It has been snowing intermittently for the past 3 days at most of our base camps. It is great to see that trekkers are enjoying this snow experience despite the difficulty. Our staff on the slopes too, have been working round the clock to ensure that our trekkers are safe, and have a good trekking experience.

Lohajung, our basecamp for the Brahmatal Trek was unreachable via road due to heavy snowfall. So our trekkers had to walk 8 km to Bagdigad, the nearest roadhead. Our Slope Manager Gourab Nandy shared this heartwarming photo story of trekkers exiting a snow-blocked Lohajung.

Trekking in winter is a gamble, but with a great opportunity for learning. Just travelling to villages in the interior of the Himalayas, observing local culture, learning to live with snow – an experience most of us don’t have, trekking on roads for hours together, and other surprises the mountains often spark upon us, is in itself worth travelling for.

This photostory is about how our Team moved out 23 people from our basecamp, and led them to the nearest accessible roadhead 8 km away.

The morning began with a scrumptious breakfast, and a splendid view.

Soon afterwards, trekkers set off on their 8 km walk to Bagdigad. They were led by the Indiahikes team.

If you have been on the Brahmatal Trek or the Roopkund Trek, this was your basecamp. Can you identify this village? Our trekkers heading out of the village in a foot of snow.

On the Brahmatal trek…err no, on the walk of out Lohajung! (The Basecamp for the Brahmatal and Roopkund Trek)

After days of trekking in heavy snowfall, and white outs – the sight of the sun and blue sky was welcomed by all.

Our trekkers arriving at Mundoli. The cabs are waiting for them here.

No sign of cabs here at all! No tyre marks either. Only footprints.

Powering on. Trekker are not only carrying their backpacks, but their city gear as well.

In a cab, this view would’ve been missed. A view worth the effort.

How much farther to Bagdigad? Bas 10 minute aur?

The entire team reached Bagdigad safely, and were happy to see tempos waiting for them. Look at those smiles!

…but for our staff, it was an  8km uphill trek back to the base. After trekking for 4 km straight, the team stopped for a small break.

Trek Leader Avijit Jamloki (L) and Slope Manager Gourab Nandy (R) sharing a fun’Him Tendua’ moment on the trek back.

Raju Da our expert Mountain Guide, and Dhansingh Ji our Trek Manager at Lohajung share an emotional moment upon reaching inter-college, where they studied.

Gourab says ‘Yeh JCB bhi yellow hai, matlab hamara hai! Chalo photo khincho!

“Abadi kshetra, par abadi hai kahan? ” ask our Gourab.

“And finally all Tigers back to 20. Their Den. “Tanni Ji …Bhuk Laga hai bohot zor seh ” Here ends the story.

While this journey was exhausting for our trekkers, we are sure they will remember this experience for years to come. It is not only the trek that makes for a great trekking experience. It is also these unexpected events that make the trek memorable.

To put things in perspective, these unexpected events on the slopes are something our teams deal with almost on a daily basis. This is what makes the more resilient and adaptable.

The vision of every Team member, is to ensure that they give each trekker a safe and memorable experience with Indiahikes.

Share your experience trekking with us in the comments below. And if you would like to see more such behind the scenes stories, let us know.

Indiahikes Slope Manager Gourab Nandy shares a photostory of trekkers exiting Lohajung by foot, by 4 kms to Bagdigad in snow. Click to see this story!

How We Exited Trekkers From A Snow-blocked Lohajung - A Photostory

Very few people know this about the Sandakphu Trek. The trail you trek on, the villages you camp at, and mountain peaks you see, are all steeped in cultural and mythological significance. 

And it’s a culture like no other, owing much to its geographical location. Located on the Indo-Nepal border, the trek starts in Darjeeling, crosses over to Nepal, and ends in a small village in West Bengal. You see intriguing cultural transformations throughout the way. 

Having been on this trail and the Jaubari base camp for a few months, I’ve been able to make some observations about these. And having done many other Himalayan treks, I can say that I haven’t yet seen such an endearing culture elsewhere.

