THE BLACK PEAK EXPEDITION

The Black Peak Expedition

Kalanag or Black Peak (6387m) is the highest peak in the Saraswati (Bandarpunch) mountain range. Kalanag literally means Black Cobra due to its top part resembling a black snake. The peak provides a very descent and gradual southern approach but towards the Northern slope it features a very steep, almost vertical slope.

Grade: Challenging

Location: Garhwal Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India

Ideal Season: May, June, September, October

Rope Required : 2000 metres

Rough plan:

Day 1: Dehradun->Sankri(1906m)

Day 2: Sankri->Osla (2560m)

Day 3: Osla->Ruinsara Tal (3350m)

Day 4: Ruinsara Tal->Kyarkoti (Base Camp) 3500m

Day 5: Base Camp->Camp 1 (4600m) Load Ferry

Day 6: Base Camp->Camp 1 (Establish Camp 1)

Day 7: Camp 1->Camp 2 (5100m) Load Ferry

Day 8: Camp 1->Camp 2 (establish camp 2)

Day 9: Camp 2->Camp 3 (5500m)

Day 10: Camp 3->Summit attempt (6387m)

Day 11: Extra day reserved for Summit attempt

Day 12: Move to Base camp

Day 13: Base camp->Osla

Day 14: Osla->Taluka->Sankri

Day 1: Dehradun to Sankri (1920m) 6/7 hours

Sankri serves as the base for many treks in Uttarakhand. Dehradun to Sankri is around 180kms and the route passes through Mussoorie, Naugaon, Purola, Mori, Netwar and then Sankri in Govind Pashu National park. It takes around 7 hours to reach Sankri from Dehradun by road. Sankri is situated at a height of 1920m above sea level. The places to stay for the night before the trek are the GMVN guest house or the Hotel Swargrohini Palace. The view from the village is splendid, you can see snow capped mountains in the distance.

Day 2: Sankri to Osla (2560m) 6/7 hours

The day starts with the gentle trail towards Osla. It is a long trek through beautiful forests of Chestnut, Walnut and Willows and takes around 6-7 hours to reach Osla. A gradual ascent brings us to the Osla village along the swift rivulet. On arrival set the camp for overnight stay and enjoy being in the lap of nature.

Day 3: Osla to Ruinsara Tal (3350m) 5/6 hours

The trek to the Holy Ruinsara Tal or Lake is through a brilliant alpine trail. The views of the Swargrohini Range are particularly impressive from here. The lake is located at the side of the Ton Glacier. Osla to Ruinsara Tal is a long 14km trek with little to no gradient therefore, at the most, it will take you around 5-6 hours to reach here.

Day 4: Ruinsara Tal to Kyarkoti (Base Camp) 3500m (3/4 hours)

Kyarkoti is situated at the base of Saraswati mountain Range and is mainly a grassy patch of land with boulders surrounding the place. It is surrounded by snow clad mountains on the three sides. The nearby spring makes it an ideal site for camp bases. Porters are the only means of transporting goods here. Black Peak can be seen clearly from the base camp. The trail to kyarkoti is quite steep and therefore takes around 4 hours of difficult climbing.

Day 5: Base Camp to Camp 1 (4600m) 4 hours

Load your ferry to establish camp 1. It takes around 4 hours of trekking from the base camp to camp 1. This would help you to acclimatize easily. After crossing a high land just next to our base camp, trek on grassy land with gentle slope till you reach a spring dotted with boulders. After steep climbing, reach the path which cosses through a landslide prone region. Then descend one more grassy path which is followed by two patches of moraines. In the last part of the trek, you’ll have to do some easy bouldering to reach camp 1. Camp 1 will be on uneven grassy land gently sloping towards west. On the north, it is flanked by a mountain. A glacier flowing east to west flanks it on the other side.

Day 6: Base Camp to Camp 1 (4600m) 4 hours

Finally establish your Camp 1 by two consecutive days of load ferry. This exercise would be very helpful for acclimatization and I would suggest, never skip this step.

Day 7: Camp 1 to Camp 2 (5100m) 3 hours

Establish Camp 2 on a snow field after a trek of 3 hours from camp 1. Black peak will be clearly visible from the Camp towards the soth-east. However, on this day, you’ll ferry load from camp 1 to camp 2 and then return back to camp 1. This is again a very important step for acllimatization and easy summit climb.

