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It is all about the Friendship Peak Expedition (5,289 m). This story is written by Mrs Pinky Kharal.
Normally, for any trip — whether it’s running, cycling, or trekking — I usually go with friends or family. But this time, I decided to start the journey alone from here and meet a completely new set of people and co-hikers.
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I took an overnight bus from Delhi and reached Manali the next morning. Since I had a ladies’ seat, the seat next to me remained vacant, so the journey was quite comfortable.
Both my boys came to drop me off, and my son simply said, “Maman, jhanda gaad ke aana.”
Day 1 — 30th May
Day 1 was all about briefing and an acclimatisation walk in Shuru, Manali. It’s a quiet little place away from the chaos of the main city, which I absolutely loved.
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Around 6 PM, we had our introductions followed by a small briefing about the trek ahead.
Day 2 – 31 May
Dhundi to Lohali Campsite
Distance: Around 4 km
Elevation gain: Around 500 m
It took us around 2.5 hours to reach the campsite, crossing beautiful valleys and small water streams along the way. Since we reached on time, we got a chance to take a short walk around the campsite, where we witnessed lots of sheep and goats grazing peacefully.
The views were absolutely stunning, while the weather kept playing hide and seek the entire time.
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Initially, I thought I was surrounded only by very serious hikers, but seeing them playing with snow instantly reminded me of my son. He used to do exactly the same on every trek, and I was always the victim of his snowball attacks.
Day 3 – 01 June
Lohali to Lady Leg
Distance: Around 2.5 km
Elevation Gain: Around 500 m
It was a short hike, and our trek leader told us that our group was much faster than expected. That’s when I realised how fit and active all of us were, covering the distance well before time.
Later, our trek leader took us for a short walk to visit Beas Kund. The view from the top was absolutely breathtaking, and we could even spot Mount Hanuman Tibba.
But this was also the day when my health stopped supporting me. Maybe because of the altitude, I started having digestion issues and kept puking. I even had to wake up around 11 at night to puke again, with terrible stomach pain. In that complete silence of the mountains, I felt a little scared too.
The next morning, one of my co-hikers gave me medicine, and thankfully I felt much better after that. Grateful for such supportive people during the journey.
Day 4 – 02 June
Training Day at Lady Leg
From this point onwards, the trek was going to get technical, so we had a dedicated training day before the summit push.
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Our trek leader trained us to use all the mountain gear properly and taught us the important skills needed for summit day. From using crampons and ropes to learning techniques for climbing safely, it was truly an important learning experience.
No doubt, it was a really good training day, and all of us sincerely participated in every activity with full focus and excitement. Step by step, we were getting ready for the summit day.
Day 5 – 03 June
Now it was time to reach the Advance Base Camp, take some rest, and then head towards the summit around midnight.
I tried to sleep, but honestly, I couldn’t at all — for many reasons. Firstly, the camp floor was extremely uncomfortable since the tents were pitched on snow, and it was so steep that I kept sliding down again and again. Secondly, I was both excited and nervous about the summit push ahead.
This was also the moment when I got really emotional.
I felt incredibly privileged and blessed to be there. Mountains truly have a way of making you humble.
Day 6 – 04 June
Summit Day – Friendship Peak
We started exactly at midnight for the summit push, and all of us were super excited. Luckily, the weather was clear — truly felt like the mountain gods and weather gods were in our favour.
Hiking continuously on snow while wearing heavy snow boots was definitely not easy, but we kept moving… slowly and steadily. By around 3:30 AM, we reached the col.
At that point, our Friendship Peak expedition leader asked if all of us were okay and mentally prepared to continue, because after that the climb was going to get tougher. We would be tied in ropes, and there would be no turning back midway.
We were determined. We simply nodded and moved ahead.
I was hiking in a very controlled manner and made sure to stay hydrated. Though the water in my hydration bag froze once, I somehow managed to keep drinking water.
And finally… we reached the summit.
Once again, I felt immensely blessed and grateful to be there.
Descending till the col was equally challenging since we were roped up and the slope was extremely steep. After that, we started sliding our way down and finally reached the Advance Base Camp.
Day 7 • Last Day
After a calm, long night and an even longer day, I finally slept really well.
And then it was time to descend back to where it all started. It was raining!
I kept thinking about what an incredible journey I had lived through, and honestly, I never wanted to leave the mountains.
These are moments I’ll always cherish for a lifetime.
Apart from the Friendship Peak expedition, I also learnt new games — Mafia and UNO. Whenever we got some free time, we would all sit together and play, laugh, and simply enjoy the little moments.
