Ten oxygen cylinders, two stretchers and an eight-hour ride

The eight-hour road trip from Leh to the Siachen base camp could be termed as a drive to the remotest battlefield...

The eight-hour road trip from Leh to the Siachen base camp could be termed as a drive to the remotest battlefield in the world. The 205-km road winds its way through Khardung La — the highest motorable pass in the world — and runs along the Nubra river to make its way to the Siachen base camp.

For members of the second civilian expedition to the Siachen glacier, the rather hair-raising ride to base camp was an experience of a lifetime. Besides the fantastic scenery — the road winds through both the Shyok and Nubra valleys — the thrill of finally setting off for the glacier added to the general happiness. However, for the young doctor of the Army Medical Corps (AMC) who is part of the expedition, it was a nervous eight hours as he kept checks on members of the delegation. The main choke point being the 18,380-feet high Khardung La pass that tested the high altitude endurance level of the participants.

Accompanying the two busloads of expedition members was a ‘special’ vehicle carrying medical equipment for the journey — 10 oxygen cylinders, two stretchers, a high-altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPO) treatment bag and an assortment of medicines. Fortunately, none of the medical equipment was required, with all members managing to make it to the base camp in one piece.

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But with the second stage of the 21-day trek kicking off at base camp, new worries started popping up for members. The first being the ever-looming medical examinations — doctors at base camp said that the crucial blood pressure levels have a tendency of fluctuating almost 40 points at base camp.

However, for one member, the first night at base camp presented a different set of worries. A set of tricky sleeping bags, requiring great dexterous agility to zip up, were issued to everyone. For the above mentioned member, the problem occurred after he managed to zip up and snuggled into the bag, without realising that the more difficult part was getting out.

After struggling with the bag for half an hour — while other members clicked away at their cameras for amusement — he finally managed to extricate himself. His primary fear now is the next 14 days on the glacier where his only companion at night will be this ‘down feather’ sleeping bag.

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