Hi,
Returned from a white water rafting trip in Zanskar river in Ladakh region (J&K, India) last week. An interesting and adventurous trip of 6 days in the wild Zanskar.
Zanskar is a river fed mainly by Drung Durung glacier (height: 7185 m). It is a perennial river, however in winter the river freezes to ice on which the infamous Chadar Trek is conducted. The river stretches over varied landscape during its course and culminates into the Indus at Nimu (a small village close to Leh). The rafting trip was spread over 6 days and categorised as class II & III for initial two days and class IV for the remaning. We were told that we would be dropping on an average 700 to 750 feet every day. The Zanskar gorge formed by the river is certainly the finest and most probably the only Canyon in this country. The river is categorised as medium difficult in terms of rafting, with Brahmaputra being the toughest and some stretches of upper Ganga being the equals to Zanskar. Zanskar is also termed as difficult due to remoteness, complexities of rescue since it passes through a gorge with no human habitations and medical attention being far away.
The trip commenced from Leh to Kargil by road (for overnight stay) via Lamayuru gompa (a picturesque land scape) and Fotu La (a mountain pass hovering at approx. 16500 ft). This road trip traversed through multiple landscapes which were totally in contrast to each other - from small greenery of Leh and Nimu to arid dusty desert land strongly complemented by equally dry mountains, punctuated by little civilisation at Mulbekh till the most scenic Kargil village. Kargil is located admirably at the U bend of a river (see adjacent picture) and protected at the top by tall mountains. We saw in awe the infamous Batalik sector and hill tops where the Pakistanis had encroached in 1999 from where they mortar shelled Kargil town heavily causing extensive damage to life and property. The redeveloped Kargil looks pretty and the small airport adjoining the town looks ever prettier.
Next day we moved south towards Suru Valley and further to Panikhar via Pensi La and finally camped at Rangdum (approx. 13000 ft above sea level). We camped at an open dite beside the Stod river, a pretty but secluded site, about 4 km away from the Rangdum monastery (gompa). The weather was cool with chilly wind blowing, yet a very good spot for overnight camping. Rangdum camp site (see pictures below) as viewed from adjacent mountain (which I climbed up for taking the 1st snap) top with the back drop of ice capped mountains and the Stod river down the plains.
First night out: the sleeping bag came in very handy, yet woke up dull next morning, due to the chillness. Watched in amazement the early sunrise - sunrays spreading over the mountains till it reached us at the campground and we basked in the early morning sun heat. Direct sunlight without any kind of filteration - not so good for the skin as it results in sunburns. Who cares? We just enjoyed the morning sun and bathed in sunblock creams. It gave us the warmth and the inertia to do our daily chores and unwinding the tents for onward journey through dusty roads to Remala our next camping night.
Remala was the starting point of our rafting trip. After 2 days of bus ride on extremely bad and bumpy roads, we were tired of the bus and were itching to jump into the rafts. Early morning at Remala, we got our first and last set of instructions of rafting - a 10 minute oral explanation of commands and how to execute them. At the end of it, we realised that we need to follow the guide's instructions like Gospel and never give up, key factors being quick reaction time and continous paddling in sync. There were in all 4 rafts - 2 big with 8 members each and 2 small with 6 members each. I was in the raft of six. Other than these there was a cataraft carrying our supplies for the trip, tents and other stuff. There were two other rescue guides in kayaks - young, jovial and experts.
First day's rafting took about 2.5 hours (the guide expected 3 hrs of rafting time). This was in the Stod river which happens to be a tributary of Zanskar. The early finish was not because of our efficiencies but due to water levels rising in the river resulting in a strong current taking us down faster - an observation that sent shivers down our spines. It was a pretty comfortable stretch requiring normal paddling. The guide took the opportunity to test out our co-ordination, reaction time and capabilities. We failed miserably in all the three aspects. A command Forward required us to paddle forward. Each one of us paddled at our own rhythm and sweet pace - we looked like a bunch of jokers swinging our paddles ( some only in air and others actually touched the water surface!!!). The guide commented that we were not paddling but Lily dipping. A command Get Down required us to hold our paddles horizontally and get down inside the raft to the raft floor (in crouching position). The guide shouted the Get Down command 4 times but none of us realised as we were very sweetly swing our paddles (enjoying the 1st feel of rafting). So much for the reaction time. The guide concluded in despair that at this level of attention, all of us would be thrown out of the rafts even at the first class III rapid we encounter. The next command was Hard Forward. This meant that we need to make small strokes but harder and faster. Normally this is done when the raft needs to move forward faster and is faced by strong water splashes or to get away from a hold over section (a situation where the raft gets entangled in a water loop and flips over completely). There could be other situations also where the hard forward comes in handy like in prolonged rapids. Since the instructions were fresh in our minds, we responded immediately - each one of us swinging our paddles wildly. We looked as if all of us have gone beserk and/or gone mad. We were in this state of commotion for a full five minutes after which all of us were panting heavily and extremely tired. Our guide pointed out that after all this we had not moved an inch on our own. We were aghast and completely crestfallen at our folly. At the same time it dawned on us that we were the laughing stock for people in the other 4 rafts who were also part of the group. We learnt our lessons hard way. We decided one of us will call out a numbers according to the motion of our paddles so that we can paddle in sync. It went like 'onnneeeeeee..... two'. This helped.
A dusty camp site near Karsha Gompa, next to the Stod river which we were rafting on and yet how happy were we to pitch our tents!!. We were glowing under the sense of achievement of our 1st day's rafting (except for the small test in our raft) - a welcome change from the monotonous and bumpy bus ride. It gave us the feeling that rafting was easy and fun, unaware of what was in store for us. For the rest of the afternoon, we did a 3 hr trek (to and fro) up to Karsha gompa (see left) and clicked merrily from the top. A wonderful view of mountain peaks basking in sun took our breath away. We see the confluence of Stod river and Zanskar from the gompa top. There was a small pocket of green patch below the gompa (to the right) which incidentally happened to be a small village. At the time that we were trekking to the gompa a huge sandstorm blew over throwing in mounds of sand and dust all over us. We had sand all over our body, in our eyes, nose and ears. What we did not realise then, but later, when we returned back to our camp, that the sand storm had blown apart the big common sitting and dining tents and tore some our sleeping tents. We pitifully looked at our campsite - it looked as if it has been ransacked by a herd of wild elephants - all tents down on the ground, some of our food supplies spilled and consumed by the sand. Those who did not come for the trek and remained in the camp (due to tiredness) now looked as if they were part of the surrendered prisoners after a mighty war.
By the way, you must be wondering 'why the crotch shivered?'. It's worth mentioning here that we are up in the himalayas (@ around 3700 m above sea level) in a river which has recently metlted out from the ice peaks. To cut it short, water was about 3 to 5 deg Centigrade. Even to think of it now, gives me goose pimples!!##!@
We were passing through the Grand Canyon of the country. The gorge narrows in to the river. The terrain is the most awesome sight - Zanskar cutting through the gorge. The gorge itself is a perpendicular wall of rock mountains towering high into the sky on both sides (averaging 100 to 200 metres in height). The rocks were rough and sharp. There was nothing called as banks of the river - just the rough edges. Of course needless to say they were untapped rich natural resources of iron ore, magnesium, granite etc. The surroundings which we were passing through were definitely the remotest part of Ladakh ( as earlied ststed by our guide) - truly a place to visit - and best enjoyed from the river only as there is no road along the gorge.
