NSS Adventure Camp
at Abvimas Jispa Lahaul & Spiti, Himachal Pradesh
10th - 19th October 2024
Diksha Joshi (Roll No. 26437, B.Tech, CSIT Dept.) of Dronacharya College of Engineering, Gurugram attended the 10-day Adventure Camp organized by Haryana Cell from 10th October – 19th October 2024 at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports in the beautiful mountains of Jispa located in the Lahual and Spiti District of Himachal Pradesh, India. A group of 60 girls from across Haryana were a part of this incredible camp alongside 4 PO (Program Officers) from different Universities.
The volunteers were asked to report at Panchkula, Chandigarh from where the journey to Jispa began as a team. The camp was filled with adventurous, physically and mentally challenging activities such as trekking, rock climbing, river crossing etc. The camp provided a perfect blend of adventure and learning, leaving a lasting impact on all the volunteers.
The camp aimed to strengthen leadership, teamwork, and environmental responsibility among volunteers, promote Physical and Mental Endurance, foster leadership and teamwork, encourage environmental awareness and build self-confidence and problem-solving skills.
Day-to-Day Activities
Day 1:
The NSS volunteers arrived at the camp location ‘Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports’, Jispa, Himachal Pradesh. The day started with breakfast followed by settling down. In the afternoon everybody had lunch post which volunteers went for an acclimatization walk in the mountains. In the evening, Mr. Mohan Naju (ABVIMAS, Jispa, In-charge) gave a welcome talk. The day ended with dinner.
Day 2:
The day started with morning exercise from 7am onwards. After exercise volunteers had breakfast. For the first activity of the camp, volunteers went for rock climbing. At first, rock climbing seemed quite nerve wrecking, but it was a wonderful experience. After returning from the activity, they had lunch. At evening they had a class on the topic “Ropes”.
Day-3:
Day 3 started with exercise followed by breakfast. Post breakfast volunteers went for acclimatization walk in the beautiful Bhaga range. After returning from the walk, they had lunch.
During evening time, volunteers played games like volleyball and cricket followed by a class on the topic “Mountain Hazards and Mountain Manners”. The day ended with delicious dinner.
Day 4:
The day started with morning exercise, followed by breakfast. On the day, students went to do rappelling which basically involved descending a slope using ropes and safety equipment. It was scary at the beginning but turned out to be easy and fun later. After returning, students had lunch. During evening, students played games followed by evening tea. After the evening tea, students had a class on the topic “Rug sack Packing”.
Day 5:
Day started with morning exercise, followed by breakfast. Then the students went for an almost 10 km trekking to visit the Monastery and the Historical Palace “ Khangsar”.
Day 6:
The day was marked for rest and so started little late with breakfast at around 9 A.M. After breakfast volunteers were given the task to clean the surroundings which included the campus and the dormitories followed by washing of track suits. The lunch for the day was prepared by the volunteers highlighting culture exchange. After lunch, volunteers had a class on the topic: “Camp Pitching”. At around 7 P.M. a bonfire was organized for which all the volunteers collectively went and collected twigs and sticks.
Day 7:
The day began with morning exercise, followed by breakfast. On this day, students started trekking in order to reach the camping site situated in the beautiful village named Darcha. During evening, volunteers were given time to set up the outer of tents and settle.
Day 8:
The day started with breakfast. Then, the volunteers went for a downhill trek to the nearby village named Yoche. During the trekking, they saw serene views and landscapes. After returning from the trek, they had lunch at the camp site. During evening, they played tug of war and the day ended by having dinner.
Day 9:
After breakfast, students started to pack up tents and clean the surroundings. Then, everybody began trekking back to the base (ABVIMAS,Jispa.) In the evening, we had a knot tying test.
Day 10:
The final day began with morning exercise, followed by breakfast. The last activity of the adventure camp was river crossing. Volunteers learnt several methods for crossing the river and understood the most feasible methods to cross rivers in mountain regions. The water was extremely cold but it was still fun to get inside the river and cross it. After lunch, it was the time for closing ceremony. During the ceremony, Mr. Mohan gave a closing speech alongside the POs and a few speeches by the volunteers about their experience.