Right from the moment you begin your journey towards the base camp Jaubhari, you see little colorful flags threaded together like beads on a necklace. You might have come across these flags during your travels through Spiti or Ladakh as well.

As you trek past villages, you will notice these flags hanging across the doors of all houses. You will soon grow fond of these flags as they accompany you on the next 6 days of your trek. 

These are Buddhist prayer flags known as Panch Dhatu. They have prayers and hymns written in Tibeti on them representing five elements — water, air, clouds, fire and land. 

In Buddhism, people believe that these five elements are essential for survival of any form of life. They also believe that any place where there is a confluence of these five elements is holy. 

Which is why you’ll see these flags very close to rivers and lakes. You’ll also see these flags on mountain peaks, or high mountain passes. People believe that the strong winds in the mountains carry these hymns to far off places.

Om Mani Padme Hum is one such hymn that you will find. It is the hymn sung to maintain balance. A balance within yourself, and with the universe, and a balance of masculinity and femininity. This is considered the cosmic balance that people strive for.

A modern take on century-old practices and beliefs 

On the way to Tumling from Meghma, you pass by a prayer wheel that is kept in motion by the force of flowing water. This is dedicated to the current Dalai Lama. 

The rhythmic toll of the monastery bell in harmony with that of flowing water, and the sight of colorful flags waving in the wind, is soothing after an exhausting day of trekking.

At some of the tea houses you can see an entire room decorated elaborately with idols, flags, scriptures and with the fragrance of incense sticks. These are the praying rooms.

The architecture, where every structure tells a story

Another unique thing that I noticed, and admired in their culture was the architecture. Their monasteries had dome like structures with a pointed top.  Some of these were created as repositories for holy scriptures called Maney and some in remembrance of loved ones who passed away called Sortin.

You will also see many concrete benches with names engraved on them. These are built by families who have lost a loved on. I found this extremely touching. 

Another architectural aspect unique to this trek are the bright, coloured, wooden houses. Nearly all the houses you will pass by on this trek are made up off wood. They are painted in lively, bright shades of blue, yellow, green, pink etc.

To add to their charm, they have pots with huge colourful flowers lined up along their porches. While passing by them during your trek, you cannot help but stop and smile. And even if only for a moment, you will feel the urge to settle down there only and start afresh.

Lastly, something that you will get to taste only in the Sandakphu region is the Dunley Khursani. It is a tiny round, red chilly. Even the smallest bite is enough to get your eyes running. You will see them at tea houses, stored in glass jars. The locals store them this way before using them to make pickles. At Jaubhari, chutney is made out of this chilly and served to our trekkers. Do not miss this.These are a few reasons why I think Sandakphu is a unique cultural experience. If you have other thoughts on what makes Sandakphu unique, do let me know in the comments below! 🙂

Indiahikes Trek Leader Akshay Upreti alks about how the Sandakhphu trek is a unique cultural experience, steeped in centuries of history. Click to read.

Why Sandakphu Is One Of Our Best Treks For The Cultural Experience

“Ravi you will have to leave for another exploration.” This is how my slope manager Rajkumar welcomed me to Jagatsukh, the Indiahikes Manali Base camp.

I had just returned from an exploration with my colleague Mihir, where we had a close shave with the Himalayan bear. Frankly, I was looking forward to some downtime.

But then I found myself asking, “Where this time?”

“I don’t know much, but it is in The Great Himalayan National Park,” Rajkumar told me.

The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) is in the Kullu region of Himachal Pradesh. It is listed under the UNESCO World Heritage National Parks and Sanctuaries in India. It is home to several great treks.

“Is anyone coming along?” I asked, excited at the prospect of exploring this extremely bio-diverse region.

Cahl Wilson was to be my exploration partner. He had joined Indiahikes as a part of an exchange programme. Photo by Ravi Ranjan

Cahl Wilson, a 6’5” fellow from the United Kingdom, joined Indiahikes as a part of an exchange programme. I was happy to have him as my partner because we both share the same love for adventure.

The two of us quickly packed our backpacks. All we knew that we were going to do these explorations alpine-style — carrying all the camping stuff and equipment in our backpacks.