Day 8: Camp 1 to Camp 2 (5100m) 3 hours

Establish camp 2 and stay there and prepare for next day load ferry.

Day 9: Camp 2 to Camp 3 (5500m) 6 hours

Establish camp 3 on a large hump of snow with Black peak visible in the southeast direction. Camp will be at a height of approximately 18000ft. and had to be reached circumventing a number of crevasses. Towards the north you’ll be able to see Swargarohini and towards the south stood the beautiful peaks of Bandarpunch. Stay in Camp 3 and prepare for summit attempt next day.

Day 10: Camp 3 - Summit attempt (6387m)

On the summit attempt day, start as early as 2:00am in the morning. Fix up a rope to negotiate a number of crevasses. The climb of 100 ft before the summit is difficult and dangerous. The snow will be hard and slope is very steep. The summit is on a ridgeline, but it is flat on top. A maximum of 8-10 people can climb the summit at one go.

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PAPSURA PEAK

Mt. Papsura (6451m) - ‘The Peak of Evil’

Papsura Peak (6451m), which is called ‘The Peak of Evil’ . Dharamsura and Papsura are neighbouring peaks in famous Manikaran region of Parvati Valley in Himachal Pradesh. These two striking twin peaks are also known as the ‘Peaks of Good and Evil’. Papsura is only a few metres higher than Dharamsura. A ridge of about 1.9 km separates the two peaks. Ideally a total of about 2200 metres of rope is required to climb the summits. People usually attempt both the peaks at one go. The peaks are generally climbed by the S-E ridge and S-W ridge. The approach to base camp consists a tiring walk on the lateral moraines of the Tosh glacier. The ridge connecting Papsura and Dharamsura also extends to the west to the famous Sara Umga Pass, which connects the Kullu and Lahaul valleys. 3 to 4 transit camps need to be set up before reaching the basecamp. The trek starts from the beautiful village of Tosh, near Manikaran in Kullu district. Three more high camps are needed for a possible summit attempt. This area is sanctuary of peaks like Devachan, Indrasan, etc.

Rough Plan:

Day 1: Manali->Tosh Village (2400m)

Day 2: Tosh->Bhudaban Trek (3020m)

Day 3: Bhudaban->Saran Thach trek (3505m)

Day 4: Saram->Samshi (3800m)

Day 5: Samshi->Kutla (4100m)

Day 6: Kuta->Base camp

Day 7: Base Camp->Camp 1 (acclimatization and load ferry)->Base camp

Day 8: Base Camp->Camp1 (acclimatization and load ferry)->Base camp

Day 9: Rest Day

Day 10: Base Camp->Camp 1 (via Sara Umga Pass)

Day 11: Camp 1->Camp 2

Day 12: Camp 2->Summit attempt (6446m)->Camp 2

Day 13: Reserve Day for Summit

Day 14: Reserve Day for Summit

Day 15: Summit->Camp 1

Day 16: Camp 1->Base camp

Day 17: Rest Day

Day 18: Base camp->Shamshi

Day 19: Shamshi->Budhaban

Day 20: Budhaban->Tosh village->Manali

Tosh (2400m)

Tosh, a village turned hippie colony, in Himachal Pradesh located at about 2400m in elevation on a hill near Kasol in the Pravati valley, surrounded by mountains. Alongside the village is the Tosh river, which begins at the Tosh Glacier within Tosh valley. The peaks surrounding the it include, Dharamsura, Papsura, Angduri, Pinnacle and Devachan. Manali to Kosh is a 3 hour 22 minutes ride (95.2km) via NH3 and Manikaran Road.

Tosh->Bhudaban Trek (3020m) 3/4 hours

Tosh to Bhudaban is a 3 hours easy hike of 4 kms. This phase of the trek is extremely scenic with full of Pine trees.

Bhudaban->Saran Thach (3505m) 5/6 hours

The trek from Bhudaban passes along the Pulga Nullah and this glacier is the source of this Nullah. One can have the close view of the Ali Ratna Tibba, located on the Pir Panjal Range from Losha Thatch. A long day’s walk as the path climbs from Budhaban to cross the treeline. It then continues over meadows and rhododendron clusters to the high altitude meadow at Sharan Thatch.

