[hothatchaway]

Absolute stunning pictures Sayak. I have toured Himachal on 2 wheels but nothing like trekking to experience nature. Also read your TL on your Kalimpong trip during pujo and it was lovely!

[puneeth2]

The place is absolutely breathtaking. I would love to visit at least once in my lifetime. I'm sure you might have had a great experience.

However, color saturation seems overdone IMO. Could have gone a little easier on colors and HDR effect. Otherwise, great pictures.

[rav11stars]

Originally Posted by sayakc

A colleague has a Tokina 11-16 mm lens which I had used during the Chadar Trek in January. I was highly impressed by the prowess of the lens and asked him whether he could loan it to me for a few days for the trek – which he did. Most photos were rendered through the lens and I just clicked the shutter.

Attachment 1819643
Slow shutter capture of a moving torch light at Dhanderas Campsite, 11,700 ft.

Some amazing captures there. I'm afraid of heights and the most exercise I cause to my body doesn't qualify me to even climb a building stairs. But promise me such amazing views and I'd climb the Everest. Thanks for bringing those views to us.

OT: Just one thing: How did that torch reach into the sky or did you move it just in front of the camera

[ARAY]

What a beautiful way to spend a Tuesday afternoon at office
Beautiful pictures and wonderfully narrated thread. Details to information is simply superb . Some great pictures as well. Keep traveling and sharing such wonderful experiences with us.

[sayakc]

Thank you blackwasp! I feel that there cant be many things as versatile as the Himalayas. You can go for a motorcycle ride or a trek or drive or simply stay in a hotel and relax.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Thanks for sharing sayakc, its always nice to read about treks in the Himalayas, that too when accompanied by such lovely pictures.

Thank you BP! Treks can definitely provide great experiences. But, someday, I would like to "learn to drive" like you. You inspire!

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Mersmerizing pictures and a wonderful account of the experience. Those of us who do not trek are truly missing out the beauty of the Himalayas. Keep trekking and keep posting such beautiful travelogues for the lazy bones out here

Thank you Dada! I too read your thread on the drive to Gurudongmar Lake and like all of your previous travelogues, this one too is detailed with great photographs.

Originally Posted by DriveTrain

Super duper stupendous and excellent , the beauty of the place captured and narrated through your lens is amazing ! Really enjoyed the read

Hello Mlanuk,

I take photos in aperture priority and the star sun photos were taken in F16-F22 aperture. And yes, was close on the heels of the milky way. But the Milky way was rising at 12 AM-2 AM during those days. And it was super cold,making it difficult.

On filter: No I didn't use any filter.

Focus for night shots: Under manual focus, made the focus at Infinity.

Originally Posted by Mlanuk

Lovely photos and I can imaging how good the trek was. If possible do share the cam setting / meta data of your star sun photos, I'm sure you used a filter but what grade and f-stop. Lastly, would've loved to see some milky way snaps, I was fortunate to capture a few with my stock 18-55 on a crop-sensor at Pangong lake. What did you do to focus the night shots?

Well Samba - Thank you for the super comments and what you quoted below is very true. I have been following your escapades with your new vehicle and those are very tempting and inspiring! Some day we should meet - that picture abhi bhi baki hain!

Originally Posted by Samba

I believe-
Good roads take you to nice places
bad roads take you to exotic places
trekking takes you to unexplored places.

Yes, every word is true JoshMachine. The thing about mountains is: Once you have been there, you will keep going. The joy of being out there, under the sun or walking over the carpet like grass or kicking off the snow is something that you get once you are there!

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

Am sure the actual thrill of being out there is even greater than re-living the same experience couple of months later!

Thank you Dada! Himachal on 2 wheels must have been a great experience and I actually read that thread only sometime back - some awesome riding it must have been. I too read about your travelogue on one of my favourite haunts: The Old Silk route. I had been there last year and those places are great to visit.

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

Absolute stunning pictures Sayak. I have toured Himachal on 2 wheels but nothing like trekking to experience nature. Also read your TL on your Kalimpong trip during pujo and it was lovely!

Thank you Puneeth. Yes you are correct ..some photos might have been overdone.Criticism is actually helpful and puts certain things in the perspective! Let me try and improve.

Originally Posted by puneeth2

However, color saturation seems overdone IMO. Could have gone a little easier on colors and HDR effect. Otherwise, great pictures.

Hello Ravi,
Heres the story behind the moving torch: A person had gone to take a loo break far away while I was taking the shots in the valley. He was swinging the torch as he was coming back and hence the movement of the torch was captured by the lens.
You might also see another light movement captured. Thats of the head torch of a porter in another tent.
In both the cases, the person carrying the torch or head torch wasn't captured due to the darkness.

Originally Posted by rav11stars

OT: Just one thing: How did that torch reach into the sky or did you move it just in front of the camera

Thank you Aritra for the nice words. I usually try to write travel "stories". But this time felt that sharing some facts like distances travelled, origin and destination, geographical stuff might help a prospective traveller. Hence the details

Originally Posted by ARAY

What a beautiful way to spend a Tuesday afternoon at office
Beautiful pictures and wonderfully narrated thread. Details to information is simply superb . Some great pictures as well. Keep traveling and sharing such wonderful experiences with us.