We reached the base village, Barshangarh, the very next day. We had two treks to explore – Shumga Top which lay at the border of the park and Dhel, which was well within GHNP.

Many trekkers have asked me how we explore treks. How do we find new trails?

Let me tell you a secret. We don’t. Most of these trails are shepherd trails. They are the ones who let us know about these hidden wonders. These two treks were no different.

With a local guide from Sainj in tow, we started our trek. We were surrounded by dense vegetation, with Urtica Diocia, commonly known as the stinging nettle, making up most of it. We found ourselves itching all through the way.

The trail was not difficult to find amid this vegetation. This was because we found human footprints in the form of plastic wrappers.

“Are we really exploring? I can see plastic all around our trail!” Cahl said sarcastically.

I sighed. “Unfortunately people take their habits everywhere.”

We rushed all the way to Shumga Summit with limited water supply. This is the view from the summit! Photo by Ravi Ranjan

As we climbed, we reached a lake that reminded us of the settings of a Hollywood horror movie — Sarah lake. We thanked our stars that we didn’t have to rest here. We carried on and walked two hours further. Only then did we realize that we were on the wrong path. Since we had lost time, we had no choice but to camp at a place without water. It was a small setback; we still had our water bottles.

But the next day, we had to rush all the way to the Shumga summit, with limited water supply.

While descending from Shumga summit, our guide gave us some good news. He said he knew an alternate route that was a shorter distance to our next exploration – Dhel. It was a bright and sunny day and the Dhel trail was visible on the other side of the ridge.

“That’s fantastic!” I exclaimed. I knew that the weather was going to get worse in the next couple of days. We needed to be as quick as possible.

“It will take 2-3 hours to reach the village, we will stay overnight and start early in the morning,” our guide said enthusiastically.

“Let’s move with goli ki raftaar (like a bullet)” I declared.

We descended till we reached a point where the trail forked. One path would lead us back to where we started, and the other was for the alternate route.

We were in the middle of a dense forest with rotting wood and a thick layer of leaves on the ground. I got a little worried and asked our guide whether we were on the right path. Photo by Ravi Ranjan

By then, it was 3 in the afternoon. Looking at our current plan, we were to reach the village by 6 in the evening. However, within the first 20 minutes of us walking on this mud track, the trail was gone!

We were in the middle of a dense forest with rotting wood and a thick layer of leaves on the ground. I got a little worried and asked our guide whether we were on the right path. “Don’t worry bhai, I know the route,” he replied confidently. Cahl was smiling all through the way, oblivious to our conversation.

The trail was constantly descending. About two-and-a-half-hours later, at around 5:30 pm, we were nowhere near a trail or any sign of human inhabitation. Soon, the vegetation also changed — from giant pine trees to a dense tropical forest.

We followed our guide. By now, he too was struggling through the forest in the darkness.

Suddenly, I heard a loud scream from Cahl.

“Something bit me near my ankle” Cahl said, in pain.

When I looked at his ankle, I noticed that his ankles were completely exposed throughout the trek. His skin was swollen and red. Something had bitten him.

However, he was still smiling (strong man!) but I could sense some uneasiness in his body language. Cahl took an antihistamine for the bite.

I knew we had to make some decisions. It was getting late.

At last, our guide confessed that he didn’t know the way. He did the trek 4 years ago and now he didn’t remember anything!

A confession after three hours of struggle in the jungle?

I nearly lost my cool — but it was a moment to make quick decisions. And as I have often learned from the outdoors, we have to be prepared physically and mentally to face the unimaginable.

We took stock of the situation and ran through our possibilities. Should we go back to the starting point? Or descend further down into oblivion? Or do we stay here and camp?

And as I have often learned from the outdoors, we have to be prepared physically and mentally to face the unimaginable. Photo by Ravi Ranjan

Going back to the starting point was out of question. The ascent was steep – It would drain all our energy. Descending could have been a possibility but it was already 6 in the evening. Walking on an unknown trail was an unnecessary risk.

By the process of elimination (and by exhaustion), we were down to the final option.

