In Search of Bhrigu Lake (Manali, HP)

---

Along with other members of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Mountaineering Club (JNUMC), and nearly 11 years ago, I did not find this 15-hour bus journey in the ordinary class of Himachal Roadways, tiring.

While I have more or less maintained my stamina and appetite for road travel, yet my back, my joints and the eyes got completely fatigued & sore as I reached Manali around lunch time on Saturday. I had begun my journey the previous night from ISBT, Delhi which some of you (JNUMC members in particular) would be familiar with.

With cramped leg room, no head rest, upright seats and the passenger on both sides of you falling unfailingly on your shoulders, sleep and comfort was next to impossible!

I remember coming here for the snow skiing and paragliding courses conducted by JNUMC and supported by National Adventure Foundation (NAF).

Now, I felt I was missing that freshness and enthusiasm I had then, on arriving here!

My friend Surendar, whom I first met at the Method of Instruction (MoI) course in mountaineering in 1998, has come to pick me up. He looks as fit and as energetic as then. That coupled with his smile and warmth, pump the life and energy back into me!

Within minutes, I am riding pillion on his 350cc Royal Enfield, which is thundering all the way uphill. The pitched and powerful engine roar of the Bullet seems to subsume all other sound in the vicinity. In the hills, the Bullet rules.

I open my mouth ocassionally to gulp the fresh mountain air hitting me straight on the face.

The same evening we purchase biscuits, toffees, chocolates, tetra-pack fruit juice and some bananas. We stuff it all in our small knapsacks along with our camera equipment, windproof jacket, cap, goggles, water-bottle and torch.

We also take the help of Google Earth to identify the trekking route to Bhrigu lake.

We are up by 5.15am early next morning and Beena, Surendar's spouse prepares tea for us and packs home-made sandwiches and 'aloo paranthas' with pickle.

We are ready in 20 minutes and start biking in the early morning chill towards Gulaba (known for its skiing & paragliding slopes), our roadhead on the Manali-Rohtang pass-Leh route.

Parking our bike adjacent to the edge-of-the-roadside dhaba, we begin our trek at 6.45.

The weather is crisp, near perfect for a trek, and photography too.

It begins through a forest of tall pine trees which gradually opens into an endless expanse of green meadows. Snow capped peaks of the Pir Panjal ranges of the Himalaya and glacial streams surround them.

We can see the sheep, some horses grazing and the white smoke billowing out of the gaddi (shepherd) huts.

On the ground, you can see really tiny but beautiful flowers which are drawing the humming wild bees towards them for their nectar. The Himalayan snow crows are circling overhead at some distance and the breeze brings to our ears unevenly their peculiar cawing sound.

The ridges just don't seem to end and we continue trekking up, and up and up. The path is now littered with snow which is a bit brittle and makes a crunchy sound as we set foot on them.

I draw out a handful of it, eating some and crushing gently the remainder in my hands by forming a fist. When I open it, my palm seems to have turned clean but cold.

Indeed, we had gotten off trail and finally after six hours of continous walking we reach the end of a cliff, the Kothi peak.

From here, we use common sense and guesswork to figure out the route to the lake. We can see only snow-and-pebble covered landscape all round.

With Surendar leading and breaking the route, we get down through a risky route using our hands, bums and feet and cross over to another ridge!

We have to traverse a steep snow-laden slope and tread carefully hitting our feet hard sideways into the slope for firm grip. Our movement becomes slow and a bit taxing on the feet.

Finally we can see two small partly-frozen water bodies at some distance to each other, down, down below. There is not much water in the bigger one and we are doubtful if it is our destination lake. It is nearing 2-'o'-clock and we decide to descend towards it.

We are dead tired by now and sit down to have lunch. The cheese-tomato sandwich in particular is tasting heavenly! Like during my JNUMC trek days, I am munching every bit of it as dutifully a buffalo does!

We open our shoes and spread ourselves on the cold, uneven, rock-and-snow-strewn surface.

In the distance, Surendar spots an Ibex - the mountanin goat high up on the the edge of cliff. It is staring towards us with caution and curiosity. The Ibex, if I am correct, is considered as one of the most sure-footed animals, perhaps having the ability to balance itself while keeping its four hooves on a sinlge stone.

After 20 minutes, we begin our return journey uncertain about having reached Bhrigu lake. In fact, we did not.

An hour later, fog enveloped the landscape it got foggy and twice we lost route.

Around 6.30 it got dark and we took out our torches to scramble haphazard downhill through the forest. My right toe and knees were hurting to agonising limits and I limped towards the final hour.

The trek turned out to be 12 hour long, the last hour lasting eternity for me.

The pain in my knee, my backbone, my thigh & calf muscles persited as I drafted this mail in Manali, still away from the humdrum and madness of life in Delhi.

Yet I know I have returned purified and immensely happy!

(Written and posted earlier on [e-mail] on 1 October, 2009)

---