Trekking with diarrhea - a himalayan effort
The following is an account of one of the days of my recent trek in the Himalayas. The trek started at a place called Padari and the destination was Ratapani. This is more an account of my struggles and thoughts than a description of the beauty around me. Now read on...
We left the Padri camp at around 9:30. I was certainly not feeling comfortable. I already had 3 bouts of loose motion behind me. My stomach was making strange noises. “Guuddddrrrrrrrrrr… Trrrcchhhh”. But I had one thing to be happy about - Chethak was also in the same state. That was a big morale booster (for both of us). Tholpi aptly named us “Bowel brothers”.
From the Padri camp, we climbed down for about 20 minutes and reached a fairly big stream. It was very similar to many other streams we had seen on our way – cold, clear, shallow and roaring. It was too early for a rest. We filled water into our water bottles and decided to move on. From here the ascent started. And with it, my problems started ascending. I started feeling tired very soon. The noises in my stomach started to happen at regular intervals. The path was narrow, but thankfully, it was heavily wooded. This protected us from the sun. After about 15-20 minutes, the whole group had to halt as the path ahead had to be cleared. I and Chethak exchanged notes about the state of our stomachs. Its really hearting to have a “co-sufferer”.
Moving on, we had to jump over quite a few fallen trees. The path now was not very steep, but trek was not even as we had lots of fallen trees to cross. Also, we were walking on the edge of the mountain and had to be cautious. We proceeded like this for about half an hour. We were gaining height and the scenery was getting better. We reached yet another stream. This was much bigger than the previous one. There was also a waterfall. The place was full of big boulders and bushes. As usual, water was roaring downhill. But it was not just the stream that was roaring this time. My stomach decided to join the party. My discomfort grew like the peaks around me. “Guuddddrrrrrrrrrr… Trrrcchhhh”. By the time I had crossed the bridge over the stream, I had come to a disastrous conclusion. “I am going to release the pressure here”. The water, the bushes, the boulders etc trapped me into making this decision. The place, no doubt, was great for such a thing. But the timing was utterly wrong. I tried to lure Chethak into the same trap I had fallen into. But he happened to be a little wiser than me. I finished the process pretty swiftly. I was greatly relieved, but at the same time tired as this was the fourth time I had released in about 5 hours. I had lost quite a bit of body fluids. Moreover, I didn’t get much time to rest there as the group started moving ahead. I rested for a couple of minutes and was forced to march ahead.
Within minutes I realized that I had blundered. I was feeling very tired. To add to my vows, the path started to become steeper. I had to rest every few minutes. I actually started worrying about when these motions will stop. Lakshmi suggested to me to stop thinking about diarrhea and think of something better. Honestly, I did try. I tried to enjoy the Himalayas and allied beauty. But I was too tired to enjoy all that. I was desperately searching for some thought to cling to. “Guuddddrrrrrrrrrr… Trrrcchhhh”… Aarrrgghh… I wondered if I can think of something else… And then it struck me!! I knew what to think of. Rather, I had already started on this new thread of thought – Electral. I badly needed to take more fluids, or so I reasoned. I called out for Tholpi and asked him for the packet of electral. At the mere mention of the word “Electral”, Chethak appeared from nowhere.
A few sips of electral gave me new life and confidence to climb the by now pretty steep ascent. I walked at a slow and steady pace. I avoided taking long breaks and also tried not to break as long as possible. By now, Goutham was with us. Lakshmi, Goutham and I trekked together. Chethak and Tholpi had gone ahead. Goutham had this real huge rucksack (or was it an air bag?) on his back. As if that was not enough, he had a huge camera bag which along with its contents weighed about 3 Kgs. The weight was bogging him down. (Un)Fortunately I was in no position to help him. The path was of no help either. Not only was it steep and narrow, the soil was a little loose at places and the roots of the trees were sticking out. There were some loose stones as well. The climb was really slow and every step was an effort. The key was to stop as little as possible until the ascent was over. Every few minutes I used to look up in the hope of seeing the top of the mountain we were climbing. But the top just refused to appear. It was an endless expanse of trees and boulders. No one seemed to have an idea of how long this was to continue. We had trekked continuously uphill for more than an hour now. The mountain continued to grow on our faces.
