mountains, endless bouldering, hiking, sleeping in caves, eating in dabbas, what more could a girl want!

Chattru
Saturday 21st June

WOW WOW WOW, Chattru is stunning! A slightly nerve-racking drive out of Manali and up the surrounding mountains on dirt roads was fun, even when the mini bus driver insisted on overtaking every car and truck he could on the single track road! it took us 6 hours with a breakfast stop. the view is of mountains in every direction, snow caps in the distance, rock and glaciers. Chattru consists of a few tents the locals live in and a couple of bigger tents which are cafes (known locally as dabbas). we found a nice spot to camp, near the river which runs through the valley. the altitude is 3200m and a combination of dehydration from being ill and the altitude, i have been feeling a bit strange with a headache.
the bouldering is great. Walk a couple of minutes from camp and pick a boulder and find a problem. Most have already become projects becasue they are too hard for me?! the boulders spread for 17km either side of the river. today me and Jill walked a bit further along the boulders crossing a glacier which felt scary as we made footprints and inched our way across trying not to look down at the drop one slip would casue us to hurtle 20 metres down into the river. im bringing a walking pole noext time! then across a rickety bridge! a little further on and we hit the best bouldering area yet- Crytal Ship. There are so many nice problems here.
It is an amazing place to be bouldering in- with mountains, snow, springs and sunshine. the weather is great- it gets warm/hot in the day then cools right down at night (to being too cold in my opinion! thermals and down jacket are needed!).
i went hiking the other day with Gareth, Jeremy, Veronica and Jill. We walked up a snow patch as it was the easiest way up until it got steeper and steeper and we were in need of crampons and axes. Jill and i moved onto the grass and rocks and ascended a bit further to just over 3700m so we climbed a total of 600m. to my surprise i really enjoyed the hiking. the altitude seems to mean that the others slow down to walk at a pace that my asthma can stay under control. the amazing setting helps too! when i came back down to camp 4 1/2 hours later, the mountains seemed smaller and less imposing after having been half way up one.
Here in Chattru we are cooking in teams with normal camping stoves- i am with Ben, Paul, Roscoe and Dave. We bought lots of tinned food in Manali, so the food has been basic- not too exciting yet! but the dabbas also sell somne basic meals. i have discovered aloo paranthas- which are like chapatis but with potato, onion, garlic, chili and probably other things inside. Veg fried rice is also a treat for a night off cooking.
Some of the group have been exploring trad lines, but with mostly at least a 2 hour vertical walk in at altitude to unknown rock, it is a committment to finding a good do-able line. then there ius the risk of finding a good absail off the route too! so i am going to leave trad for the moment becasue there is so much hiking and bouldering at my fingertips.
I just have to say i am writing this blog in an internet cafe where the owner has been playing Backstreet Boys for the last hour and singing along- its pretty distracting!!

Monday 29th June
What a week! Things have got even better! i went hiking- this time up a grass hill- with Veronica and Jill. Veronica is now nick-named the mountain goat as she is so fast, so i soon found myself way behind Veronica and ahead of Jill. i paused for some 'Hide and Seek' (the best chocolate biscuits in India with chocolate chips!) and to see where Jill was. i could no longer see Veronica. as i approached the bottom of the crag, i started to feel a bit vulnerable as i had lost both girls! i think i reached around 4000m but couldnt be accurate. i decided to descend- to find Jill and becasue i didnt know how altitude would affect me higher up- or how to getdown! and not surprisingly i got completely lost on the way down! nearer the bottom i tried crossing a field on a path, and got scared off by an aggressive guard dog! i retreated quickly thinking about my lack of rabies vaccinations! i reached the cafe after a total of 4 hours and found some otyher hot rockers playing cards there. i want to go back up the mountain and reach the summit before i leave Chattru, i think its about 300 metres higher than where i reached.
Since enjoying the trekking so much i have been concidering going to Leh and up Stok
Kangri. I hate decisions! So when Samora asked if i wanted to join him, Ed, Shaggy and Jon to go to Crystal Ship and tehn walk the 14 km to Chota Dara on the side of the river with no road, but plenty of bouldering according to the guide, i thought why not!
the first night we found a nice cave in the area, put the bouldering mats down as sleeping mats and layered up for what could be a cold night. the guys had bought a feast with them- tinned ham, spaghetti, real pasta sauce with olives in it! fresh tomatos, onions, and peppers that we ate as a salad, and plenty of pasckets of Hide and Seek! we even had music from an ipod and mini speakers. the cave was completely open on one side, so the sky and stars were above me as i fell asleep. why have i been sleeping in a tent for so long?! it was even warm in my thick sleeping bag!

to be continued tomorrow as its dinner time and there is a film showing at the restaurant!........

written by  Clairesj on July 9, 2009 from Manali, India
from the travel blog: Clairesj's Travel Blog
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