Basic Mountaineering Course @ NIMAS

Note: These are lightly edited transcripts of the journal I maintained during my Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC) at NIMAS. As such, these aren’t particularly instructive for those looking to complete their BMC and there are other published reports that more fully describe the Course’s myriad demands. Any limited utility these journal entries may perchance possess, will likely lie in their examination of ennui when away from home and confronted with a cold, wet, sleeping bag.

Zero Day (21 May)

Reached Guwahati today.

The city appears a pastiche of Kolkata with the same narrow streets and dilapidated buildings overhanging a roiling mass of bodies. I am staying at the Mezenga backpackers hotel, a short bit away from Paltan Bazaar. Time appears to have slowed down to a crawl here with the stasis having accelerated.

I will try and see more of the city en route back home to try and dispel some of these notions.

Tomorrow, I make my way to NIMAS.

‘Girl in White’ en route to NIMAS

Day 1

We reached NIMAS today.

Panorama at the NIMAS gate

The institute is perched on top of a hill, some ways ahead from Dirang’s town centre. The drive from Guwahati to Dirang took close to 12 hours. The road leading out of Guwahati through Mangaldai and Udalgiri is narrow and snakes through paddy fields dotted by scattered settlements before we break into Arunachal via Bhalukpong and Bomdila.

The vistas change dramatically as the eastern Himalayas make themselves visible with as the roads cut into the hills and are blanketed by fog.

View of Dirang town from NIMAS

We received basic instructions for tomorrow and are to fall in by 5:50am.

Day 2

We began the day by falling in at 6 am, lining up in columns of five. We took a walk to the temple at the top of NIMAS hill where prayers were offered.

Parade down NIMAS hill

What followed is the most brutal training session that I’ve endured thus far. I wasn’t acclimated - NIMAS sits at ~1560m - as the lingering headache from y’day presaged. Within no time, I was out of breath and gasping for air as we were made to carry out hill sprints followed by push-up variations ad infinitum.

Feeling faint, I barely made it back to the mess and was only able to scarf down a couple of bananas and nap for 30 min we fell-in again at 9 am to spend the remainder of the morning having our enrollment documentation collected and reviewed by the staff.

We were later issued our equipment (rucksack, climbing harness, helmet, rope sling, two carabiners, jumar, descender), and had a class on rope coiling, knots, and hitches towards the evening. The day ends early here and the sleeping bag promises to offer respite that was otherwise scant today.

Climbing Gear and Equipment

Day 3

Another day passes. I feel better.

We began the day with a hike/run to Dirang monastery. Running downhill was easier as I had to primarily let gravity take over. I walked certain stretches where I felt I may over-exert myself and blow-out like yesterday. The monastery is ethereal with its stillness broken only by the rotation of the prayer wheels that bound its circumference. The walls at the monastery depict hellish landscapes with all manner of sin; salvation appears distant for the subjects portrayed.

Entrance to Dirang Monastery

The rest of the day passed with classes on mountain terminology and maps.

Day 4

We had a practise run for the 1 mile test (that’s to be taken at the end of this week). Our mornings are occupied with sessions at the artificial wall — 4 routes had been set for us to practise. We were taught how to belay and given a primer on basic climbing techniques.

NIMAS Climbing Wall

I managed to climb up to 70% of Route 4 before I looked down and found myself close to 30 feet from the ground. My body took this as a cue to hyperventilate, causing me to bail on the climb and belay down. I was disappointed as I knew I could’ve climbed further if not for the sudden disorientation brought upon by the height.

After breaking for lunch, we had classes on glaciers and avalanches.

Day 5

We began the day with a 7km 500mD+ hike to Helmet Top (a nearby hill). We didn’t go all the way to the crux of Helmet Top due to the worsening weather conditions and were back at the campus by 8:30 am (having started at 6 am).

Hills bounding NIMAS

The morning wall climbing session was postponed to 2 pm due to the rains. I was apprehensive of how I’d feel being back on the wall but the fear seems to have subsided and there is now a greater trust in the rope and my self.

It occurred to me that the distance from the ground is meaningless because the rope suspends us in infinity without time or place as an axis.

