Delhi-Chicago-Buffalo-Rochester; May 23

Photo Below (by Carol Shields): Walking out of the terminal at Buffalo Airport... happy to see Carol. 24 hours of travel since I left Rishikesh...

Photo: Delhi ... all wired for the busy city life... it seemed so hectic.

The scene at the Delhi airport was actually comical. I have traveled a lot but never had an experience quite like this. Beginning with not being able to enter the airport with my e-Ticket confirmation and walking a few city blocks to the American Airlines office to have my ticket printed... and ending with NO KIDDING... three trips through the security screen and a total of three times repacking my checked bags to balance the weight (true)... I finally got moving toward the departure lounge. Had I not had 2 plus hours to work with I may have missed my flight.

First class is so easy... floated gently back to Chicago. Changed airports (to Midway) to catch my flight to Buffalo where Carol was waiting... with camera in hand... to greet me. It was a wonderful reunion for both of us...

Mindful Moment: After landing at O'Hare I hesitate as I turn on my Blackberry... it has been off for weeks and I don't miss it. I breathe... and push the button. I'm back.

Home two hours later and ready to catch up on life in the family. Carol kept a daily journal and sent that to me by email; but I was not ready to restart with the electronic connections. I was already thinking about the next trip to India. We are working on that now...

I definitely want to go back to Rishikesh. Despite the tourist feel that is evident everywhere, it is still a great place to experience yoga/ayurvedic life in India. I am also hoping to get to some other places. We would go back to Leh as well... may do another climb too... so much to do.

Rishikesh; May 22 - Travel to Delhi in PM

Photo: The walk to Parmath Niketan in Ram Jhula... lined with ascetics... and cows, of course.

This was my final day and most enjoyable day in Rishikesh. I had finally found my way to an ashram that was perfect for me. I went to Parmath Niketan with a fellow traveler - Marjolaine from France. She was also staying at the Sant Seva ashram in Laxman Jhula, and had checked out a number of ashrams along the way. I had recommended trying PN, and she confirmed that it had the yoga environment I was hoping to find. We were joined by another spiritual traveler, Lucie (French born but living in NYC)... so it was the three of us walkng the path to Ram Jhula and going to asana, chanting, pranayama and dhyana practice there. Between sessions we went to Ganga View Ayurvedic Cafe which is a favorite for me in Rishikesh now.

For my return to Delhi, I had arrangements to meet a taxi at the stand on the other side of the Ganges, so I stayed as long as I could at PN - originally planned to go to asana practice and then return to pack bags, etc.; but it was so good that I decided to stay for pranayama, chanting, and meditation at PN. So, after class I only had about an hour before I left... had to hurry back to finish packing and move out. It rained in sheets on the way back and we were all soaked to the skin. It was warm and enjoyable... I ended up walking in bare feet as my flip flops were just flopping around at that point.

Got to the ashram, threw my stuff into duffels and two young guys from the ashram offered to be porters (still schlepping all of the climbing gear). Rain stopped as we walked over the bridge and the sun popped out. Driver was late by about an hour, due to traffic.

Trip to Delhi was about 6 hours. I would take the train next time... the roads are so bad and noisy... first-class train is the preferred way to travel. We arrived in Delhi to gridlock traffic... due to monsoon rains.

I went back to Regent Continental Hotel to meet with the importer... last shot at getting carpets... bought a couple of gifts for Carol.

Off to the airport with our original tourist driver from the first day in Delhi... closed the loop where I started.

Airport tipping scene was vintage for poor countries... tip everyone who got their hands on my bags or hire one guy to take care of all this stuff...


Photo of mystic walking toward Ram Jhula.

Rishikesh; May 21

Photo on my balcony after my return to health...

My little bout of sickness was over in about 24 hrs. thanks to the wonderful doc who came twice to treat me.

This was a low key day, just starting to eat again (rice/yogurt/mint tea w ginger)... as prescribed. I did gentle yoga and meditation/chanting.

Walked to Ram Jhula along the river bank, looking for stones for friends. This rounded out my collection with one from some significant place in each of the three regions I visited (Hemis Monastery, Kalanag Glacier, and Ganges River at Rishikesh).

I also cleared my list of gifts for family and friends by doing some quick shopping. I had basically been checking off this list as I went along... but needed to finalize it before leaving.

Night time Kirtan from the temple was so sweet... just floating across the river. I was able to look from my balcony directly into the temple next door... able to see the whole ceremony... including the nightly fire puja.

Rishikesh; May 20

Photo of my desk, with electrolytes and meds... and yoga sutras.

This was a sick day... my second bout during the trip. I got some intestinal bug that took off pretty quickly... started with diarrhea and a general feeling of being sick. After meditation I went to get something light for breakfast, but just couldn't face the idea of eating anything. I did get some juice and force myself to eat a few crackers. My weight was still down a bit from the mountain trip and I didn't want to lose more ground there.

I have been reading The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, as interpreted and translated by Alistair Shearer. I find this to be a very easy to read/understand book. As with all translations, his interpretation differs a bit from others I've read, including that in BKS Iyengar's Light on Yoga; but these are subtle differences in how each interprets some of the Sanskrit (e.g. Niyama - Svadhyaya). I have been reading this book for a while (several months) and continued to read it while I was sick at the Ashram. I continue to find new gems of truth/wisdom in there. I have also been looking for the similarities between the precepts of buddhism and the eight limbs (e.g lay precepts and Yama/Niyama). I am not very analytical about this... by choice... I just enjoy seeing similarities and following the limbs to the same roots.
But, I did get sick enough that all I could do was lie in bed. By the afternoon I was running a fever and feeling a bit delirious. I could not eat or drink anything without getting sick... so I just tried to wait it out in my room, lying there and trying to read. I knew I was dehydrating from the diarrhea... and felt pretty weak. Finally I stumbled my way out to the reception desk and told them I needed to see a doctor. Lo and behold, they make house-calls! So, I went back to my room and sure enough, my Ayurvedic doc showed up. I don't remember all of this but he did check out vital signs, etc. He gave me some anti-emetic so that I could get some antibiotic and fluid into my system. He also gave me a good electrolyte powder and told me to force myself to get a couple of liters down within a few hours.

That evening, I was running out of the electrolytes so I went up front to see if one of the guys there could find some for me. I gave them money and went back to bed. A while later I responded to a knock at the door... and next thing i knew I was back in bed after passing out and being helped into bed by the kid with the electrolytes... and the Doc returned to scold me for getting up. They were all very compassionate and kind. I went back to bed and weathered the rest of the worst of it. I sat and did some chanting... eventually did fall asleep for several hours.



This day was just as good as any other in India. It was a day of practicing patience and just staying present for this part of the trip.

Rishikesh; May 19

Photo of Monkeys and close relatives... taken from German Bakery - a popular place for Westerners.

Photo (Below) of ritual bathing in Ganges... in front of the temple just next to Sant Seva - view from my balcony.

