Kudos to you Prasad, It’s thrilling, just thrilling….
Count me in buddy. I am preparing myself for such hiking. I have been training myself in the gym and really encouraging to see at least 1 VI is doing the same. Once again, congratulations and yah, equally beautiful article. ~Cheers On 5/12/13, Prasad Gurav <prasadbgu...@gmail.com> wrote: > Dear All, > Last October I did a good amount of trekking in the Himalayas and also > climbed a 20,000ft high mountain. Below is a article about this. A word > copy is also attached. If any one is interested in knowing more about the > subject or wishes to join me in future for such adventures contact me at > prasadbgu...@gmail.com or call me at 0982 13 39241. > Cheers > Prasad Gurav > > *Himalayas are Accessible - The Climb of Mount Stok Kangri height **6,153 > meter** (20,182 feet)* > > It was close to eight in the morning. We had started from the base camp at > 1 o’ clock in the night, climbing for almost 7 hours now, all night, > through sub-zero temperatures with hardly any stops for rest. During the > last one and half hour the route went along the edge of a narrow ridge, > with deep slopes rolling down thousands of meters on both sides. Due to > thin air at this height, we would stop from time to time to catch our > breath and trudge on again. Frequently I would ask my guide, how many steps > more. Luckily due to my long stay in Leh, I was well acclimatized and > enjoying the climb at that height. Sharif, a guide from another group was > walking closely behind, encouraging from time to time and singing gazals. > At last I heard the magic words, “The Summit is ten steps away” and as > Psang recorded the final steps, we were atop the summit of Stok Kangri, > which stands at a height of 6153 meter or 20,182 feet, almost two third the > height of Mount Everest. Whatever I could see through my partial hazy > vision was a spectacular and breathtaking sight, a 360 degree view of many > Himalayan snow capped ranges. One can see as far as Tibet on one side, > Karakoram on the other and many Himalayan ranges. It was one of the > happiest moment of my life, a fulfilment of a long cherished dream. All the > fatigue, long marches over uneven rocky terrain, then over the slippery > glacier, nights spent in cold weather were things of past! > > What went behind the scenes? Was it worth pursuing the dream of climbing a > Himalayan mountain, in spite of being challenged by Retinitis Pigmentosa, > which had left some useful central vision and a hazy distant vision in one > eye along with legs affected by blood clots due to Deep Vein Thrombosis? > > Yes it was! It was not just about climbing a mountain, it was a lesson in > building an attitude to achieve what we dream of. So while sharing this > adventure, I have tried to draw parallels to achieving any goals we decide > upon, say a degree in education, that dream job, etc. I also hope this will > encourage many visually challenged like me to take up more outdoor > activities which we generally shy away from. This adventure definitely > doesn’t deserve any laurels as many disabled people have already climbed > this mountain and other challenging peaks. > > *Dreaming and setting goals is important* > > It was a dream I had cherished right from my child hood while first reading > the book about climbing Mt Everest, given to me by my uncle, Ramakant, > himself an avid mountaineer. This further lead to trekking and rock > climbing in the Sahyadris in the western Ghats during my college days, > which ultimately I gave up, when the vision loss started becoming severe. > I kept the fire burning with nature walks, easy treks and reading about > the subject. The inspiration to break free of the self-conceived > limitations, I had put for myself, due to my vision loss, came when I > stumbled upon an article about the BlindSight project – which involved the > attempt of Lhakpa Ri peak ( 23000 feet ) by the students of Braille Without > Borders School in Tibet, started by Sabriye Tenberken and Paul > Kronenberg. The expedition was led by Erik Weihenmayer, the famed blind > mountaineer who is the first blind person ever to climb Mount Everest. > > Learning: Be passionate about your goals and dreams and keep them alive in > spite of circumstances you are currently in by reading, writing and being > engaged with activities connected to your goal. Our goals and dreams are > like the fuels that keep our life going! > > *Blind can enjoy trekking in the mountains.* > > Many of us must have dreamt of being up there in the snow capped mountains, > as close to nature as we can get, but our vision issues often hold us back. > > Trekking is a sport that can help us to realize this dream. Partially > sighted or no vision, just being amidst the towering mountains, listening > to the gushing streams and rivers, hearing the orchestra of birds, charging > your lungs with super clean air, interacting with the humble mountain > people, experiencing the silence, getting to know the rich flora and fauna > around, you can experience unfathomable serenity and “feel” the beauty. In > my opinion we can enjoy more than a sighted person as we engage all our > senses acutely. > > During trekking you tackle many a challenges and that builds up a lot of > confidence and goes up a long way in helping us to face challenges in real > life. > > Learning: Your visual challenges need not hold you back from doing things > or walking the path which may seem impossible at first. > > *Prepare, Prepare, Prepare* > > I put in a lot of preparation to ensure a smooth climb. To test my legs and > breathing, I worked out at the local gym, mostly on an inclined treadmill > besides lifting weights. I did multi-day trekking in the Himalayas – The > Pindari Glacier trek in off season, to really improve co-ordination with my > trekking partner, my wife, Rupa and also to get a feel of trekking in the > snow and staying in sub-zero temperatures. A six day trek to Markha Valley > in Ladakh, which included crossing a pass over 17000 ft, helped to test how > it is to trek and sleep at high altitude. White cane training played a very > important role in the whole trip. The white cane guide posted by Jean > Parker on the Access India List was a good starting point. I can’t ever > forget the efforts put in by my White Cane Guru, Muffi Munshi, to help me > get hands on with the cane. The cane had to be replaced with the trekking > pole during the actual trek as many times I needed to put my whole weight > on it. > > Learning: There is no alternative to preparations for making your journey > smooth. > > *Learn to Trust* > > We started from the base camp at 1 am in the night for the final attempt to > the summit. We were just one hour into the climb and Rupa, my wife, started > feeling dizzy, a sure sign of altitude sickness. She was unable to go on > and the only option for her was to return back to the base camp. It was a > very critical moment. All this time, right from our earlier Pindari and the > Markha Valley Treks, she had