Trek News from the Himalayas -- Temperature Drops in the Himalayas, Ne...
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Trek News from the Himalayas -- Temperature Drops in the Himalayas, New Trek in Manipur
Category News
By Latika Payak
2021-12-01
The Indiahikes Weekly Digest brings you the latest news, updates, articles, and videos from the trekking world.
It takes you through everything new in the trekking world. You will find that you cannot ignore any of the sections in this digest.
We hope you find this digest useful, and at some point in time, contribute to it too!
Temperatures Drop: Expect -8°C to -10°C on Himalayan Treks
Temperatures have started dropping in the mountains. The first snowfall is expected between December 2nd and 7th as a result of the oncoming Western Disturbances. This means that if you are scheduled to go for a winter trek, you need to be mentally and physically prepared for it.
“Many trekkers who have not trekked in snow don’t realise how cold it gets,” shares Dushyant Sharma, Senior Trek Leader at Indiahikes. “Your fingers and toes go numb. Sometimes when you are trekking, you cannot even feel your extremities,” he adds.
But even at such extreme temperatures, there is a thumb rule to staying warm.
“After reaching the campsite for the day, the first thing you do is layer up. Cover your head, wear your five layers, gloves, woollen socks and neck warmers. Doing this as soon as you reach the next camp is crucial. It’s what helps retain your body heat and stay warm,” Dushyant shares.
It is important to retain heat in your sleeping bag too.
“Many trekkers keep a hot water bottle in their sleeping bag and it works wonderfully. Keep it in areas that are usually warm, that’s near your chest, or in between your legs,” says Slope Manager Akshay Upreti. “This heat will circulate inside the sleeping bag and keep you warm,” he adds.
These are just a couple of tips to be mindful of if you are scheduled for a winter trek. You will find more on the Indiahikes website and during interactions with your Experience Coordinators.
View Hacks to Stay Warm On a Winter Trek
Good News: Fewer Trekkers Opt for Backpack Offloading!
In a happy turn of events, we saw a drop in the percentage of trekkers offloading. Only 40.77% of trekkers opted for backpack offloading in November. This is 6.9% less than the number of trekkers who opted for offloading in October.
What changed?
“Last month we voraciously encouraged trekkers to not offload. During the campaign, we primarily touched upon two points, fitness and sustainability,” shares Nandana Kamasani, Head, Experience Coordination at Indiahikes.
Not offloading your backpack reflects the true spirit of trekking. It also aids in creating a sustainable system of trekking by reducing the number of pack animals on trails.
“Each mule weighs around 300-350 kilos. It carries around 45 kilos of weight. When such heavy pack animals go on trails, there’s a big trample effect on the trails. They have metal hooves that damage the earth. The more the number of mules, the more the trample effect,” says Neha Satheesan from Indiahikes Green Trails team.
At Indiahikes, we have always encouraged trekkers to carry their own backpack. It celebrates the true spirit of trekking. Picture by Indiahikes Photographer Jothiranjan
This is why the drop in percentage of offloaders is heartening.
To strengthen this trend, we are now allowing trekkers decide during the trek if they want to offload their backpacks. There is a reason for this.
“We notice that trekkers usually opt for offloading out of uncertainty. They are not sure whether they can trek with a backpack, so they choose to offload, to be on the safer side. This is why, starting this winter, trekkers can try to carry their own backpacks. Only if they truly cannot, they can choose to offload,” Nandana adds.
We already see numbers dipping, and this is a wonderful sign for trekking!
Should Trekkers Offload or Not? What Do You Think?
Indiahikes Explores and Documents New Trek in Tamenglong, Manipur
A year ago, we received an invitation from the Manipur Government to explore treks in the state. “Rohit Anand, Sub-Divisional Officer of Tamenglong, got in touch with us regarding this. He wanted us to explore treks in that region. He wanted trekkers need to see this side of India,” shares Izzat Yaganagi, Head of Experiential Learning at Indiahikes.
It wasn’t the first time Indiahikes was venturing into the North-East. In the past, we had explored the Talley Valley trek in Arunachal Pradesh. So we had an idea about the picturesque beauty of treks in this part of the country.
“We researched about the routes shared by the Manipur Forest Department. After a lot of research one particular trail was finalised in the Tamenglong area that held the potential to become the next ‘wow’ trek in India,” shares Gautam Singh from the Documentation Team.
Finally, after a year of coordination and research, Indiahikes Trek Leader Dhaval Jajal was chosen to explore two treks — one in the Tamenglong region and other near the Dzouko valley.
Out of the two, Tamenglong really caught our attention, for all the right reasons.
The thick virgin jungles of Manipur are a sight for sore eyes. Picture by Dr Dhaval Jajal
“It’s true that trekkers have not seen such a setting on treks. The trek in Tamenglong takes you through thick forest, caves and waterfalls. The trek is not monotonous at all. It also offers an intimate peek at the local culture of the region. The experience is indeed unique,” shares Dhaval Jajal from the trek.
Today, a month after the exploration, the documentation of the picturesque Tamenglong Forest Trek is up on Indiahikes website.
We intend to open this trek so that trekkers get to experience the beauty of trekking in Manipur. In a few months, you should be able to see the dates of Tamenglong Forest trek on Indiahikes website.
Explore Tamenglong Forest Trek
Indiahikes Mountain Lovers Gold Calendar 2022 – Only 200 Left!
Over the past week, more than a thousand trekkers have placed orders for the Indiahikes annual calendars. While it was overwhelming, we were not surprised at how excited trekkers were to book and receive the Indiahikes Mountain Lovers Gold Calendar 2022. It is a collectible after all.