Anyway, when all these things were going on in our minds, the guide spoke out: "Guys, we just have one more class III rapid for the day coming in another ten minutes. This time it is short but requires some manouvering. So be ready, check your gear and brace yourselves properly". Mother nature is testing our physical endurance.
Back to the final class III+ rapid of the day: As ours was the first raft, we had a clear vison of the impending danger. From far it looked like a huge pot boiler - a huge round pot with boiling water spilling out of it around and every where. Beyound that patch the was a slope inclined downwards and waters seemed to gather speed and were rushing down around a bend in the river (formed by two gorge extensions projecting out into the river one each on either side, not at the same place but one after the other causing a S-shaped inclined bend. Now, that is what he meant when he said that the rapid is a short one. The guide also confirmed that just after the rapid and the bend down the slope is our camp site - Nyerak. It is this camp site where we pitch for 2 nights (one additional rest day with a long steep strek planned to the Nyerak village.
As we closed in, our guide asked us to follow the instructions to the T and immediately. He announced: "Guys, check your gears, and brace yourself tightly. I do not want any mistake here or over-run the slope. There is a small patch on the right bank where we can pull in our rafts for camping and I don't want to miss it at any cost and whatever happens hold on to your paddles and never stop paddling". It dawned on us that we are in the gorge and no space on either banks to get down and dock our rafts and realised how important it is, not to miss the only patch of land available beyond the bend.
About 25 m before the rapid, the turmoil started - in the rafts and in our bellies. It requires enormous will-power and inner strength to be at the front when a huge massacre is approaching you fast. We felt like tiny lilliputian soldiers shielded in life jackets & wet suits and paddles as our swords to fight a gigantic well geared army with the most stinging war machinery you could ever imagine.
Our raft swung wildly and weirdly. We could not anticipate the swings. We lost balance. For a moment I thought the raft was front down deep in water. But the very next instant the front of the raft was high up in air - the raft standing perpendicular to the river. The two of us - front runners were hanging loose in air out of the raft, but clinging on, since our feet were braced tightly to the raft floor. I had wedged my left foott under the air tubes of the raftand the right one under a strap on the raft floor. Our paddles in our hand swinging in air equally. The motion that we were undergoing cannot be described in any proper manner and I am certain there is no scientific or mathematical theory to describe this motion. Then we landed straight into a wall of water. We felt drowned in a bottomless ocean and were gasping for air. Amidst this chaos we heard it again: "F**ing Hard Forward". We rolled into action. I started calling out: 'One.. two' 'One.. two' 'One.. two' 'One.. two'. Since it was a hard forward, the one and two are short and quick. The first 2 calls sounded as if I was gurgling mouthful of water to clear a sore throat. There was so much water in my mouth and throat. I almost choked. Neverthe less I continued 'One.. two' 'One.. two' 'One.. two'. We slowly came out of trance coughing, splitting water out of our mouths, eyes clogged not able to see, got into position and started paddling. With the eyes getting clearer I could just about see in the front and what do I see: A huge wall of water coming towards us. Now I screamed: "Hard Forward.. One Two,One Two,One Two". Others sensed the panic in my voice and complied immediately. We paddled for survival. Suddenly we were in sync and were moving forward. The wall hit us. I felt as though several tons of weight fell on me. We then heard just in time: "Get down". We scrambled for space in the raft but did it right and in time. How handy was the practical lesson on the first day - we realised it now. It gave the assurance that the guide is atleast able to see in the front - our life saviour. Immediately came the words:"Hard Forward". We again took our positions and paddled with almost clock set precision. We were panting heavily, felt our lungs would just pop out due to such continous paddling. Yet we did not stop lest we would not survive the lashes. The rough edges rocks at the sides itching to reach us. The guide repeated again "Hard Forward" and continued with "GO, GO, GO, GO, GO" and we went wild, paddling hard, fast and furious, at the same time panting, gasping and screaming out all possible moans that we could, between our breaths. Our raft went like a roller coaster - up and down and tilted on one side and then other side and again up and down repeatedly till we passed the rapid. We DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Finally we succeeded. All this happened in a matter of 5 to 6 minutes but it seemed hours to us.
As we were the first, we turned back to see how the other rafts are faring. The kayaks were close by. The next 2 rafts were struggling in the rapid. There was an understanding that the whole group moves together. The last eight seater raft had just entered the rapid section and we could hear their guide scream Hard Forward. Somehow we saw that they were not moving forward. Their raft was shaking vigorously. We in the remaining 3 rafts shouted together "Guys Hard Forward". The collective voice was so loud that it echoed in the Canyon. Surely everybody heard it. They were paddling like hell but not in sync. the raft didn't move much. All of us saw a big water wave building towards them. Again we shouted "Paddle together". But in vain. They could also see the wave approaching them. Panic had set in. The screamed. Their raft swung and turned direction. Now instead of the raft facing in the direction of the river flow, the front of the raft was facing the rocks of the left bank. Their raft entered the gap between the boulders sideways and when it went up sideways, the balance was lost. The raft toppled sideways. All the nine members were thrown out of the raft including the guide. We all panicked at the sight. Bodies flying all around and landing into the river. One fellow - front runner of the raft was still clinging to the raft. he had his feet clasped in the raft. Since the raft had toppled upside down, he along with a couple of his colleagues were now under the raft stuck in water. All the guides together shouted : "Flip Over". It meant that a raft has flipped over. The rescue attempts commenced immediately. What I and others did not realise was that we were also part of the rescue mission. We were all still frozen and dumbstruck by what we were witnessing and did not know what to do and more so how to react. Our guide shouted: "Back Paddle". None of us could comprehend the situation. Again we heard:" F**ing back paddle". No reaction from us as we had panicked. The guide screamed out our names one by one and said " Mother F***er Back paddle". Only then we regained our senses and started to paddle. Now back paddle was a new term not used before since the instruction session on day 1 and we were still very much disoriented. As a result, some paddled forward by mistake and some did the back paddle. Now the guide was really annoyed as we had to rescue others and we were not even obeying his instructions properly. He started: "Use your f***ing brains Hard back paddle - all of you. Ajay - F*** you, back paddle, back paddle. You are still doing forward".
The crew quickly laid down the tables for a lunch. All of us were damn tired and hungry. A few shivering in cold and mostly due to shock. Anju was in shock mode still. I could see death in her eyes when we lifted her up into our raft. She sat on the raft floor next to me shivering and unable to speak coherently. The eyes were really scary. I tried to comfort her but the extent of shock was severe. It took almost 5 hrs for her to calm down.
The guides decided fast on future course of action. The cataraft with some food supplies will go ahead and reach the 3 guys and kayakers so that wherever they are able to pull up, they will not have to starve. I need to point out here that since we are in a gorge, there is no place to trek back to this camp from wherever these guys will get rescued. Our guide who was the leader of this trip went along in the cataraft after stating that he will wait for us next day when we will paddle down and pick him up. We were perplexed at that statement.
