Mt CB 13

The trek starts from Manali, which is a very popular tourist destination as well as a high-altitude backpacking center and hence extremely accessible. Day one is reserved for everyone to make their way to Manali and get settled into their accommodation. Since climbers will be coming to this altitude from sea level, the body will need time to get comfortable with the mountain air. While the body acclimatizes, we use this time to get acquainted with each other, go over some of the basic mountain rules and discuss the route, terrain, weather and all there is to know about what to expect on CB13 and CB14.

Distance: 95 kms Duration: 5-6 hours We leave between 9 and 10 AM, after breakfast when we pick you up from the hotel. While there is no rush today since all that’s on the agenda is a 5-6 hour drive to Batal which is the trailhead for our expedition, we try to leave not-too-late for the roads in the mountains are unpredictable and it’s better to account for delays when we start. Batal is a small settlement situated in the Lahaul district of Himachal Pradesh and is also the basecamp for the infamous Chandratal Lake which is close to 14 kms from there. The drive starts along the exuberant Beas River. Within 15 minutes of the drive, we leave the crowds of the city and the smell of fuel in the air behind and get onto the Leh-Manali highway which will take us straight to the head of the Atal Tunnel. Going through this 9.02 kms long tunnel, is an experience in itself. The tunnel being at an altitude of 3,048M is the longest highway single-tube tunnel above 10,000 feet. You should reach the head of the tunnel at the mark of an hour and would take close to 10 minutes to cross this all-weather engineering marvel. Once we exit the tunnel, we are now along the murky Chinab River. The roads are characteristic of mountain roads with all its sharp turns on smooth surfaces. Right after we cross the tunnel, we begin to see a stark difference in the landscape. The trees have now shrunk to bushes, the valley is a bit more open and desolate. There are larger expanses of barren mountain-faces and grazing trails with the heavily forested mountains now nowhere in sight. What we do see in abundance though, are massive waterfalls along the way. The three major checkpoints on the way to Batal are Koksar, Gramphu and Chhatru where small dhabas are aplenty for your mid-journey cravings and snacking needs. It should take us two hours to reach Gramphu which at 3,000M is close to half way to our destination for today. The roads from here on get tricky as we take the smaller, kachcha road to our left that goes towards Spiti. As smooth as the ride was up until now, it is all rocks, boulders and dust from here – the ultimate off-road experience with crazy nallas along the way which the drivers in the region cross with some superhero-level confidence. This road is said to be one of the riskiest to drive through. We cross hoards of wild horses in the landscape opposite the road and plenty cattle playing in the numerous waterfalls along the way. At the three hour mark, we hit a patch of long hairpin bends with a constant view of the roads mimicking the meandering river ahead, the roads almost like scribble lines on dry mountains, going in no specific direction, following no specific path. At the end of this section, we reach Chhatru which is at 3,200M. From here, Batal is a 2-3 hour drive. Expect to reach by early evening post which we set up the base camp which will be our home for quite a few nights on this expedition. The location is gorgeous to say the least – there is nothing much to do in the dry wilderness of Batal except soak in the scenic beauty of the place, listen to the sound of the winds bump into the mountains and gaze at the doings of the endless groups of horses and cattle by the evening. It’s so beautiful, even the pigeons look good in this setting! Since we have already gained quite a bit of altitude for one day, do remember to keep yourself covered with appropriate layering for even though the sun here is harsh and it may feel warm, the wind at this altitude can do much damage. If you are looking to indulge in some exploring, do visit the much famous Chacha Chachi dhaba right across from your campsite to hear some pretty amazing stories from Chacha and Chachi and feast yourself to some delicious food.

We wake up with no rush since we spent our first night at high-altitude and do not want to stress the body too much. Today is reserved for acclimatization to the altitude since we gained quite a bit of height (2,000M) the previous day and have also entered a much different terrain. Coming from the humid city air to the pleasant temperature of Manali to entering Lahaul, we have moved through many different climactic zones. The weather here, in Lahaul, is much drier making it harder still for the body to adapt. We will go for an acclimatization walk in the evening where we will gain close to 300-400M in altitude, but remember to stay active and spend as much time outside your tent as possible. Spending as much time exposed to this new altitude air will help the body adapt to it much better, prepping it for what’s to come in the following days.