Roopkund Plans

Friday March 10, 2017

• Spoke verbally to Mr Chatterjee about leave towards end of May and beginning of June. He said okay.
• Paid online to IndiaHikes for Roopkund trek - June 1 to 9, 2017
• Booked Ranikhet Express both ways DLI (Old Delhi station) to Kathgodam
• Applied for leave from 31st May to 9th June. Nine days' leave but effectively getting 12 days or so.

Thoughts in mind 

• How to improve balance
• How easy or difficult is it to walk down to the final lake
• How to fight fatigue after the long journey to the starting point of Lohajung/Wan 

Saturday March 11, 2017

Did some basic packing of hiking clothes. Put them inside the suitcase.

• Marmot hiking pants 
• Red Kappa
• Columbia lower thermal - black
• Columbia lower fleece
• Columbia upper thermal - blue
• Bobby's black upper
• Woolen balaclava
• Socks - 1 pair Merino, 2 pair pure Indian wool, 1 pair Bobby's American, 1 pair old long warm
• Balaclava - Indian woolen
• Quechua hand gloves
• Knee cap
• Marmot Precip
• Black HD Lee
• Wildcraft sun hat
• Maroon Adidas
• Striped cap

To be taken 

• More socks
• Sleeping bag
• Marmot 700

Tuesday 14th March, 2017

Took out the Forclaz 500 and went for a 6 km walk. Basically needed to go to Gariahat for my haircut. Decided to convert it into a dry run for the shoes. Haven't worn them in quite some time. The leg muscles need some stretching perhaps. Particularly the calves and inner thighs.

Monisha has meanwhile booked my Calcutta Delhi ticket. Jet Airways 9w946 (PNR YGEDZM and e-ticket number 5891252065478). Takes off at 1.40 pm. Tried to reserve the seat but looks like all the Jet seats are to be booked by paying Rs 500 extra. No way. 

Monisha had booked the return journey too but it was a 2.30 am ticket. She cancelled it after realising the error and is going to book again once the credit comes into her card account.

Prathima Chhabria from IH had written a welcome mail yesterday. She had corresponded with me during my Rupin Pass planning stage also. Regrettably that did not happen due to my wrist injury. I had hoped that the wrist would heal but as things stand now - they are yet to be healed completely.

She also made me a member of the IH Facebook group. I posted there asking if there was anyone from the Roopkund group of 1st June. No reply yet. 

Pending Work 

• Book and pay for the walking pole and poncho, to be collected from Lohajung
• Get the 7D sensor cleaned
• Spread the sleeping bag and the Marmot in sun for an afternoon
• Weigh the sack after stuffing everything
• Ponder over what general purpose lens to carry. 24-70 is too heavy.

March 17, 2017

Leave Sanctioned

My official leave has been officially sanctioned by the MD&CEO. From 31st May to 9th June, which is a Friday. So I will be joining back at work on Monday the 12th of June, with a weekend to recover. Mr Chatterjee is a very sweet gentleman. Of course I had told him about it earlier and he had said yes. But getting the actual leave application form approved and signed by the boss feels good. One gets a similar kind of feeling upon reaching the airport or railway station on D-day.

The Various Costs

India Hikes Trek Fee: Rs 12051

Kolkata to Delhi Flight: Rs 3361

Delhi to Kathgodam Train: Rs 695

Kathgodam to Delhi Train: Rs 1160

Delhi to Calcutta Flight:

Total: Rs 17267

March 22, 2017

Yesterday I spoke to Sophie about the Kahtoola microspikes and after some discussion it was decided that she would buy it online and bring them over with her on her 1st April trip to Calcutta. If however, they don't arrive before she comes, she will give it to Mampu when she goes and then she can bring them over. 

Although the trek organisers are supposed to give them, I think it is best to have your own good pair of microspikes. After the Chadar accident I have become a little apprehensive about snow/ice. I have no idea how heavy they are. I guess 350 gm. Details are available here on their website . 

Clothes For The Trek

Following are my preliminary list of clothing items to take for the trek. 

• Socks - two pairs of Indian woolen socks for the walk. Bobby's pair as spare. Merino for sleeping. Two pair of Indian thin Puma for transport sector. 
• Underwear - 5 Fruit of the Loom. One to go, one to come back. Three for the trek
• Thermals - Columbia upper and lower
• Trousers - Marmot to wear and Kappa as spare
• Upper - 2 Max round neck for transport sector. Bobby's black upper and HD Lee for the hike.
• Green Quecha Fleece
• Marmot Precip rainwear
• Marmot Down 
• Timberland/black-grey cap
• Gloves - nylon inner Quechua and leather outer
• Wildcraft hat
• Thin towel
• Slippers
• Sleeping bag
• Kahtoola microspikes
• Medical and hygiene kit. 