We braced ourselves tightly realising that now the effort will be to keep away from the rocks, so we need to continously paddle and hold on to the left. VK started by saying "Forward". Ten metres down the river VK shouted "Hard Forward".
Once again we were at war. Thanks to the break, we could compose ourselves for this battle. We bent down, digged hard and paddled vigorously. For once, we were in complete co-ordination from start. We realised that being in sync, the effort required to move forward is less collectively. We continued for more than 3 to 4 minutes during which there was only a fraction of time when we felt that we are losing control. But then furious paddling coupled with all posssible moans did the trick. We do not know whether paddling did it or river got scared of the different moaning noises. Whatever be it, WE DID IT and with ease, I must say. Our guide for the first time commented that we did a good job, that we paddled real hard unlike others. I and others (I am sure) swelled in pride on this comment (totally contrary to the usual F**ker and what not).
We reached our campsite at Lamaguru shortly afterwards. We were contented and happy - same for the other rafts. I was told that the 4th raft again had some difficulty at the 18 down but they averted the flip somehow.
A good rest, enjoyed the evening sun, dinner and campfire for some singing and dancing.
The final day, we were relieved of bringing down our tents. The crew did that for us. After a leisurely breakfast, we moved on. The last day on raft. We were practically in sober mood, each one of us reliving the previous few days - our camps, interaction all the fun we had together. We wished the trip did not end - some actually said so. This day, it was simple compared to the earlier days as far as paddling was concerned. We had the roller coaster swings and an odd rapid but overall it was a easy day. By noon we reached our destination Nimu a little after Zanskar merges into the Indus. Nimu (see left) from far is a small pretty village along the Indus.
Congrats to Vaibhav and the team of Aquaterra adventures. (www.aquaterra.in)
Other facts about the trip: There are many other interesting events which happened during the trip which I have not elaborated else this narration would have become an epic.
Returned from a white water rafting trip in Zanskar river in Ladakh region (J&K, India) last week. An interesting and adventurous trip of 6 days in the wild Zanskar.
Zanskar is a river fed mainly by Drung Durung glacier (height: 7185 m). It is a perennial river, however in winter the river freezes to ice on which the infamous Chadar Trek is conducted. The river stretches over varied landscape during its course and culminates into the Indus at Nimu (a small village close to Leh). The rafting trip was spread over 6 days and categorised as class II & III for initial two days and class IV for the remaning. We were told that we would be dropping on an average 700 to 750 feet every day. The Zanskar gorge formed by the river is certainly the finest and most probably the only Canyon in this country. The river is categorised as medium difficult in terms of rafting, with Brahmaputra being the toughest and some stretches of upper Ganga being the equals to Zanskar. Zanskar is also termed as difficult due to remoteness, complexities of rescue since it passes through a gorge with no human habitations and medical attention being far away.
The trip commenced from Leh to Kargil by road (for overnight stay) via Lamayuru gompa (a picturesque land scape) and Fotu La (a mountain pass hovering at approx. 16500 ft). This road trip traversed through multiple landscapes which were totally in contrast to each other - from small greenery of Leh and Nimu to arid dusty desert land strongly complemented by equally dry mountains, punctuated by little civilisation at Mulbekh till the most scenic Kargil village. Kargil is located admirably at the U bend of a river (see adjacent picture) and protected at the top by tall mountains. We saw in awe the infamous Batalik sector and hill tops where the Pakistanis had encroached in 1999 from where they mortar shelled Kargil town heavily causing extensive damage to life and property. The redeveloped Kargil looks pretty and the small airport adjoining the town looks ever prettier. Next day we moved south towards Suru Valley and further to Panikhar via Pensi La and finally camped at Rangdum (approx. 13000 ft above sea level). We camped at an open dite beside the Stod river, a pretty but secluded site, about 4 km away from the Rangdum monastery (gompa). The weather was cool with chilly wind blowing, yet a very good spot for overnight camping. Rangdum camp site (see pictures below) as viewed from adjacent mountain (which I climbed up for taking the 1st snap) top with the back drop of ice capped mountains and the Stod river down the plains.
First night out: the sleeping bag came in very handy, yet woke up dull next morning, due to the chillness. Watched in amazement the early sunrise - sunrays spreading over the mountains till it reached us at the campground and we basked in the early morning sun heat. Direct sunlight without any kind of filteration - not so good for the skin as it results in sunburns. Who cares? We just enjoyed the morning sun and bathed in sunblock creams. It gave us the warmth and the inertia to do our daily chores and unwinding the tents for onward journey through dusty roads to Remala our next camping night.
Remala was the starting point of our rafting trip. After 2 days of bus ride on extremely bad and bumpy roads, we were tired of the bus and were itching to jump into the rafts. Early morning at Remala, we got our first and last set of instructions of rafting - a 10 minute oral explanation of commands and how to execute them. At the end of it, we realised that we need to follow the guide's instructions like Gospel and never give up, key factors being quick reaction time and continous paddling in sync. There were in all 4 rafts - 2 big with 8 members each and 2 small with 6 members each. I was in the raft of six. Other than these there was a cataraft carrying our supplies for the trip, tents and other stuff. There were two other rescue guides in kayaks - young, jovial and experts.
First day's rafting took about 2.5 hours (the guide expected 3 hrs of rafting time). This was in the Stod river which happens to be a tributary of Zanskar. The early finish was not because of our efficiencies but due to water levels rising in the river resulting in a strong current taking us down faster - an observation that sent shivers down our spines. It was a pretty comfortable stretch requiring normal paddling. The guide took the opportunity to test out our co-ordination, reaction time and capabilities. We failed miserably in all the three aspects. A command Forward required us to paddle forward. Each one of us paddled at our own rhythm and sweet pace - we looked like a bunch of jokers swinging our paddles ( some only in air and others actually touched the water surface!!!). The guide commented that we were not paddling but Lily dipping. A command Get Down required us to hold our paddles horizontally and get down inside the raft to the raft floor (in crouching position). The guide shouted the Get Down command 4 times but none of us realised as we were very sweetly swing our paddles (enjoying the 1st feel of rafting). So much for the reaction time. The guide concluded in despair that at this level of attention, all of us would be thrown out of the rafts even at the first class III rapid we encounter. The next command was Hard Forward. This meant that we need to make small strokes but harder and faster. Normally this is done when the raft needs to move forward faster and is faced by strong water splashes or to get away from a hold over section (a situation where the raft gets entangled in a water loop and flips over completely). There could be other situations also where the hard forward comes in handy like in prolonged rapids. Since the instructions were fresh in our minds, we responded immediately - each one of us swinging our paddles wildly. We looked as if all of us have gone beserk and/or gone mad. We were in this state of commotion for a full five minutes after which all of us were panting heavily and extremely tired. Our guide pointed out that after all this we had not moved an inch on our own. We were aghast and completely crestfallen at our folly. At the same time it dawned on us that we were the laughing stock for people in the other 4 rafts who were also part of the group. We learnt our lessons hard way. We decided one of us will call out a numbers according to the motion of our paddles so that we can paddle in sync. It went like 'onnneeeeeee..... two'. This helped.