Sharan Thatch->Shamshi Thatch (3800m) 4/5 hours

An initial steep climb moves towards narrow path over patches of snow. The Tosh river continues its noisy course throughout. After a short descent, you arrive at Shamshi Thatch, beautifully set in a little bowl at the base of the valley. To the north is the Tosh glacier, to the east the massive face of Kullu Makalu Peak.

Shamshi->Kutla (4100m) 3/4 hours

Climb to the snout of the Tosh Glacier and continue up on the path near the glacier to the small meadow at Kuta Thatch

Kutla->Base camp (4480m) 4/5 hours

Kutla to the base camp is a 4 hours long steep walk at around 55 degree inclination. A lot of technicality and climbing is involved specially because of the huge crevasses.

Base camp-> camp 1 (4830m) 6/7 hours

You need to acclimatize your body at such an extreme altitude and prepare it for further heights. Ferry your loads to camp 1 and return back to base camp. This will help you get acclimatized and also prepare you for trying summit

Sara Umga Pass: (4900m)

The Sara Umga Pass or Sara Umga La, lies on the historic Indo-Tibetan trade route. The pass lying at an height of about 4900m, is a challenging trek, meant only for experienced trekkers. Though a tough trek, the views of the central Lahaul and many impressive six-thousanders of the Chandra Bhaga range, makes the effort worthwhile.

Summit Attempt:

It involves more than 360m of steep climbing on the rock face. You have to fix ropes on difficult patches which will consume a lot of your time. Therefore, start for the summit as early as possible because the weather becomes rough and windy by midday. Snow avalanches are common in this region and thus, this is considered a difficult expedition and not everyone’s cup of tea!

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DHARAMSURA PEAK

Mt. Dharamsura - ‘The White Sail Climbing ‘

Dharamsura Peak (6446m), which is called ‘White Sail’ because of its shape. Dharamsura and Papsura are neighbouring peaks in famous Manikaran region of Parvati Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Two striking twin peaks are also known as the ‘Peaks of Good and Evil’. Papsura is only a few metres higher than Dharamsura with an altitude of 6451m. A ridge of about 1.9 km separates the two peaks. Ideally a total of about 2200 metres of rope is required to climb the summits. People usually attempt both the peaks at one go as they are twin peaks. The peaks are generally climbed by the S-E ridge and S-W ridge. The approach to base camp consists of a tiring walk on the lateral moraines of the Tosh glacier. The ridge connecting Papsura and Dharamsura also extends to the west to the famous Sara Umga Pass, which connects the Kullu and Lahaul valleys. 3 to 4 transit camps need to be set up before reaching the basecamp. The trek starts from the beautiful village of Tosh, near Manikaran in Kullu district. Three more high camps are needed for a possible summit attempt. This area is sanctuary of different peaks like Devachan, Indrasan, etc.

Rough Plan:

Day 1: Manali->Tosh Village (2400m)

Day 2: Tosh->Bhudaban Trek (3020m)

Day 3: Bhudaban->Saran Thach trek (3505m)

Day 4: Saram->Samshi (3800m)

Day 5: Samshi->Kutla (4100m)

Day 6: Kuta->Base camp

Day 7: Base Camp->Camp 1 (acclimatization and load ferry)->Base camp

Day 8: Base Camp->Camp1 (acclimatization and load ferry)->Base camp

Day 9: Rest Day

Day 10: Base Camp->Camp 1 (via Sara Umga Pass)

Day 11: Camp 1->Camp 2

Day 12: Camp 2->Summit attempt (6446m)->Camp 2

Day 13: Reserve Day for Summit

Day 14: Reserve Day for Summit

Day 15: Summit->Camp 1

Day 16: Camp 1->Base camp

Day 17: Rest Day

Day 18: Base camp->Shamshi

Day 19: Shamshi->Budhaban

Day 20: Budhaban->Tosh village->Manali

Tosh (2400m)

Tosh, a village turned hippie colony, in Himachal Pradesh located at about 2400m elevation on a hill near Kasol in the Pravati valley, surrounded by mountains. Alongside the village is the Tosh river, which begins at the Tosh Glacier within Tosh valley. The peaks surrounding it includes, Dharamsura, Papsura, Angduri, Pinnacle and Devachan. Manali to Kosh is a 3 hour 22 minutes ride (95.2km) via NH3 and Manikaran Road.

Tosh->Bhudaban Trek (3020m) 3/4 hours

Tosh to Bhudaban is a 3 hours easy hike of 4 kms. This phase of the trek is extremely scenic with full of Pine trees.

