Kalindikhal

Saturday Sinhgad hikes are not just training hikes, its a brewery of hike plans. I remember Kedar talking about one such plan to trek to kalindi khal, and whether I would be interested. The answer to such a question is always a yes, its always a yes from the day you get addicted to mountains, reading trekking journals and someday tumble upon a Kalindi khal or a Auden's col story. Kalindi khal is magnetic to say the least. Kalindi khal has this strange atmosphere of disasters, not necessarily on the trek, but in general even in the planning or may be in the concept stages. If you cross this pass and reach Badrinath, you get first hand experience of the popular saying "You never climb a mountain, it lets you". Kalindi khal has to happen to you, we just have to keep trying until its done. So the affirmation to Kedar was with a mind full of doubts and debris.

Although Kedar must have been planning and talking to people and collecting like minded mates to get along , I was unaware as we did not meet much after that Saturday hike. An email some time in February popped up saying "its happening". And the kalindi khal chatter had begun. I could see there will be a shared folder with documents, tickets, gear list, and above all the thrill of attempting this. I scratched out "Arunachal by bike" from the 2018 to-do list and started planning for this item which was on the list for last so many years.

As days passed by along with physical training schedule I started planning for the trek logistics. We were a team 12 people from the 20's to 70's. We finalized on August 2018 and a trekking company run by one Mr Negi of Him-Climb Uttarkashi to guide us across the pass. There will a team of 18-20 men that include porters, guides, kitchen staff to take 12 of us across. Some porters would return back to Gangotri as they wont be needed the load will reduce as we progress. By the end of all the planning phone calls with Negi ji over 2-3 months this felt more like an expedition than just a hike. We got our permits from Uttarkashi DM, yes this trek needs a Government permit as the area beyond Kalindi pass is in the inner line, close to the Chinese border. Negi ji helped us in getting these from the DM's office in Uttarkashi.

For training, we have our very own mountain in the backyard. Sinhgad has been my training mate on so many of the treks and bike rides. We Punekars are blessed with access to Sahayadris, the training ground for the Himalayas. All Saturdays will be spent climbing this with or without a loaded backpack, once or twice.