Snow, Stars & Mystery: Faiz’s Unpredictable Chadar Trek

Faiz had never given much thought to how he would die… until he went for the Chadar trek.

Naive and inexperienced, he decided to undertake the Chadar trek with some of his friends in January. Before this, his trekking experience that really counted had just been in Dzukou Valley in Nagaland and Brahmatal in Uttarakhand. And out of excitement or sheer madness, he still could not say, they booked their slots for the Chadar Trek.

Since they had all heard that Thrillophilia offered the best itinerary and services in Ladakh, they booked it through them. They thought that weighing more options would ultimately lead to confusion and chaos, ending in the cancellation of the trip.

He had a theory: when trips are planned purely out of enthusiasm, even their preparation should be straight and simple.

After speaking with Thrillophilia’s executives Parth and Anshuman, the group was informed about the possible occurrences on the trek, which somewhat thrilled them even more. They all knew that they had to be physically fit and take proper precautions especially for this trek, and they were fine with that part. They were even informed about the layering of clothes which was important to survive the bone-chilling winds and fluctuating temperatures there.

Since it required several trekking gear and clothes, the shopping list was quite large. Their two-month-long preparation was basically about getting healthier and fitter, and shopping.

On the day of boarding…
Faiz fell sick.

There was a catch. For the Chadar trek, every trekker needed to go through a thorough medical checkup in Leh by the authorities there. If they declared someone unfit to go, for any reason, they could not continue. And as the trek was managed only by the local tour operators, Thrillophilia could not intervene at that stage. Thrillophilia’s representatives would only be there at Leh, and the rest of the journey would be accompanied by the local trek operators.

Hence, he was skeptical. All the jogging, all the shopping, everything would go down the drain if he could not make it this time, because he knew it was a sudden plan… and these kinds of plans never return again.

That was another one of his theories.

Since they had one or two days of acclimatisation before the check-up, Faiz got enough time to get back on his feet, fit and fine.

Of course, they got the approval.

Because they were physically fit from the beginning, and none of them had any health concerns. Perks of being young and healthy.

But there came a day on the trek when all this overconfidence shattered into a thousand pieces — trek Day 1.

Initially, everything seemed fine, but they were taking it perhaps a bit too lightly.

After completing around 5 km of stretch on the frozen river, they came to a turning ahead of which lay a narrow gorge flanked with lofty cliffs.

And Faiz heard the ice crack beneath his feet.

He stood there still, his eyes wide open with shock and fear. Their tour operators, Tenzin and Renzin, asked them to stay quiet and still, not moving even an inch. And after some time when they cued them to walk again, he finally moved.

Inside a gorge, the echoing sounds are strange. After some point, one does not even realise it is their own voice coming back to them. But they were strictly informed not to cause any disturbance as that could affect the terrain and cause cracks. It was at that exact moment that the faces of Faiz’s beloved family and friends passed through his mind in a second.

He realised this trek was no joke, and they needed to respect it in order to complete it.

Their entire attitude changed from that point onwards. They were more careful and calm, climbing the steep ascents with gum boots.

In the late afternoon, they finally stopped at a campsite to set up the camps and prepare the food. Both Tenzin and Renzin were adept at arranging everything, and thanks to Thrillophilia for partnering with just the right operators. There were porters who carried their luggage on sledges, and they were cooking for them as well. The food, given that place and the journey, seemed too good to be true. It was not just healthy and tasty, but each bite seemed to give them their lost life back.

On the third day of the trek, they were heading from Tibb Cave towards Nearak Camp. That was the day they saw the frozen waterfall of Nearak for real. It was much bigger than the pictures, and much, much more stunning.

They were camping in Nearak that night, and had just finished their dinner when they all heard footsteps in the dark. Immediately they all fell silent.

IT WAS A SNOW LEOPARD!
Glowing eyes. A snarl. They were done for.

Their instant reaction was to scream and run, but they did not do it. They remained seated. Renzin gestured silently, “Shh…”

Although Faiz could not see its feline body clearly, he made out from the shadowy figure that it was huge. Its eyes were hooked on to their campsite but it was not as close as they thought. Since the entire place was cladded in an eerie stillness, even the faintest of sounds seemed loud.

The leopard took a few steps towards them, and Tenzin got up, slightly taking wood out of the bonfire to use it as a torch. As he did so, they could see the majestic creature more clearly. It was so beautiful and graceful that none of them could utter a word. It went away on its own, leaving them with a memory that would probably be one of the biggest highlights of their lives.

An Unforgettable dream
This trek was truly one of them. The beauty of the frozen Zanskar River and the gorges that it winds through is unparalleled. The beauty of Ladakh’s winter terrain is magical, and that of Zanskar is something that cannot be erased from mind, memory, or heart. The destination did not matter on this trek, it was all about the journey. It was spectacular.

On the last night, they were resting in their campsite, and they looked up to see the stars. The sky was so clear that they could see the pink-orange cluster of stars and a significant part of the Milky Way, which left them astounded. Then the moon rose slowly, blanketing the sky in her light.

This trek gave them so many memories to cherish, and so many experiences to learn from, that their journey back home was full of quality conversations. They somehow seemed different, more matured and experienced, more responsible. Perhaps this was the purpose of that sudden plan. As all sudden occurrences have some unknown reason or the other, perhaps it was their destiny.