R Kiran Kumar and Jaffar Sadiq Baig are the first from AP to have been part of the Siachen Glacier Trek organised by the Army Adventure Wing. The duo speaks to Hyderabad Times about their experiences
After a long month of being surrounded by stark white landscape covered with snow, R Kiran Kumar (32) and Jaffar Sadiq Baig (31), members of Adventure Club of Andhra Pradesh, are back in the city. The two members were the first from Andhra Pradesh to go on the Siachen Glacier Trek, an annual, one-month programme by the Army Adventure Wing.
Explaining more about the programme, where the duo scaled a dizzying height of 15,300 feet, chief inspector of Adventure Club of Andhra Pradesh, Kiran says, “The Indian Mountaineering Foundation, New Delhi, is the one that releases vacancies for such expeditions. So when I heard about this, I just applied. I’ve already done a basic and advanced mountaineering course from IMF, which is the national apex body for mountaineering. There were 45 people chosen for this intensive trek — of which, only 10 were civilians. Jaffar and I were the only Hyderabadis.”
Jaffar Sadiq Baig, a 31-year-old mountaineering enthusiast, even quit his job for this opportunity! “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I did not want to let it go. The Siachen glacier is out of bounds for everyone. And I didn’t think I should give it up. My family was very supportive of this,” says Jaffar, who couldn’t believe his luck when he got the call. “I never thought I’d be selected for this, since there are so many applicants. My first feeling was that of anxiety — to see the glacier. When we reached Leh on September 25, I could finally believe that I was there,” explains Jaffar.
The first two weeks after reaching Leh were spent on acclimatisation, explain the mountaineers. “Since the oxygen levels drop by 30-40%, it is very important that we get used to the climate. We have a health check up every single day. The acclimatisation process is done in three stages — the first stage is done at a height of 9000 – 12000 ft; the second and third at a height of 12,000 – 15,000 ft and 15,000 – 18,000 ft respectively.”
While the first stage is for six days, the second and third stages are for four days each. “The first two days, we’re not allowed to do any strenuous activity such as running, or skipping. The remaining days, we walk for 3 kms and 5 kms each. While in the first stage, the walk is with no load, in the second and third stage, we need to carry a load that weighs around 12- 15 kgs!” says Jaffar, adding that during these programmes, they’re trained in techniques such as rock craft, ice craft and snow craft.
Once the acclimatisation programmes are done and the health check-ups come back positive, they’re then taken from the Siachen Base camp, which is at a height of 12,500 ft, to Kumar Post (15,300 ft) which is the summit point for their trek. “Two of our members had to be sent back because their health condition didn’t allow them to climb any further. The base camp and the Kumar Post are 60 kms apart and are covered in four days. During the treks, we encountered numerous crevices, some which were as wide as 140 feet!” explains Jaffar.
“When we reached Kumar Post, my first reaction was a simple, speechless wow — there was nothing but mountain all around! On the right, we could see the Himalayas that belonged to China, and on the left, those that belonged to Pakistan. It’s like these are walls separating the countries,” recollects Kiran Kumar.
But the trek isn’t a cake-walk. When the sun it out, it is so blinding that one has to wear goggles at all times! “Plus, the only shoes that we can wear — koflach shoes —weigh four kgs each leg! Add to that the cramp-on shoes (that need to be worn when one crosses a glacier on hard ice) which weigh one kg each, walking becomes so difficult! For starters, your ankles start hurting a lot. But these are the only shoes that protect you from frostbites,” Jaffar adds.
But what left the two of them spellbound was the Army personnel stationed at the glacier. “Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world, is a no-man’s land. The fact that Indian Army is standing guard is a matter of great pride for us! The temperature here dips to minus 60 degrees in December — when we left, the temperature was minus 30 degrees. But despite all these hardships, the Army remains on post. It’s amazing!” says Kiran.
source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Life & Style> People> Andhra Pradesh / by Apuurva Sridharan / TNN / November 02nd, 2013