[gmhossain]

Originally Posted by sayakc

... Trekking companies advertise the pass crossing day as the “summit day” – how much relevant it is, I really don’t know. But we climb the pass today and in that the snow and cold it can get quite difficult. ...

It's simply amazing to say the least! Sayak, it seems that you have been much more colloquial in this travelogue! In terms of trekking fitness requirements, how difficult was this summit day at the end, say compared to the summit days of your last few treks?

Anyway, thanks for posting such a beautiful travelogue. Keep travelling both on foot and on wheels.

Cheers,

[sayakc]

Golam-da,
By colloquial, I will take that the quality of prose has gone down Actually, it was much easier to write it down.

Originally Posted by gmhossain

It's simply amazing to say the least! Sayak, it seems that you have been much more colloquial in this travelogue!

The final climb to the pass was very difficult because it was a steady rise from 13000 ft to 15300 ft over a horizon distance of 2.5-3 kms I reckon. Basically you walk 5 steps and then take rest. Needless to say the backpack makes life even more difficult. But Dada you must go! One hell of an experience I must say. Even more picturesque than Goecha La(my only other high alti trek)

In terms of trekking fitness requirements, how difficult was this summit day at the end, say compared to the summit days of your last few treks?

[SJM1214]

Thanks, sayakc. For this amazing travelogue with excellent photographs.

I used to do a lot of trekking during my teenage & the late 20s. Now I am completely shifted to riding or driving in the Himalayas. Thanks for reminding me of my old trekking days.

[dgoyle]

I am amazed at the enthusiasm and energy levels of you guys.
My Army friends narrated to us water blubbers (Navy) the treks they undertook - they called it Long Range Patrols (it is undertaken today too!). Of course at that time there were no digital cameras; the verbal description suitably primed with spirits painted pictures which I get to see in your travelogue.
This was many decades back (late 80s and early 90s), but as I read, mesmerized by the photographs catalyzing memory recalls of long-time-back-stories, I felt so grateful to life having offered me the choices I made, Covid 19 for the time and Team BHP for the medium to go reminisce the life lived.
Thank you for adding to my QALY. Bless you!

[naren_gs1]

Great Pictures!!!

Allowed me to recap my trek (india hikes) in May 2017!!!

We had an acclimatization day at Dhanteras thatch ... And upper waterfall camp was full of snow!!! First time I could see galaxi would naked eye!!!

Thx again!!

[haisaikat]

Sayakc, wonderful reading such a thrilling trek route where the earthly meets heavenly. If this is not heaven then what it is I fail to fathom. The pictures are such beautiful that I scrolled through them multiple times. Rated well deserved 5 stars. All the best for more such trips.

[sayakc]

Thank you Saikat! Places such as the Rupin pass galore in the Himalayas (in my thinking, the real Himalayas where civilization hasn't made an entry yet). I was reading recently about Bali Pass, a tougher one than Rupin, which provides mind boggling 360 degree views of the peaks around Yamunotri. Alas, in the current situation, we can only dream about these places now.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Sayakc, wonderful reading such a thrilling trek route where the earthly meets heavenly. If this is not heaven then what it is I fail to fathom. The pictures are such beautiful that I scrolled through them multiple times. Rated well deserved 5 stars. All the best for more such trips.

Great to know that you have been to Rupin in May. May is actually tougher considering there is heavy amount of snow. The meadows of Dandreyas Thatch is one of the most beautiful ones that I have seen. I believe the Kashmir Great Lakes is another awesome trek with such meadows.

Originally Posted by naren_gs1

Great Pictures!!!..Allowed me to recap my trek (india hikes) in May 2017!!!...Thx again!!

Thank you sir for the nice words!
With some hostile neighbours that India has been gifted with, our men in uniform get to patrol some places of jaw dropping beauty - be it the forbidden plateau area of North Sikkim or the areas around Mana Pass or the deserted lands of Demchok! Unfortunately, we civilians are restricted to visit them.

Originally Posted by dgoyle

I am amazed at the enthusiasm and energy levels of you guys. My Army friends narrated to us water blubbers (Navy) the treks they undertook - they called it Long Range Patrols..... but as I read, mesmerized by the photographs catalyzing memory recalls of long-time-back-stories, I felt so grateful to life having offered me the choices I made, Covid 19 for the time and Team BHP for the medium to go reminisce the life lived.Thank you for adding to my QALY. Bless you!

Thank you SJM1214 for the nice words! Great to know that you were into trekking. I had trekked a couple of times during my school days. The next time I trekked was in 2014 (I was 31) and ever since I try to do one trek a year - but unfortunately that hasnt materialized due to the prevailing situation for almost 2 years now

Originally Posted by SJM1214

Thanks, sayakc. For this amazing travelogue with excellent photographs.I used to do a lot of trekking during my teenage & the late 20s. Now I am completely shifted to riding or driving in the Himalayas. Thanks for reminding me of my old trekking days.