Mussoorie... Review on Mussoorie

It is many a day now, since I came to realize that being posted in the small town of Sahranpur in northern uttar pradesh was indeed a blessing in disguise for the likes of me.

Its strategic location makes it just a car drive away from places like Rishikesh and its flowing rapids,dehradun and its pleasant weather, Mussorie and its pristine suroundings/ beautiful vistas/interesting trek routes , Shimla and its breath taking snow covered acres?

My search for a good rock climbing session in any of the above mentioned areas landed me at the Himalayan Adventure Company office 30 kms from mussorie. I spoke to the proprietor and since it was off season (one just had to contend with the minor uncomfort of incessant rain & bone chill temprature at that altitiude?) he agreed to take me on for a one day sports wall climbing, river crossing and rock climbing session.

A friend of mine from B-school invited me over to her place at mussorie and that she would accompany me to the adventure institue, things could not have been better.She took me to her home which was actually on top of a 25 room hotel which her family manages.I was given the best room there was, it was overhanging on a ledge and the balcony offered a magnificient view of the west ,which was covered with peaks and greenery.

All houses are built on the slopes of the many hills/mountains scattered all over the place. The first day was reserved for a long trek to the highest point in mussorie ? lal tippa? meaning red peak.Came across an old church dating back to the 19th century and many old british jamaane ke gharaan.the himalayan peaks used to now and then reveal themselves and what a sight they were ?as cool as a cucumber pad for my sore & itchy city eyes?.the magnificience,formidality/majesticity and awe inspiring himalayas are a treasure to cherish ,that their presence is found here in asia and on our border is a symbol of prestige.

One realizes the raw power & brutal ability to heap destruction simultaneously with its beauty and its ability to offer tranquility peace and quiet. As human beings ,our significance pales in comparision in front of natures` astounding creations, these are my personal opinions J.At the end of the long long trek we reached the point, and what did I see ? kilometers of clear straight unhindered view of a host of famous himalayan peaks like the gangotri, yamunotri, badrinath, kedarnath etc.

The sky had cleared out and was cloudless offering us a speldid view of all the peaks and the adjoining snow covered slopes.Off season it was and hence the telescope guy allowed us to spend quality time on the platform with the telescope all for ourselves, still so, I could not get enough of it.Two hours of soaking in the beauty ,sitting by myself amongst natures best spectacle with an open mind was the most refreshing feeling I have ever experienced, it was so calm & tranquil that the noise inside my head felt alarmingly loud. It was then and there that I realized the source of stress and psycho somatic disorders faced by city guys like me.

We do not relax, we do not take time out to enjoy the gift of nature, we do not give time for our head to take a day off, the definition of quality of life for us has taken so many shapes and forms that it has lost its true meaning.It was siesta time & the warm bed in my hotel room beckoned my tired self. I was woken up to the most beautiful sunset ever in my life of 25yrs.My famous balcony ( famous ,because I have already expounded its winning points earlier!!!) made it easy for me to soak in the entire episode from the beginning of the end till actually helios/re/suryabhagwan ( greek/egyptian/indian god of sun) bid adieu for the day.

A sumptous home cooked meal and lots of friendly banter later I crawled under 4 thick blankets clothed in woolens from head to toe, it was freezing cold and my body heat was a meek opponent to the same ( coming from Madras where the chilliest winter night is around 25 degrees celcius?didn?t help ), the fight was lost even before it started. Thankfully Sheer exhaustion allowed the tender and loving arms of sleep to overcome me.

Day two saw me getting ready early as I had to go 30 kms to reach the adventure institute, 30 kms does not sound too far off in a city but the same distance on those winding ups and downs with an ample measure of harpin bends and fresh water streams runnning across the road thrown in, makes it quite a long distance.My dear friend could not recoup from the physical stress of the previous day and hence opted out of this one rather apologetically. I sat on top of a minivan carrying vegetables, and started my journey to the point.

Clueless as to the route or where to get down I was sitting and watching the scenery. The day was not as bright as the previous one and a slight drizzle started.The institute sports wall was visible from quite a distance and hence I did not get lost.By the time I reached the gates the rain started pouring down in quite a steady clip. My mind and heart was all fixed on what I had set out to do ,hence there was no turning back option available!!!

The proprietor was an ex-army mountaineer and he managed the institue with a staff and his charming wife.He was narrating his experiences during 2 of his expeditions a 6 month long brahmaputra white water rafting exercise and another long mountaineering cum trekking expedition wherein one of his team members was the son of Sir Edmund Hillary.he was an interesting man and had done many things which were dear to me.

As soon as the rain stopped we rushed to the sports wall and after preliminary instructions as to the various tools ,equipments,grips,climbing techniques etc I was roped up and the climb started. It was a 45 feet high wall, fully vertical at 90 degrees to the ground. Towards the last 6-8 feet there was a slope ,not favourng the climber though. It was a sheer overhanging ledge the kinds which are shown in movies like cliffhanger and mission impossible-2. Well that was a long way off( 45 feet ..when one is still on the ground!!!!) so I took it one step at a time,moving quite effortlessly over the first 10 feet. Unhealthy eating and drinking habits needed only those 10 feet to catch up and say ?hi? .

As the toughness level gradually increases with every feet you cover, the combined effect of high altitude, lack of stamina, loose mucles, took its toll and I put my hands up, which was a sign for the instructor to let me hang in mid air for few mins of well deserved rest. Am sure that he must have been thinking thus..? what a guy man..he comes to learn rock climbing in the month of november when it is around 12 degrees celcius and raining,with stamina levels as fleeting as a herd of deer scampering away on scenting a tiger..must be cuckoo in his head??I guess I even saw him knocking his head like Obelix does in the asterix cartoon strip when talking about crazy romans?)We sat around an ?iron chamti? which was glowing with live hot glowing coal and had a sumptous lunch.

As was their family practice during winter months they roasted whole potatoes within the glowing coal ambers after lunch and eat it with a special home made salt which is seasoned with green chillies and garlic juice.

On my way back,I was quite amazed with what I did in pursuing my passion,the intrinsic drive which makes its abundance known very explicitly on such occasi