Up at 5:30AM for gentle yoga and meditation... I remember being wide awake at 3AM and doing some yoga then as well... I'm not used to getting this much sleep for sure.

I sat on the balcony at sunrise listening to the chanting from the temple across the Ganges. It goes on for several hours morning and night... different voices leading each day.

My energy level is still low and I want to take some time to rest and rebuild after the mountains. This is the perfect way to re-enter.

I took an easy day, just walking and sitting and reading... enjoying this break... enjoying silence. I did not have any conversations this day.

Dinner was at the German Bakery... a mistake? I found myself getting an intestinal bug later that night.... at one point I just decided that I needed to start eating some fresh veggies and I'm pretty sure I was paying the price for that decision.

I don't have a mirror, but when I took a self-photo on the balcony I saw that I had lost quite a bit of weight... which I could tell at some level; but it was a bit starker to see it.

Rishikesh; May 18

Photo: My Room at Sant Seva

Got up at 5AM and practiced…. Yoga and meditation in my room in silence. The day dawned beautiful...sun on the Ganges below... daily bathing rituals... and morning Kirtan chanting across the river.
I stayed quiet for most of this day… walked to Ram Jhula and back. Listened and watched. Made my way to yoga, Intermediate, in the afternoon. It was a bit deeper but a similar experience to Saturday. Only a few people including Marjolaine again. After class we talked about finding another yoga place… I had seen dozens of signs along the path between the Jhulas, including an Ashtanga class at 8AM.
I was pretty tired from all of the travel and the climb as well… so it was good to just have some restful time. Yinyasa yoga seemed like too much work at this point... I was enjoying the slower asana practice for now.
Meditation on the balcony and some sleep.

Rishikesh; May 17

Photo: Room with a view... Ganga Ma from my balcony at Sant Seva Ashram

in Laxman Jhula...

After our final night in Haridwar we met on the roof of the City Heart Hotel for breakfast. Sunny morning and the promise of a hot, humid day. We took final photos of the view over Ganges. Raja met us for breakfast (bread, some fried things like donuts, and lots of fresh fruit).
I arranged a taxi to Rishikesh (about 700 Rupees) and the others waited for their taxi to Delhi. Raja was headed right back into the mountains after dropping our crew off in Delhi and meeting an incoming group of Irish climbers. We felt a bit sorry for him… he seemed very tired and a bit down… Dr. B. was going to stay in Delhi for a few days, after finding out that he couldn’t get an earlier flight to the US without paying some exorbitant change fees. I had invited him to try the ashram but he was completely cold to that idea… so off to Delhi he went.
I was happy to get my stuff into the taxi and set out on a solo adventure to Rishikesh. That was a welcome change to the close proximity of the prior four weeks… the ride is about ½ hour. When we got to the taxi stand on the West side of the Ganges at Laxman Jhula I found a porter to carry my heavy duffel bag across the footbridge to Sant Seva Ashram, for about 200 rupees.
I checked into the ashram and got settled. Chose a non-A/C room, but one with a balcony on the Ganges. The cost is about 400 rupees per day and this excludes meals and yoga. Sant Seva is very much like a hotel with yoga classes. There is a restaurant overlooking the river. I had not realized that there was a 100/class charge for the yoga. So, this is a relatively expensive ashram in that sense. It felt much more like a hostel/hotel. There was an STD p[hone and internet available at the office.
Went to intermediate yoga class at 4PM. There were only 4 others at this class. Here’s what it was like… I dropped my mat and stretched out a bit… only one other person, a young woman named Marjolaine (schoolteacher from France) was there. I asked if she’d been to class there before and found out that she too had just arrived that day. The instructor walked in and without a word rolled out a mat and started the class. He spoke English in a soft voice with a very heavy accent… he announced a pose, told us to ‘observe as I demonstrate the pose’, and then, ‘now you take the pose’. He also told us in a monotone, mechanical voice the benefits of the pose. He was very good at the poses and obviously had a rigorous formal training. The asana was gentle and we held poses for several breaths. The entire 90 minute class was about a dozen poses, with a lengthy Savasana at the end. No pranayama - just Ujayi breathing during asana. We did chant OM numerous times in closing. It was a quiet experience. I enjoyed it. I would later see the instructor hanging around the office/TV at the ashram and eventually we’d have a light conversations.
The ashram was pretty vacant. I saw only a few other people there… including the two women who had been there the day before.
After yoga I showered and walked over to the German bakery across the footbridge. This is a Western café scene… the first concentration of non-indians I had seen since the trek to Seema. I could overhear all kinds of inane banter… It was a bit jarring and I did not hang around any longer than it took to get some light dinner (and some bread/peanut butter for the next morning’s breakfast).

I enjoyed meditation on the balcony that night, listening to Kirtan chanting from both the temple next door as well as one across the river. This continued until about 10PM. I slept several hours.

Haridwar to Rishikesh; May 16

Photo: Chris and Elisabeth en moto from Haridwar to Rishikesh

Photo of Rishikesh from the footbridge

Chris, Yveline, Elisabeth and I took a moto from Haridwar to Rishikesh for the day. This would be their only day there; and for me it was my chance to find an ashram for the remainder of my stay.

It was a hot day. Rishikesh is about 30 min drive. When we first arrived I had a moment of pause, because it looked like just another Indian metro scene... noisy, crowded, and poor air quality; but this was the metro side. In reality, the traffic is contained to one side of the river, with the spiritual and tourist centers at Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula on the other side, accessible only by footbridge or boat. We took the boat over to Ram Jhula... and were relived by the relative quiet... NO cars/horns... only motorcycles (always aggressively moving through the pedestrian traffic). We walked the main street, which is wall to wall with tourist shops with a few retaurants/cafes interspersed. We went to the Tip Top Cafe, which is on a second story overlooking the Ganges. Had cold tea there and enjoyed the whole Ram Jhula scene.

We did walk to several ashrams and eventually I found one at the far end of town where I decided to stay. The rooms were a bit like cells...very austere... but they had private baths. It was very low occupancy - and I did see a few westerners who were staying there, but no Indians. I found out that I didn't need to advance register, so we left thinking I'd check in the next day.

Later that day, Chris and Elisabeth went to a cyber cafe to email. Yveline and I decided to walk to Laxman Jhula, not realizing that it was about a 30 minute walk. We found our way along a footpath to this other center. When we entered this part of the city I realized that it was far more tourist oriented, with fewer ashrams but more shops and restaurants. However, there were a couple of ashrams that looked interesting.

I decided to stay at Sant Seva Ashram... a central location in Laxman Jhula, but with quiet rooms overlooking the Ganges. This was more like a hotel with yoga than a spiritual retreat type of ashram. But it was actually more in line with what I needed at that point, since I wanted to follow my own daily yoga/meditation practice and then work in other yoga/chanting/pranayama/dhyana practice. This left me free to do all of that and also check out the rest of the Rishikesh scene. I knew that I would probably be back when I had more time to stay at an ashram.

