Trekking through Sar Pass
23 May - 3 June 2005

Sar Pass is located in the Parbati Valley in Himachal Pradesh. The trek is organised by the Youth Hostel Association of India for a mere Rs.2000. YHAI takes batches of people through this trek every day in the month of May. We registered for the batch of 24th May 2005. The booking can be done online from the YHAI website.

Manali

We were supposed to report on the 24th at the YHAI base camp in Kasol. Kasol is about 50 km from Manali. We took a bus from ISBT, Delhi on the 22nd evening. Himachal Tourism has a Volvo going to Manali every evening, but the buses are full and one needs to book in advance. We booked tickets for a deluxe bus in the morning and set out of Delhi at 8:30 PM that evening.

The journey to Manali takes about 16 hours. There is a flight to Kullu as well. So if money is not a constraint, then the flight is definitely a good idea. However, if you are taking a bus from Delhi, it makes sense to get down at Kullu and then take a bus to Kasol directly. We had an extra day and decided to spend that in Manali. We stayed at the YHAI guest house in Khaknal. The booking was done some days ago in Bombay on the internet. Nice huge and clean dormitory with a lovely view. The dormitory is very cheap too- Rs.60 per bed.

View from the YHAI dormitory

We spent the day walking around in Manali and buying some woolens and getting a medical certificate from the local doctor as this was a YHAI requirement. Oliver and I had forgotten to carry the same from Bombay. We also walked to the Mountaineering institute in Manali. The next morning we took a bus to Kullu and then a bus to Kasol. The last bus from Kullu was at 1:30PM. The bus goes via Bhuntar, so you need not even come to Kullu. Bhuntar is about 30 km from Kasol.


	Walking around in Manali

Three days in Kasol

At the base camp we were issued ID cards, a bag-pack, a sleeping bag and blanket each and were also alloted tents. YHAI bag-packs are really bad and we did not take theirs. The tents accommodate about 14 people. Luckily we were only 7 women in the tent. Otherwise, this can become a miserable experience, especially at higher camps when you get soaked in rain or snow and then have to encounter 13 other wet people in the tent. YHAI is extremely rigid about its rules and regulations, which can become an irritant on the trip. You can go out at certain times, have to go to bed at specific times, have to participate in the campfire whether you like it or not, cannot be standing outside the boys tents even if you are just waiting to get that biscuit of yours that is in your brothers bag-pack and so on. The problem is not the rules per se, but the fact that none of these are explicitly written down anywhere. If you are planning a YHAI trek, mentally prepare yourself to face these.

You are required to carry plates/lunch boxes for food and glasses for tea. We had neither and therefore had to walk to Kasol village to buy the same. We also went to the river in the evening and tried crossing it by walking on a log. Of course, I didn't get beyond half of the log.
	Log on the river

We were supposed to stay at YHAI base camp for the next two days. The first day we were taken out for an acclimatisation walk. The second day we were taken out for some rappeling and rock climbing. We also got some time to spend in Kasol during the two days. Kasol is an Israeli town for all practical purposes. It is a hub of young Jews spending time in India. As a result one sees many restaurants with great Israeli food. We skipped YHAI lunch on both the days and ate at a great place called Bhoj Cafe. There is also a cheap laundry shop on the same road as Bhoj Cafe. It makes sense to give out the pair of clothes you have been wearing in Kasol and getting them clean before you commence on the trek. Clean clothes will become a rare luxury for the next week.


	Zainul, Alefiya and Oliver

The acclimatisation walk is about 2 hours long and you climb about 600 feet from 5310ft to 5910ft. Its a nice walk and gives you a fair idea of what lies ahead. If you can't do this, then there is very little hope of you completing the trek.
	Acclimatisation walk


	Mountain sheep


	Pine cone


	Trail

On the way back from the acclimatisation walk we saw a school session in progress. The teacher was talking about Gandhiji and a couple of kids in class caught my eye.
	School in progress


	School kids

The rappeling session was great fun. It seems scary when you are at the top but there is nothing to fear really. We did the easiest of the climb down.
	Alefiya rappeling


	Alefiya by the river

On the last evening, YHAI will call for a kit inspection where they check everyone's bag-packs, primarily for the weight. You can deposit extra luggage at the base camp and carry minimal stuff on the trek. It makes sense to carry as little as possible, as every gram counts on your way up. YHAI issues sleeping bags and blankets at every camp, but you might want to carry yours for personal hygiene reasons. It is very important to carry sufficient warm clothes because it can get quite cold up there. Also carry about five pairs of socks, because on the main Sar Pass trek you will be asked to wear three at one time. Gloves are also a must.

Datseri

The trek starts with a bus ride to Shila village. Shila is at 6500ft. We were given instructions to get off at one particular place and then cross the bridge and follow the red arrow marks. We sat on top of the bus and rode all the way. The bus would tilt at the bends and I felt like I was falling every time. Its quite thrilling to be on top of the bus and singing songs. At Shila one starts the trek by climbing down and then climbing up again. The Datseri camp is at 7600ft. The trek is a short 4 k.m. walk.


