I neared the edge, I made a crucial mistake. Elated at successfully crossing this barrier, I let down my guard, and hurriedly stepped onto a flat stone surface on the other side. The stone was more slippery than I had anticipated and immediately lost my footing. I struggled to maintain my balance with my hands and feet. I managed to avoid being plunged into the stream but not without a few bruises and cuts to my right foot, that was the culprit to start with. There was little blood oozing out of the sides of the thumb nail. I accessed that the damage was not much and it could have been a lot worse. By now I was feeling really irritated at myself for landing myself into this stupid situation. During each of my earlier excursions, I had managed to land myself into similar situations at-least once. Yet my obstinate mind refuses to draw a lesson. I was dead tired and couldn’t wait to get back to the ashram. I wasn’t sure where Kailash and Kavita had gone and if they were worried about me.

I hastened towards the snow slide. Once there I assessed that it looked safe enough to slide upon. I positioned myself in a sitting position with my weight resting upon my left shoe and my right leg spread out in front. This way I can slide on my left leg using the right one for balance and braking. I had mastered this technique by now having practiced it on earlier treks. All set I gave myself a push with my hands, gaining speed along the slope. I kept my speed in check by digging the right leg in snow whenever I needed to slow down. In a couple of minutes I had reached half of the way down. It had taken me more than 30 minutes to climb the same distance. Unfortunately, the slide ends here and the remaining half would have to be made on both feet. The terrain was pretty rocky here with another small stream flowing down. I walked down along the stream stepping from one stone to next. I was beginning to lose my patience. I was also worried if I would have to cross the river again once I get down to the valley. I continued to make my way downwards in the direction of the ashram. I had been walking for so long that at one point I was worried if I might have actually overshot the ashram. Then I saw the zero point right across the valley and knew I had another kilometer to go.

It was then I saw Kailash and Kavita. My feelings at seeing them could be described as a cocktail of surprise, happiness and relief. They had found themselves a nice romantic spot on the side of the hill. They were seated on a lush carpet of green grass with small bright yellow flowers blooming everywhere. A small stream was gurgling nearby and they had a wonderful view of the Pindari glacier from their vantage point. I sat down to join them. After the earlier misadventure, it was such a comforting feeling to be among friends again. I took off my shoes to examine the damage done earlier. My right thumb had already started to swell a bit and I knew immediately that it was going to trouble me for the rest of the way back. There was nothing I could do about it now, so I threw my shoes aside and lied down to enjoy the beautiful view.

After a while we headed back towards the ashram. We located a trail that seemed to be leading us straight back. On the other side of the valley, we could see the women group from DDA returning from the zero point. We waved to them and they waved back. Kailash started barking loudly and he really sounded like a dog. I am sure the other group would have been really wondering where the barking sound was coming from. All of us had a big laugh at this. Kailash is a real great guy with a wonderful sense of humor. He is always smiling and in high spirits. He is also pretty friendly and I believe has a good heart as well. I never heard him say anything bad about anyone. Kavita makes a great couple with him. She is uncommonly beautiful but not of the dumb variety. I was really impressed by her during our card games. I had also known her to be pretty athletic from our tennis sessions in Noida and she had kept up the pace all through this trek. Both of them look great together. It was a delight to hear them sing a duet during Antakashri at Dhakuri. I didn’t notice a single argument between them during the course of 8 days. They always stuck together talking kuchi-ko kuchi-ko which I have to admit did get irritating once in a while. Having found each other, I wonder who is the luckier of the two.

On the way back we ran into two ladies from the DDA group who were coming back from the zero point. They were furious at something and constantly cribbing. Apparently, they were part of the 13 women DDA team to the Pindari glacier. Most of them were between 30 – 40 yrs in age. All of them had reached the ashram in the morning but a couple of them had refused to go further to the zero point, as they weren’t feeling well. Now these two ladies were mad at the ones who stayed behind blaming them of spoiling the whole trek. We expressed our sympathies for their cause. It was then one of them asked who was barking and we couldn’t stop our smiles.

200 m from the ashram, I broke into a run again. This was, by now, my standard way of reaching the immediate destination. In front of the ashram, I saw Vikas and Geetika sitting with the Kandpal family. I greeted both of them and it was now that I finally got to know her name – Vasundra – how apt was my first thought. Deciding to have a little fun, I declared that we had seen a snow leopard. Not only had we seen it, but we had also managed to get a photograph. Vasundra remained skeptical at this but her father got real excited. He even offered us money for the photograph. I immediately admitted that I was kidding though we did try our best to run into one. Vasundra had a book with her that carried the pictures of the commonly found flowers in the Himalayas and we went through it looking for the ones we had seen. Meanwhile, Babaji called us in for lunch. The DDA team members were already there and all of us sat down to enjoy Poori – Sabji with a cup of jasmine tea.

