MOUNTAIN ESCAPES

MANDIP SINGH SOIN, a mountaineer, founder of Ibex Expeditions (ibexexpeditions.com), and founder of Ecotourism Society of India (now RTSOI, rtsoi.org), states that the golden rule in the Himalayas is, “Pack in, pack out.” Even if you throw an empty plastic bottle in a designated bin, you may think that you are not littering, but everything takes longer to degrade at higher altitudes. For example, a banana peel that degrades in about three to four weeks in the plains takes almost six months at an altitude of 3,650 metres above sea level. Hence, it’s worth spending extra on a porter to carry all the non-biodegradable material back with you.

Soin also has valuable tips for camping responsibly. When you need to dig a pit to go to the toilet, ensure that you cut out the turf—the size of a plate—keep it aside, and then dig at least two-three feet. Before moving on from the campsite, fill the pit with mud and then cover it back again with the turf that you had kept aside to allow the grass to regenerate. Nothing is more horrifying than reaching a pristine meadow after trekking for hours, only to be greeted by waste.

This may sound heartbreaking, but a campfire should be avoided. Apart from creating pollution and the risk of starting forest fires, foraging wood for a campfire eats into the fuel of the local community. Instead, he suggests using solar lanterns and sitting together in a large tent, as you play games or sing songs. Contrary to popular methods, it is important to camp at least 30 metres away from free-flowing water. Instead of washing your utensils or bathing in the water body, fill a bucket with fresh water, go back near your campsite, and do the cleaning jobs. This ensures that you don’t pollute the water body. “We have to move away from the capitalist thinking of ‘customer is king’ to ‘environment is king’,” Soin concludes.