Today I woke up at 8:00 A.M having suffered no disturbances through the night. Apparently the shamans seem to work long distance. Having wasted an entire day indoors yesterday, I was determined to get out of the house as soon as possible and go out exploring. I went downstairs to take a shower and was met with a horrific sight when I looked at myself in the mirror. The sunburn that I suffered was at an extreme level, I’m guessing, and I looked charcoal black with the skin peeling off in some areas. It was a really bad situation and I didn’t want to compound it further. I knew that staying indoors was the sensible option but I really couldn’t waste more days just sitting around twiddling my thumbs waiting for the sunburn to heal. I washed my face with cold water, dabbed sun screen on, put on my sun glasses and tied a handkerchief around my face and left the home at 10:00 A.M.
I planned to take a route up to the glacier that DD had told me about yesterday.
I stocked up on water and snacks and set out on the route towards the river. I don’t know what it is about the river that captures my attention so much but every time I see the crystal clear Baspa, I am compelled to stop and stare for a few minutes. I spent some time watching the river and then set off towards the glacier. I passed a couple of camp sites on the way that looked empty for the most part. They appeared to be the cheaper cousins of the Igloo, Kinner, and Banjara camp ventures. I came across a lot of grazing cows along the way, all of who seemed to be very interested in my presence. I gingerly stepped past each cow and made it to the place where I could see the glacial stream flowing across the path.I scanned the area visually, decided on a route and set off. It wasn’t easy going and it took some trekking to get past the initial streams, ploughed dry fields, and the shrubs.
I had to work hard to get past the rocks and the shrubs to a point where the glaciers were visible. After that it was an upward climb through the rocks to get to the first piece of the glacier. The rocks were generally stable but every so often I put my foot on a rock that would have twisted my ankle had it not been for my trusty trekking shoes. The joy I felt at reaching the first glacier cannot be described in words. From far away they looked like white construction rubble, but up close, the glacier piece was shimmering in the sunshine and beautiful to look at. There was a layer of dust and twigs on it but I dug away fervently to reveal beautiful white ice. I spent some time making ice balls and flinging them into the stream; the novelty wore off soon. 
After I was done playing the fool, I looked upwards and saw what looked like a trail leading up to the top of the hill (or mountain, my geology is very weak). It looked a little difficult but my impulsiveness and simian curiosity took over and I started to make my way up. The trail was a little worn out, but held up for the most part in the beginning. There were rocks that seemed to be strategically placed for handholds and footholds when it got steep. Somewhere along the halfway point the trail got extremely slippery and I had to move slowly and precisely to make sure I wouldn’t fall back. 
If I had fallen back, I’d have gone bouncing off the slope and smack onto the rocks. Every 10 or 15 minutes I’d stop to catch my breath and appreciate the wonderful view of the Bana Sur Kailash range. Every time I thought the trail was getting a little risky and that it would be better to stop, I glanced at the top and couldn’t help but continue once again. Eventually though, I came to a sheer rock face and had no option but to stop. I had the curiosity of a simian but none of the skill. I sat there for a while enjoying the wind blowing droplets of ice cold water onto my face. After about 20 minutes I began the descent.The descent was a little tricky and I had to focus completely to make sure that I wouldn’t slip and go sliding off the hill. It took longer than the ascent and I lost my way a little bit and followed another trail which was slightly more slippery. I finally made it back to the rocks and the glacier and I couldn’t resist playing with the ice one more time before I finally decided that it was quite enough. I turned back and started making my way through the dense shrubbery and again lost the trail. I was wading through the shrubs when I heard somebody call out to me. They were two teenagers from the village and they asked me where I was from. I regarded them suspiciously and answered in a cold manner. They seemed not to have picked up on my cold demeanor and smilingly told me that I was going the wrong way and that there was an easy trail out. They pointed me in the right direction, told me to have a nice day, and went off to do their work.
I realized that all they had wanted to do was to point me in the right direction. It was a bloody shame that such a level of mistrust existed in me that I assumed the worst even before I found out their intention. I suppose the city breeds that into us.
I didn’t have much time for self remonstration or introspection however; the trek demanded my complete attention. It took some doing but soon I was back on the road that I took from Rakcham. I walked further along the road and came to some pasture lands where the cows were enjoying their buffet. There were a few streams here and there and some big enough that a wooden bridge was needed to cross them. The landscape soon got redundant and I decided to head back to Rakcham for lunch. I rested a while till the evening and then took another trail from inside the village that took me on the top of the hillside that the village rested on, all the way over the river and to the very beginning of Rakcham, just opposite of the Shambhu guest house.
I had to get by a very belligerent head-butting sheep and its brother-in-arms, a yak-cow progeny, but I made it to the trail and it was a lovely hour’s worth of walking. The trail ran through the middle of rock formations and there were lovely flowers growing on each side. I took a full circle and came back by the normal road to the village and decided to call it a day. Tomorrow I plan to go to Chitkul and see what is to be done there. Until then, cheers!
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