Western Himalayan Traverse
Bharat, Pranav & Shekhar
Clear weather during Kalindi Khal
GoPro HERO5 3mm F/2.8 1/4098 ISO100
While the Himalayas are a ruthless terrain, they are
equally breathtaking. They are a wonder to the world
and are a home to nine of the 10 highest peaks in
the world. Majestic, remote and an adventurer’s
dream, Himalayas are a place like no other. So, when
the idea of traversing the western Himalayas had
started to materialize, we decided that it was going
to be more than just trekking. The whole idea of this
traverse was to highlight the ultra lightweight back-
packing in India. This would help people to cover
more distance fast and will help enable them to see
double the areas at the same time and with a light-
weight behind their backs.
Our objective is to improve the trekking culture in
India. There are many companies in India which
are following really bad mountaineering practices.
Following their lead, others are doing the same.
This whole practice is not good for the environment
and for the trekkers as well. Another objective is to
promote self-sufficient trekking in India. This means
that you are not depending on porters and others for
your needs. The third objective was to create a long
trail in India, which we would be calling the Western
Himalayan Trail.
44 FEATURE
It took us one whole year to just plan the whole
expedition. The first thing we did was to decide on
the team and settled with three people, i.e., Pra-
nav, Shekhar and I. This would help us work well if
something were to go wrong during the traverse.
We were, after all, going to be in the mountains for
a long duration and out of the range of any digital
communication whatsoever. If something were to
happen to one teammate, the second could go to
call for help while the third one would stay behind.
We then discussed the route in great detail along
with the pros and cons of the routes. The idea was
simple- we required a direct and straight route which
would take less time. Our only consideration was
to not to take a technical terrain as it would require
extra gear to cross it. Having said that, we did not
have an option to bypass the Kalindikhal pass. This
was the most challenging part of our process- decid-
ing which path to take and which one to avoid. After
many days of restless, tiring work, we eventually got
around to finalizing the route.
Following the itinerary, it took us 47 days to cross
the whole area, out of which we took full-day rest
on 4 occasions, i.e., in Kaza, Chitkul, Auli and Himni.
While on some days we walked very less to reach our
predetermined destinations, other times, we had to