A dusty camp site near Karsha Gompa, next to the Stod river which we were rafting on and yet how happy were we to pitch our tents!!. We were glowing under the sense of achievement of our 1st day's rafting (except for the small test in our raft) - a welcome change from the monotonous and bumpy bus ride. It gave us the feeling that rafting was easy and fun, unaware of what was in store for us. For the rest of the afternoon, we did a 3 hr trek (to and fro) up to Karsha gompa (see left) and clicked merrily from the top. A wonderful view of mountain peaks basking in sun took our breath away. We see the confluence of Stod river and Zanskar from the gompa top. There was a small pocket of green patch below the gompa (to the right) which incidentally happened to be a small village. At the time that we were trekking to the gompa a huge sandstorm blew over throwing in mounds of sand and dust all over us. We had sand all over our body, in our eyes, nose and ears. What we did not realise then, but later, when we returned back to our camp, that the sand storm had blown apart the big common sitting and dining tents and tore some our sleeping tents. We pitifully looked at our campsite - it looked as if it has been ransacked by a herd of wild elephants - all tents down on the ground, some of our food supplies spilled and consumed by the sand. Those who did not come for the trek and remained in the camp (due to tiredness) now looked as if they were part of the surrendered prisoners after a mighty war.
An early wake up next morning (6:00 am), quick breakfast and winding of tents and other stuff helped us to be ready on the rafts by 8:45 am. What I did not mention earlier is that it is an effort to get on to the wet suits, wet boots, splash jacket, life jacket and helmet to be worn in that order. At high altitudes where there is lack of oxygen, even this exercise of putting on your gear catches you out of breath. We take off from Karsha, enter Zanskar and raft towards Honyo or Pidmo. A 3.5 hour stint where we would face the class III rapids. We started in extremely joyful mood which gradually changed to sombre mood as and when we crossed the class III rapids one after the other. Amongst a few class II rapids, we had to overcome three class III rapids for the day. The first once was tough but short, putting us all out of breath since we had to paddle Hard forward. Our raft swung wildly in different directions induced by big water waves. Most of us got disoriented by the sudden gush of water wall on us and were displaced from our positions. some how Our guides adviced us to brace ourselves properly. We got the first taste of rough waters. It gave us a brief introduction on what more to experience. For the second class III rapid, we were slightly more prepared mentally and was a real test of being in sync during the wild up and down swings of the raft. For instance, during the onneeeee...... two session in our raft, onneeee... was when you were pushing the paddle in water and two is when you would lift and bring it back to the front for dipping again in water for the next onneee.... . Sitting in the front, when the raft swung up, I was really high up (raft almost in standing position) and the count was onneeee.... . Being so high I could not even reach the water for paddling. Obviously I missed the count and went out of sync. This also happened to my other colleague at the front left of the raft. Since the others behind were following us, all of us lost sync. In effect we went out of sync and hence were not moving forward. We continued to bounce up and down in the rapid without actually moving ahead of it, worst possible situation as per the guide since you have surrendered yourself to the forces of nature. The guide screamed out his commands punctuated heavily with abuses and the F* word (the most effective way to drive a point hard). We woke back into our senses, albeit with silty water in our mouth, ears, nose, inside our wet suits and dripping (as water seeped though our gear, even the crotch shivers), took a few seconds to get back to our rhythm and paddled vigorously with all our stregnth and the raft started to move forward. A few more such big splashes happenned but now we did not stop. Soon we were out of the rapid thanking our stars that the raft did not topple. But we were absolutely out of breath, shit cold and shivering (mostly due to coldness and partially due to the scare). Most importantly, we were dead tired and wondering loudly why we did not have a heavy breakfast.
By the way, you must be wondering 'why the crotch shivered?'. It's worth mentioning here that we are up in the himalayas (@ around 3700 m above sea level) in a river which has recently metlted out from the ice peaks. To cut it short, water was about 3 to 5 deg Centigrade. Even to think of it now, gives me goose pimples!!##!@
We were passing through the Grand Canyon of the country. The gorge narrows in to the river. The terrain is the most awesome sight - Zanskar cutting through the gorge. The gorge itself is a perpendicular wall of rock mountains towering high into the sky on both sides (averaging 100 to 200 metres in height). The rocks were rough and sharp. There was nothing called as banks of the river - just the rough edges. Of course needless to say they were untapped rich natural resources of iron ore, magnesium, granite etc. The surroundings which we were passing through were definitely the remotest part of Ladakh ( as earlied ststed by our guide) - truly a place to visit - and best enjoyed from the river only as there is no road along the gorge.
Anyway, when all these things were going on in our minds, the guide spoke out: "Guys, we just have one more class III rapid for the day coming in another ten minutes. This time it is short but requires some manouvering. So be ready, check your gear and brace yourselves properly". Mother nature is testing our physical endurance.
Brace: A term used by the guides whereby we had to lock out feet securely in straps or sockets available in the raft depending on the position you are occupying on the raft. For instance, I was in the front of the raft. I was sitting on the raft tube at front right facing inside. The right feet squeezed under a strap on the raft floor (inside), feet turned to the right. The left feet tucked into the groove between the side tube and the 1st cross tube of the raft, feet turned to the left. The feet were in the Bharatnatyam (ayathaamandalam position) but apart and myself sitting on the side tube at the front. It is not a very comfortable position but essential to hold you tugged to the raft against lashing waves and weird swings in rapids. A firm foot grip also gives a confidence to paddle.
Finally, we approached the last class III rapid for the day. We came to know that there are some finer nuances to the categorisation of rapids like class III+ or a class IV- etc, the signs indicate the intensity of the rapid. to explain the intensity of the rapid increases from Class III- to Class III and further to Class III+ in that order. We were told that this final rapid is Class III+ tending towards Class IV depending on the situation. Our hearts sank.
Finally, we approached the last class III rapid for the day. We came to know that there are some finer nuances to the categorisation of rapids like class III+ or a class IV- etc, the signs indicate the intensity of the rapid. to explain the intensity of the rapid increases from Class III- to Class III and further to Class III+ in that order. We were told that this final rapid is Class III+ tending towards Class IV depending on the situation. Our hearts sank.
At this point I give the detail of the order in which the rafts were moving. Ours was the first raft. We were followed by one big raft (8 paddlers), then by other small raft (6 paddlers, like ours) and then the next big raft and finally the cataraft (carrying the food supplies). The cataraft is a oar raft with two banana shaped tubes and more steady as it has got more breadth than a normal raft. Moreover it is quite heavy with all the supplies. There were 2 guides in kayaks slightly ahead of us but being the jumpy kind, can fall back in line whenever the need arises.
Back to the final class III+ rapid of the day: As ours was the first raft, we had a clear vison of the impending danger. From far it looked like a huge pot boiler - a huge round pot with boiling water spilling out of it around and every where. Beyound that patch the was a slope inclined downwards and waters seemed to gather speed and were rushing down around a bend in the river (formed by two gorge extensions projecting out into the river one each on either side, not at the same place but one after the other causing a S-shaped inclined bend. Now, that is what he meant when he said that the rapid is a short one. The guide also confirmed that just after the rapid and the bend down the slope is our camp site - Nyerak. It is this camp site where we pitch for 2 nights (one additional rest day with a long steep strek planned to the Nyerak village.