Day 6

We had a 22km 1000mD+ hike to Jimithang while having to carry a ~15kg rucksack. I was reasonably confident as I’d hiked 7km ~2000D+ at Mt. Agung (~3000m Bali) in May (although sans the 15kg rucksack I was to carry today).

The hike entails descending NIMAS hill and making our way through Dirang while hugging the river as it breaks around a neighbouring hill which we are to ascend and reach Jimithang before exiting its northern side and making our way back up NIMAS hill. 2 hills.

Descent from Jimithang

The long hours blended together as the rucksack dug into my shoulders and made seemed to imprint itself on my very bones themselves. The slight drizzle that had persisted for over an hour since our start finally gave way shortly before Jimithang and turned into a strong downpour that drenched me through my poncho and boots.

The gradient remained relentless as well as we toiled our way up the hill with the rucksack’s weight seemingly having doubled. Reaching Jimithang brought some respite as we took shelter in a government school and had our packed lunch of khichdi/pulao and boiled eggs.

The descent from Jimithang was a relatively pleasant affair, but the hike back up to NIMAS proved brutal again with the hill offering a steeper and more sustained ascent than the road we’d taken to come down earlier.

Lectures for the rest of the day. This week has felt an eternity and the 3 weeks to come will test my resolve.

Day 7

I am teetering on the line between agony and ecstasy here. Today marks a complete week at NIMAS and was sanctified by the tests for the sport climbing and the 1 mile run. I approached both with some trepidation as I had my body to assuage on the mile run (with a strained quadricep) and my mind to restrain on the climbing wall (needing to get to the top of the route for a perfect score).

The mile run began disastrously as I inexplicably felt a sharp pain in my right quadricep within the first 200m. The first 400m of the course is completely downhill which pained my muscle more but also meant that I could carry more speed at a lower aerobic cost. The route’s complexion changes in the next 400m as there is a brutal gradient which I tried to slog through at a tempo pace. I speed-walked a few sections and let the return downhill carry me to the finish line finish line.

Climbing test at the NIMAS wall

A short break later, we headed to the sport wall where we were allotted routes at random, I was to repeat the route that I’d failed while climbing on the first day at the wall. I made it up till 70% of the route before my arms were too pumped to reach the next hold. We were made to descend after two minutes and I was disappointed to not have climbed higher, but also happy that my nerves had dissipated while on the wall.

Tomorrow is a 20k 1000D+ hike as we move to our next staging post at New Melling.

En route to New Melling

Day 8

I sat and listened to the river at New Melling: at first, it appeared a single sound echoing through the valley in unison. However, as I kept listening, other sounds became clearer. The din of water cascading over rocks, roiling briefly before moving forward in unison. The whistle of water passing through stone flutes before being joining the frothing surge. The clash of water beating itself against rocks, finding a path — any path — forward. The whisper of eddies forming and living entire lifetimes in a fraction of a section before disappearing into the white ether. One sound but so many voices.

River at New Melling.

We shifted base from the NIMAS campus to New Melling. We took a sumo from NIMAS to Jung via Sela Pass. There was a mild sense of trepidation as we got off at Jung and started on the hike to New Melling with all traces of civilisation melting behind our backs. Any worries that existed were soon discarded as the route to New Melling is stunning with a river ever-present; opposite the river are sheer rock faces that undulate and morph into innumerable forms. I was able to forget the 20kg rucksack that I was carrying for the most part as each leaf in the valley moved with the wind and came together with the gush of the river to sing a symphony that I’ll never truly understand.

We have camped at a site right next to the river at New Melling: home for the next 7 days. I look forward to falling asleep to the river’s song.

New Melling river at Night

Day 9

I dream many visions and those visions echo through the day.

The day began with a 7k run to a nearby hydel plant with stops for ad-hoc PT. It was tough but I found myself reasonably well acclimated and able to complete the course with relative ease. The rock climbing session later bore out very differently.

