Anureet Kochar shares her experience …
I have always loved the mountains. As a kid growing up in the army milieu, being outdoors came naturally to me. Even as a young adult finding my feet in this world, I’d retreat to the mountains on solo treks every so often. Eventually, the rhythm of matrimony, parenthood and professional commitments took precedence over the need to escape to nature but a part of me always yearned to revisit that experience. Last year, with my 40th birthday around the corner, I decided to make it happen. After researching our options, we decided on the exhilarating Chadar Trek, which was organised by Anthill Adventures. It turned out to be an experience of a lifetime – the kind that brings every part of being alive with a sense of adventure, trepidation and excitement – made better by our choice of trek leaders.
Planning the Trek
Once we had settled on the idea of Chadar Trek, we started discussing it with other members of our training community at Boot Camp Yellow and about 20 of us came on board for the trek. Through camp’s founder Jatin Arora, we reached out to Anthill Adventures for organising this trek, and it turned out to be the best decision in the planning of this adventure outing. Since Chadar Trek involves exposure to extreme weather conditions, the choice of trek leaders is critical in making the experience a pleasant one.
Chadar Trek – The Experience
For me, the first step I took on the frozen Zanskar River remains the most memorable part of the experience. It is a memory so deeply etched in my mind that I remember every single detail vividly even today, and perhaps, always will. Thereon, the first 30 minutes or so were spent trying to master the ‘penguin walk’ to keep one’s balance on a sheet of ice. There is no room for laxity here. One fall and you could end up with broken bones.
Sleeping in tents with temperatures dipping to -25 degrees, going to the loo in the open in bone-chilling cold, dusting off frosty crystals from your eyelashes and brows from time to time, braving the gusty winds – a new challenge awaited us at every turn on this journey. In places, the Chadar was too thin and we had to be as light-footed as possible to avoid falling into the water. In other places, it was missing altogether and we had to climb up and walk through steep rocky terrain to get ahead.
The astounding natural beauty makes the experience even more enchanting. Mostly, it is pristine white snow for as far as the eye can see, and then suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the indigo blue waters of the Zanskar appear. The rocky, barren mountains, frozen waterfalls add to the beauty to the landscape.
Anthill Adventures – a Perfect Companion
I cannot stress enough on how one’s choice of trek organisers can make or break the experience of completing this unique trek. We couldn’t have asked for better trek leaders than Aman and Vivasvat. Not only are they both extremely experienced but also went above and beyond to keep us comfortable in such extreme climatic conditions.
At one point during the trek, the Chadar beneath me snapped and my foot went into the freezing water. Having heard so many stories about frostbites, I was somewhat shaken up by the experience. That’s when Aman instantly came to my rescue, helped me get my foot dry and change into a dry pair of socks and shoes. Within minutes, I was back on my feet and walking ahead as nothing had happened.
They are both extremely friendly, which makes trekking with them a lot of fun, but they never lose focus from their responsibility of keeping everyone safe.
Another thing that I’d like to credit them for is their choice of porters, which, I believe, made a huge difference in how pleasant and seamless this trek turned out to be. In a place where everything freezes in an instant, these porters went out of their way to keep everyone comfortable. From hot water to 4 am wake-up calls with cinnamon tea and a lavish menu that included chicken, chhole bhature, soups, Chinese, and even halwa, their hospitality was a far cry from the typical Maggi and cup noodles experience one expects on treks. I can say without a shred of doubt that our experience turned out to be so amazing and memorable because we did the Chadar Trek with Anthill Adventures.