During this agonizing climb, two questions seemed to bother our group (Goutham, Lakshmi and myself). One, how do people climb Mt. Everest when this mountain itself is such a big challenge. Two, how is it that Mt. Everest is taller than this mountain. We were thoroughly confused as to which is a more significant question. While we were arguing over these questions, someone happened to see a milestone saying that we were 1.5 km away. My god, 1.5 km more!!! Can it be a joke? Someone suggested that sense of humor doesn’t work at such high altitudes. Probably true. Even if it wasn’t a joke, we didn’t know what was 1.5 km away. Someone had told us that we had to cross this hill to reach Ratapani. Was it to our camp at Ratapani or was it to the top of this mountain? Sigh. Whatever it is, we knew that we had a long distance to cover. Bigger sigh.
We continued our climb for some more time. We, especially me and Goutham, were very very tired by now. The weight of the bag was pulling me back and I cursed myself for bringing so much luggage. I also cursed Kashyapa for putting that extra bottle of orange juice in my bag. My stomach had never stopped making those sounds, but after the encounter with the milestone, things got a little worse. Every now and then I felt like passing motion and every time I controlled it, there was this grumbling noise and a sharp pain in my stomach. It used to last for a second or two, but started happening every few minutes. But I had found the formula. Just stand firmly, tighten all the muscles in your abdomen, hold your breath, wait patiently till the grumbling noise stops and wince when you feel the pain in the stomach. Simple. After all, necessity is the mother of invention and this proverb works at high altitudes as well.
After a few more minutes of climb, we came across a big boulder against which we could comfortably lie down. The offer was too lucrative and we accepted it without a second thought. I lied down, stretched my legs and arms, took a few deep breaths… Sigh… What a relief… Yawn… Can we camp here for the night? That will be nice… But… “Guuddddrrrrrrrrrr… Trrrcchhhh”… oh! The Formula… quick… No I can’t stand… Its fine, I can manage it in this position itself… Aaargghh the pain… wince… Ah! Its over. Oooffff… that was close… Had I not held my breath at the right time… Thank god.
We rested here for some more time and then started the agonizing climb again. The path was as steep as it had been for the last one and a half hour or so. But as we gained altitude, the mountain air was becoming cooler and cooler. We were feeling warm as long as we were moving. But when we stopped, the chill in the air was quite evident. A mild breeze was enough to make us shiver. Brrrrr... Along with the air, the mountains around us were also changing. The thick green forests were receding and quickly giving way to bald grey rocky faces with some slender patches of green. Their snow covered peaks seemed to be much closer to us. But somehow, the mountain which we were climbing, or trying to at least, seemed to be the same. As we mechanically passed tree after tree and boulder after boulder, more and more seemed to come relentlessly at us from the top, almost like a video game. This video game continued for another 20-30 minutes. At last we got a lifeline!! The tea shop!! Only the campsite can be a bigger relief than this.
The only item that I could consume there was Neembu pani. I gulped in 2 or 3 glasses of it. Lakshmi and Goutham had Maggi. With gaining altitude, the prices of these items also shoot up. A Maggi costed us Rs 20, whereas the Nimbu pani was 8. But at such a desolate and cold place, one will be ready to pay anything. Over food we discussed professional photography, Khandala, Raigad, Shivaji, etc with a Marathi couple who were trekking along with us. The locals at the tea shop told us that the Ratapani camp was about 10 minutes away and the route was very easy. But we knew that their 10 minutes may be anything from our half an hour to an hour. We extended our rest for a good 45-50 minutes. It was well past two o’clock in the afternoon when we reluctantly got on our feet and started the last leg of what had been an agonizing and yet a very memorable climb.