When we returned a couple of hours later I found my brother to be very unhappy that we had been gone so long... he left on his own to return to Haridwar... our first/only tension after over a month of living pretty close quarters.

Mindful Moment: Y/E and I got got caught in a MAJOR thunderstorm lon our way to the taxi stand. I stood under a tarp in front of a closed shop... with the rain blowing in on my legs/feet, watching branches whipping around on a tree across the street. It was wild! I just breathed and stayed present.

We stood under the tarp until the rain abated. Then took a taxi to Haridwar and had dinner at Big Ben. We were all pretty subdued... tired from a long day and facing the departure on the following morning.

End of the last day with my companions and ready to begin my solo stay in India.


Photo (by Yveline Gobil) of mystic at Ram Jhula

Purola to Haridwar; May 15

Photo of nightly fire puja on the Ganges at Haridwar (Photos by Yveline Gobil)

Photo of a funeral group at the Ganges in Haridwar.

Photo of my long awaited first bath in the Ganges... one part of the plan that did work out.

We left the Mountain House in Purola at about 9AM. The driver still had the daily puja incense burning in the Jeep for the first half hour of the drive.

We drove for about 5 hours to Dhera Dun; and stopped there for lunch. A couple of hours later we arrived in Haridwar and made our way to the City Heart Hotel. After a quick check-in, the four of us set out to see the city. It was a massive tangle of tourists winding through the narrow streets... We saw some amazing sights... including many funeral groups shaving their heads... and many different sects of Indian population.

After wandering around for a couple of hours we found a hotel restaurant for a quick dinner. We then headed back to the main temple on the Ganges for the fire puja. We joined tens of thousands of Indian families and pilgrims for the nightly fire puja. I am guessing that there were 50,000 people lined up over that stretch of the Ganges. We bought our puja offerings (large leaves filled with offering fruit/flowers plus a wick and wax to light before launching them into the Ganges).

Chris got seriously hassled by a kid who wanted to sell him some matches and this spoiled it for him. Elisabeth scolded the kid and eventually he got so frustrated that he burst into tears. I was able to ignore the beggars and enjoyed the ceremony. Yveline took some beautiful photos of the puja ceremony. Afterwards we all worked our way through the crowd and back to our hotel.

Taluka trek to Sankri ; drive to Purola; May 14

Photo of Chris on the final steep part of the trek from Taluka to Sankri. Just above there was a road crew clearing a rockslide and fixing the roadway.

Yveline, Raja and I met for yoga in the yard before breakfast. Sun salutations facing the sunrise... this was a very sweet moment as we prepared to leave the mountains and head into the cities. We did a range of poses including some arm-balances... Raja is strong and also has a good background for yoga... Yveline, although new to yoga, is a jazz dancer with great flexibility and strenth... so we had a fun and dynamic practice.

After breakfast and quick packing of bags, we left the Taluka Mountain House and trekked the short (5km) distance to the end of the road that passes Sankri. We walked along with a few kids who were taking a cow to Sankri... they were between 10 -5 years old... but knew exactly what they were doing, each taking turns at driving the animal.

We met the first of the two jeep drivers and loaded our gear. This was where we tipped the porters for both the trek in and the trek out. They seemed pretty grateful for tips of about 600 rupees for each of the treks (around $15).... there were 19 porters going in, and 10 coming out (having used enough food/fuel to cut the loads by 50%).

The drive to Purola was relaxing enough. I called home as soon as we got to the first STD phone, not having been in contact for the past two weeks. I got a bit of vertigo from the winding switchbacks on the way out... this went on for a few hours until Purola. Raja had made plans for us to stay at the Mountain House there; but we argued with him for a while about that... we did not want to stay there. He was accomodating and did try to find a taxi to take us further down, ideally we wanted to get to Haridwar that day (a drive of an additional 8 hours) rather that 'waste' a day in Purola. One restriction is that the vehicles cannot cross state boundaries without a permit... and our driver from Sankri wasn't authorized. No other drivers were willing to leave for Haridwar that late in the day... so it was Purola for that night after all.

We made the best of this. The mountain house was by no means as dismal as the town below it... we actually had a breeze and the air quality was pretty good... the noise level pretty low.

We saw some kids playing Cricket on the ROOF of their apartment building (no flat ground in that section)... it was something that would have scared any parent in our part of the world out of their wits... they would run right to the edge for the ball and then stop...

After a good dinner (prepared in the local kitchen) we met for the final time with our Sherpas. They came in for our little 'Thank You" ceremony. Each of the four climbers personalized the thank you to one of the sherpas... and we handed them little packets with tips (ranging from $50 to $130). I tipped Tindoop, our lead sherpa and my new benchmark for mountaineering savvy and strength.

Tons River to Taluka Trek - May 13

Above: Yoga with Yveline in the yard at Taluka, after a 20km trek out of the mountains. We had an audience of porters and locals for this session.

Self portrait taken after meditation in the meadow above the Tons River, with a final look into the sanctuary of the Himalayas (in the background)... a very sweet moment.

This was a long trekking day, as we had to climb up from the Tons River to the meadow above, followed by a lot of up/down trekking to Seema and then on to Taluka. It was about 20km with several thousand feet of elevation gain/loss. Chris was not feeling much better after the tiring trek the day before, so we decided to set out at 8AM, and take it slow (as we'd done the day before). I paced us for most of the way. Once again, he was not able to eat or drink much this day... and just as it had on the way IN, the sun came out (after a cloudy start) and it got pretty hot. I was feeling pretty strong... but we did not have much nutrition for this long trek.

As we entered the village of Seema, we heard some major tree crashing from above the trail... sounding like a rockslide... then some guy came running at us and waving his arms for us to go back. On the slopes above there was a logging operation, and their method of getting the cut logs to town was to just trundle them down... but they dropped right across the route into town. We saw several logs crash down as we circle out into the terraced gardens below the trail to make out way around the detour.

It was another 9 hour day of left foot/right foot as we worked our way to Taluka and the rest of the group. We arrived at around 5 PM and had a little bit of Tang (supply had run out now)... and a few cookies. We sat in the yard with the rest of our team for a bit before Yveline suggested yoga. That was perfect for me after the long day of trekking. We did about an hour practice, including sun salutations and a good range of poses. Raja watched (along with our porters and a few others) ... and decided that he needed to restart his own practice, which he had not kept up since college days. We decided that we would yoga again in the morning before breakfast/departure for Sankri.

That night we had our final dinner in the mountains... it was a feast prepared by Mingma! Raja joined us for that as well. It was a good team moment... bittersweet as we were ready to move on to our next destinations, but as all mountaineers, reluctant to leave the sanctuary of the mountains.

Kiarkoti to Tons River Crossing Camp; May 12

Photo Below: Our group just before departure to Seema; Front row: Raja (our guide), me, Kirin Sherpa, Yveline. Standing Row: Robin, Elisabeth Christopher, Mingma Sherpa, Tindoop Sherpa, Phuba Sherpa.

Below: Photo of the porters in their cave at the Tons River Campsite... playing cards around the fire...