We were still in the middle of the forest, in animal territory. But we didn’t have a choice.

We started looking for a flat surface, which was almost impossible to locate. And as darkness set in, our hearts started beating faster.

Finally, we found a flat piece of land. We cleared the area and pitched our tent.

Next, we had to collect wood to light a fire. With the help of our headlamps, we collected all the dry wood we could find. We had to make sure that the fire we lit would be a controlled one so that we do not start a forest fire. It was tiring.

Finally, after two hours, we settled down in our camp for the night.

It is a funny thing — we never think about fire in our daily lives. In this campsite, in the middle of a forest, for the first time, I realised its importance.

We abandoned cooking altogether as the smell could attract wild animals. We ended up heating raw potatoes on a flame to eat.

Finally, it was time to retire – but I couldn’t sleep. Nights in an unknown jungle make you understand how fragile you are, how generations of our ancestors must have spent their lives. You remember your loved ones, you think of happy times, you make so many promises to yourself for when you are out of this sticky situation.

Every distant noise you hear, even the sound of a falling leaf can make you jump. I was praying for the night to pass quickly.

Nights in an unknown jungle make you understand how fragile you are, how generations of our ancestors must have spent their lives. Photo by Ravi Ranjan

At 02:30 am, I heard the pitter-patter of raindrops on our tent. Soon, it started to pour, with flashes of lightning.

After what felt like a very long night, dawn arrived. But that didn’t stop the rain.

We decided to wind up the camp and move. We knew we had to leave. But we didn’t know which way to go. It was pouring heavily and the mist didn’t allow us to see more than a few meters ahead. And we were in the middle of a dense forest.

“Stop! You will end up in a steep gorge! It’s a dead end ahead. We have to take a right turn towards the west. There, we will have a gradual gradient. We still have to descend another 1100 meters to get to the riverbed. We need to stick together!”

The happiness of finally finding the trail because of an offline map. Photo by Ravi Ranjan

The guide who was blindly descending heard me. He stopped, and looked at me with complete astonishment.

I had my phone in my hand. I just remembered that I had downloaded an offline terrain map of that area. Yes! A terrain map! This was by far the best thing that happened to us on this trek.

This is one thing I always do whenever I go into an unknown territory — download a terrain map of that area. That day, it saved our lives.

Slowly and steadily, falling and rolling, we began descending. My eyes were constantly on the contours.

Suddenly, our guide started singing loudly!

“Sir aap bhi gaana gaao, bhaalu ke nishan hain yahan (You sing too, Sir. There are bear footprints here). If you want to survive then sing,” he shouted back.

I was scared and amused at the same time. So Cahl chose an English song, the guide chose a Honey Singh number and I chose a Kishore Kumar song. We sung at the top of our voices.

The contours guided us for almost 5 hours and we still saw no sign of human presence. And then, finally, we heard an animal move. Photo by Ravi Ranjan

Every dark thing around the corner started looking like bears to us.

“Why aren’t there plastic wrappers on the trail, I want to see one of them!” said Cahl. He clearly wanted to find a little hint of civilization around the trail to know that we are out of bear country. We both laughed.

The contours guided us for almost 5 hours and we still saw no sign of human presence. And then, finally, we heard an animal move.

“No, it’s not a bear, it’s a horse – we found the trail!”

We started jumping in celebration. Finally, the trail!

We found out later that we had deviated almost 4 kilometers away from the village! The weather had gotten worse afterwards and I thanked our lucky stars that we left the forest just in time.Though it was a small event of two days, we got lessons for life. I’d like to share them:

Always download an offline map of the area you plan to explore. The GPS device can also come handy. Many apps such as Alltrails, GAIA, Geaotracker can come to your rescue only if you have downloaded the offline map on your phone

Always track your movement. It will help you go back to where you started.

Learn how to use a compass and read a topographic map. It is one of the most essential skills you require to be in the outdoors.

While mental toughness is an inbuilt quality, physical preparation is something you should always take seriously. The outdoors take you out of comfort zone and are full of uncertainties. You’ll never know what situation you may fall into.

