Is Chadar Trek really worth it?

 

I contemplated a lot on what should be the title of this blog. I had mixed experiences here. I don’t blame Trek the Himalayas (TTH) completely with whom I went for this trek, since I was equally wrong over here. Having said that, they are pathetic in many aspects. TTH are nowhere close to India hikes or Yuvashakti who are by far the best in India when it comes to logistics, coordination, and safety, but I still will give TTH benefit of doubt. To put things into perspective, first and foremost Chadar Trek is a costly trek. The agencies produce a lot of hidden costs. Barely anyone's cares or verifies them. The usual gear which one purchases in the local city does not hold good for Chadar (The cold is brutal & extreme). Moreover, there is a constant element of uncertainty whether one will reach Nerak (The waterfall which gets frozen mid-air) or the summit point. Our batch was unable to reach the final point, since snowfall screwed things up in a big way. Brutal cold, less oxygen in air, high altitude is a deadly combination and can be life threatening. I experienced it from close quarters at Chadar and quitted midway. I also saw my friend being dragged on a sledge, as a part of rescue effort which was scary.  Life teaches you a few things directly and they get hard coded in your brain. 

I don't want to scare people over here. My point over here is this trek tests one's patience level. 3 days of mandatory acclimatization in Leh followed by some stupid RT-PCR and medical tests (Only Oxygen level & BP is checked) costs everyone 10K. You waste half of the day standing in line and end up getting a "PASS" stamp from a doctor who randomly asks some questions. This test and all are useless because no one fails over here. What we are headed for is a more deadly show and an absolute disaster if someone faces a medical emergency. There have been many deaths at Chadar but barely anyone speaks about it openly. We all live in the so-called perfect world of Instagram/ Facebook which forces us to maintain a social status. Practically, what we get on Chadar trek in the same scene/ view every day. This trek should be stopped immediately, because trekkers, local guides, porters , helpers have no respect for mother nature. I saw everyone burning anything and everything which was useless. It included plastic, cardboards, alcohol bottle boxes and porters shamelessly putting kerosene on it before leaving the campsite. One just can't dump things like that. That was insane.

Whenever one plans a Himalayan trek, he keeps a day as a buffer. The problem with Chadar is one already gets 3 days in Leh for acclimatization and on top of that there is a high possibility that you will not be able to complete the trek because of bad weather. That brings you early to the base camp in Leh and you are again left with 2-3 spare days before you fly out. So, out of 9 odd days, you practically trek for 3 nights and 4 days and spend the remaining time in Leh. Experience surpasses everything but still the question remains that after spending 60-70K, 8-9 days, living yourself to incompetent medical authorities , watching the same backdrop every day, with miniscule probability of reaching the summit Is chadar trek worth it? Everyone has his own perspective, but I will give this one a Thumbs down. Having done Everest Base Camp (18K feet) and some other treks at 14K feet altitude is not the main enemy at Chadar. The main enemy over here is Brutal Cold.