Photo of Elisabeth, Michael, Yveline and Dr. Buck at basecamp just before leaving for the trek out. ... Strangers at the beginning of the trip... we left as friends who had shared a wonderful experience.

As always for me, the moments of departure from the sanctuary of mountains are clear and mindful. This day was no exception as we packed our gear and prepared to work our way out. Our porters arrived by 8 after sleeping at Ruinsara Tal the night before. Our original plan was to cross the pass below Kiarkoti and trek over the 5,500m col down toward Gangotri. By the time we packed up, we knew that it would be heavy work to climb that pass in the new snows. Nobody (not even Yveline) was pushing for this trek. Our porters were recruited with this in mind; but it didn't appear that they were equipped for the deep snow and the cold night. Had we taken this route, we also thought that Chris may be able to make an ascent of a nameless peak near the col. Again, this would have proven too difficult in that snow.

After our team photos, we headed for Seema. The weather was already cloudy by 9:30, so we knew it would be a snowy (and rainy at lower elevations) day. Chris started out fine but soon felt sick again... I came to the conclusion that it was the exertion/pace that were making him struggle; and we decided to fall behind the group and take this day at a very slow pace. This seemed to work and we gently made our way forward. Along the way, Raja let us know that we would stop short of Seema and make a camp along the Tons River, so that it would shorten the trek and cut out a Major piece of elevation gain for that day. I hoped that we might make it all the way out that day... but after a while knew that this wouldn't work. It started to rain during the trek... fortunately we had our rain gear and didn't get too cold (temps were in the 50's but it was pretty windy). We arrived at the campsite - and had some Tang and biscuits before going to our tent for a rest. It was still raining and I watched Raja and the Sherpas stand outside and chat for about 30 minutes as if it were a gorgeous day...

Beautiful spot indeed... The porters camped in a huge cave... playing cards as usual.

Descent from Camp 3 to Basecamp; May 11

Photo Above: Breaking down Camp 3 as we get ready to descend to Basecamp.

Photo below: Yveline, Elisabeth and me at Camp 1, taking a short break for lunch and tea before continuing the descent to Basecamp.

Photo of the mountain team toasting our return to basecamp with... TANG!

We heard the stove going in the other tent at around 7AM… it was cold again but we could see the sun coming up over the Himal Pradesh through the fabric of the tent. After tea (hot water and lemon for me) we got out and broke camp. The first part of the descent would be unroped… so we could leave on our own. The sun was bright overhead as I left at around 8:15.

The descent toward Camp 2 site was easy enough…. Plunge-stepping in deep snow. Once we hit the plateau it got more difficult as I was breaking through the lower layers up to my waist… the sun was now overhead and in the valley there was no wind… got hot.

We made our way separately to the glacier below and then Y/E and I waited there for Tendu before crossing the crevasse field. Made our way down and then up the final ascent over the moraine to our old Camp 1. Mingma had climbed up from basecamp and was preparing lunch for us… very welcome attention. We had tea, popcorn, corn, and some other goodies (Tuna for the others…). After a rest hour we headed down. On the traverses above the glacier we ran into some sketchy terrain as the heavy snow/melt days had obliterated the route and everything was sliding… with some regular rockfall from above. We realized that Raja and the others from Camp 1 were descending the glacier below… so we set out to carve steps ourselves. Then, it was Phuba to the rescue as he rounded the corner and did the heavy lifting again.

Mindful Moment: I looked out at the sketchy looking scree/snow traverse, over a drop of several hundred feet to the glacier below. I dropped my pack, reset my crampons and put on my helmet... took my axe and stepped out onto the slope, setting my crampons and pick into the squishy earth/snow. Then Phuba appeared around the corner … I watched him move out onto the slope to cut steps for us... He made it look effortless.

We slogged our way down to basecamp by about 3:30 PM. I was really tired on that final couple of hours… just slowly moving step by step. We celebrated with a Tang toast to the mountain.

Rejoined Chris who was happy that we were down safely. They had been worried about the conditions on the mountain as well. We had a great dinner with a Kalanag cake specially prepared by Mingma. Chris ate… feeling better after several days of rest/acclimatization.

Later, I got a bucket of hot water from the kitchen tent and took a sponge bath… first in a week! This felt luxurious as always after days of climbing. I did my tent-yoga practice (pretty restricted movement) and meditated. The climb was over.

Camp 3 to High Point on Kalanag at 6,380m; May 10

Photo Above (by Yveline Gobil): Our high point on Kalanag, at about 20,600' we decided to turn back due to the storm that was building. This was a beautiful view of the Himal Pradesh from the highest point in sight.

Photo Below: Above Camp 3 we navigate the crevasses and cornice fractures. It was a COLD day, with temps below zero Farenheit... we moved slowly upward on the steep sections... it warmed a bit when the sun came over the Himal Pradesh.

Photo (by Yveline Gobil) - Slogging upwards at above 20,000', camp 3 is behind/below that knob directly behind me


We are up and moving by 3:30 AM. It is bitter cold with just a hint of wind… I am not dressed warmly enough but don’t want to take the time to add a layer… I tell myself that once moving the exertion will warm me enough.

Mindful Moment: As I’m stepping into my harness, I look over at Tindoop. Without gloves he is working on his crampons – first he straightens them out and then he methodically puts each one on, buckling the straps with bare fingers. He takes the time. Then he grabs the snow pickets and lashes them onto his backpack, still with bare hands. They are metal. I can feel the deep cold in my gloved hands. I wonder how different our body chemistries are… he is so capable in these temperatures and altitudes.

The climbing is steepest just above Camp 3 – and it is also the most dangerous due to crevasses and the deep snow… at times we are wallowing in waist-deep snow, basically trying to swim upstream. The snow is so light that we cannot get an axe belay to pull ourselves up. We cross some crevasses… with and without fixed ropes. It takes a bit of a hop to get across a couple… I am ready to have the snow give way and fall in. I notice that my heart rate is pretty high… combination of the deep cold and the work rate. My mind goes to scenes of the first snow days each winter when the number of heart attacks rises as out of shape, overweight people try to shovel driveways. I am aware that as acclimatization occurs the higher concentration of red blood cells (to carry hemoglobin) causes the blood to thicken - that, coupled with dehydration can make the blood more sludgy... increasing the work rate on the heart. Extreme cold starting in the extremeties also makes the blood thicker... so there is a compound effect (this is one of the major reasons that proper hydration is SO critical in mountaineering). As I'm feeling my heart pounding and feeling the deep cold in my feet/hands, I wonder if I will have a heart attack; but decide that there is nothing I could do about that anyway… my ER doc brother is miles/days away in basecamp, with no equipment/meds in any case. If I have a heart attack I will die here. I smile and know that this is okay too... no death wish whatsoever but we do choose to live in certain ways and I am satisfied with this choice. As countermeasures, I am mindful about pre-warming the air I'm breathing by covering my face; and I do slow down in the steepest sections... monitoring my breathing and heart rate. It settles down. Onward we go. I am content with the progress.
It stays very cold until the sun creeps over the Himal Pradesh at around 7 (I’m guessing this time… am not motivated to look at my watch)… we are grinding our way up the deep snow slopes, bearing to the right of the summit ridge, just inside the cornice fracture lines. We can see them… Raja points out that this is dangerous… and that we should move to the left. The terrain dictates that we stay right for a while and then we do break left away from the cornice fractures.
Sometime later (9-ish?) Raja tells me that we are within an hour of the summit. I feel strong and am sure that we will summit that day. Staying in the moment, I just keep that rhythm of left foot-right-foot-rest… following the rope to the person in front. Eventually I am roped with Yveline and Tindoop, since Elisabeth has been moving more slowly – she ropes with Raja and Phuba. We advance a bit faster but stop and rest while waiting for them from time to time.
At about 10 AM Raja suddenly declares that we need to turn around. We are looking at the summit, several hundred meters away. Raja says that we are above 6,300 meters but that we do not have time to summit before the snows begin again. This is an anxious moment for all. Yveline looks directly at him and says, “no… we must keep going…” and she turns and continues the ascent. She is in the lead on our rope and Tindoop turns and follows… I am third on the rope and I shrug my shoulders and shout down to Raja that we will have to split into two ropes… they can descend and we (moving faster) will continue to the summit. I turn and we continue.

