office reached the tower for daily skiing practice
and training session. They drew my attention
quickly. An hour or so passed easily watching
them practicing skiing downhill from the tower
again and again. By then the wind slowed
and confidence oozed by the soldiers became
infectious. Drawing on the pair of favorable
factors I continued hiking with a clear head and
hoping to reach Gorson Top well in time.
A mobile snow gun was absolutely
stationary.
Undisturbed fresh snow crunched under my
deliberate gentle steps on the frozen rolling
meadow of Gorson on the windy day. Top layer
of the undefended snow started dribbling. A
pair of birds pecked on the layer glittering under
white sun riding in brilliant blue sky. Jackals had
strolled on the virgin snow sections before us.
Yards of settled snow hemmed with an envious
Himalayan peak panorama covering more than
three fourth of circumference of an imaginative
circle was an accessible vista. The powerful
panorama, comprising of hexa- and septa-
thousanders, engaged all my senses. An easy look
at Nanda Devi, one of the most challenging peaks
in the world, did not diminish the challenges. It
was no mean achievement either.
Layers of smooth long and short white snow
humps created stationary waves. The intriguing
layers “shortened” the distance to the far away
destination, Gorson Top. At places, the snow had
self-print. There was no one except the guide and
me. I was sure no one was watching me. Gorsonwas a happy place. It was not my first snow walk.
But it was definitely the season’s first independent
walk on fresh snow. Day tourists had not reached
there yet. It was too early for the day tourists.
Summits appeared so close on the horizon.
Another illusion, a pleasant one.
The fear of digging hard and deep in the snow
contained my speed and forced me to depend on
a stick or micro spikes at a few places to avoid
off-balancing and ankle twisting due to sudden
jerks or sinking into unmeasurable recesses. Or,
I rephrase it as to retain my independence and
freedom to walk and complete the hike without
any assistance from the guide who treated me
like an untouchable. He sat a few feet away from
me during lunch at Chauniaya Top as if we were
strangers or enemies. Although the meadow was
sparkling under brilliant sun and Gorson Top was
tempting yet I returned from Chauniaya Top after
lunch because generally mountain weather goes
bad in the afternoon.
We were only two in the team: a guide and
trekker. On return, the guide took slightly
different route. I enquired about the change. The
guide creased his forehead and snapped, did you
not trust me? I thought, how could I trust him
so soon? Did I ask something so worrisome that
led to the tension lines shortening his forehead?
He did not show team spirit during lunch. Trust
building is a bilateral and time-consuming
exercise. Did he not know the basics of the life?
He expected that he would get a mention in the
magazine article. But when he realized it was not
forthcoming, he felt dismayed.(^168)
Volume 4, Issue 1 | June 2019