Bhudaban->Saran Thach (3505m) 5/6 hours

Sharan Thatch->Shamshi Thatch (3800m) 4/5 hours

Shamshi->Kutla (4100m) 3/4 hours

Climb to the snout of the Tosh Glacier and continue up on the path near the glacier to the small meadow at Kuta Thatch

Kutla->Base camp (4480m) 4/5 hours

Kutla to the base camp is a 4 hours long steep walk at around 55 degree inclination. A lot of technicality and climbing is involved specially because of the huge crevasses.

Base camp-> camp 1 (4830m) 6/7 hours

Sara Umga Pass: (4900m)

Summit attempt:

Published at @ https://trekmonk.in/

15 Weirdest Ice Cream Flavors You Must Try

Top 15 Weirdest Ice Cream Flavors You Should Try

1. Olive Oil-Saffron with Burnt Caramel Swirl

This Potent Saffron and sweet caramel flavoured Icecream would surely be the star of the table and would take your dessert game a notch higher!

2. Coconut Avocado

This smooth dessert is a bit savoury and a bit sweet — and it tastes delicious with hot fudge

3. Strawberry Fennel

Though many of you’ll think that fennel would be an unnecessary addition to your ice cream, but trust me fennel plays a supporting role in this lightly sweet berry ice cream and doesn’t overpower the strawberry flavor at all.

4. Marshmallow Cereal

Ice cream for breakfast? It seems perfectly reasonable if there’s cereal in it. By soaking milk in your favorite marshmallow cereal, the ice cream is deeply infused with its flavor and thus makes it one of the weirdest but tastiest flavours possible!

5. Cheddar Cheese

Everyone loves ice cream and everyone loves cheese, but only a few would have thought about putting them together. Still, it’s an unexpectedly warm and cozy flavor and of course, a must try.

6. Lavender and Honey

You might think lavender is for flavoring hand soaps and deodorants, but the sweet floral lavender is one of the tastiest edible blooms and pairing it with honey just makes it better!

7. Rose

These flowers don’t just look pretty. Their fragrance can be used as an infusion to make a decadent and delicate ice cream

8. Indian Carrot Halva

This is one-of-a-kind ice cream based on the popular Indian dessert, Halva. The dense, sweet confection is light and refreshing. Icecream is a summer tradition, but you can always shake it up with this out-of-the-box flavor even in winters..

9. Cilantro Lime

The slight spice of cilantro herb pairs well with a smooth ice cream base, which is counterbalanced by the tart lime. Unexpected tastes are the perfect way to refresh and impress friends and family, whether as an everyday dessert or a party finale.

10. Balsamic Blueberry Goat Cheese

Blueberry and balsamic are a tangy combination, perfectly mellowed out by goat cheese. The beautiful blue hue of the naturally roasted blueberries is for sure the point of attraction for this weird but must-try flavor.

11. Turmeric and Candied Ginger

Tumeric is famous for its anti-inflammatory properties, a starring role in curries and of course the beautiful yellow color. But, who knew it even has the potential to be a wonderful ice cream flavor? Pair it with candied ginger for a touch of chewy sweetness.

12. Orange Blossom Fig and White Chocolate

Any refreshing citrus pairs perfectly with fig and super sweet chocolate. Be sure to use fresh orange juice for the best flavour.

13. Buttery Popcorn

Better than munching on popcorn while watching summer blockbusters, scarf down buttery sweet ice cream instead. Pair it with salted caramel for the ultimate indulgence.

14. Peach Jalapeno

Don’t be afraid to add some spice to your sweet. Each spoonful of this unique dessert is creamy, fresh and comes with a jalapeno kick.

15. Cucumber

Cucumbers have a lot of skeptics, but trust me, this flavor of ice cream won’t. Juice from cucumber is used to create this dessert, making it especially light and refreshing.

How many of these would you want to try?

Published in : https://www.top15.in/top-15-weirdest-ice-cream-flavors/

Top 7 Bollywood Movies That Will Surely Make You Cry

Bollywood is usually known for the enormous amount of masala and drama. Whenever you go to a theatre to experience the plethora of thoughts and actions that the moviemakers have put together to give you the best of experience and entertainment through their work, you are sure to feel a giant rush of emotions flowing through your veins.