Within a half hour I become concerned that we are moving too slowly in the deepening snow near the summit cornices…. Even Tendu and Yveline needed to rest after 5-10 steps… The weather was going to deteriorate within an hour or two… clouds had been forming on some of the lower peaks in the Himal Pradesh. I got Tindoop’s attention during a rest stop and motioned ‘how long to summit’… he didn’t hesitate … holding up two fingers. Yveline and I made eye contact… we were going down. I caught up with them and we stood together, dropped packs, unfurled the prayer flags and took a few photos.
We headed down quickly, passing the other rope and navigating the crevasses (using fixed rope set on the ascent). We got to Camp 3 before the snow; but the other rope, about 30 minutes behind were arriving in a light snow. Raja was furious and unleashed a tirade on Yveline… he had been upset all the way down and accused her (us?) of sabotaging the group expedition. This went on for several tense minutes as the snow increased in intensity too. Yveline defused the situation by graciously accepting the blame and apologizing profusely. She put her arm around Raja and said that it was simply a misunderstanding and a mistake on her part. He accepted it and the tension lessened. Raja suggested that we take a 30 minute rest and then descend… I caught the looks of surprise in Y/E’s faces… the storm was blowing in pretty hard by now. We went to our tent and just rested.
After a few minutes we started sharing our concerns with a descent in those poor conditions. I volunteered to face Raja with the idea that it may be better to stay until conditions were better. I stuck my head into the vestibule of the tent and asked how strongly he felt about descending that day. I told him that we would go if he thought we needed to.. .but that we were concerned about descending in that storm. He agreed that conditions were not good, but was concerned that we had almost no food and fuel left. I told him that we were okay with that… and that we’d stay if he wanted to wait it out. We agreed. Everyone hunkered down for another night at 18,500’. Yveliine and Elisabeth had a daily ration of chocolate, plus some veggie pate… this was gourmet fare for a mountain trip… I had a few packets of GU left and offered them to the team as well.
End of a long day… we rested in the tent and waited for the snow to stop. It snowed until nightfall, another 20-30”. We would descend in the morning and try to get to basecamp before it started again.

Camp 2 to Camp 3; (5,500m) May 9

Photo Above: Our snowy camp 2 - no chance to go to the summit this day; we decided to set a 3rd camp higher on the mountain.

The site prep for Camp 3 an 5,600m/18,500'... the sun was out for a few hours as we climbed here; but it soon started snowing heavily again.

We are up and ready to go from Camp 2 to a new site higher up the mountain. The weather clears and the sun does come out. We get a good view of Kalanag. The climbing is steeper above Camp 2. I am glad that we are not trying to summit in a single push from there... in this deep snow it is hard work. I notice the altitude but it is not really bothering me... just need to keep a steady aerobic pace.
As we near camp 3 I notice that Elisabeth is slowing down. I think she is tired and the altitude may be bothering her, so I offer to carry some of her gear; she declines but we decide to climb together the rest of the way that day.
After we arrive, we carve out a platform for our tents and get set up. Yveline and Elisabeth offer to have me join them in their tent. After the previous night, knowing that I will not endure those fumes for another night (how do those guys do it???) I thankfully join them. They are SO gracious and accommodating... true mountaineers who are willing to give up some comfort to another. I am grateful in the extreme as I settle into that tent. They are very civilized, with some little goodies to share, towelettes, candies, lemon juice, veggie pate... !! Compared to my minimalist style this is luxurious. After a while we are comfortable. Somehow we end up talking yoga and meditation - and before we know it we are doing a little practice in that tent. It is a wonderful mountain experience... We practice both yoga and sitting meditation. It is beautiful. We are friends sharing a new bond after this. I am mindful that spiritual practice is wherever we find ourselves... I know that for me the mountains are every bit as spiritual as an ashram... and for that matter, so is every other place that I ever find myself in the present moment.

It snows pretty heavily all afternoon and right up until sunset... then clears long enough for us to stand outside and look around. We have about 20" of new snow... it will be tough climbing. The snow starts again later that night for a while... I listen attentively to see if it will continue, which will basically kill our chances to go to the summit. It stops.

We are up at 3AM to start.

Camp 1 to Camp 2 (5,100m); May 8

Photo: Lead Sherpa Tindoop in our tent at Camp 2; strong, tireless and savvy, he was key to our progress on Kalanag. Photo (by Yveline Gobil): Phuba Sherpa and I on our way to Camp 2; we were HOT under the sun on that glacier; but it soon clouded up and started to snow.

Climbed to 5,100m/16,800'. This was a good day of easy climbing from Camp 1 to Camp 2. As we left, I wondered how it would be to move up to about 17,000'... I hoped I was acclimatized enough. We took it slowly until we warmed up... and then just found an even, steady pace. Tindoop led across the section of crevasses, between seracs so that we could find the right side of the glacier... the traditional route on the left had been wiped out the prior Fall by an avalanche/rockfall... so this was a new route. The crossing was pretty straightforward, following the route that Tindoop set.

We arrived at Camp 2 by about 2PM... this site was on a col, protected from avalanche danger and wind. As we had been leaving our lower camp, Raja asked if I would mind joining the sherpas and himself in their tent, to save the weight of carrying my single tent. I agreed, not knowing exactly what I was in for. After we got set up, it started to snow pretty hard. As Phuba started the kerosene stove to melt snow for our water/cooking, I realized that this was going to be 'interesting'. The stove is like a blowtorch that burns kerosene... it was set up in the vestibule of the tent and the fumes filled the tent. I asked Raja if we were going to get carbon monoxide poisoning... but he reassured me that there was enough fresh air. However, the scent of kerosene basically permeated everything. Phuba runs that stove for about 6-8 hours each day!! By that evening I was dreading the night... it would be an uncomfortable bivy. Basically, all four of us were crammed into a 2 person tent... I was shoulder to shoulder with Tindoop, and he was sandwiched between Raja and me. Phuba had his head opposite to ours, with his feet on our lower bodies and his head into the vestibule. Nobody could move one inch without jostling the others. Tindoop sounded like he had a death rattle in his lungs... I don't know how he was able to perform so well climbing with this cough... I visualized myself getting whatever germ he was carrying around... doubted that I would perform well with that up at this altitude.