As we closed in, our guide asked us to follow the instructions to the T and immediately. He announced: "Guys, check your gears, and brace yourself tightly. I do not want any mistake here or over-run the slope. There is a small patch on the right bank where we can pull in our rafts for camping and I don't want to miss it at any cost and whatever happens hold on to your paddles and never stop paddling". It dawned on us that we are in the gorge and no space on either banks to get down and dock our rafts and realised how important it is, not to miss the only patch of land available beyond the bend.
About 25 m before the rapid, the turmoil started - in the rafts and in our bellies. It requires enormous will-power and inner strength to be at the front when a huge massacre is approaching you fast. We felt like tiny lilliputian soldiers shielded in life jackets & wet suits and paddles as our swords to fight a gigantic well geared army with the most stinging war machinery you could ever imagine.
Then, we heard it loud and clear: "Hard Forward".
We were at war - Actually. We pumped all our energies into paddling for our lives.
With sharp rocks and rough edges on both sides and two huge boulders (one after the other with a gap of about 10 metres) beneath, the river was gushing over the first boulder into the gap in between and then splashing all over while going on top of the 2nd boulder. There was enough water in the river, scratching / rubbing of the raft itself on the boulders was the last thing on our guides' minds. We were at war - Actually. We pumped all our energies into paddling for our lives.
Our raft swung wildly and weirdly. We could not anticipate the swings. We lost balance. For a moment I thought the raft was front down deep in water. But the very next instant the front of the raft was high up in air - the raft standing perpendicular to the river. The two of us - front runners were hanging loose in air out of the raft, but clinging on, since our feet were braced tightly to the raft floor. I had wedged my left foott under the air tubes of the raftand the right one under a strap on the raft floor. Our paddles in our hand swinging in air equally. The motion that we were undergoing cannot be described in any proper manner and I am certain there is no scientific or mathematical theory to describe this motion. Then we landed straight into a wall of water. We felt drowned in a bottomless ocean and were gasping for air. Amidst this chaos we heard it again: "F**ing Hard Forward". We rolled into action. I started calling out: 'One.. two' 'One.. two' 'One.. two' 'One.. two'. Since it was a hard forward, the one and two are short and quick. The first 2 calls sounded as if I was gurgling mouthful of water to clear a sore throat. There was so much water in my mouth and throat. I almost choked. Neverthe less I continued 'One.. two' 'One.. two' 'One.. two'. We slowly came out of trance coughing, splitting water out of our mouths, eyes clogged not able to see, got into position and started paddling. With the eyes getting clearer I could just about see in the front and what do I see: A huge wall of water coming towards us. Now I screamed: "Hard Forward.. One Two,One Two,One Two". Others sensed the panic in my voice and complied immediately. We paddled for survival. Suddenly we were in sync and were moving forward. The wall hit us. I felt as though several tons of weight fell on me. We then heard just in time: "Get down". We scrambled for space in the raft but did it right and in time. How handy was the practical lesson on the first day - we realised it now. It gave the assurance that the guide is atleast able to see in the front - our life saviour. Immediately came the words:"Hard Forward". We again took our positions and paddled with almost clock set precision. We were panting heavily, felt our lungs would just pop out due to such continous paddling. Yet we did not stop lest we would not survive the lashes. The rough edges rocks at the sides itching to reach us. The guide repeated again "Hard Forward" and continued with "GO, GO, GO, GO, GO" and we went wild, paddling hard, fast and furious, at the same time panting, gasping and screaming out all possible moans that we could, between our breaths. Our raft went like a roller coaster - up and down and tilted on one side and then other side and again up and down repeatedly till we passed the rapid. We DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Finally we succeeded. All this happened in a matter of 5 to 6 minutes but it seemed hours to us.
As we were the first, we turned back to see how the other rafts are faring. The kayaks were close by. The next 2 rafts were struggling in the rapid. There was an understanding that the whole group moves together. The last eight seater raft had just entered the rapid section and we could hear their guide scream Hard Forward. Somehow we saw that they were not moving forward. Their raft was shaking vigorously. We in the remaining 3 rafts shouted together "Guys Hard Forward". The collective voice was so loud that it echoed in the Canyon. Surely everybody heard it. They were paddling like hell but not in sync. the raft didn't move much. All of us saw a big water wave building towards them. Again we shouted "Paddle together". But in vain. They could also see the wave approaching them. Panic had set in. The screamed. Their raft swung and turned direction. Now instead of the raft facing in the direction of the river flow, the front of the raft was facing the rocks of the left bank. Their raft entered the gap between the boulders sideways and when it went up sideways, the balance was lost. The raft toppled sideways. All the nine members were thrown out of the raft including the guide. We all panicked at the sight. Bodies flying all around and landing into the river. One fellow - front runner of the raft was still clinging to the raft. he had his feet clasped in the raft. Since the raft had toppled upside down, he along with a couple of his colleagues were now under the raft stuck in water. All the guides together shouted : "Flip Over". It meant that a raft has flipped over. The rescue attempts commenced immediately. What I and others did not realise was that we were also part of the rescue mission. We were all still frozen and dumbstruck by what we were witnessing and did not know what to do and more so how to react. Our guide shouted: "Back Paddle". None of us could comprehend the situation. Again we heard:" F**ing back paddle". No reaction from us as we had panicked. The guide screamed out our names one by one and said " Mother F***er Back paddle". Only then we regained our senses and started to paddle. Now back paddle was a new term not used before since the instruction session on day 1 and we were still very much disoriented. As a result, some paddled forward by mistake and some did the back paddle. Now the guide was really annoyed as we had to rescue others and we were not even obeying his instructions properly. He started: "Use your f***ing brains Hard back paddle - all of you. Ajay - F*** you, back paddle, back paddle. You are still doing forward".
It took some time for us to understand his concerns. We in the first raft had crossed the rapid and were at the bend and gathering speed due to the slope. We had to slow down and rescue the guys spread out in the river behind us before they pick up speed and get flown away. So we had to back paddle back close to the rapid - ie against the current of the water. Mind you, it is a humungus task and the effort that goes into this will drive any body nuts. The other two rafts were also struggling to back paddle. All the 3 rafts now rotated with the front of the rafts facing either of the banks. this way we almost spread across the river ( our raft being in the middle) acting as a barrier for those who fell out of the 4th raft. But due to the current, we could not hold on to this position and we started rotating further. Two guys (corporate and minal) who were at the back of the raft which toppled were also under the raft but could manage to come to the side and hold on to the side rope (which is also referred to as the lifeline). However the pull of the river was so strong that they could not hold on. But since they were in the midst of the bouncing water, they got pushed the other side by the bouncing water wave and thrown back to the section before the start of the rapid. Luckily for them, the cataraft was the last of the lot and the guys in the cataraft could easily pull them up. Two saved and safe on the cataraft. One fellow (Vladimir, the russian) who was also in the front of the 4th raft was thrown in the front ie towards us. He went into the water with a great force (surely would have hurt himself while plunging in). Unfortunately, when he came up eventually, our raft and the one to our left during the rotation collided with each other. At the time of collision, his head got stuck between the two raft and he got pushed down again. The 2nd time when he bobbed up, the guys in the 2nd raft pulled him up. Three saved. But we were running out of time as all of us approached the slope where the river was picking momentum and flowing down at great speed. Further we were also approaching the campsite - the small patch where we can get down and pull up our rafts. We certainly did not want to miss that patch. All of us realised this and we got jittery. As far as the guides are concerned, the rescue had to be done immediately else the toppled raft and others in water will gain speed and flow down the river purely guided by the force of the river which is extremely dangerous and could be fatal. One might hit a rock or get thrown over to the riverside which is also sharp rocks or get trapped in the next rapid or worse just get flown with the river endlessly.