	River at the start of the trek

We stopped on our way to Datseri at a tea-point. The locals know of us coming and therefore set up small shops selling tea and Maggie noodles along the way. We were more than happy to drink nimbu-paani and eat Maggie.
	Alefiya and Oliver taking a break


	The camp at Datseri


	View from Datseri campsite

Tinderban

The next day we started out for Tinderban at 9:30AM. We were woken up at 6:00AM with bed tea. After this we were served breakfast and given packed lunch. The same routine would follow every YHAI camp. We walked through some beautiful meadows to get to Tinderban. The campsite is at 9800ft and the walk from Datseri is 6.5 k.m.


	On the way to Tinderban


	Towards Tinderban

The trek is very nicely paced and we had plenty of time to get to the camp site. Much of the time was spent loafing around and catching our breath.
	Loafing around

Khadiaru

The trail to Khadiaru is a little more difficult than the previous two days, though not very long. The walk is about 5 k.m. and Khadiaru is at 10600ft. But it is also prettier than the previous two days.


	Towards Khadiaru

We noticed two ladybirds in the act! The picture has not come out quite clear, but I think this deserves a mention.
	Ladybirds

We encountered some snow on the way to Khadiaru. The Khadiaru camp site is gorgeous. As soon as we reached the Khadiaru camp and had barely settled down, the weather turned really bad. There were mad winds blowing around and we sat holding our tents so that they don't fly off. Apparently one batch had had their tents flying off due to the winds. If you want to discontinue the trek, this is the campsite to go back from. There is a village about 2-3 hours away from where you can take a bus back to Kasol.


	Khadiaru campsite


	Khadiaru


	Khadiaru

Nagaru

From Khadiaru to Nagaru is a steep climb. From 10600ft to 12600ft. The weather also did not seem to be on our side. It started raining along the way and the trail got very slippery. We took a break and found shelter near a boulder. The tea stall guy was selling Maggie. The meal was one of the greatest: hot Maggie in the rain. We spent a lot of time huddling around a small fire warming ourselves up. We left only when the rain calmed down a bit.

Shelter from the rain


	Trail to Nagaru

Nagaru is the first place you encounter snow. We had to walk a small stretch on snow before we made it to the tents. The campsite is built on snow and is surrounded by snow capped mountains. We were told we had to climb these the next day.
	Nagaru


	Nagaru


	Sky at Nagaru

The cold was beginning to get to everybody. We started dancing around to keep warm.
	Monkeying around

Sar Pass

Trekking through Sar Pass is the most difficult part of this trek. The journey is about 12 km, all of it on snow at 13700ft. Typically the snow is not very heavy, but this year, the snowfall had been heavier than expected. We actually set out on an expedition instead of a trek.

The trek involved climbing a small hill and then walking along a ridge. We started out 4:30AM in the morning. The intention was to climb the difficult part before sunrise. We were told that very strong sunlight would actually make the snow soft and therefore difficult to climb
	Gopi uncle after the first climb


	The next slope to climb


	Snow


	More snow

The ridge known as Biskeri top is the scariest part of the trek. It is a thin ridge with slides on both sides. The snow had become very soft by the time we were walking and I had managed to slip already. The trick is to keep jamming your foot in the snow and step in the footprints of the person in front of you. I have no pictures of the ridge because I was too focused on trying to stay alive and getting to the other end.

After we climbed the ridge we were then required to slide down the snow. You are required to sit and hold the walking stick horizontally in front of you and go. You pick up tremendous speed along the way and if you don't do it right, you will tumble and fall. I did speed control on the slides very well. I think that is the only thing I did right on this trek.
	Sliding down


	Mountains

Biskeri

From Sar Pass, we climbed down to the next campsite at Biskeri at 11000ft. I thought that this was prettier than Khadiaru. The campsite is flanked by meadows on all sides. When we walked in, it was around 2PM in the evening and the sheep were calmly grazing in the meadows.


	Sheep in the meadows


	Meadows

Bhandakthatch and Barseni

There is a camp at Bhandakthatch. However, we decided to skip it and head straight to Barseni. From Barseni we caught a bus to go to Kasol. We stayed the night at Kasol and went to Manali and then to Delhi.


	Bandakthatch


	Trail to Barseni

A few suggestions

Think carefully about going with YHAI. If you can put up with some strange and arbit rules for a few days, then it is a trek worth doing. Otherwise, it is best avoided.
YHAI bag-packs are really bad. It makes sense to buy your own as a good bag-pack can make a huge difference. I bought mine from Stikage for Rs.2000. I am very happy with their product.

Back up to some trip reports.

Renuka Sane
renukas at gmail dot com

Trekking through Sar Pass 23 May - 3 June 2005