At about 2AM I heard the stove start up... I hadn't slept more than an hour or so in short intervals... I got my boots and clothes on and went outside to wait for our departure. At that point it was clear and cold, a moonless night with magnificent stars all around the Himal Pradesh.

Mindful Moment: I stand looking up... breathing and watching the mountains... listening to the whisper of the wind. I know that this is a perfect place for me to be.
Raja and the sherpas are getting ready and Phuba eventually brings breakfast tea to Y/E. By 3:30 all are getting ready to go. The weather is not looking good, as clouds are already formed over Bandarpunch and we can see that today will be a short climbing window. We will not make it to the summit. Raja decides that instead we should wait a few hours and then set out for a higher point, setting up a 3rd camp at about 18,500'. The sherpas set out to do recon on the route and we all climb back into the tents for some rest. I sleep for a couple of hours until they return.

Basecamp to Camp 1 (4,800); May 7

Photo Above: Tindoop (Lead Sherpa) led our Puja Ceremony at Basecamp... prayer flags, incense and offerings

Photo Above: Our team setting up Camp 1 on the moraine...

This was an exciting day, as we set out on the climb. We would stay on the mountain until we summited or ran out of time. We had allowed for about 6 days of food/fuel; and several people had commitments in Delhi for about 10 days later. So, this was it.

We did not need to rope up for the climb. There was some new snow but other than that it was the same as our shuttle day.

I had my own single tent at Camp 1, which was nice. Raja and I sat and talked about life over tea in the evening... it had started to snow again and continued well into the night. This was a pattern that we had hoped to avoid.

I enjoyed the solitude of this place.... very spiritual for me. Later that night I reorganized my pack for the climb, taking out some food and clothing that I thought I would not need. The weight was a big issue as I was carrying about 20#.

Basecamp to Camp 1 (4,800m)- shuttle day; May 6

Photo above: Dr. Buck... he never complained about being so sick... I was so thankful that I felt so healthy and avoided AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness)

This day was originally planned as a rest day for Chris and me; and a shuttle day to Camp 1 for the French women and sherpas. But, unfortunately for Dr. Buck, he was still very sick and couldn't do anything but stay in his sleeping bag. I felt very good and did not think I needed a rest day... but thought I'd just try to gain some elevation and acclimatize to a bit higher altitude.

So, I told Raja that I'd probably wait a while and then go part of the way to Camp 1. He was good with that. I set out about an hour later... around 9, following their tracks in the snow. I was expecting it to be pretty taxing... but was able to keep a steady pace. After a while I could see the team ahead on a high butress, crossing one of the few difficult rock/scree sections on this route. I decided to follow them all the way to Camp 1. There was a tricky section (actually the part that I'd seen earlier) where the climbing got into 5.6 rock climbing moves... I worked my way out a traverse, and then realized that this was too dangerous (fatal fall if I lost my footing/handhold)... and I gently backed out of that. After looking above and below, I found an alternate route (which happened to be the route that Elisabeth and a couple of the sherpas had used. Only Yveline (great climber) and Raja and Tindoop had climbed the more vertical/sketchy part. I was glad that I had checked back.

After about 2.5 hours I was looking over the edge of the approach to the moraine... right down onto our team on the glacier below. I scrambled down and joined them. We took the lower glacier route back to Basecamp, scrambling up the steep slope below our camp on pretty sketchy scree/sand. Not my favorite terrain at all.

That night at dinner Raja proposed that I join the French women for their ascent rather than staying behind them. It was now clear to all that Chris would not be making the ascent due to his condition. We talked about maybe having him climb a good but lower peak later in the week.

I was glad to join the other team and was feeling fit and ready to go higher. I had no signs of AMS (acute mountain sickness) and was very grateful for this. I also felt like I was getting stronger every day. I credit my yoga practice for the fitness and conditioning to prepare for climbing... .as in prior years in the Tetons... my primary regimen is yoga, including some Power Vinyasa and Ashtanga... both of which are great for cardio, strenght, endurance, flexibility and balance. So, that night I was feeling very excited about heading up the next day!

I meditated. Then crawled into my bag for some sleep. I missed Carol and home... and was glad to be moving closer to going home... but at the same time was grateful to be in this beautiful and spiritually deep situation. I decided that I would go home in time for her Mom's 80th B'day party... which was at our home on the 24th (assuming I could get a flight). When I'd made my trip plans Carol had not yet planned this big surprise party with 60 people... and I knew I would want to be part of that.

I needed to pack for at least 4/5 days on the mountain... was pretty organized but wanted to do a final gear sort in the morning. I looked over at Chris sleeping and felt sorry that he had come this far but could not go higher... I hoped that he was not too bummed out about that.

Ruinsara Tal to Kiarkoti Basecamp (4,100m); May 5

Photo: Our first good view onto the Kiarkoti glacier (Kalanag is off to the right out of view)

Photo: Yveline and Elisabeth - waiting at Basecamp for the porters to arrive with the gear. They move fast! The weather is closing in... sleet turning to snow... The big boulder is the center of our campsite.

We crawled out of the tent to see a light accumulation of snow, and gray skies. The weather was not looking promising... we could see some high mare's tail clouds typical of a heavy moisture front on the way.

Breakfast was very light for me; and Chris ate nothing. For me, it was a bit of that low appetite response to higher elevation... Chris may have had that plus some residual bug from the day before. In any case, the next trek was not too severe... only about 8km and a gain of 1,000' or so.
We set out at around 9AM... taking our time and enjoying the mountain meadows and the lake at Ruinsara Tal. Chris was not that strong and fell behind the trekking. Yveline and Elisabeth moved ahead quickly and I was in the middle someplace. I was not dressed for a cold day, and had not carried much in the way of warmer layers. So, as the wind and snow increased later that morning I had to move fast to avoid getting too cold. I arrived at the site for our Basecamp... and met up with Raja and the French women who were waiting for the gear to be unpacked. Chris arrived about an hour later... tired but no complaints... he went right to sleep as soon as I had the gear unpacked and in our tent.

The snows and low ceiling continued through the afternoon, so we never got a good look at Kalanag until that evening. Basecamp had a good feel to it... large boulders with some markings from prior expeditions... and the view of the glacier just below us.
At dinner that night we discussed the upcoming climb and our itineraries - planning for two separate teams... Yveline and Elisabeth on the first team and Chris and myself following a day behind to avoid congestion at the higher camps. I had hopes that Chris would feel better after a day of rest, so that we could climb together... but also had some doubts about this (and about the difficulty of the climb ahead given the trouble on the trek - the 'easy' part).