We were also getting close to the slope downwards. We were back paddling like hell and the same goes for others in the 2nd and 3rd rafts. Now with crucila time lapsing, the guys in water were moving away dragged by water in different directions and it was getting difficult to gather all together. Meanwhile the guide who was holding on to his raft tried to pull the raft from the side back up but since there were couple of guys holding on to the raft from the underneath, the guide could not rotate the raft up. The instruction given on the 1st day in case of a Flip Over was that by holding on to the lifeline rope of the raft one should move either to the front or to the back of the raft and leave the sides empty so that it can be flipped back up. But in panic, minds did not function coherently. There were 3 other girls scattered in the water. At the bend of the river two of them swayed with the current and moved to the left of the flowing river. For us since we were looking behind, it was to the right of us. At the same time we back paddled and paddled forward to move to our right. Simultaneously, the 3rd raft moved in towards us. the two girls got trapped between the rafts and we could pull them up in our raft. Of course we had some difficulty since we had already gathered speed and were now moving down fast. The 3rd girl latched into the 2nd raft but since it also swung at the S-bend, the girl fell back in water again. finally she got picked up in the 3rd raft at the last moment. Six saved. Three more including the guide all clinging to the raft flipped over. One of these guys pulled himself up on the top of the raft (which is actually the bottom of the raft).
By this time we crossed the bend and had to reduce our speed in order to reach the camping spot properly. Same was with the other 2 rafts. In order to safeguard ourselves, the guides instructed us to move right towards the camping site knowing very well that the 4th raft was moving away from us and gaining speed. Some how or the other we all docked into our small river bank for the camping. But the 3 guys clung to the 4th raft just went past us at good speed and we just watched them helplessly.
Since we were in and ALERT mode, we responded faster. I jumped out of the river when we were close to the small patch on the right bank. I pulled the rope of the raft and dragged it to the bank. Since I was the only person on the bank the pull was a tough one manily because the raft was still in the momentum of the slope. I slipped twice on the rocks and was almost dragged back into water by the raft. My guide was shocked to see that the only person who is trying to anchor the raft is himself getting pulled into water. He screamed: "Atari - Steady. Don't miss this spot. Pull us back to the bank". Others in raft shouted: "Atari - Pull". Finally I stood up turned towards the bank and pulled the rope over my shoulder with all my might. I leaned forward pulling the rope. Later I was informed by others that I had almost inclined upto 20 deg from ground. As the raft moved closer to the bank, others jumped out one after the other. The raft became lighter and easier to hold on to. Once all of us were out of the raft, we had to drag the raft aside and up on land to make way for the other rafts to dock. This we did together since lifting the raft up with our dry bags on it was not easy. We did it real fast (even speaking modestly). We were ready and lent our hands for the other rafts to pull over. My guide asked all of us to assemble immediately for a head count. It was confirmed that 2 guys, one guide and the 4th raft were missing. The two kayakers have gone ahead with the raft down the river.
Clarification: My name is not Atari. It is a name coined for me during the trip rather, I earned that name since I was wearing a blue T- shirt which had the word Atari written on it. Similarly there were others on the trip with coined names / just initials like: Corporate (the guy was in formals all through the rafting trip), Vladimir (because he was from Russia), PK, thali (because PK called his wife Maithali as thali in short), Adi, MP, Anju, Raghu, Barbie, Bilu, Baal ki dukan etc.
We were also getting close to the slope downwards. We were back paddling like hell and the same goes for others in the 2nd and 3rd rafts. Now with crucila time lapsing, the guys in water were moving away dragged by water in different directions and it was getting difficult to gather all together. Meanwhile the guide who was holding on to his raft tried to pull the raft from the side back up but since there were couple of guys holding on to the raft from the underneath, the guide could not rotate the raft up. The instruction given on the 1st day in case of a Flip Over was that by holding on to the lifeline rope of the raft one should move either to the front or to the back of the raft and leave the sides empty so that it can be flipped back up. But in panic, minds did not function coherently. There were 3 other girls scattered in the water. At the bend of the river two of them swayed with the current and moved to the left of the flowing river. For us since we were looking behind, it was to the right of us. At the same time we back paddled and paddled forward to move to our right. Simultaneously, the 3rd raft moved in towards us. the two girls got trapped between the rafts and we could pull them up in our raft. Of course we had some difficulty since we had already gathered speed and were now moving down fast. The 3rd girl latched into the 2nd raft but since it also swung at the S-bend, the girl fell back in water again. finally she got picked up in the 3rd raft at the last moment. Six saved. Three more including the guide all clinging to the raft flipped over. One of these guys pulled himself up on the top of the raft (which is actually the bottom of the raft).
By this time we crossed the bend and had to reduce our speed in order to reach the camping spot properly. Same was with the other 2 rafts. In order to safeguard ourselves, the guides instructed us to move right towards the camping site knowing very well that the 4th raft was moving away from us and gaining speed. Some how or the other we all docked into our small river bank for the camping. But the 3 guys clung to the 4th raft just went past us at good speed and we just watched them helplessly.
Since we were in and ALERT mode, we responded faster. I jumped out of the river when we were close to the small patch on the right bank. I pulled the rope of the raft and dragged it to the bank. Since I was the only person on the bank the pull was a tough one manily because the raft was still in the momentum of the slope. I slipped twice on the rocks and was almost dragged back into water by the raft. My guide was shocked to see that the only person who is trying to anchor the raft is himself getting pulled into water. He screamed: "Atari - Steady. Don't miss this spot. Pull us back to the bank". Others in raft shouted: "Atari - Pull". Finally I stood up turned towards the bank and pulled the rope over my shoulder with all my might. I leaned forward pulling the rope. Later I was informed by others that I had almost inclined upto 20 deg from ground. As the raft moved closer to the bank, others jumped out one after the other. The raft became lighter and easier to hold on to. Once all of us were out of the raft, we had to drag the raft aside and up on land to make way for the other rafts to dock. This we did together since lifting the raft up with our dry bags on it was not easy. We did it real fast (even speaking modestly). We were ready and lent our hands for the other rafts to pull over. My guide asked all of us to assemble immediately for a head count. It was confirmed that 2 guys, one guide and the 4th raft were missing. The two kayakers have gone ahead with the raft down the river.
Clarification: My name is not Atari. It is a name coined for me during the trip rather, I earned that name since I was wearing a blue T- shirt which had the word Atari written on it. Similarly there were others on the trip with coined names / just initials like: Corporate (the guy was in formals all through the rafting trip), Vladimir (because he was from Russia), PK, thali (because PK called his wife Maithali as thali in short), Adi, MP, Anju, Raghu, Barbie, Bilu, Baal ki dukan etc.