Road to the Hydel Plant

We were split into groups to try the four routes bolted for this season at New Melling (routes 6, 7, 8 and 9 as painted on the imposing rock faces). Having only climbed in indoor gyms (and the sport wall at NIMAS), I was eager to try my hand at actual climbing with the tactile feedback and challenge that only rock can post. There was a shortage of climbing shoes and I had to try the route in my trekking boots: to my dismay, I couldn’t even get off the ground and kept slipping as my boots offered no grip. Disappointed, I scurried around looking for shoes I could borrow and managed to find myself a pair. I had another go at the route and was able to get up to about 80% of the route before I stalled being unable to find a hold despite the instructor’s (very) spirited directives from below. I belayed down and was made to hold a plank for 3 minutes for not following his instructions. I was happy regardless as I found my fear of heights dissipating but remained bruised and battered in body and mind.

Climbing routes (6, 7, 8, 9) at New Melling for BMC-42

I tried my hand at jumaring and rappelling; the latter went smoothly but jumaring was an unmitigated disaster as my jumar got stuck at the piton close to 40 feet from ground and I needed an instructor’s help to extricate myself. It was good to learn something new nonetheless.

A class on bases followed and I found myself able to absorb limited information in my fatigued state.

Tomorrow, we reach 10 days at NIMAS which feels like a milestone in itself. Another 4 days and I’m halfway done.

Day 10

Some more on the New Melling landscape: a river cuts through a valley bounded by hills wearing dense forests that reach all the way up to the heavens with massive trees that only appear as pinpricks against the horizon.

A solitary road is wedded to the riverbank and snakes its way through the valley, with the very peaks of two snow-clad massifs watching over the valley. The hills on either side have massive buttresses of stone jutting out into thin frigid air, entire worlds in their own right.

Cliffs bounding New Melling

I was told today that in Carnatic music, the same theme/melody plays out in different ways, being expressed in different forms and assuming varied manners. I’ve been doing the same thing now day on day: a morning PT session, climbing practice, followed by lessons on knots, hitches, and base building.

Yesterday was an unmitigated struggle whereas I was able to taste some success today. I tried route 7 and 8 (which I’d failed y’day) and was able to complete both. The knots also clicked for me and I am reasonably comfortable making most knots now. In a sense, today is the spiritual halfway point (given the last 3–4 days are a trek back to NIMAS), and today couldn’t have come at a better point during the time I’m to have at NIMAS.

Day 11

A relatively relaxed day today, with a 15k 1000mD+ hike to Thimbu. Found the last part of the ascent and some portion of the descent fairly hard as my muscles screamed against the steep gradient. We also had what I suspect is our last day of good weather for a while, as we were blessed with clear sunny skies during the day before a drizzle settled in towards the evening.

En route to Thimbu

A few people have been leaving the course — some for health, others for personal reasons/family emergencies. It’s a strange existence we inhabit here — uniquely tribalistic in the way only a difficult shared experience can create bonds and bonhomie, yet also very individualistic like crabs in a bucket living under the illusion of a non-zero sum game.

The people next to me are having tea with Parle-G and talking about what they’ll do once they’re back in their respective towns.

It strikes me that we rarely ever live in the present: either the pull of the past or a mirage of the future draw us out of time and launch us into a revery. I am waiting out the rain so I can get to the tent. In a sense, I’m already in the tent; or perhaps I’m back home, being woken up with tea and biscuits. I will wake up with a fuzzy head and heavy eyelids. The warmth of the blanket ensconcing me will feel familiar, and I will have a crick in my neck from having slept wrong. I’ll wake up to face another day, or perhaps I’ll find myself in the mountains waking up to a river in torrent and birds calling out the day with their cries.

Day 12

The early mornings and the late evenings here bring about an inventory and itemisation of the various niggles and strains that have accrued over the past couple of weeks. My notions of recovery have been challenged as we endure day after day of activity that tear our muscles, powder our joints, and perforate our lungs. In no particular order, I have: a headache, a stiff neck, a pinched hip, strained calves, torn toes, and some newly acquired blisters. We move at break-neck speed only to stay in stationary here at New Melling.

