While the world craves to travel to different locations, it fails to enliven the mesmerizing experiences. This is why here in India Chalk we believe that every unheard story of a traveller carries a feeling of zeal and amazement. Today, we bring to you the exciting and empowering story of Shenelle Alphonso who successfully trekked through the Buran Pass in the freezing month of October!

The Warmth of Kashmir!

How easily do we misinterpret the lifestyle of Kashmir? Paradise sure is going through a rough patch, but Shenelle shows us a positive and cute version of this temporal region. Her interactions with a cute little family of a Gujjar tribe was not limited to “How do you stay?” or “What do you do for a living?” But instead, she established a profound connection with the family. The family gave a warm welcome to Shenelle and even urged her to have a snack with them!

Isn’t this a kind of tourism? Instead of uncovering destinations, we uncover the travel adventures of zealous travellers. 

The political upheaval in the region of Kashmir has drastically affected the tourism of this place. But does it directly affect the spirit of the travellers? We don’t believe so, and neither does Shenelle. The more love we give away, the more warmth we receive. Shenelle’s experience in Srinagar and Buran Pass brought her closer to the people of the state.

An Impulsive Decision

Trips planned at the last moment always turn out to be awesome, don’t they? Shenelle along with her office colleague chalked out this amazing trek to India’s most challenging destination – Buran Pass. Located 15000 ft above sea level, this pass is often covered with waist-deep snow all through the winter! In the month of October, this adventurous duo decided to scale the Buran Pass. This was Shenelle’s second professional trek! After successfully completing the popular Sandakphu trek. 

Do you know – Sandakphu Peak is West Bengal’s highest peak. It is a beautiful spot from where you can see 4 of 5 highest summit’s of the world – Everest, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu

Trek and travel are now like a daily routine for Shenelle. As a matter of fact, her mother and her brother are passionate about trekking. Since childhood, she has been in small adventure camps. Not to mention, she developed an appetite for trekking since her first camp. However, Buran Pass was really not any ordinary trek. It was like the ‘mountains are calling’ situation for Shenelle! She felt an intense connection with the place and it intrigued her. 

Meet The Doremon 

Every group needs one proactive person who can cater to every need of the group. From nail cutters and other utilities to hydration packs and essentials, Shenelle is one such person who has everything in her small backpack. Which why her friends have a cute nickname for her – Doremon!

Call out for anything and everything, Shenelle will have it for you from her compact backpack! It makes Shenelle an irreplaceable part of her trekking group. This might be unusual, but this is very important to have such passionate travellers. This not just adds to the fun and frolic of the tour but also proves to be very beneficial for the entire team.

Shenelle just knows right what to grab, what not to pack, and what essentials would be just perfect for this trip. Recently, she brought a unique collapsible steel cup that is easy and seamless to carry. Along with that, she suggests a special hydration pack for enthusiastic travellers. Very helpful for high altitude treks. 

Over the years, Shenelle has grown into an expert trekker and thus leave no stone unturned when it comes to packing things. 

Tracing The Thrill of Buran Pass

“At 3 AM in the morning, geared with all the equipment, we stood with the energy to embark on the 13 hours of the enthralling trek!”

Shenelle was accompanied by her friend Shrijani to the Buran Pass. They went through an agency – India Hikes. “Pretty amazing”, says Shenelle, “Treks with India Hikes is something one should never fail to experience. They plan it very well and provide you with all the essentials.”

From the Dhunda campsite, Shenelle and her friend along with a group of 6 trekkers began the 13-hour long trek! Two astonishing things happened right at that moment. And it sent Shenelle into a world of mixed emotions! She experienced the first snowfall of her lifetime and began her periods right before the trek! Imagine how unfortunate is it for any girl. She had to bear with the pain and cramps for 13 hours straight. With no place to sit or rest, no hot bags or chocolates to lighten the pain, Shenelle carried out the trek with a few emergency medications. With every step she took, the pain worsened. But Shenelle was someone who does not give up on things easily.

Through the pain, she scaled up to 15000 ft and reached the summit! What pushed her? Not just the soothing surrounding, untouched, sacred nature or the beautiful snowclad peak, but her sheer dedication to scale the mountains. Travel often sets you free, urges you to break your comfort zone, and brings to you the most surreal experience! The trek to Buran Pass was something Shenelle will never forget in her entire life!

Gulab Jamun at 15000 ft Above Sea Level

Every traveller is obsessed with food as much he or she is with travelling. Why would anyone disagree over this? Shenelle still remembers the scrumptious gulab jamuns freshly served with regular food. And not just Gulab Jamuns, Shenelle got her hands on juicy Jalebi and sweet Shahi Tukda. What more would anyone expect on a trek? 

Imagine once you arrive from a long freezing trek, and you are served with a steamingly hot Indian-style curry. Rich in spices, thick and yummy dal soothes your entire body and regenerates the energy! Shenelle still admires the food served under challenging conditions. The taste and quality were beyond expectations.

Unfortunately, her friend Shrijani couldn’t be with Shenelle for the lunch. She faced the wrath of the weather around. Severe fatigue and uneasiness attacked her and it became difficult for her to continue this trek. No doubt, she was readily taken to the campsite and her treatment was started.

A Few Unforgettable Memories

Every travel story has a funny side. Shenelle’s was a lot funnier! When one is walking in waist-deep snow it is difficult to balance oneself. With every step Shenelle put into the snow, she lost her balance. And this was not just with her, but each and every traveller in the group faced the same fate. It takes sheer strength to walk in such deep snow. With axes and shoes hitting the ground, hands searching for a possible grip and heart-throbbing severely, the trek to Buran Pass was one of the many unforgettable experiences for her.

At one point, it so happened that Shenelle slipped her leg and went straight into the snow! Stuck in the chest-deep snow, for a fraction of a second, she couldn’t understand what was happening to her. A man who came to save her also hit right into the ground! The snow engulfed both the trekkers and it became an alarming situation for the entire team. Subsequently, they were pulled out. Nevertheless, it just added more thrill to the entire trek!

Shenelle experienced the first snowfall of her lifetime. Her face dazzled up with glee! Spontaneously she exclaimed, “Let this snowfall continue throughout the trek!” The innocence and pure joy behind this sentence were priceless! It was followed by a sarcastic and stern look from the tour guide. Of course, snowfall throughout the trek would have been disastrous for everyone. Thankfully it didn’t snow much, but Shenelle, it became cheery on the cake! 

Panoramic Himalayas

The view at the top – Shenelle barely spent 5 minutes at the top of Buran Pass and it was worth a lifetime! With sun rays caressing the snowclad mountains and clouds hovering above, the entire view was a mesmerizing result of this challenging trek. As the dawn hit the Himalayas, orange and red tints covered the clear blue sky. Shenelle witnessed a masterpiece painted by the nature itself. The panoramic view of the world’s youngest mountain added to the beauty of this trek!

For every traveller, his/her experience holds a higher value than anything. These experiences indeed prepare him/her for future tours. Not to mention after this trek, this trek was another feather in the cap of Shenelle’s travel experiences. She said, “Buran Pass is completely different visited in summer. With all the snow melting, the 13-hour long trek is just reduced to 4 to 5 hours.” She has decided to visit the Buran Pass again in the month of May. Definitely, we will have another episode with her. For now, this is the end of Tracing The Thrill with Shenelle Alphonso, stay tuned with us for another crazy story that will be coming up within the next few days!

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