Austrian Soloist

The next day the Austrian announces that there too many tourists in the village and intends to embark solo on a camping expedition shunning all forms of human contact on the way reckoning he will be gone for a week. Isolation is liberation is his motto. So armed with an ounce of weed a borrowed tent, musty sleeping bag and thoughts of great climbers in his in his head off he plods.
For me it was another two days in the saddle 1st back up to the Pindari Glacier to check the snow levels on the trails and then head up to the higher and more difficult Kaphne Glacier just under 4000m. Pindari trails were brilliant kilometer after kilometer of singletrack with the odd section of snow and ice blocking the path in the river beds and on the sections not exposed to the sun. I abandoned the bike at the 2km post when the snow got too much and headed up to the Babajii Temple or Business Baba as he is called in some parts for his alleged interest in making a rupee or two out of the odd passing foreign tourist. I snacked on dry chappatis before heading back down the 12km trail to Dwali riding the last 10km leaving a muddy tyre track trail behind me.
At the small trekking hut of Dwali the Austrian reappeared looking confused and miserable ignoring me and the local porters he shuffling off further up the track. For me a nights rest in Dwali and a extra helping off rice and daal I was ready for Kaphne. I left the bike fearing that the near 1500 meter ascent and descent would be too technical. I walked and jogged the 28km trail instead. Nearing the glacier at the top the snow became too deep with the trail disappearing as I nervously resorted to jumping from rock to rock until fear got the better of me and I became more aware of the deepness of the snow. Return time. The path as a descent looked incredible so I vowed to return with the group in a weeks time when the snow would hopefully melt away.
I returned back to Khatti that evening shocked to see the Austrian red nosed, wrapped up in blankets and sipping a hot lemon and even more shockingly open to human contact. How did the camping trip go I asked “I get cold, fever, I did not camp, I stay in trekking hut”. Locals gather round including Prakash the man who lent the tent “Why you take this tent then?” His humiliation is complete. I am happy.