c u on top - satyabrata dam

Fifty four years back at the age of 4, standing with my dad beneath a towering deodar, at China Peak (2611m), a well-known view point just above the lacustrine hill town of Nainital, I had seen with my eyes wide open my very first and my biggest dream – to travel the world and climb every mountain. We were there to watch the sun rise from across the Tibetan Plateau.  Nothing had changed in 54 years It was a cold dawn in April, the eastern sky just beginning to turn pink and while my restless eyes flitted around my dad stood silent. As the sky continued to brighten and the endless array of icy peaks to my North started punctuating the horizon, he raised his hand and pointed at Nanda Devi and said – this is the Himalaya, a part of your heritage and it is because of these mountains that you and I and this land exists. My dad was a man of few words. Yet these words drew my attention to the amazing spectacle unfolding right in front.  Slowly the sun rose further and the white summi...

  Lake Deniz Considering the fact that I travel around the world, specifically looking for peaks towering above 4000m, I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that Turkey has an amazing mountain range near the Black Sea, where the highest summit nearly touches 4000m and is referred by the locals as the Turkish Switzerland. This happened just the previous month where I was going to guide an international group to the top of Turkey, aka Mt Ararat, the oft claimed resting place of THE ARK. I have been to Turkey twice before, on both occasions merely leading groups to Ararat and taking a flight out. But this time I had several weeks to spare after Ararat and I pondered if there was any other mountain worth exploring and climbing in Turkey. Google came up promptly with Kaçkar Range. I found one blog by a solo guy and his pictures sealed the deal.   Flowers everywhere  Post Ararat, my climbing partner and friend, Kiki from Greece and I headed for this little known elusive ...

  As an individual, I like my own company above all and spend weeks, months at a stretch away from all human in high mountains and forests. I often climb big mountains solo, with very little on my back. I also free solo ice lines, frozen waterfalls, far from any human presence. And I am often asked why do I do it, since it is also very risky, dangerous and generally not done by many. Many free solo climbers do it once in a while. I do it more often.   Right from my childhood, from the time I took to the mountains, I was an introvert and just loved the majestic sky kissing icy peaks and the sprawling glaciers all to myself. The gaping crevasses didn’t scare me, rather drew me into their icy depths and the lofty summits ignited deep within an unquenchable thirst for those forlorn places. Places where no man has ever been before, or very few before me. I started climbing with people much elder to me in age and experience and I was fortunate to learn from some of the world’s l...

UN lists 193 countries as official member states. Of these I have been to 191, the two exceptions being Pakistan (where they won’t let me go) and North Korea (where I don’t want to go). Then there is Vatican City and State of Palestine, which are not UN members but have the status of a country nevertheless in the form of non-member observer state. I have been to both. That leaves Kosovo, which has a funny fluid state in terms of a sovereign state. Around 100 countries recognize it as an independent country, but others don’t. Geographically it is still a part of Serbia but has its own international borders that are recognized by most EU states. I have been to Kosovo too, twice, since it is a beautiful place, whether it’s a country or not.   Now as you all know, one of the primary reasons for me to visit any new country is to get to the top of it and in most of the cases I have succeeded in this endeavor. As far as memory serves there might be around two dozen countries whose sum...

  Brief Introduction:     Chobia Pass offers a passage from Chamba to Lahaul that has been used by the shepherds for ages in their migration season, ideally from mid/end June when they travel to the higher pastures of Lahaul, mostly into Miyar Valley. They begin to return to Chamba around mid to end of September with their well-fed flocks. The ideal season for trekking to this pass is during the shepherd migrations, mid June up till end October or even first half of November. For the rest of the year the pass is covered in deep snow with frequent bad weather and should be crossed only by experienced hikers with proper gear. The trek from Chamba side begins from Kao Village and ends at Triloknath road head on the Lahaul side or vice versa. It is easier from the Lahaul side if you begin from Triloknath and descend into Chamba side. The approach is easier, and the climb to the pass is gentler.   Ideally this trek from Kao to Trilokinath takes 3 nights and 4...