The ascent was still very much steep and didn’t seem to differ much from what we had already seen. But for a change, we were quite fresh (!!) and were kind of used to the climb. Even though it was a little tiring, it was no longer sapping us. I even found the enthusiasm to take a few snaps. Goutham even started talking about a 8-day trek to some place from where U can see Mt Everest. Lakshmi pointed out that one in every two who try to climb K2 doesn’t come back. Then we had an argument over whether Mt Kanchenjanga has ever been scaled. The scenery around us was really very beautiful and the air was pretty cold. We finally reached a not so steep part of the path, but still no sign of the camp site. We had trekked for about 20 minutes from the tea shop and as far as we could see, there was no camp site. And 10 minutes was what they said. But somehow, we were in no mood to complain and continued ahead. For a change we were walking at a pretty normal pace. And then we saw the banner – “YHAI welcomes you to Ratapani” or something like that. Encouraged by this and sighing with relief, we marched towards the banner. We crossed the banner and turned a corner expecting to see the camp. And we did see the camp. But it was a good half a Km away from where we stood. Even though the path was not at all steep, the distance was certainly demoralizing, considering the fact that we had already seen the welcome banner. Nevertheless, we had to proceed and so we did. We met the rest of our group at the edge of the forest which gave way to the plain land on which our camp was located. Most of us had lunch there (of course not me). The people in charge of the camp (Mr Nanda Kumar and one more whose name I forgot) met us there. They were surprised to know that I was able to stop diarrhea during the trek and one of them wanted to know how. I somehow managed NOT to tell him about my formula. We just sat there for a few more minutes and then started towards the camp. And just as we started walking… “Guuddddrrrrrrrrrr… Trrrcchhhh”. Since the camp was near, I couldn’t control it anymore. I left my bag with TC and ran to the toilet, which was literally built at the edge of the mountain. But it was no time to appreciate all those things. Even though it was not very clean inside, what a relief I got !!!! Phew!
Once I was out, I realized that probably the worst part of the trek was over. I was now able to appreciate the scenery around. The camp was indeed situated at a beautiful place. Behind the camp was a vertical mountain and in front of it was a vertical drop. The toilet I had rushed to was situated a few feet from the drop. There were two narrow paths leading to the camp from either side. Apart from this, we had peaks, many of them snow covered, all around us. It certainly was worth all the trouble.
Sumanth
We left the Padri camp at around 9:30. I was certainly not feeling comfortable. I already had 3 bouts of loose motion behind me. My stomach was making strange noises. “Guuddddrrrrrrrrrr… Trrrcchhhh”. But I had one thing to be happy about - Chethak was also in the same state. That was a big morale booster (for both of us). Tholpi aptly named us “Bowel brothers”.
From the Padri camp, we climbed down for about 20 minutes and reached a fairly big stream. It was very similar to many other streams we had seen on our way – cold, clear, shallow and roaring. It was too early for a rest. We filled water into our water bottles and decided to move on. From here the ascent started. And with it, my problems started ascending. I started feeling tired very soon. The noises in my stomach started to happen at regular intervals. The path was narrow, but thankfully, it was heavily wooded. This protected us from the sun. After about 15-20 minutes, the whole group had to halt as the path ahead had to be cleared. I and Chethak exchanged notes about the state of our stomachs. Its really hearting to have a “co-sufferer”.
Moving on, we had to jump over quite a few fallen trees. The path now was not very steep, but trek was not even as we had lots of fallen trees to cross. Also, we were walking on the edge of the mountain and had to be cautious. We proceeded like this for about half an hour. We were gaining height and the scenery was getting better. We reached yet another stream. This was much bigger than the previous one. There was also a waterfall. The place was full of big boulders and bushes. As usual, water was roaring downhill. But it was not just the stream that was roaring this time. My stomach decided to join the party. My discomfort grew like the peaks around me. “Guuddddrrrrrrrrrr… Trrrcchhhh”. By the time I had crossed the bridge over the stream, I had come to a disastrous conclusion. “I am going to release the pressure here”. The water, the bushes, the boulders etc trapped me into making this decision. The place, no doubt, was great for such a thing. But the timing was utterly wrong. I tried to lure Chethak into the same trap I had fallen into. But he happened to be a little wiser than me. I finished the process pretty swiftly. I was greatly relieved, but at the same time tired as this was the fourth time I had released in about 5 hours. I had lost quite a bit of body fluids. Moreover, I didn’t get much time to rest there as the group started moving ahead. I rested for a couple of minutes and was forced to march ahead.