After lunch, Vikas and Geetika decided to leave, while the rest of us stayed for a while. We joined Vasundra and her dad again for a chat. I sat down beside Vasundra while Kailash was talking to her dad. I asked her about the day’s work and she replied that she had climbed up a nearby hill looking for leopard’s droppings. I remarked that if she actually saw a snow leopard would she find herself running away or towards him. I told her that I was really envious she could stay and work in such beautiful surroundings, but does nature meant as much to her or was she just stuck there by chance. This remark brought about a flurry of revelations from her. Ever since she remembered she had felt a great connection with nature. She wondered why people choose to live in cities where they don’t even get pure air, water and food. Not only she liked living close to nature, she always had felt the need to fight for its protection. She never got along with her college mates because she would always urge them to save water, switch off the lights, save fuel and so on. She would always drag the monkey-walas and bear-walas to the nearest police station and sit there till they agree to register a complaint. She hated people who kept four cars in a family and drove even for very short distances. She wondered at how people buy forty pair of clothes and a new mobile every six months, without even realizing how much strain it puts on the natural resources. And when they waste electricity, they justify it by saying that they are paying the bill. How people living in cities don’t realize that they are directly responsible for vanishing forests and melting glaciers. How industries abuse rules and dump their wastes in rivers. She wanted to be able to stop the people from continuing to abuse the earth. She had plans to study law after completing her PhD, so that she can take up legal fight against the offenders.

I realized that there was a bitter truth to all she said. Though, I am not against development and comfortable existence, but all of us have the responsibility of being just a little more careful. In the end it’s the small things that matters. Things like avoiding plastic bags, switching off lights when you go out of room, choosing to walk small distances. Paper napkins and paper cups are convenient but can you imagine the amount of paper we waste like this in offices and restaurants. Didn’t our parents got along just fine with handkerchiefs. Why can’t we keep a cup for us in office instead of wasting paper cups every time? What about the amount of paper we waste on unnecessary print-outs. If I continue the list, I would probably go on for another two pages. But we are all smart people and already know most of these things. We just need to be more sensitive to the issue and do whatever we can to help and feel proud of it.

It’s a strange coincidence that I am writing this on 07/07/07 when they are having the Live Earth concert to raise awareness on global warming and climate crisis. “What seemed like a science fiction is now an inconvenient but undeniable truth. Global warming is affecting Planet Earth and us as its inhabitants. From now on what we do will determine what we pass on to our children and to their children” says Leonardo Decaprio. Finally we are waking up to the fact that global warming is not a myth, it’s a reality and the effects are already there for us to see. Europe is reeling under a heat wave, US is hit by cyclones and it snowed in Dubai last year. Global climate is changing every year and we can feel it in our parts of the world. I can still remember the chilly winters we used to have in Delhi 10 years back, and last winter I managed just fine without a single sweater. I am continuously listening to the messages during the concert about global warming and what we can do. Go to www.liveearth.org and check out for yourself.

Vasundra and I had different opinion on one particular thing. She believed that the most effective way to save nature is to have more stringent laws and stricter enforcement. I have always believed that normal people do bad things only because they fail to realize the consequences of their actions. So for me awareness is the solution to most problems we face today. For instance, plastic bags and toffee wrappers left behind by tourists litter the hills everywhere. Not only are they an eco-hazard, they also spoil the natural beauty of the surroundings. I have seen these plastic wrappers right till Roopkund, on Gaumukh glacier and here at Pindari. Most people don’t think before throwing away those plastic bags and wrappers, otherwise how simple it is to put them in your pocket instead or store them in a separate bag. Can we really hope to enforce rules at such heights and distant locations? Can people not be expected to do the right thing themselves ?

We continued to talk about global warming, life in cities versus life in hills, about our work. When Kailash announced that we should probably get going now, I surprisingly realized that we had been talking for full couple of hours. As much as we were enjoying the place, it was time to go. Babaji insisted that we have a coffee first, and I gladly accepted the opportunity of spending some more time amidst the lovely surroundings. It was then Babaji bestowed on us a special privilege, by inviting us into his cave. He later told us that he rarely lets anyone into his cave. Vasundra and her father had not been into the cave either, so they excitedly joined us.

The way to the cave was through a small temple in front. Few bells were hanging on a 5 feet by 2 feet door that led inside. We got rid off our shoes and went into a small room. It took some time for our eyes to adjust to the darkness before we could see a few idols inside. Babaji warned us to watch our heads as he took us into another small room through a narrow opening at the back. It was completely dark inside this room and Babaji lit a candle. A very narrow path descended into a small cave below. One by one, we crawled into the cave which was nearly 4 feet high and barely big enough to accommodate the six of us. The centre of the cave had a small altar with a statue of Babaji’s guru. An asana was laid out for Babaji in the right half of the cave. Kavita, Vasundra, I and Kailash occupied the mat on the left, while Kandpalji remained at the entrance.