Day 13

I have torn cuticles and shredded fingers but today these represent hard-fought victory against the unforgiving rock face. We were made to try routes 6 (which I’d failed previously) and route 7 for the rock climbing test today. Matters began disastrously as I didn’t find a pair of climbing shoes, and I had to try route 7 in my trekking shoes — I failed miserably and could barely get off the floor. I was nursing my ego when a helpful rope-mate lent me his shoes in an act of kindness; they were a size too small and I had blisters later but they allowed me to finish the route. I request the instructors for another shot at route 7 and managed to send that as well. We had a test on knots/hitches/bases later, and I was able to demonstrate most of the techniques (to my considerable surprise given how foreign these felt last week).

Rock Climbing test at New Melling

Tomorrow, we walk to Jung for a brief link-up with civilisation before heading to Mago day after.

Day 14

Today, we had a 20k round-trip to Jung where we were amidst network for the first time in over a week. I made a few calls, but strangely it only served to exacerbate my ennui as I’m faced with two more weeks of survival here.

Nonetheless, I’m at the river bank now with a pen in my hand and my heart is light, flitting away to the clouded monoliths surrounding me in every direction.

Day 15

Today, we completed the 20K 1000D+ trek from New Melling to our next staging point: Mago.

En route to Mago

If there’s a purgatory, I imagine it’d be similar to the vista that we traversed today. Mile upon mile of quarry road, stretching endlessly as far as the eye can see. Fine dust and silica coating our tongues and teeth. An endless slog up to the heavens through a hellish, barren landscape deserted by life and vegetation. A contrast between nature’s benevolence on the distant hills and man’s ambition.

Terrain en route to Mago

Day 16

We moved from Mago to Jithang today. The trek was relatively short at 12k and my shoulders have now adapted to the rucksack.

Jithang Valley

Jithang is located amidst a valley flanked my mountain ranges on parallel sides and steep hills on the lateral ends. There are a few nomadic settlements here inhabited by yak shepherds. The landscape is stark and brutalist. The instructors kept us busy once we reached the campsite, having us collect firewood and water to help us get better acclimated. We have been blessed with good weather and I hope to bask in the sun before our survival test tomorrow.

Day 17

Today began on a tough note as the instructors were displeased with our discipline, and we were made to complete circuits of hill sprints and push-ups before scaling the 300D+ hill bounding Jithang towards the south.

View of Jithang from a nearby hill

We were made to cross one of the river streams bounding Jithang and given limited rations to survive the day and night by ourselves. We benefitted from the presence of an army gentleman in our group as he managed to construct our shelter pretty much singlehandedly. We had less success with the khichdi we made and managed to scarf down some undercooked rice to stave off hunger after having spent the entire morning collecting wood and placing stones for the shelter.

Day 18

Moved to Meerathang — 8k 700D+. The final chapter.

First view of Gorichen Peak (~6858m)

Day 19

Camp at Meerathang in the backdrop of the Gorichen massif

Mago and New Melling seem far in the past now. We’re almost a week removed from NM, and someday, the same shall be true of Meerathang some day.

We visisted Rani Tal today - a tarn that lies halfway to Meerathang Glacier - with today’s hike meant to acclimatise us for the rigors of our remaining days at Meerathan. I found the 3k 350D+ trek up to Rani Tal very challenging and found myself gasping for breath and struggling up the scree and the steep moraines. I latched onto a friend’s mantra of ‘chote chal’ and slogged upwards. Reaching Rani Tal provided respite as its electric blue waters contrasted strongly with the monochrome of the hills overhanging in its presence.

Rani Tal

A few random thoughts that have occurred to me over the past few days:

• the clouds, are they the same clouds I saw earlier elsewhere?
• the massif housing Gorichen East and West wears a veil of clouds, peeking through every once in a while as it folds its snow-clad eyelashes.
• The valley here is strewn with violent explosions of colour in yellow, purple, and blue. I try not to tread on any flower but it’s a futile endeavor.
• My hands are tanned, weather-beaten and scarred. I barely recognise myself.

Day 20

You come to savour the smallest things here. My shoes are inside the tent and protected against the downpour outside.