Observe your surroundings. There are always small hints for your survival in the outdoors if you are a keen observer and have a cool head.

And last but not the least, being positive is the key to your survival. Never lose hope and have faith in your abilities. Trust your team and let them know why have you taken a decision. Panic can kill even before the actual hazard occurs.

Here is the story of how an Indiahikes Trek Leader survived a Himalayan trek exploration with a local guide because of an offline maps he had downloaded.

How An Offline Map Saved My Life

A few years ago, Dushyant Sharma led a very different life. Seated in a cubicle at an office in Delhi, he would sift through applications, shortlisting candidates for joining the IT firm. Little did he know then, that a few years later, he would be travelling from one mountain slope to the other, training Trek Leaders.

Dushyant completed his BBA from Indraprastha University in 2010, and joined Sapient the same year. But he always felt out of place, wanting to do something else, something more. After working  at Sapient for a year, he took a break and tried his hand in various fields – attempting to get a seat in a fashion design course, and appearing for the law entrance exam. He wasn’t able to crack either of those exams. Dejected, he joined his previous office in 2013.

However, he didn’t stop searching. Within the next two years, after several challenges, setbacks and lessons, he finally realised what he was meant to do. He found his calling  – Trek Leading at Indiahikes.

Now he looks back at his life and smiles. “Thank God! I did not crack any of those exams!” he laughs.

All eyes and smiles at TL Dushyant Sharma during a warm up session at Dayara Bugyal. Picture by Anil Vesvikan

The beginning of his love for the mountains

In 2011,  Dushyant went on a trek to Triund, McLeodganj. It turned out to be a disappointing experience. “The mountains were beautiful! But trekking was a huge challenge for me. Descending was very difficult. I was not prepared for it at all,” he recalls.

He came back home with an experience he calls awful. But his longing for the mountain had not gone away.

But he was forced to return to his regular life until a few weeks later. He found an article in the newspaper about twins Tashi and Nungshi Malik, who had climbed Mount Everest. This rekindled his curiosity about the mountains.

“The article was the first place I learned about the existence of mountaineering institutes in India. I immediately sent a message to one of the twins on Facebook, inquiring about these institutes. She replied within a few hours. She told me about the institutes, and how to apply!” says Dushyant.

“The memory of the Triund trek came back to me.  I wanted to do the course. I was always curious about the mountains. This was a window of opportunity for me to have a life in the mountains. It was then that I decided to pursue a career in the outdoors. I started looking for a course in mountaineering,” says Dushyant.

But this was not easy.  “I had already quit my job once; I was unsure about quitting it again.”

In order to do the course, he needed a month off. “I was hesitant to ask for time off again. I mustered the courage to approach the director. I told him that I’m interested in the outdoors and wanted to go for a mountaineering course. I was surprised to get a positive response. I was granted leave without any hesitation,” he recalls.

Leading from the front, Dushyant cross a river first to help trekkers on the Pin Parvati Trek.

“I fainted in the first hour of training”

In 2014, Dushyant enrolled himself at Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering and Winter Sports, Kashmir for the Basic Mountaineering Course.

“All our instructors were well-known in the field. One was an Everest summiter, another a Kargil War Veteran. We were all charged for the course!” he recalls.

The first day of training was a reality check. “We woke up early for physical training and started warming up. I had never done such rigorous activity in my entire life. Though I managed to do most of it, while doing the pull-down, I blacked out and fainted,” he says.

Dushyant was frightened, and for a fraction of a second, he thought of going back home.

“That’s when I thought about how much I wanted to do this course. I decided to continue,” he says.

Around him, fellow coursemates dropped out in the first few days. They were not able to handle the intensity. “From the third day onwards, I got used to it and started enjoying it. Every bit of the course was great learning. Each exercise was teaching me how much my body was capable of. It was an emotional ride for me. Every evening, I would be completely exhausted. But the next morning, I would be pushing myself to do the same thing again,” recalls Dushyant.

Dushyant went on to complete the month-long course in great spirits. He even received the Best Student trophy. “I was in tears. The course changed my life, and helped me reach out for my passion,” he adds.