Hygiene Kit

• Toilet paper
• Comb
• Nailcutter
• Vaseline

All in North Face. 

What I will NOT take are these - Columbia fleece trousers, inner vests, maroon Adidas, technical wool socks. 

If the sac weighs less than 7 kg I will take the Gorillapod for night photography. 

Electronics and Optics For The Trek

• Canon 7D 
• Canon 400 f5.6
• Canon 24-105
• 3 batteries
• All cards 
• Cleaning kit - blower, brush, cloth
• Nikon Monarch - 8x40
• Petzl Tikkina
• Garmin eTrex 10
• Two spare AA batteries

All in LowePro. I have to check how much they weigh after loading them in the bag. 

25th March, 2017

Thoughts In Mind

The main thought that is occupying my mind right now is how to pack my things in two bags. Let me explain the root of the problem. I have decided to offload my main rucksack to the organisers' mule and walk only with the camera and other small essentials. But the problem is they do not accept more than 9 kg loads. 

So I have to ensure that the main sac does not exceed 9 kg. That might be difficult because the sac itself weighs some 3 kg. It's a North Face Badlands. It's huge. 

Now comes my own day pack. I thought I would take the Lowepro that I have. But the items I need to carry in that might be a little too much for the small sac which is purpose built to carry only cameras and lenses. Apart from the 7D with 400 I will be carrying a 24-105, my Nikon Monarch, the Marmot jacket, my raincoat/poncho, some food and water. If the main sac exceeds 9 kg I will have to off load some of its items onto my sac. That is when things will go out of hand. The Lowepro is not large enough. 

I will do a dry run tonight. Load up the sac with all my items and then weigh them. If I find the Lowepro is not large enough I will have to organise a larger sac for myself. Initially I thought I would go for the Wildcraft Kailash 50 litres (or 55?). That would make me lighter by 6K. 

Mampu suggested why not go for a rented sac. That's not a bad idea. If I rent a sac then I can take my stuff in the North Face and give the rented one to the mule. 

Will check it all out tonight.

The Bag Distribution Plan

I loaded up all the items in my sac and weighed it. Stood at 9 kg almost. And then there will be more items to stuff in because all of the electronics plus essential food and a jacket cannot fit inside the Lowepro.

After various thoughts the final plan is like this. I will load everything inside a hired sac up to 9 kg and give it to the porter/mule. The additional items including electronics will go inside my Badlands which I will carry.

Hand luggage for the flight will be a plastic carry bag in which I will take my camera. In the same bag I will leave the used clothes at Lohajung to be collected back on the way down.

I think in my Badlands all I will carry are the electronics, some basic food, water, medicines, the poncho and two light jackets - Precip and Marmot down.

May 3, 2017 - A Fortnight's Inaction

My preparations took a major hit in the middle of April due to a minor injury in my leg. I was suffering from first stage of what I thought was Achilles Tendonitis. There was considerable pain in the tendon. Later I realised that possibly the pain was a result of plantar fascitis. Whatever be the cause, the result was zero aerobic activity for more than two weeks.

I am not sure what caused the pain. There was no swelling. I am assuming it happened due to over exercise. While I ran every other evening, I had started a leg strengthening regime at home on the intervening days meaning there was no rest. And that strengthening exercise itself was fairly a heavy schedule without my understanding.

So I came down with the pain. I think these are the things that went wrong -

1. Over exercise without rest and proper stretching
2. Rehab stretches were initially perhaps too heavy
3. It may not be the cause but it is worth mentioning that I was on a high calcium dose (alongwith Vitamin D supplement due to a recently discovered deficiency)
4. I am also a long term user of Storvas, a side effect of which is musculo-skeletal pain.
5. I also had severe pain on the left deltoid and lattisimus.

The pain has subsided substantially in the last couple of days.

I did speed walks on two consecutive days - yesterday and day before. In fact I ran 1 km on 1st May but the pain did not come back. I will rest today and then go for a speed walk and some run/walk again tomorrow.

If all goes well then I should be back running by next Sunday.

The things that happened in the very recent past, which may or may not have had a bearing on the lessening of the pain (I am still not hundred percent pain free) are as follows

1. On Mousumi's advice I started doing a few very mild stretches of the plantar early morning immediately after waking up and before taking the first step. This I was doing with a canvas belt.
2. The two Shelcals a day regime stopped from 1st May. I am on one Shelcal a day now
3. I engaged in very mild stretches for the Achilles
4. Two nights ago I did some serious isometric exercises for the lattis, deltoid etc and the shoulder pain subsided substantially. I believe this pain could also have played a role in the leg injury.