been a very reliable trekking partner and we > had developed an excellent coordination. Due to many a techniques we had > developed over time. I used to hold the strap of her bag for orientation > and she constantly used to give instructions. We had our own code language > like single file – to walk exactly behind her as the trail was too narrow, > double file- walk side by side, step up, step down, a walk in the park- > meant I can walk freely using my cane as there is no danger of falling off > in some valley. Additionally it was the first time we were trekking in the > night and though it was full moon and we had head torches, for a night > blind person like me it was walking in total darkness. Rupa climbed down to > the base camp and I was left with Psang, our guide who I was depending on > for the first time to lead me. Hence the thought of climbing ahead with a > totally new trekking guide and that too at the most critical summit attempt > initially put me in a spot. I had no option but to trust him. I explained > to him about the techniques and commands. Psang guided me very nicely, with > very detailed instructions on stepping up and down, keeping close to the > mountain side etc., making the summit attempt a success. > > Learning: Many a times we create a comfort zone around us but it is > important to trust people beyond our comfort zone. > > *There will be people who will deter you* > > After meeting our guide Psang at the Stok village, we started for the first > camp at Mankarmo. We were doing this trek independently- myself, my wife > Rupa and our guide Psang, and were carrying our entire luggage. There > hadn’t been much preparation in the last two weeks and even though the > climb was gentle we were easily tired. The distance which was to be covered > in 3 hours took us 5 hours. Though it was normal for me to take more time > than a sighted trekker, due to my visual problem, the fact that we were > carrying heavy sleeping bags made it worse. Seeing my visual problems and > the sloppy speed, Psang was very sceptical about whether we could do the > summit. It was the first time he was guiding a visually challenged person > in the mountains and his scepticism was obvious. That night during our > dinner he told us that reaching the summit won’t be possible, considering > our pace and my visual limitations and that he would try to take us as far > as he could. I was a bit shattered by his discouragement. Luckily, Dawa, a > guide from another trekking group was around and he told Psang that he had > led an expedition of blind people last year to the summit. The other guides > and staff in the tent also tried to pep up Psang. Ultimately Psang made up > his mind to do a serious attempt. > > Learning: There will be people who will deter based on their assumptions of > our limitations, but we should be confident and win them over by > demonstrating our abilities. But then there will also be people around who > will encourage us. > > *Partial sight can be a disadvantage sometimes:* > > This is an important fact, as you tend to trust the little sight rather > than trusting your cane or other senses. This had landed me in trouble a > couple of times. Once I switched to the other side of my guide thinking > that the path was too wide but to my surprise my cane was probing thin air. > On another occasion I became too careless with my cane, on an easy trail > and suddenly it got very narrow and I was almost thrown off the path, with > both my feet dangling down the slope. > > Also during the summit attempt at night, where I am totally blind due to my > night blindness, I remember being fully aware with 100 percent > concentration for a very long time because I had to completely focus on my > other senses, instructions of my guide and the information provided by the > tapping of my trekking pole. There were no visual distractions or false > information from my partial sight. > > Learning: Don’t overly depend on one sense, but use all your senses and > move on. > > *Be ready for challenges and hard work* > > The whole climb was challenging. Overall the progress was slow due to > uneven terrain and a six hour trek took eight hours. Going down the > mountain was even more difficult and time consuming due to lack of > perception of depth. Crossing rivers over stones was challenging as it was > difficult to maintain balance and many a times I would end up wetting my > shoes in the icy cold waters. Jumping across many small gorges and > crevasses in the glacier in darkness was treacherous and required lot of > instructions about how far and how high to jump. The night before at the > Base camp, inspite of being put up in double tents and tucked away in > double layered sleeping bags, it had been difficult to keep the cold out. > The night attempt of the summit with six layers of clothing, in the > chilling winds was not easy. Meanwhile crossing the moraine near the > glacier involved walking over a long stretch of sharp rocks of all sizes > and shapes and was knee shattering. > > Learning: Challenges and difficulties are part and parcel of any journey > and we need to face them to reach our destination. And perseverance does > pay off. > > *Know your limitations* > > Though one should not be bogged down by one’s limitations, it’s very > important to be aware of the limitations. Many a times due to bad weather > conditions or lack of physical fitness you may have to return, in spite of > being very close to the summit, only to try again at a better time and with > better preparation. Also each one’s capacity may be different so decide the > trek or the mountain that suits your capacity and build your capacity > slowly. > > Learning: Decide your own Mount Everest, your own goals without getting > carried away with what others are doing and live your life fully by making > the best of your circumstances. > > > > *Its all about Sharing* > > Though it was a personal dream, on many occasions people I met on the > way came forward to help me move closer to the summit. Guides and > individuals from other expedition teams would chip in with their > encouragement from time to time. The token of appreciation shown by Norbu, > the tea tent owner at the base camp, by climbing 2 kilo meter to offer us > hot tea during our return from the summit, was a wonderful gesture. It > is hard to forget how trekkers from different countries came forward to > offer congratulations and shared the happy moments on our return at the > base camp from the summit. I am grateful to the mountain for blessing us > with favourable weather conditions. Happiness is realized by sharing and > thats the most important take away of this whole expedition. > Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of > mobile phones / Tabs on: > http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > -- “The waves breaking on the surface draw all the attention, but it is the current beneath the water that determines your direction.” Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
