Cheating Death!

There are very few instances in one's life when one came so close to losing life; miraculously one survived and was given a second chance, either by sheer luck, or simply, by God’s grace. Either way, one lived....just to tell the tale.

It was a 45 day back packing expedition to the Himalayan kingdom; the States of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttaranchal; by two of us, very close friends. It had been a plan in the waiting for quite some time before we had decided to take the plunge. I had also quit my job just to make this trip. Such was the commitment to the idea.

This particular incident took place in the pristine locales of Leh & Ladakh (J&K); mid way through our journey, to be precise. It was early June (Beginning of Summer). It was also the beginning of the tourist season with fresh snow cover all across the landscape from the long winter that had just ended. The roads through to the tourist hot spots had hardly opened up; still waiting for the clearing of snow.

The destination was the Khardungla pass. It was the second day of our itinerary in Leh. It is said to be the highest motorable road in the world. We left our guest house in the wee hours; should have been 4 AM -dawn in Ladakhi terms! (Early sunrise is because of the high altitude and the northern latitude). This was to avoid the ‘snow melt streams’ that dot the landscape as the day progressed. Wading through them is always a tough task and they are not one or two, but several. The 39 km road through to the pass was a challenging one with narrow roads, massive cliffs, deep gorges and a fresh blanket of snow accompanying us wherever we went. Landslides, washouts, road accidents and broken down vehicles were a common sight. The journey took us close to three hours to complete. Also, thanks to our experienced Ladakhi ‘driver-bhai’ and his indispensable Maruti Omni, we made it by breakfast time without hiccups, so to say.

After a light snack, and a much needed break, accompanied by hot tea at a military canteen, it was time for us to experience 18,380 ft, Mean Sea Level!

After a short photo session with the local military personnel and having collected the proof of our having ‘been there and done that’; let me say, we were left wanting for more. All this while, I kept wondering what more could one expect at 18,380 ft, MSL, completely covered with snow and having a heavy military presence, if not for the thrill or the exhilarating experience of just having been there!

We had a whole two hours to go before we had decided to head back to Leh. This is when a thought occurred to me of taking a small hike up the mountain adjacent to the canteen where a flag post lay with the tri colour unfurled with all its glory, thanks to the strong mountain wind. The sun was playing hide and seek all this while, much like what one can expect at this altitude. After consulting the locals and taking required permission of the concerned military authorities, I decided to head for the flag post with only a handy-cam for company. 

My friend had decided to stay back at the base as he had some problem with his shoes and it would have been difficult for him to make the hike.

It was a steep climb of about one hundred meters and took a good 30 minutes to reach the flag post.
It was a slow climb with frequent breaks; mostly, because of lack of oxygen at that altitude. After reaching the flag post and having taken time to record the scenery and take photos, I realized that the actual summit of the mountain which I had been climbing was ahead of the flag post but much closer than I had anticipated. Another 30 minutes or so a climb and I could reach the top. That was an easy and natural decision of an avid trekker and a keen climber. Reaching the summit was all that was on my mind then but that is the decision that I regret having made even to this day!

After having decided to go the whole hog, a slow and steady accent began; of course, with some doubts and, some uneasy but unknown, questions in my mind. I was half way through the climb and I began to have serious doubts about my chances of reaching the summit. The terrain was pretty much unstable all through. The fresh snowfall the previous night and a clumsy weather did not help much either. There was a strong head wind all through. I was exhausted and being thirsty had to repeatedly bite into the snow to quench my thirst.

Wading through fresh and soft snow is always a risky affair, especially, if you don't know the terrain well enough. It is very difficult to gauge the amount of snow fall or the depth of snow accumulated at such altitudes. So, every step I took had to be with extreme caution. Most of the times I had to use all my four limbs, my arms to gauge the amount of snow lying in front of me, so that I did not slip under the pile of soft fresh snow and disappeared for ever. It was not a good feeling at all. At that moment, I had to decide again whether to go on or retreat. I held on.

At long last, when I did manage to reach the summit, my mind, along with my body, had gone numb and was unable to ‘synthesize’ all my sensory inputs and make any sense of what all had just transpired. I just knelt down there for some time and kept gazing aimlessly all around. It was all so cold, white, rugged and harsh. I just kept wondering how it must have been for all those people who regularly summit these mountains. It was one of the breathtaking moments of my life. The peak I was standing on was the tip of a crescent shaped mountain with piles and piles of snow sloping down all along. I was at one edge of the hornlike crescent. Even a slight disturbance at the top could trigger an avalanche of such a magnitude that it was unimaginable at the moment. It was beautiful and scary at the same time but the worst was yet to come.

Having had come to my senses, it was time for me to record what I had just achieved. I stood up to get a better view and to record a 360 degree view of the location. Just as I was about to complete the turn, I lost my balance in one foot and slipped into the soft snow beside me, waist deep! 

This was waiting to happen. My heart had just skipped a beat. I thought that I was done for! All this had happened in the spur of a moment. By the time realization crept in I was already waist deep buried in the snow and did not know what to do.

All I could do at that moment was lay still like a rock, so that I would not slip further from where there was a point of no return. I simply did not want to believe what had just happened to me. It was nightmarish. After gathering all my senses, I slowly spread out my hands in search of some hard ground. After groping for a long time in the soft snow, I chanced upon somewhat a hard surface slightly to the left of where I had been stuck. Without disturbing the snow all round, I tried to inch towards it moving my feet ever so lightly. It was a slow and delicate maneuver. Just as I could feel the hard rock solidly by my toes, I leaned on it without losing the foot hold, slowly and firmly set my palms on it and leveraged myself up to where I stood a little while earlier. Then, it was just a step backwards to relative safety.

I was lucky enough to pull myself out without costing me my life or a limb. It could very well have been otherwise.  It was my day!

I had got a lot more than what I had bargained for. My only thought at that moment was to get back to the warmth of the camp below as soon as I could. As I began my decent, I followed the same route that I had come up climbing, but this time, with more care and caution. I simply did not want to think of or even believe in what had just happened. It took a good 30 minutes to the base, the flag post.

Finally, when I did manage to get back to the army camp below there was a huge sigh of relief and much silence. All this while, my friend had kept wondering where I had been gone for so long and for what. Much later, when I narrated to him what had transpired, there was a look on his face that told a thousand tales.

Later, I got to know from the local military personnel that the peak I had climbed was around 19000 to 20000 feet high. The highest I have ever been to so far. All said and done, to this day I truly believe that it was not worth the risk.

We all take many decisions in life; some of them are life changing in nature. The consequences of some of these decisions linger with us till the end; some may be for the better and others for worse. It is perhaps always prudent to take note of even the slightest of hesitation in circumstances like these. A sense of uncertainty or a genuine doubt may not be brushed aside or things taken for granted. If you are new to a place or do not know the location well, you are placed at higher odds of facing a bad situation.

In my case, it was a folly on my part to have made that decision to reach the summit. I may well have fallen short of my wits in getting back. Who knows, I might not have survived to write this story. Enthusiasm may not be an alternative to clarity of thought.

In the end, I lived to die another day!