The crew quickly laid down the tables for a lunch. All of us were damn tired and hungry. A few shivering in cold and mostly due to shock. Anju was in shock mode still. I could see death in her eyes when we lifted her up into our raft. She sat on the raft floor next to me shivering and unable to speak coherently. The eyes were really scary. I tried to comfort her but the extent of shock was severe. It took almost 5 hrs for her to calm down.
The guides decided fast on future course of action. The cataraft with some food supplies will go ahead and reach the 3 guys and kayakers so that wherever they are able to pull up, they will not have to starve. I need to point out here that since we are in a gorge, there is no place to trek back to this camp from wherever these guys will get rescued. Our guide who was the leader of this trip went along in the cataraft after stating that he will wait for us next day when we will paddle down and pick him up. We were perplexed at that statement.
An important decision taken: The additional rest day will not be at this campsite. We will leave the camp again tomorrow morning, catch up with the other guys further down and go ahead to the next scheduled camp site and enjoy our additional day's rest at that campsite. We all nodded.
A strange and sober mood had set in on the camp. We were exhausted physically and draining out fast mentally. The sheer sight of 3 guys flowing down the river - one on the top, one under the raft and the guide (Jeetu) holding on to the side lifeline sent shivers through our spines. A snapshot the mental state of a few of us at this moment: Some like me elated to have made it and thanking GOD for not making us undergo the same experience as the 3 fellows, a few who were rescued shivering and in a state of complete shock with a couple of them reliving the trauma mentally (was visible from their eyes), two crying profusely, some absolutely silent and still (as if in a trance or sleeping with eyes open), one sobbing, some trying to comfort and cheer up others and all of us hungry. But none wanted to eat till we hear some news from the 4th raft. The guides had a couple of SAT phones but still no communication was possible in the gorge. Finally we all headed to the lunch table one by one.
The remaining rescue: Compiled based on hearsay from all the players involved:
The guy on the top of the raft (Ashish) was asked by the kayakers to jump into the water so that they can reach him. He was not willing to leave the hand of the fellow stuck underneath (Naresh). When the kayakers started abusing him and gave a strong instruction to do so, he relented and jumped in their direction. Almost instantly one kayak reached him, pulled him up and dropped him at the rock at the right bank. (Note that there is actually nothing called as banks since the river was in a gorge; on both sides of the river were tall cliffs standing perpendicular to the river). The guide of the 4th raft at that time hit a rock in the river and lost grip of the raft. Left alone, he swam with great effort to the right and reached a rock. Ashish and Jeetu slowly walked back to the campsite all along the river. They walked on rocks and loose pebbles along the river, where water was splashing constantly. We all clapped when the two arrived. Ashish had cuts on his hands and thorns in his feet. Apparenly the riverside were full of thorny bushes ( the only thing that can possibly grow between the rocks). With nobody on the top of the raft Naresh was able to lift the raft a bit and thereby moved towards the front of the raft and held on to the rope but was still dangling in water. At least he can breathe now. Unfortunately they now reached the next big rapid - a class IV. This is where the raft started swinging wildly and Naresh could not anticipate the swings. Further his hands had practically given up. He could not hold on to the raft and lost grip. A tired Naresh surrendered to the forces of the river but luckily for him, one of the kayaks reached him instantly and held on to him. The kayak then slowly shifted to the right where Naresh was dumped on to the rocks. They still had to get the raft back which they finally did at some place down the river. Tied to the raft were a few dry bags carrying clothes, tents and cameras.
Our guide who also went for the rescue reached Naresh. He and Naresh did the mammoth trek back to the campsite - a 2.5 hr trek which included - climbing rocks with bare hands and wet suits on, trekking steep uphill on unexplored paths and finally a steep and extremely slippery steep climb down on loose rocks and sand slopes. Naresh finally reached the camp exhausted, moist eyes and shattered. We all sighed in relief. By this time all us finished our lunch and were gaining some mental stability after what happened to all of us. We were all resting in the afternoon sun when we realised that one of the kayakers approaching us. This was unsusual since it was expected that the kayakers would spend the night wherever they had pitched themselves and hence the cataraft was sent down for them. This kayaker (Sanjay jr.) - a 21 year lad had climbed, trekked and managed a 4.5 hr physical torture to this camp. He could a scolding from the other guides and the crew ( the extent of scolding which he could not have ever imagined) for accomplishing feat. It is a remarkabke feat as these terrains are not suitable for treks and nobody has ever explored these places before. Further the only vegetation around these places are thorns - big, small, thin and fat. He came to inform that one of the tubes of the cataraft got punctured - maybe because of some rock in the river. This means the cataraft has to be repaired else next day onwards we would not have food. It was decided that our guide and Sanjay would leave very early in the morning trek back to the cataraft, repair it and make it ready for the trip.
Casualties: Humans - none. A broken camera (actually crushed). Vladimir pulled out the memory card and used it in a spare camera. A paddle - it just went down the river. Few waterbottles. Most importantly our fun and frolick.
It was Sanjay's birthday. The task was rescuing was death defying. He later on told us that he felt the birthday could have become his deathday when they entered the rapid class IV for rescue. On top of it the effort to reach the camp to give this piece of information was even tougher. The lad is a bundle of energy.
We spent the day resting. For some it was recuperating. Another fact which I have not mentioned before is that at this campsite, there was another group already doing their 2nd rest day. This was a group of kayakers guided by the different set of guides belonging to the same tour operator as ours. Our guide (VK) who heads the organisation knew that they were around. Hence he had left us for rescue knowing that there are other guides of his organisation to take care of us if required. Since our cataraft had gone ahead with the food supplies, that dinner that day were from supplies carried by the other group.
Since it was the 2nd day for them and that we decided not to have our rest day here, the next day all of us moved on. The contingent became a big one - 26 of us and 16 of them excluding the crew and guides. In effect we were a strong 50+ members on Zanskar. VK tells us that never in past has the river witnessed such a big team. Our next scheduled stop was at Lamaguru where we would have our rest day. As per the plan, we moved ahead and picked up our guide, the cataraft and the 2 kayakers. The raft was repaired by that time. VK told us that this day (penultimate) and the last day we would be facing rapids class III and some class IV. He confirmed that there are a few rapids and he wants us to be always alert. Anyway the whole group was now already alert and ready to paddle hard (especially after the incident on the previous day).
