The Summit

Jamling Tenzing Norgay wrote “Touching my Fathers Soul” after his ascent of Everest. It might not be the most well written book on the ascent of a mountain but I identify with it. Just how much I only realized when I summitted Machoi. On the top of the mountain I radioed my Dad at base camp. As I told him it was to be atop the same peak as he was 2 decades ago my voice broke surprising me more than anything else.

The summit was special. I remember unfolding the tricolour and wanting a picture with my climbing partner. Someone pulled out Dad’s regimental flag and the shutters clicked overtime to catch the moment in time. The view over the mountains was sublime. Someone pointed out Nun & Kun, Sheeshnag glistened in the sun just over Amarnath and Harmukh 180 degrees opposite. Just shy of 6000 meters it felt like on top of the world as snow clad mountains shone below one.

The immediate moments after are a bit of a haze. I remember stumbling and falling as soon as I began the descent. It must have been the euphoria. I anchored my carabiner to the rope and scurried down the main scree section. In careful rappelling stance I descended the sheer rock face and rested just under it near the cornice that formed over the gully with a box of juice.

Tired and hungry I rappelled down the entire 500 meter, 80 degree gully in 15 minutes (it had taken me more than 2 hours to climb) replaying the azure blue sky & snowfields from the summit in my mind. At the base of the gully we rested for 20 minutes with some more juice and a sandwich.

As I type someone has just walked in with a framed impromptu picture of me and Dad. Taken on the 13th just before  we left for a walk, just after he’d removed his overcoat it is one of the pictures that captures a rare moment. We’d forgotten all about it till now. Dad will be kicked to see it too.

It’s the walk back in daylight that captures the intensity of the experience. The stars seemed closer when I left summit camp at 0230 hours and now you know the sun IS CLOSER! And if the walk back is educative the ascent is a draining experience. As I said we left at two thirty and walked 4 hours over a ridge, snowbridges, the glacier with crevasses to reach the base of a gully that leads to the summit. A 500 metre, 80* ascent with loose stone is followed by a cornice that you’re hoping is the peak itself! One then negotiates a rockface and has to climb a seemingly never ending scree slope which you wonder how you’re going to descend if you manage to reach the top. As I said I did not even think of jumaring back through the gully post my descent. I just twisted the rope into my descender and came down the easy way. Back at camp at 1400 hours you’re drained of thought.

Its been a great time these last 7 days. I’ve driven through Drass, pushed myself to speedy acclimatization, watched eagles fly, ruminated over 2000 sheep munching on grass, honed my table tennis, ascended a peak and its all not over yet! 3 days of a hol left. I’m off to Pahalgam tomorrow via Anantnag. I get to meet an old colleague and friend of Dad’s there and then we’re moving back to Gulmarg.

Signing off as the family sits down to a dinner together...