We climbed Pulie Badze in early March. Six townies. But it was very doable. With a three-year-old in tow, who had to be carried halfway, we still managed to reach the peak within forty minutes. The village of Jotsoma has to be lauded for the excellent manner in which they are taking care of the Pulie Badze wildlife sanctuary. All along the way, there are posters reminding trekkers of the beauty of nature and the benefits of taking time out to be in the midst of it. We certainly felt it. The air was thinner and purer. As we climbed higher, we could hear bird calls all along the way. What a privilege! The village does not allow hunting or foraging for herbs in the territory. People are encouraged to look at the trek as a spiritual experience and desist for once, from viewing the forest as a food source.
The remarkable job that the village has done of constructing steps all the way, stopping a few metres short of the peak, has to be put on record. It is clear that it was back breaking work. Jotsoma is skilled at stone masonry and this was obvious every inch of the way. Personally, I preferred to walk by the side of the steps because the soft soil is kinder on the knees.
I doubt that any trekker misses out on the chance to climb up the tree that grows over a rock. I have seen so many photos of climbers atop that rock with tree roots travelling over its surface seeking soil. What an amazing work of creation. The tree still seems to be going strong.
When we reached the top, we were ravenous, at least some of us were. So we opened our lunch boxes and shared the food we had brought. It was heartening to see that visitors are more sensitive about where they throw their garbage. A signboard politely reminded us,
‘In the forests and mountains animals do not leave trash
Humans do
Please behave like animals.’
With that gentle reminder before us, we collected our leftover food and took it home. On an earlier trip, my nephew collected the plastic sweet wrappers and papers that other visitors had strewn around, and he burnt them. This time, we did not see traces of plastic litter or papers. It is a great improvement on the part of the visitors.
Further up, there were two plaques telling the intriguing story of Pulie, a man of Jotsoma village, who was killed by a rapfe, a spirit snake. According to the story we were told in childhood, Pulie’s spirit haunted these parts after his death. His bereaved relatives set up a badze, a sitting place, in his name. That is the history of the name of the mountain, Pulie Badze. On an earlier trek, my son and nephew decided to try another route. Feeling a little unsure, I followed them up but lagged behind. I encouraged them to go on without me and soon they raced to the top. I was only halfway up the hill, and it was tedious to be walking without using the normal route. I ended up getting hopelessly lost as I had gone too far north. Finally, when I found myself at a fenced spot overlooking cliffs, I phoned for help. My companions said the fences I came across were for the gwi, our majestic mithuns. But I was convinced the structures were leftovers from the Second World war. Now, we will never know.
Pulie Badze is recorded to be 2,296 meters high, which translates to 7533 feet. It is an impressive height for non-climbers like us. We probably should have started our climb earlier in the day, for example, before sunrise. When we crested the peak, visibility was partly obscured by the blue haze that is always there in January and February. So we missed out on getting clear pictures of the town below, although it is still possible to make out houses in the distance when you ignore the rhododendron bushes in the forefront. But the red blossoms are not so easy to ignore. It was a bit early in the year to see the rhododendrons in full flower. But we did get to see a number of trees that were flowering early. Marvellous.
I leave instructions here on how to climb Pulie Badze. Do not litter. Take your trash back in your backpack. Greet others whether you meet them on your way up or way down. A warm hello is always nice when out of doors. Tell them to enjoy themselves. Everyone responds warmly when you do that and it brightens up their day. The great thing about being outdoors is you don’t have to worry about appearances. We once spoke to a man and a woman who were struggling up to the top. They were tourists from Bombay, people in their seventies who had heard of the beauty of Pulie Badze. Something like that. Just share the love.