Pursuing An Advanced Mountaineering Course

Back in his Delhi office, his colleagues felt proud to be in the company of a mountaineer. Dushyant was still basking in the success of his BMC, but he started yearning for more. He began researching on Advanced Mountaineering Courses (AMC).

“I approached my director and informed him that I will be taking a month-long break again next year for an AMC. He suggested I do it in the same year,” Dushyant recalls.

It is very difficult to get a seat Advance Mountaineering Course. And at the time, Kashmir was facing bad weather and floods. “Somehow, within a few days, I miraculously got a seat at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling. It was like the whole universe was on my side!” he laughs.

In October, Dushyant set out to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) to complete his AMC course. Within the next few months, his life would change forever.

Dushyant with is mother on the Chandrashila Summit. Picture by Siddharth Sharma

When Dushyant returned from HMI Darjeeling, his father had made his stand clear. He said no more trips to the mountains. “Both my parents made it very clear that I should not advance in this direction. But I was already planning to switch to a career in the outdoors,” recalls Dushyant.

He approached his director who encouraged him to pursue his dreams.

A month later, in April 2015, he applied to be a Trek Leader at Indiahikes. He got a reply within two months, asking him to come to Bangalore for an interview in a week. He had a lot of convincing to do, and soon!

“I approached my mother first. She refused to say anything and directed me towards my dad. My father too was not happy with what I wanted to do in life,” he recalls.

After many days of persuasion, Dushyant’s father finally allowed him to go ahead. “He gave me a time of 2 years to make a career out of this, though not with a happy face,” he recalls.

Dushyant joined Indiahikes as Trek Leader in April 2015. Since then, he has grown into being a Slope Manager, and  is now the Head of the Trek Leaders team at Indiahikes.

“Trek leading exposed me to a lot of things. It has taught me to be disciplined. I am more minimalistic now,” he says.

Dushyant says, that just like any other sport, you need to learn about trekking. “There are things you have to keep in mind. Right from how to pack your backpacks to what to eat. I enjoyed teaching all this to trekkers,” he says.

Besides, trekking with people from various backgrounds is mind opening, he says.  “People come from different cultures, professions, ages, and gender. It’s an epiphanic experience to hear diverse stories and share your stories as well. You become very close to the local mountain folk, and you get to see a different perspective to life,” he says.

Indiahikes staff and villagers from Sari coming together to build a base camp. TL Dushyant looks on.

Trek leading, however, is not always easy.

For one thing, you are in extreme high-altitude conditions very often. Unlike most other jobs, this one is 24×7. “I am always thinking about the safety of my team. Even if I am at campsite. If somebody would cough or smoke, I would know. I have to stay alert and be on my toes, ready to jump into action spontaneously and handle any problems –  it could be the weather, trekkers’ illnesses or logistics,” he recalls.

Staying away from family and constantly being on the move is really hard too, he adds.

Many people come to the outdoors to follow their passion, but not all survive.

“Everyone who wants to venture into the outdoors should ask if they really want to make a career out of it. It seems attractive and glamorous in the age of social media; however, you need to have a clear head.” he says.

Further he adds, “Venture out with specific goals. What comes next after this ? You need to have an answer, and you need to prepare yourself. Otherwise, it will be difficult to survive. You need to be really sure that being a mountaineer is what you want. Don’t do it just for yourself, learn to give back to others,” he advises. 

Students from the Government Primary School in Sari. All smiles after a class with Dushyant. Picture by Lakshmi Selvakumaran

Training the next generation of Trek Leaders

Dushyant now handles a team of around 40 trek leaders. “I aim to raise the quality of our Trek Leaders such that every aspiring outdoor leader will look up to Trek Leaders of Indiahikes. I want them to be the best at what they do, and I hope to promote an environment for the same,” says Dushyant.

He is constantly making the training process of Trek Leaders better. “I assess Trek Leaders in the three aspects we train them in – hard skills, soft skills, meta skills. If anyone requires training in any particular area, I make sure they get it,” he says.