Within minutes I realized that I had blundered. I was feeling very tired. To add to my vows, the path started to become steeper. I had to rest every few minutes. I actually started worrying about when these motions will stop. Lakshmi suggested to me to stop thinking about diarrhea and think of something better. Honestly, I did try. I tried to enjoy the Himalayas and allied beauty. But I was too tired to enjoy all that. I was desperately searching for some thought to cling to. “Guuddddrrrrrrrrrr… Trrrcchhhh”… Aarrrgghh… I wondered if I can think of something else… And then it struck me!! I knew what to think of. Rather, I had already started on this new thread of thought – Electral. I badly needed to take more fluids, or so I reasoned. I called out for Tholpi and asked him for the packet of electral. At the mere mention of the word “Electral”, Chethak appeared from nowhere.
A few sips of electral gave me new life and confidence to climb the by now pretty steep ascent. I walked at a slow and steady pace. I avoided taking long breaks and also tried not to break as long as possible. By now, Goutham was with us. Lakshmi, Goutham and I trekked together. Chethak and Tholpi had gone ahead. Goutham had this real huge rucksack (or was it an air bag?) on his back. As if that was not enough, he had a huge camera bag which along with its contents weighed about 3 Kgs. The weight was bogging him down. (Un)Fortunately I was in no position to help him. The path was of no help either. Not only was it steep and narrow, the soil was a little loose at places and the roots of the trees were sticking out. There were some loose stones as well. The climb was really slow and every step was an effort. The key was to stop as little as possible until the ascent was over. Every few minutes I used to look up in the hope of seeing the top of the mountain we were climbing. But the top just refused to appear. It was an endless expanse of trees and boulders. No one seemed to have an idea of how long this was to continue. We had trekked continuously uphill for more than an hour now. The mountain continued to grow on our faces.
During this agonizing climb, two questions seemed to bother our group (Goutham, Lakshmi and myself). One, how do people climb Mt. Everest when this mountain itself is such a big challenge. Two, how is it that Mt. Everest is taller than this mountain. We were thoroughly confused as to which is a more significant question. While we were arguing over these questions, someone happened to see a milestone saying that we were 1.5 km away. My god, 1.5 km more!!! Can it be a joke? Someone suggested that sense of humor doesn’t work at such high altitudes. Probably true. Even if it wasn’t a joke, we didn’t know what was 1.5 km away. Someone had told us that we had to cross this hill to reach Ratapani. Was it to our camp at Ratapani or was it to the top of this mountain? Sigh. Whatever it is, we knew that we had a long distance to cover. Bigger sigh.
We continued our climb for some more time. We, especially me and Goutham, were very very tired by now. The weight of the bag was pulling me back and I cursed myself for bringing so much luggage. I also cursed Kashyapa for putting that extra bottle of orange juice in my bag. My stomach had never stopped making those sounds, but after the encounter with the milestone, things got a little worse. Every now and then I felt like passing motion and every time I controlled it, there was this grumbling noise and a sharp pain in my stomach. It used to last for a second or two, but started happening every few minutes. But I had found the formula. Just stand firmly, tighten all the muscles in your abdomen, hold your breath, wait patiently till the grumbling noise stops and wince when you feel the pain in the stomach. Simple. After all, necessity is the mother of invention and this proverb works at high altitudes as well.
After a few more minutes of climb, we came across a big boulder against which we could comfortably lie down. The offer was too lucrative and we accepted it without a second thought. I lied down, stretched my legs and arms, took a few deep breaths… Sigh… What a relief… Yawn… Can we camp here for the night? That will be nice… But… “Guuddddrrrrrrrrrr… Trrrcchhhh”… oh! The Formula… quick… No I can’t stand… Its fine, I can manage it in this position itself… Aaargghh the pain… wince… Ah! Its over. Oooffff… that was close… Had I not held my breath at the right time… Thank god.