There were two sections in particular on this day which we had to worry. A section called 18-down and the constriction. The spot 18-down is called so because 2 years sgo in the same trip 2 rafts had flipped over resulting is 18 people were down in water So the name "18-down". It was a tough one. Except for the initial 30 minutes, we were continously in rough waters. the raft was always swinging up and down like a roller coaster. MP compared some of the milder swings to a merrry-go-round. A few swings were actually drop down. My heart went up at every such drop - an adrenaline test. The raft swung in all possible directions - straight, angular, side to side etc. I kept on checking that i am braced very tightly because at every swing you tend to lose the balance and grip especially when the swings are not anticipated. A splash of water hit me from the back. I fell forward towards my other colleague (Raghu) in the front. Normally you brace yourself tightly to prevent a fall out of the raft. When you are pushed inside, the brace loosens. I got a snare from our guide VK for not remaining alert and braced. By the time I could come back to position, a big water wave hit us on the upswing and I almost fell back on MP who was positioned just behind me. With 2 of us out of action, others struggled to keep the raft steady. We faced some violent swings and were on the "Hard Forward" mode continously for more than 5 minutes. We were drained out by water and also of energy. Our guide VK screams " Hard Forward" again and then says "GO..,GO.., GO.., GO" and doesn't stop He continued saying "GO.., GO.., GO...." for the next 4 minutes briefly puctuated in between by "Come on guys - Just continue and keep doing.. bent down and dig hard". He had said that it is a long rapid and that we need to move forward constantly. Our eyes, nose mouth and ears were full of water and breathing was an effort. At every swing up or down we were lavishly splashed with water - thanks to walls of water. We crumbled under water pressure, got back to positions only to be disbalanced in the next odd swing. The timing of the swing and the water waves were so perfect as if they were in rhythm and meant to keep us always out of balance and position. Every time I got back into position, raft tilted the other way and I was again swamped in a pool of water. I must have looked like a tadpole trying to hold itself in moving waters. Twice I almost let go my paddle. Thanks to dry bag, once it stuck between the tube and the dry bag me and the other time I managed to catch it again myself. After some continous swinging sideways we managed to move ahead out of the rapid. By this time we were all drained out of energy.
My guide said: " Stop and Relax guys. Watch the scenery, enjoy it and soak it in. The next one is some time away." We felt relieved. I almost did relieve myself, well not actually.
This was the toughest day for me in terms of physical exertion. Our guides just continued with Hard Forward as if it is the simplest thing to do. Some of us stopped in sheer exhaustion only to be scolded by our guides and we started again. We reached close to the Constriction.
Constriction: It is basically a stretch of about 30 to 40 metres of the river in a bend where the gorge narrows down the river. The river is only 18 ft wide at this stretch. What it means to us: A full river is restricted to only 18 ft width; so the water actually gushes with a great force. Secondly, this is over a bend, which means the gushing water turns left, gains momentum and at the next bend leaps to the right and crashes on the rocks. Finally it bounces back to the middle and continuies its normal flow where the river again widens. So the water spreads finally spreads out.
About 30 metres before the constriction, we docked. I held on to the raft in water. Same applied to all the other rafts. All the guides then took small walk up the hill to examine the constriction and decide on the strategy to navigate it. We got a much wanted 25 minute break during this period. I passed on the raft rope to Ajay for holding the raft, climbed up the gorge a little and actually relieved myself.
Our guide VK came back to explain that since lot of ice has melted up at the glacier, waterlevels are high and is having considerable force. The main objective is to ensure that the raft does not get dragged in that force at the bend else we will also crash on the rocks with the most undesirable consequences. Ha Ha.. The cause has been expressed nicely and the effect put very mildly. Knowing our short memory of the instruction classes, he forewarned that he might use the command "Left Over" if the need arises. This would require people on the right side of the raft to jump over to the left side thereby increasing the weight on the left. We braced ourselves tightly realising that now the effort will be to keep away from the rocks, so we need to continously paddle and hold on to the left. VK started by saying "Forward". Ten metres down the river VK shouted "Hard Forward".
Once again we were at war. Thanks to the break, we could compose ourselves for this battle. We bent down, digged hard and paddled vigorously. For once, we were in complete co-ordination from start. We realised that being in sync, the effort required to move forward is less collectively. We continued for more than 3 to 4 minutes during which there was only a fraction of time when we felt that we are losing control. But then furious paddling coupled with all posssible moans did the trick. We do not know whether paddling did it or river got scared of the different moaning noises. Whatever be it, WE DID IT and with ease, I must say. Our guide for the first time commented that we did a good job, that we paddled real hard unlike others. I and others (I am sure) swelled in pride on this comment (totally contrary to the usual F**ker and what not).
We reached our campsite at Lamaguru shortly afterwards. We were contented and happy - same for the other rafts. I was told that the 4th raft again had some difficulty at the 18 down but they averted the flip somehow.
A good rest, enjoyed the evening sun, dinner and campfire for some singing and dancing.
The final day, we were relieved of bringing down our tents. The crew did that for us. After a leisurely breakfast, we moved on. The last day on raft. We were practically in sober mood, each one of us reliving the previous few days - our camps, interaction all the fun we had together. We wished the trip did not end - some actually said so. This day, it was simple compared to the earlier days as far as paddling was concerned. We had the roller coaster swings and an odd rapid but overall it was a easy day. By noon we reached our destination Nimu a little after Zanskar merges into the Indus. Nimu (see left) from far is a small pretty village along the Indus. Congrats to Vaibhav and the team of Aquaterra adventures. (www.aquaterra.in)
Other facts about the trip: There are many other interesting events which happened during the trip which I have not elaborated else this narration would have become an epic.
The experience of sandstorm in Karsha - horrible.
The ferocious sand twister at Lamaguru where Vladimir's tent was pulled up and with the raging twister it just continued going up and finally when the twister lost steam, the tent got dumped about 300 m away. The karimat below the tent was blown in the opposite direction a similar distance. We had to get them back as he was off to the trek to Steo village for a beer drink.
Amongst those who stayed back at campsite (did not go for the trek), 6 of us consumed 31 bottles of local beer - brand called GODFATHER.
Bilu's sermon on Jesus under strong influence of GODFATHER. Apparently Raghu captured the sermon in camera. I am told it was extremely hilarious.
PK forcing a bottoms up on everybody. At the fag end, PK actually gave me Old Monk rum - a glass of it and very innocently I did that. Anyway I was already high with so much beer.
The goddamn GODFATHER proclaims a 8% but it is definitely much stronger (say about 12 to 14%) much stronger than Kingfisher.
Smits was blabbering all along under GODFATHER till Chandu (husband) returned fro the trek. She immediately collapsed to a 2 hr hibernation on his lap.
Campfire dance with the Scots.
Naresh pouring his heart out - GODFATHER magic.
Vladimir turning philosophical - again a GODFATHER trick. and many more....
Some more superb snaps which others have taken including snaps while rafting.
The FOKARS in raft 4 creating history - The FOKAR flip. I think the place has now been christened so.
Pandit's patriotic songs.
Information for others:
Sleeping bag, sunblock creams (tons of it), lip balms, flash or good torchlight and sunglasses - absolute essentials: like bread and butter of the trip.
Warm clothes ( a fleece) and a windcheater - best companions.
Rum / Whisky or the likes - for surviving cold and having fun.
If possible a good book to doze on.
How you dress is of least importance; anyway you are going to get dirty and dusty.
Places like Suru, Ramgdum, Remala etc are remote cannot be ventured without pre arranged transport.
Average summer day temperature: 20 to 25 deg C.
Nights vary based on locations - Rangdum being the coldest of the lot (say 2 deg C).
Acclimatisation on the 1st day you land in Ladakh (mostly it is Leh) - a must. If you try to be heroic here, you might end up spoiling your holidays totally.
Average height above sea level is certainly > 11500 to 12000 ft.
Don't try rafting in Winter. Zanskar remains frozen throughout the Winter.
Post the trip I also visited the great Nubra Valley which I will cover separately.
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