Gorichen Group

Day 21

We enter our final week, the bulk of which will be spent surviving Meerathang. Y’day, we made the trek to Meerathang Glacier — this is likely the toughest endurance activity I’ve undertaken thus far. There was a drizzle throughout our ascent and I was soaked by the time we reached the glacier wall. The route to the glacier retraces the path to Rani Tal, and then follows an incredibly steep slope littered with scree till we crest a rock face, walk a ridge, and are faced with a sight of the glacier wall.

En route to Meerathang Glacier

Upon reaching, we were allowed no time to rest as we had to train before the weather turned. We were made to wear our scarpa snow boots and crampons which was a torturous affair with my numb fingers; by the time I was done with everything, I was wet down to my bones. We were taught four different ice climbing techniques and then had trials which compounded my exhaustion exponentially. I belayed three people and was the last person who got to climb the ice eall, and the last person to head back down from the glacier.

Meerathang Glacier

While leaving, the instructor stopped us and made us listen to see if we could discern a slab avalanche in the distance — this is a level of mastery for which I can only aspire. The route back was treacherous with car-sized boulders hurling themselves in our direction sporadically, and identified by calls of ‘pathar, pathar’.

I staggered back into camp and was practically catatonic for the rest of the day. There is no prospect of dryness with the rain having penetrated our tents as well. A long night awaits me. I am not sure I can do this again tomorrow.

Day 22

I finally broke today. I slept and woke with every intent of visiting the glacier, and even got ready with my gear (no easy feat here in the cold and the rain). I fell in with the parade but did not have the wherewithal to continue after about a kilometre and returned to camp. Every fibre of my being has wanted to quit through almost every gauntlet we’ve been made to run during my time here at NIMAS, and I finally ran out of reasons to run that next step.

As I write this, the sun is bearing down on me with the first blanket of warmth I’ve felt in days. I can hear the chirps and tweets of the birds and insects merge with the river’s gush in the distance, with the entire mass of Gorichen visible. If this is quitting, it is beautiful.

Tomorrow, I go again.

Gorichen Group

Day 23

Success, so to speak. My focus on hydrating y’day paid off and I felt very strong during the hike, managing to reach the glacier in good time. The steep climbs didn’t feel as lung-bursting as earlier. The ice climbing went as well (although I had to bail close to the top as my Scarpa dislodged itself from my foot - something that’d be disastrous in any actual expedition).

Ice climbing test

The glacier was breath-taking in its beauty today after having cast off the veil of fog it’d previously won.

Today was triumphant; many other days here haven’t been, but I feel all the better for it.

Day 24

Trekked back from Meerathang to Mago today. I continued my streak of falling, and almost slipped into the river. A very sore ankle aside, I’ve somehow avoided serious injury.

En route to Mago.

We are staying at the barracks in Mago: seventy of us sequestered reasonably comfortably into a single hall. I relish the prospect of being protected against the elements by stone and timber.

Day 25

Today was death by a thousand cuts as we walked 22km from Mago to New Melling. It’d have been harder if we didn’t have wings beneath our feet at the prospect of being closer to home, and just a couple of days removed from civilisation.

A drizzle sustained itself throughout our walk. I don’t recall what it’s like to be completely dry. It was comforting to see New Melling after 10 long days, the river’s gush greeting us and filling our ears with static. Listening to the river felt like visiting an old friend.

Welcoming Party at New Melling

Day 26

The days pile up, and the hours pass by, fleet of foot. The seconds tick past. Two more days before my BMC experience is over.

There was no glorious sun waiting to welcome us at New Melling, only the cold and ghostly pallor of an overcast sky and incessant rain.

I idled the day away and spent time speaking with the lady proprietor at the kirana store here. I find myself captivated by the stark nature of her life which evokes a sense of wistfulness in me as I imagine life in the company of these hills where familiar yet ever-changing faces visit and pass on.

FIN

PS: I did not maintain a journal for my last two days at NIMAS (which entailed getting back to campus, writing the theory test - that I thankfully passed - and our graduation ceremony).

I was tempted to write an epilogue but it’d be drawing from an incomplete source as I continue to reflect and draw from my BMC at NIMAS.