Most people associate a holiday with a stay at a luxury hotel in a scenic place with all the comforts of life. When I opted to go for the basic course to the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), little did I know that the story hereon would be quite to the contrary.
We were asked to prepare for the physical training a month before we reach the institute. However on commencement of the course on 24th May, we all realised that nothing would have prepared us for what we were to face in the coming 28 days. Wake-up at 4 in the morning, assemble for physical training at 5 am and a hectic schedule for the entire day filled with lecture sessions, artificial wall climbing training, tent pitching training, long treks, et’ all!
The physical and emotional stress and fatigue I experienced at this juncture was the most, since the typical army routine, sleeping on a bunk bed, living a disciplined lifestyle was very new to me, a Mumbaiite! It was only later that I found out that all the remaining 75 trainees were going through the same stress levels, that’s when a sense of hope to perform, came in, just as the other 75 trainees were.
So we began with the first phase of the training: Rock Craft, for which we walked the entire stretch of 11 km from the NIM campus to Tekhla, the rock climbing zone. The most adventurous aspect of this phase was climbing up 40m high rocks and then rappelling down the same.
This was followed by the most memorable part of the course: the 18 day trek!
We left from the NIM campus on the 31st May and our journey would literally take us across many mountains and rivers, forests and glaciers! Here were 76 basic course mountaineering trainees, with 20 kg ruck-sacks on their backs, working purely on the directions of their instructors. Initially we all felt like coolies, but later, on seeing the increasing beauty of the places we visited, it was all worth it! Our journey took us from NIM (4,300 feet) to Tel (8,200 feet), Bukhi, Jungle camp, Gujjar Hut camp and finally Base Camp (12,300 feet).
It sounds like a great achievement now, but at that moment we were all humbled by the beauty of the places we passed by, with beautiful rhododendrons, buttercups, marshmarygolds and other colourful flowers inviting us to their humble abode. Walking through valleys of flowers, with snow carpeted mountains, crossing crystal clear streams and hearing the gurgling waters, was such a pleasure, it compensated for the tough journey and heavy luggage, giving us all a sense of calm and contentment.
The day after reaching base camp, we took off for the second phase of our course: Ice Craft. We trekked to the Dokriani Bamak glacier, which was literally a mountainous area of pure ice covered with rubble, giving it a landslide area feeling. We were all anxious at first, since the climb to the place itself made us slip and fall a dozen times and then the ice craft was even more grueling. We were taught techniques of ascending and descending on ice slopes, glaciers and crevasses with the help of ice axe, pitons, wearing (very) heavy ice boots and crampons (spikes attached to the base of the boots for grip on ice). But by the end of the 5 day training in this area, were all confident enough to run up and down the ice slopes and enjoy!
During our lecture sessions at base camp, we were instructed on the various aspects related to mountaineering. It included lectures on avalanches, glaciers, flora and fauna, important medical information about the effect of high altitudes on mountains, importance of different types of food on the mountains and we were also shown Hollywood movies like Vertical Limit!
More importantly, many of our instructors gave us detailed stories of their experiences on mountains like Nanda Devi and Everest. Colonel Balwant Sandhu, ex principal of the institute shared his experience of climbing Changabang, being the leader of an Indo-British expedition. The peak is also called ‘the sharks tooth’ because of its extreme steep feature. The photographs of the expedition were breathtaking and the experience he shared with us were priceless and awe inspiring. The most striking factor that I cannot forget was when we were told by our instructor, Mr. Neel Chand that once on the Everest, due to lack of anchors for pitching a tent, someone had used a dead body as an anchor for their tent, and he actually saw that! It just shows that even though the mountains can be very beautiful, they can also be very ruthless!
From Base camp we proceeded to Advance Base Camp, at a height of 13,400 feet and also to the third and last phase of our course: Snow Craft. There we learnt the techniques of ascending on soft snow with the help of ice axe, ropes. I can openly say for all my fellow trainees that this was the least strenuous and most fun part of it all since most of the time we were sliding down the snow slopes and throwing snow balls on our instructors!
At the end of snow craft training, we returned back to base camp. We were then taught basics of navigation in mountains with the use of a compass and service protractor and at the end of it were sent on a treasure hunt! As all serious courses do, this one too had a test at the end. Hence, on the last day everyone could be seen sitting with book in hand trying to memorise all the notes given to us during the lectures.
The day arrived when we were to return back to the NIM campus. We walked from Base Camp to Tel, which took us 9 hours, with just 3-4 10 minute breaks in between. The next day was our final trek to the bus point from where we were driven to the NIM campus. The euphoria on everyone’s faces on seeing the buses, a sign of civilization after 17 days of living like nomads, was worth seeing!
The entire course, though very tough, was unique and sometimes funny too. From living in tents for 17 days, laughing and crying with team mates at the same time, to attending to nature calls amidst nature! It all makes me think that to experience adventure and beauty; one has to scale the heights of experience to experience extremes.
A Little Information about the Institute:
The Institute:
The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering was established at Uttarkashi on 14 Nov.1965. The aim of the Institute is to introduce and initiate young men, women and children to the mountains and nature through its various Mountaineering and Adventure training courses. Special emphasis is laid on instilling the concept of adventure sports, without causing environmental degradation.
The institute conducts various courses for beginners as well as experienced mountaineers. They have a Basic Mountaineering Course, Advance Mountaineering Courses, Search & Rescue Course, method of Instruction Course, Mountain Guide Course and Adventure Courses.
The Basic course: In this course, beginners are taught the basic techniques of movement on rock, snow and ice. This is achieved through practical training and theoretical knowledge about the various aspects of mountaineering, including conservation of Himalayan environment, preserving health in the mountains, toughen the body by increasing resistance to cold, hunger and fatigue.
The trainees of the Basic course spend initial four to six days at Uttarkashi and Tekhla, where they undergo physical conditioning, toughening up exercises, long walks and extensive rock climbing training. Hereafter, they spend the next nineteen to twenty days in the mountains; the journey towards base camp involves tow to three intermediate camps, which help the trainees acclimatize. During their stay in the mountains, students are trained in the basic techniques of snow craft, ice craft and rock climbing at high altitudes. On completion of training, basic course students are taken for a height gain, up to altitudes ranging between 17,000 and 19,000 feet.
(14.7.06)
The contact number for Nehru Institute of Mountaineering is 01374.2123
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