Once inside Babaji started talking about his life. He hailed from Orissa and had renounced the world very early in life. He had stayed in Rishikesh for a while but was troubled by too many sadhus wanting to make him their disciple. He had also stayed at Gangotri before moving to Pindari 13 years back. He spent most of his time meditating and reading books. His extra time was spent in serving the people who visit Pindari. He himself had only a single meal in a day. He narrated us a story about how he was once trapped inside his cave for three months after an avalanche buried it under snow. He had survived on nothing but water while everyone in the village below had assumed that he was dead. About this time he had gone a little mystic. He said something about leaving his body and flying away. I think I also heard something like remote conferencing with his Guru. We didn’t know what to make of it and were exchanging meaningful glances with each other.

I don’t know if it was the surroundings but all of us were feeling a bit spiritual by now. Kailash was the first one to throw his question at him – “We go to office, work, eat, go to sleep. We have fun on weekends. In all we have a good life. But at times wonder if this is all to life. Can’t help feeling something is missing. What then is the purpose of my life ?” I knew it was a basic but a difficult question to answer. I wondered if Babaji would start giving lectures about the higher purpose. His answer was probably a diplomatic one. He said “look inside you for the answer. No one else can answer it for you”. On further probing he said that our primary focus should be on fulfilling the responsibilities that have been assigned to us. He chose to become a Yogi because his heart told him to, but he would never ask anyone else to blindly follow his path. What he would ask though is to be true to your heart and kind towards others. I was more inclined towards talking about the supernatural side of things. So I asked him if he believed in ghosts and if he has actually ever ran into one. He went a bit scientific this time and said that everything around us is made up of energy. There exists both positive energy and negative energy. It is the negative energy that some people experience as a ghost. He himself has experienced both kinds of energy but don’t believe they actually mean much harm. Amidst our spiritual queries, Vasundra pitched in with her question – “are there mountain mice (Pika) in the ashram”. We couldn’t help laughing out loud. Some people refuse to let their mind wander. Our queries kept pouring in and Babaji kept answering. I told him that my scientific mind refuses to believe in a lot of stuff he said. He didn’t take offense to this. He said science is yet to discover a lot of things.

Finally, Babaji put an end to our conversation. He said otherwise we would go on forever. He wished we had stayed the previous night so that we could have talked more. One by one we crawled out of the cave. Outside, Babaji got some coffee for us. After finishing the coffee we took a photograph with everyone, said goodbyes and headed back. I honestly don’t remember much of the journey back to Phurkia. I walked at a leisurely place lagging behind everyone. I was too engrossed in thinking about the day’s events and conversations with Babaji and Vasundra. I agreed with some of the things they said and disagreed with others. Still the encounters had left my mind with a plethora of new thoughts and that’s always a welcome thing.

A couple of hours later we joined everyone at Phurkia. Inside the rest-house we shared our experiences with Diggu and Chote. Although we were dead tired by the day’s journey, we decided to push it till Dwali. We packed our bags and left for the last leg of 5 km, after the 19 km we had done already. I sat down at the ledge of the trek admiring the view for the last time. There were a few cobra lilies that Chote and Diggu decided to shoot. It took them some 10 minutes but they were successful in the end. The return is often the toughest part of the journey. You are already tired and there isn’t the expectation of discovering a new place to spur you on. Geetika had shown great resolve through out the day but her legs were giving up now. I wasn’t feeling so good either and my sore right thumb was beginning to hurt now. The journey seemed endless as we labored on and on. A little more than a km from the Dwali, I have had enough and I told everyone I would see them at the rest-house. It was downhill all the way from here to Dwali and I broke into a frantic run. At a bend I nearly ran into three DDA team members as I swirled to avoid them. They got a real shock as I whisked past them. I kept running, more out of desperation this time.

I stopped only when I had reached Dwali. Tiwariji was already there and he asked me if I needed hot water for a bath. Oh what an angel - I couldn’t thank him enough. I hadn’t had a bath for 3 days now. I immediately got my clothes out and jumped into the bathroom. Warm water felt so wonderful over my tired body and aching legs. I came out feeling totally refreshed. Others had also come in by now. We all had a cup of tea. I sat in the fading light outside and read about Paul’s quest to find inner peace – “Be still and know that I am God”. We had egg curry in dinner that night. Vikas wanted to have a round of cards before we sleep, but all of us couldn’t find enough energy and called the day off. I made sure I got an extra blanket this time.