Just like every year, this is a large wall calendar, 19 inches in width and 14 inches in height. So the calendar bursts to life, giving you the wonderful feeling that the mountains are truly in your room. Take a look at it yourself.
We’ve chosen these pictures after sifting through thousands of photos.
They have all been taken by trekkers and the Indiahikes team. And what an honour it is for them to be featured in this calendar!
Like every year, it’s truly a calendar for mountain lovers.
It features
- 12 rare professional pictures of our Himalayan trekking trails. It’s easily a head-turner.
- The 220 GSM art paper used ensures you can cut out the pictures at the end of the year to make picture frames out of them. It’s matt finish as well, so the photographs won’t glare from any angle.
- The Mountain Lover’s Gold Calendar makes it a very unusual and thoughtful gift in case you want to surprise anyone. We ship it in a wonderful hard case cylinder which keeps the calendar in shape.
So order yours soon. Last year our calendar sold out in 11 days. Looks like this year it’ll happen sooner!
The calendar costs ₹ 490. This includes all taxes and shipping.
We are looking for Photo Trekkers!
For us, a trek goes beyond adventure and beautiful scenery. A trek can impact your mind, body and spirit. Photographs can do that too.
This is where the role of a Photo Trekker comes in. We are looking to create an opportunity for good photographers to showcase their talent, talk about their photographs (both in a technical and aesthetic way), and make our trekkers see trek photography in a new light.
This assignment is a chance for you to collaborate with Indiahikes on a trek, capture the remotest landscapes of the Himalayas, contribute photographs to Indiahikes and build your portfolio.
We will do everything to take care of your trek. We hope you make the best of it with the care and safety of Indiahikes.
What we will take care of:
- We will waive of your trek fee and take care of your trek. (The trek will be selected by us, based on the season and our requirements.)
- We will take care of your food and accommodation on the trek.
- We will also pick you up and drop you back to and from the basecamp at our expense.
- We will allow you to offload your backpack without paying for it, since you will be carrying heavy camera equipment.
What we expect from you:
- Excellent photography skills
- Camera equipment of your own
- Prior trek experience (so that you understand the difficulties of taking photographs on a Himalayan trek with tough terrain, negative temperatures and erratic weather)
- Good fitness (BMI – not above 28)
- We expect you to fulfill our photography requirements, adhering to all our guidelines, which will be shared with you once you’re selected.
How to apply:
If you think you are suitable for an assignment with us, send an email to jothiranjan@indiahikes.com with the subject line – Working with Indiahikes – Photo Trekker. Include the following details in your email.
- Your portfolio of photos
- A small write-up (1- paragraph) on “Why I would like to be a Photo Trekker”
- Details of your camera equipment
There will be a strict selection process based on your skills, experience, and work culture. We will get back to you within 7 days if you’re shortlisted.
What Brings Snowfall to India – A Quick Understanding with an Expert
This blog is a must-read if you want to trek in snow. In this blog, Akshay Deoras, meteorologist and weather forecaster for the past 10 years shares valuable information about winter and snow in India.
Co-Founder of Adventure Worx Shares His Indiahikes Experience
Even though he’s been trekking in the Himalayas for the past 17 years, Puttaraj Alige, Co-Founder of AdventureWorx, found that Indiahikes Experience was very unique. In this video, he shares why
Why Sandakphu Trek is Not Just About the Sleeping Buddha
In this video, Arjun Majumdar, Founder of Indiahikes, takes us through reasons that make Sandakphu one of the most unique treks in the North-East of India.
Padri Pass lies at the intersection of the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir and the state of Himachal Pradesh, and the Bhal Padri meadows are just 7 kilometers away from this road head.
Although Padri to Bhal Padri is a well known trail among the locals of Jammu, it remains quite a secret to the rest of the world. It is a perfect weekend getaway if you’re in Jammu and want to experience its prettiest meadows.
Since the entire meadows are covered in snow in winter, the best time to witness the lush green meadows is between July and September. In winters, Padri becomes a hub for snowboarding and skiing and is not suitable for trekking under heavy snow.
Padri to Bhal Padri trek takes you through the lush forests and undulating meadows of Bhaderwah, in Doda district of Jammu. And as a bonus, you get to see all the major peaks of Kishtwar Himalaya — Mt Nun, Mt Brahma I and II, Mt Arjuna — when the skies are clear.
This trek is for those who are short on time and are looking to spend a day in the untouched valley of Bhal Padri, which remains so close, yet so far.
How to Reach
To reach Bhal Padri trek you need to travel around 190 km towards east from Jammu, going to Bhaderwah. The base camp of Bhal Padri trek is Bhaderwah, a small town situated in Doda district.
Get Complete Details on Bhal Padri Trek
That brings us to the end of the Indiahikes Weekly News Digest. If there is anything else you would like to see in this email, do let us know.
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Latika Payak
Senior Content Writer
About the author
Latika is a Senior Content Writer and one of the rare team members who has seen Indiahikes from its initial days. She was among the first few to begin creating content at Indiahikes, documenting treks around Maharasthra, interviewing trekkers and writing their stories.
Latika started trekking after joining Indiahikes and has trekked to Roopkund, Hampta Pass, Kedarkantha, Dayara Bugyal, Tarsar Marsar, and Har Ki Dun.
With a strong background in print media and have worked with several publications. Latika is always hunting for great stories hidden in the folds of the mountains. Horror stories from ancient routes and villages of the Himalayas are her favourite.
She is presently working on bringing out news from the remote trekking regions of our country.
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