Here's some insight into acclimatization and AMS in case anyone is wondering how all of this works.

The concentration of oxygen at sea level is about 21% and the barometric pressure averages 760 mmHg. As altitude increases, the concentration remains the same but the number of oxygen molecules per breath is reduced. At 12,000 feet (3,658 meters) the barometric pressure is only 483 mmHg, so there are roughly 40% fewer oxygen molecules per breath. In order to properly oxygenate the body, your breathing rate (even while at rest) has to increase. This extra ventilation increases the oxygen content in the blood, but not to sea level concentrations. Since the amount of oxygen required for activity is the same, the body must adjust to having less oxygen. In addition, for reasons not entirely understood, high altitude and lower air pressure causes fluid to leak from the capillaries which can cause fluid build-up in both the lungs and the brain. Continuing to higher altitudes without proper acclimatization can lead to potentially serious, even life-threatening illnesses. In the extreme, if fluid builds up in the lungs, we develop High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) and if it is in the cranial cavity we develop High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE). Many mountaineers have lost their lives to these effects of altitude... basically drowning or losing brain function as the pressure builds. Both are deadly.

Acclimatization:

The major cause of altitude illnesses (Acute Mountain Sickness or AMS) is going too high too fast. Acclimatization is the process of moving up in elevation at a rate that is slow enough to avoid AMS. One rule of thumb is 1.000' per day above 12,000' or so - another guideline is to climb high and sleep lower - i.e. move up to a higher elevation and then descend for the night... then move up higher and stay... repeating until acclimatized to the needed elevation for a final summit push. Given time, your body can adapt to the decrease in oxygen molecules at a specific altitude. This process of acclimatization generally takes 1-3 days at a specific altitude - but each change in elevation requires this new adaptation to the higher altitude. For example, if you hike to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), and spend several days at that altitude, your body acclimatizes to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters). If you climb to 12,000 feet (3,658 meters), your body has to acclimatize once again. A number of changes take place in the body to allow it to operate with decreased oxygen.

Effects of altitude on the body:

• The depth of respiration increases.
• Pressure in pulmonary arteries is increased, "forcing" blood into portions of the lung which are normally not used during sea level breathing.
• The body produces increased concentration of red blood cells to carry more oxygen,
• The body produces more of a particular enzyme that facilitates the release of oxygen from hemoglobin to the body tissues.

To ease the symptoms of altitude during acclimatization, many climbers use Acetazolamide (Diamox), a prescription medication in the USA (but available over the counter in India and many other countries with high elevations). I do use Diamox, but do not recommend it for inexperienced climbers who may be unfamiliar with AMS and its symptoms and effects. Diamox does NOT increase our ability to acclimatize per se; but instead lessens the uncomfortable symptoms of shortness of breath, increased respiration that cause sleeplessness etc. So, one school of thought is that it increases the danger of AMS by masking the symptoms.

In any case, once AMS symptoms reach a prominent level, it is time to get down, as quickly as possible.

Seema to Ruinsara Tal (3,500m); May 4

Photo of Ruinsara Tal, the end of the long day's trek... at 3,500m

Photo of Dr. B. with herders in the meadow above the Tons River, just before we dropped down to the crossing.

This was already planned to be our hardest day of trekking due to the distance (20km) and the elevation changes. It was made worse by the fact that we were both sick and could not eat or drink ANYTHING during this long, hot day. We started out climbing to the meadow in the photo... this being a fairly up/down trek along the way... with some significant elevation gain (1500m). Then we dropped to the river, losing a good part of that gain, and then climbing all the way to Ruinsara Tal (glacier lake).



Sick. I can't remember too many times when I have had to dig that deep for resolve to continue a physical endeavor. It made running a marathon feel 'not so hard'. It made some grueling climb approaches and descents seem 'not that bad'. The inability to get any hydration, or even a little fuel (glycogen) into my system just kept stacking up on me, and I had to slow down and just go into that desperate mode of forcing each step... it was literally the mode of picking a point within a hundred yards and telling myself to just make it to 'there'. After a while it became a comfortable discomfort... enjoyable at some weird level... I am not masochistic... it is just that mental state of happiness with things as they are and making the best of a tough situation.

At one point I had just stopped and barfed... Chris joined me and barfed too. He looked at me and laughed... said, 'just think... most people we know would not even get out of bed on a day like this... some would go to emergency rooms...". I knew it was true. We started trekking again... no beds or emergency rooms on our horizon... only the certainty that we could not stay 'there'. I am amazed at what our bodies and minds can do when necessary. I see this in Haiti most frequently. Our little illnesses were actually just minor inconveniences. However, Chris' was to stay pretty bad for a while.

I went at my own pace after crossing the river. Dr. B. takes a naturally slower pace (but does know how to run marathons by just finding that pace and maintaining it until the race is over) and after a while I lost sight of him; but I'd stop (and barf) and wait from time to time. Finally, in desperation to make sure that I didn't end up stuck on the trail out of gas, I did push forward to the camp. I crossed the treeline and could see the opening of the meadow above a big boulder field... could feel the glacier ahead... After a round of dry-heaves I felt better and was able to get some Tang into my system. I had reached the turnaround point on my sickness.

Not so for Dr. B. He rolled in about an hour later and looked pretty grim. He was still sick and could not get the fluids into his system. He kept barfing... At night I was able to eat a little bit... but not Chris... for him this was the beginning of a long run of feeling pretty bad.


The area was beautiful... but the weather deteriorated to sleet and then snow by late afternoon. This was the beginning of a new weather pattern that had each day's snowfall start earlier... and with more accumulation. On this day I hoped it was just a one-day release of moisture build-up and not a big system (wrong!).


Slept okay. The air was a bit thinner here but not too uncomfortable...

Taluka to Seema Trek;(2,600m) May 3

Photo Above (taken by her friend and fellow climber Elisabeth): Yveline at Seema... she and Elisabeth were to become good travel/climbing companions.

Our second day of trekking took us from Taluka to Seema. This part of the route is the main access to Har Ki Doon, a destination popular with both Indian and Western tourists.

We set out at about 8AM, with a pack lunch. This route gains/loses quite a bit of elevation over about 15km. The day was warm and by the arrival at about 1PM I was hot and tired. Seema is not quite as charming as Taluka; but very similar construction... and, of course, the same mountain spirit.

Here we met Yveline and Elisabeth (Y/E), the two French women who were also on a trip to Kalanag with Raja. This was a bit of a surprise to both parties, since we had each booked private expeditions with Raja. It was only near our departure date from the USA that Raja mentioned in an email that there would also be two French women on the mountain. He said he would explain when we arrived. When we did meet and talk about it, he told us that the women would be two days ahead of us for the entire trip, so that we would not actually be together at all. In reality, for logistical convenience, he merged the two teams by having Y/E spend two days trekking to Har Ki Doon and then returning to join us at Seema.