We rested here for some more time and then started the agonizing climb again. The path was as steep as it had been for the last one and a half hour or so. But as we gained altitude, the mountain air was becoming cooler and cooler. We were feeling warm as long as we were moving. But when we stopped, the chill in the air was quite evident. A mild breeze was enough to make us shiver. Brrrrr... Along with the air, the mountains around us were also changing. The thick green forests were receding and quickly giving way to bald grey rocky faces with some slender patches of green. Their snow covered peaks seemed to be much closer to us. But somehow, the mountain which we were climbing, or trying to at least, seemed to be the same. As we mechanically passed tree after tree and boulder after boulder, more and more seemed to come relentlessly at us from the top, almost like a video game. This video game continued for another 20-30 minutes. At last we got a lifeline!! The tea shop!! Only the campsite can be a bigger relief than this.
The only item that I could consume there was Neembu pani. I gulped in 2 or 3 glasses of it. Lakshmi and Goutham had Maggi. With gaining altitude, the prices of these items also shoot up. A Maggi costed us Rs 20, whereas the Nimbu pani was 8. But at such a desolate and cold place, one will be ready to pay anything. Over food we discussed professional photography, Khandala, Raigad, Shivaji, etc with a Marathi couple who were trekking along with us. The locals at the tea shop told us that the Ratapani camp was about 10 minutes away and the route was very easy. But we knew that their 10 minutes may be anything from our half an hour to an hour. We extended our rest for a good 45-50 minutes. It was well past two o’clock in the afternoon when we reluctantly got on our feet and started the last leg of what had been an agonizing and yet a very memorable climb.
The ascent was still very much steep and didn’t seem to differ much from what we had already seen. But for a change, we were quite fresh (!!) and were kind of used to the climb. Even though it was a little tiring, it was no longer sapping us. I even found the enthusiasm to take a few snaps. Goutham even started talking about a 8-day trek to some place from where U can see Mt Everest. Lakshmi pointed out that one in every two who try to climb K2 doesn’t come back. Then we had an argument over whether Mt Kanchenjanga has ever been scaled. The scenery around us was really very beautiful and the air was pretty cold. We finally reached a not so steep part of the path, but still no sign of the camp site. We had trekked for about 20 minutes from the tea shop and as far as we could see, there was no camp site. And 10 minutes was what they said. But somehow, we were in no mood to complain and continued ahead. For a change we were walking at a pretty normal pace. And then we saw the banner – “YHAI welcomes you to Ratapani” or something like that. Encouraged by this and sighing with relief, we marched towards the banner. We crossed the banner and turned a corner expecting to see the camp. And we did see the camp. But it was a good half a Km away from where we stood. Even though the path was not at all steep, the distance was certainly demoralizing, considering the fact that we had already seen the welcome banner. Nevertheless, we had to proceed and so we did. We met the rest of our group at the edge of the forest which gave way to the plain land on which our camp was located. Most of us had lunch there (of course not me). The people in charge of the camp (Mr Nanda Kumar and one more whose name I forgot) met us there. They were surprised to know that I was able to stop diarrhea during the trek and one of them wanted to know how. I somehow managed NOT to tell him about my formula. We just sat there for a few more minutes and then started towards the camp. And just as we started walking… “Guuddddrrrrrrrrrr… Trrrcchhhh”. Since the camp was near, I couldn’t control it anymore. I left my bag with TC and ran to the toilet, which was literally built at the edge of the mountain. But it was no time to appreciate all those things. Even though it was not very clean inside, what a relief I got !!!! Phew!
Once I was out, I realized that probably the worst part of the trek was over. I was now able to appreciate the scenery around. The camp was indeed situated at a beautiful place. Behind the camp was a vertical mountain and in front of it was a vertical drop. The toilet I had rushed to was situated a few feet from the drop. There were two narrow paths leading to the camp from either side. Apart from this, we had peaks, many of them snow covered, all around us. It certainly was worth all the trouble.
Sumanth