He wants to make Indiahikes Trek Leaders the best in the world. “They should be able to handle people, they should be technically sound in their outdoor skills and also constantly keep learning from their experience,” he says.

Another thing he would like to do, is to bring about a culture of fitness and being in the outdoors.“People who are unaware of the trekking world do not understand what it is, or its benefits.  It should be a lifestyle. Hiking, trekking and being in the outdoors is something I want to develop as a part of our lifestyle as Indiahikes expands,” he shares.

After leading treks for a few years, Dushyant worked as a Slope manager. He spent three months in different slopes and then he moved to work as a trainer for the Assistant Trek Leaders, again for three months. At present, he works between the Bangalore office and the various slopes. He leads the Trek Leading team.

This Indiahikes Trek Leaders' story begins from an IT office in Delhi to the Basic and Advanced Mountaineering Courses to leading treks in the Himalayas.

How Passion And Perseverance Brought This Trek Leader To The Himalayas

Today, I’m going to tell you the inside story of how we evacuated 162 trekkers and team members from J&K along with more than a tonne of equipment in less than 48 hours.

The week has been emotionally and physically exhausting for all of us at Indiahikes. It has been laced with a mysterious calm, followed by panic, chaos, fear, grief, relief and finally, stoicism.

It all began on August 2nd, Friday at 4.30 pm

We were having just another day at the Indiahikes office. Two of our office members — Vishnu and Gautam — had just reached Srinagar and were travelling to Aru and Gagangir, the base camps of Tarsar Marsar and Kashmir Great Lakes treks.

They were making us terribly jealous with beautiful pictures from Kashmir. “Road leading to Sonamarg from our Basecamp! This is pure bliss,” Gautam said with a picture attached on Whatsapp.

Meanwhile, our founder, Arjun Majumdar, was having a meeting with two other team members in office — Lakshmi and Suhas. They had a trekking map of Kashmir spread out on the desk, books and pens drawn out, making notes of tricky sections on the Warwan Valley trek.  “I’m anxious about you and trekkers navigating this stretch,” Arjun said to Lakshmi pointing at the map. Lakshmi was set to leave for Warwan Valley that night.

While they studied the map, at around 4.30 pm, all our phones dinged. It was one of our team members from Mumbai.

“How are things in Kashmir? News shows tourists are facing problems? Have been asked to leave?” she said.

A news report about a security advisory issued by the Home Ministry of J&K had come to light, advising all tourists to cut down their travel “immediately” and leave the state. There was no rhyme or reason.

“I faced no problems at all this afternoon. Army personnel are roaming everywhere. But no issues. Dushyant faced some issues before Soura [Srinagar], but when I came, it was clear,” replied Gautam from Gagangir.

Going by the ground reports, we waved off the advisory for the time being.

But it didn’t take long for the advisory to circulate amongst trekkers on Whatsapp groups. With rumours of “Kashmir partition,” “Modi visiting J&K,” and “terror threats” doing the rounds, trekkers were beginning to get frantic.

Within an hour, it rained phone calls on us.

My wife is on the Kashmir trek. Is she safe?

I’m leaving from Paris to Srinagar tomorrow. What should I do? 

We just landed in Srinagar. Our trek is tomorrow. What are we to do?

We stopped everything we were doing. Things were more serious than they looked. By then a copy of the advisory reached us by Whatsapp. The note looked grim. It asked tourists to vacate the valley.

Most of us pacified trekkers on phone calls. Our founders and ops team put their heads together to come up with a plan to tackle the emergency.

Many of our trekkers were already on the slopes, some of them on their way to Srinagar. Our staff members were spread all across Kashmir.

Our only aim was to keep trekkers safe and keep our staff safe.

That evening, we were torn at the Indiahikes office. From our hearts, we did not want to stop our treks — so many trekkers had been preparing for their treks, travelling from around the world.

After many years, our Kashmir treks had been running smoothly throughout July with no political unrest. And three years after exploring Warwan Valley, we had finally opened it, thinking the region (near Kargil) was finally safe!

The inside story of how we evacuated 162 trekkers and team members from J&K along with more than a tonne of equipment in less than 48 hours.

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