Loaded with our rucksacks and lots of energy, we made our way to Tekla, 10km from NIM- the rock-climbing area which was our training ground for the next three days.
This was the first segment of the course- rock craft. After the last few days of preparation- struggling to find climbing shoes that fit, getting equipment issued one by one, learning about essential equipment, climbing gear, using ropes, getting an introduction into making knots for belaying, anchoring- it was finally time to apply these for real and the excitement was palpable.
First task after we reached Tekla though was pitching the tent. Everyone in the team got to it- putting in the pegs, sealing the base, tightening the ropes just enough and cleaning it. After this was a series of boulder problems that we did. We got to try different holds and got a sense of which ones can be used where depending on the surface and our capability- finger holds, pinch holds, pressure holds. Pinch holds were for pros who had excellent finger strength and were used on smooth surface rocks which didn’t offer much friction- way above our league.
Every rock presented a different problem to solve. Being able to do some of them pleasantly surprised me. At other times, I would often get tricked into thinking that some of them were easy due to the height and seemingly visible holds on the rock but it would require an arm extension or quick, simultaneous move of an arm and leg which required skill to execute.
As I began looking at and studying the rocks intently, initially just to figure out how I could climb them, I started appreciating the rock formations and surfaces beyond them just being exciting problems to solve.
A crack running down the face of the boulder was definitely a delight as it offered excellent hand holds but it also added so much character to the rock. Every rock was just so unique and beautifully crafted- different textures, cracks, curvature, edges were all blended together in such intricate ways!
Read more: What motivated me to write this series
#day3 #mountaineering #lessons #NIM #Uttarkashi #uttarakhand #himalayas #adventure #womeninadventure #blogger #BMC #mountains #photoseries #memories #takemeback #NIMdiaries #photooftheday #climbing #rocks
That’s a huge amount of people! And the tents look quite large. It’s amazing to see that India is offering all of these experiences.