The mountain house at Seema was identical to the one at Taluka. Instead of using their kitchen, our team began using our own cook and facilities. So, we ate our first Mingma prepared meal here, in the tent that we'd use for the trek and basecamp.

We had dinner together with Y/E just socializing and learning a bit about each other. I could see that they were serious climbers and in good shape... This was to prove true. They were also very bright... and spiritual.

During the night both Dr. B. and I got intestinal sicknesses... starting with diarrhea for Chris and then for me. We took Immodium but not any antibiotic. This is not my usual treatment... in Haiti the rule is to trap the bug with Immodium and get rid of it with Cipro. Dr. B. has spent a lot of time in remote places and he was not in favor of taking the Cipro yet... so we waited. It may have been food poisoning from the pack lunch that day as well... Anyhow, we were both feeling a bit dragged out from that. The next day's trek was the hardest... so we needed to get it together or suffer through a long hard day.

Sankri to Taluka Trek (1,900m);; May 2

Photo above: Dr. B. with the dapper, photo-obsessed guy we refer to as "omar sharif on his way to Sankri".

The trek from Sankri to Taluka is gentle, covering about 7-8Km with little elevation gain. We got our first feel for the region at the ground level, crossing a few tributaries to the Tons River (which is fed by the Kalanag glacier, and would be along our entire route to basecamp). We took an easy day... meeting and greeting friendly mountain people walking to/from Sankri (the end of the driveable road). People here routinely walk from Seema (or beyond) to Sankri to get supplies or even catch taxis to bigger cities below.

We enjoyed this trek, taking some photos with locals (many asked to have pictures taken). We ran into a guy who looked like Omar Sharif, dressed as neatly as if he'd stepped out of an office in Manhattan. He talked us into taking a photo and asked us to send it to him. This proved to be a common request from people there.

We arrived at Taluka in about 2.5 hours, even after taking some breaks to talk with shephers, kids, etc.

Once we got to the mountain house, which was identical to the one at Sankri, we got settled. Chris took a nap and I found a place to yoga outside in the sun. I had a good practice of a bit over an hour... and at the end noticed I'd drawn a bit of a crowd of observers. Here I was in India... but nobody in Taluka seemed to practice yoga. It was clearly a novelty.

I slept about 3 hours that night... plenty of meditation time...

Dehradun to Sankri (1,700m)- May 1

Photo: Chris (Dr. Buck) (Right) relaxing on the porch of the Sankri Mountain House after we arrived. We are both content to be here after the long drive. We have four days of trekking ahead of us, and then the climb. The kid on the left is in college - speaks good English - and played Cricket on the national youth team.

Organized and met with our jeep driver in front of our hotel. We were joined by one of the Sherpas for the climb, a young guy named Phuba who would prove to be a real workhorse. We took a couple of pics and headed for Sankri, the entry point to a popular tourist trekking destination at Har Ki Doon, and the starting point for our trek to Kalanag.

The drive took about 7 hours. We stopped at the city of Purola for cooking fuel and some last minute provisions. I made my final call home and left a vmail for Carol (since it was after midnight at home). Purola is a dirty, noisy little city (typical) with no tourist activities there. We walked through the market while waiting. Saw a magician entertaining a crowd of about 50 people and just watched for a while... missed the trick... didn't understand enough of the setup. Wandered around the market.

After Purola the road starts to switchback and climb more steeply into the mountains. We crossed a couple of the foothills by snaking up and then all the way down to the river at the bottom of each valley, and then up the other side and over. We started seeing more of the Himalayan Langur monkeys and fewer of the Macaques... they were in plain sight for much of this trip.

The nomads were driving their herds into the higher elevations for the summer, following the winter in the lowlands. We saw families with hundreds of goats/sheep moving up the roadway... working out the right of way with vehicles. This was an amazing sight... but I didn't take photos because it may have been offensive to the families who were working hard on this part of their trek. At one point we were stopped for quite a while due to the volume of goats and cattle in the road.

Eventually the oncoming traffic thinned out, the roads deteriorated to a single, rutted lane. We worked our way toward Sankri.

Mindful Moment: As we entered the Sankri region, the driver stopped at a small shrine on the side of the road. The guru walked up to the Jeep and reached inside to bless each of us with the mark on our foreheads. We said 'namaste' and drove on. We were blessed.

Delhi to Dehradun - April 30

Photo (by Yveline Gobil): This reminds me of the drive to Dehra Dun; the taxi drivers are very skilled drivers... they need to be... it is CRAZY traffic... and I don't understand the rules of the road.

We flew back to Delhi on April 29th and met Raja, our guide for the mountain trip, at the hotel in Karol Bagh.
At the airport in Delhi we had arranged for a driver. As you leave the arrival area, as at many airports, the hired-car drivers are lined up with signs displaying the names of their customers. But in Delhi, this is a SEA of people waving signs... hundreds of them. We didn't see our names on the first pass, so I doubled back to look again... no driver. This is actually comical, but Chris went around into the crowd of drivers looking for any taxi to take us to the hotel, and there next to him was OUR driver (he had been pushed out of the area since our flight was an hour late).

We wandered around on foot that afternoon... just getting familiar with the flow of life around that area of Delhi.

The next day, Dr. B. and I organized our gear and were ready to go on schedule at 9 AM. The drive to Dehradun (capital of Uttaranchal/Uttarkand) is about 180Km from Delhi - a 6-7 hour drive. The roads are two-lane. They handle everything from cows, animal drawn carts, bicycles, motos, scooters, cars, buses, trucks... it is quite a tangle. We saw three major accidents with trucks askew on the side of the road. No surprise. Driving on these roads is like a game of chicken... vehicles pull out to pass, honking their horns, and the oncoming guys flash their lights - and they squeeze past (most of the time). It is noisy and confusing... All of the trucks and motos (motorcycle engines with passenger compartments for 6-12) have ornaments, fancy paint jobs, and signs on the back that say, "Horn Please" and "Dipper at Night". This means, honk horn in daytime and flash brights at night to signal passing.

Dehradun is another overcrowded, noisy, dirty and low air quality city... it sits North of Rishikesh and Haridwar. It's a jumping-off point into the Himalayas.

We arrived in Dehra Dun (capital of Uttarkand) around 3PM. After getting settled into the room we took motos to visit both Hindu and Buddhist temples within a short drive; and also visited a cybercafe to send email. Since we were soon to be completely out of reach for any communications with home, I sent ecards as well. The upcoming mountain trip would take us out of range for at least two weeks. Although I've been on many climbing trips, I usually have a satellite phone for remote trips... but they are illegal in the Indian Himalayas. Oh, by the way, so are GPS, per our guide! Not that progressive of the India Mountaineering Federation... actually the GPS ban poses an unnecessary safety risk.

We did a final gear sort... since we had originally planned to cache some of our unnecessary personal stuff at a hotel during the mountain trip, but due to logistics changes would not be passing back through Dehra Dun. Meditated. Slept.