Bollywood movies have the potential to make you laugh your heart out, or cry like a baby. They can even generate some weird emotions in you that you never knew you could actually feel!

Here are the top 7 Bollywood movies of all times that will surely embarrass you because you are sure to shed a bucket full of tears while watching them.

1) Anand (1971)

“Babu Moshai Zindagi Aur Maut Ke Khel Mein Hum sab Kathputli hai” - An immortal piece of dialogue from the immortal movie ‘Anand’.

Anand is the most impressive movie by the director "Hrishikesh Mukherjee". His other movies like "Abhimaan" and "Milli" that also shows his directional sensitivity. Anand is a movie which speaks more than its script. It tells us more than its characters narrate in the movie. The most impressive character no doubt is of Rajesh Khanna, but Amitabh Bachhan is also really good. ‘Anand’ tells us how a man decides to spend the rest of his short life. A man who has very little time left, but he wanted to live all of it. For him, not the quantity but quality of life matters. That last scene in Anand when they recite ‘maut tu ek kavita hai’ and the aftermath ALWAYS makes me explode.

2) Taare Zameen Par (2007)

Maa of course! If you didn't feel the pain of a mother leaving her 8-year-old in a boarding school in Taare Zameen Par, then you're probably dead inside. Also, the sincerity with which Aamir Khan delivers the last few scenes and turns around the life of the little boy, you can't help but be overwhelmed and maybe cry a bit.

The scene where Ishaan’s mom screens through a flip book Ishaan has made himself, she realizes how distant the boy had started feeling from his family. The very feeling is enough to make any mother in the world break down having to live with the feeling of pushing one of her kids away.

3) Rang De Basanti (2006)

Rang De Basanti is a cult movie. It is for sure a must watch movie, it doesn't have any preaching but still it will force you to think once. As they say it "There are two primary choices in life; to accept conditions as they exist or take upon the responsibility to change them". I believe most of us want to bring about the changes without doing anything, so it's time to think again folks and take some responsibility, let's Paint It Yellow. A bunch of youngsters who want to bring a change in the system are given Terrorist tags. The last scene where Aamir khan was shot in AIR and he comes to the room where Siddharth was telling their story on radio and after a few minutes he was also shot dead, will definitely make feel extremely empathetic and sad.

4) Neerja (2016)

A suspenseful, inspiring hostage thriller based on the actions of real life hero Neerja Bhanot (Sonam Kapoor), a flight attendant on a Pan-Am jet. The director engrosses us thoroughly by amalgamating its tense and emotional elements. Neerja's personal life was also interspersed throughout the film which portrayed her character as a grounded person and allows the audience to relate to her struggles. Incredibly effective and affecting.

The scene where Neerja breaks down while reading Jaideep's letter that he wrote to profess his love for her, is absolutely heartbreaking. Also, the last scene where Neerja’s dead body is brought to her parents on her 24th birthday is sure to melt even the coldest of hearts.

5) Highway (2014)

Highway is for those, who believe more in spiritual form of love rather than physical.It touches you at various level, though revolving around a linear storyline.The movie also touches upon various important social issues without being redundant and preachy such as child abuse,class difference etc.

The scene where Veera (Aaliya Bhatt) recollects being sexually abused by her uncle as a nine-year-old is heartbreaking. She recollects, “He’d take me to the bathroom, make me sit on his lap, and cover my mouth so that nobody could hear me scream.”

6) Masaan (2015)

Masaan, a desolate place, follows two heart-breaking tales; that of Devi whose life is condemned after she is caught in the act. And that of a lower-caste boy Deepak, who falls in love with an upper-caste girl.

The scene when Devi lets go of the unopened gift from her dead boyfriend will surely make you cry.

7) 3 Idiots (2009)

3 Idiots flashes back and forth between present day, and the characters' time in college. It starts off with old friends, Qureshi and Raju Rastogi learning that their college pal, Rancho, had finally been found. The movie follows their travels to find their long lost friend, while flashing back to the events of their school years, where they often got into amusing shenanigans involving the Dean of Delhi's Imperial College of Engineering, Viru Sahastrabudhe, and dealt with some serious events that many people encounter in everyday life.

The scene When Farhan and Rancho rush a bloodied Raju to the hospital right after his suicide attempt will definitely make your eyes teary.

Happy Reading Y'all!

One Mile At A Time