Chronicles of Spiti - Pin Valley

Two Tickets To Paradise

I woke up with a start. Everyone was already awake. Turning my head here and there, scratching my head, I asked “What time is it?” “Why are you guys already awake?”

“We did not sleep!” Akshay said, not looking at me. The sun had reached the other side of the house, and its slanting rays shone into the closed glass window, lighting up the room.

I checked my phone, “It’s almost 6 a.m. Have you been sitting there this whole time?”

“Yes. Except you, no one slept.” Akshay took a sip of tea “Night, it was -29, I was feeling very cold” he added like it was an afterthought.

It was our 4th day in Spiti, and the cold was getting into our heads. The place name is Kaza. It is sparsely populated, owing to a titanic ice sheet that covers much of its land with imposing sight, towering more than 11,980 ft above sea level. In winter, which is at least three months every year, the ground is permanently frozen, running water is impossible, shops will be closed and people hardly come out. And, it’s quite impressive how such a small number of people can stand living with temperatures hovering -20°C and often falling below -30°C. To live here, the Ice should run in your veins.

The local homestay in Kaza was lit. Right at the banks of the Spiti River, located perfectly to experience the entire landscape of Kaza. The homestay operator made sure we had everything from timely hot water services to delicious meals and super snug rooms. Without this, it was very hard to imagine surviving.

We had 2 options: sit tight in our warm homestay or break the ice. Of course, we choose the second option. And, as our travel guide, Rahul said, “Today is the day, you only see Snow or Nothing”. So, we prepared ourselves tough with an exceptional base layer, mentally prepared to fight with cold. It was time to jet off.

V-v-v-vroom! Engines started in a miserably cold with full blast. Tempo started heading towards Pin Valley. Another valley? Initially, I thought of something similar to Spiti Valley. But, when the roads took its turn, the tables were turned. The whole journey from Spiti to Pin Valley was white. The white road, white trees, white river, white mountains, it’s like nature is obsessed with colors and painting everything white. The sight may not be seen very often in what we call "everyday life". It was beyond anyone’s imagination. We were so small like a bee stuck in white cotton candy.

I was on the edge of my seat, without blinking my eyes, with an open mouth when we reached our first stop at Pin Valley.

If there is a heaven on earth this must be it! It is so big that you can't have enough of it. You can walk kilometers without reaching the other end like an ocean.

We all jumped out from tempo to experience this self-narrated heaven. Pin river bisects the mountains, creating a masterpiece of nature’s art. What awaits here - celestial landscape, ethereal sky, divine river, and enchanting silence. The cold wind in this place made us shiver like babies. Our boys made this more challenging by doing some stunts. They removed their jackets and gloves and did push-ups on the snow. This is definitely “not recommended”. After this, they struggled to heat up their body. I shot their videos and I’m glad that they did it.

The river was far and downhill. I was thirsty. I asked Rahul, pointing my finger at the river, “Is it possible to go and drink that water?”

He said, “No!” afterthought “We can take our tempo there and check.”

Once again we were ecstatic! This time our tempo took an offbeat road. It felt like traveling on a huge subglacial river hidden beneath the ice. We went as close as possible and hit the breaks. Now, the river bound its banks by ice and it looked much riskier to reach the water. I took a shot and slowly started towards the water. It was super slippery with anti-skid shoes. Finally, when I touched the water, I felt delighted. The water was so transparent that the bottom can easily be discerned from the top. I took a sip. Of course, it was colder than a pirate’s heart. Literally, like putting ice in your mouth, though it was refreshing. I filled my water bottle there and with one last look at the river, we turned away.

It was somewhere I’d been dying to go for years and finally getting to a place like this and experiencing its beauty first-hand, was truly amazing. So, so, so amazing!

Snow is ephemeral; it constantly changes, and the moments that seem most magical don’t last long.