David McCulloch ’70 Hanifl Centre’s 2022 Alumni Trek

Interviewed by Katie Jo Walter

This offered us the unexpected pleasure of enjoying a homestay in Agora – the home village of Hanifl guide Satveer. I especially enjoyed walking out in the morning as the village was waking up and conversations were beginning to spring up here and there – it was lovely.

It was something special for me to go to Dodital. It had never been open when I was on the hillside. My father had been there in the late 1930’s or early 1940’s. In the 60’s Indo-China war tensions caused the area to be closed off. Even for our trek the Hanifl Centre had to arrange permits.

Hanifl Centre is offering alumni treks – not only during Woodstock peak campus visitor months of October and May but also on demand for anyone who can gather a group of six or more adventurous souls longing to (re) connect with the Himalayan foothills.

A small group of alumni joined a Hanifl trek to Dodital in October, and David McCulloch ’70 took the time to share about his experience on the trek:

“Who went on the trip?

Four people joined the trek this time: Phil Bretsky ’88, David Rand ’80, along with his wife Raquel, and me. Hanifl Centre staff Satveer, Vipul, and Saurabh guided us, and we had six horses and three wallahs to carry our gear. There were also a cook and his two helpers. We were very well supported, and I’m grateful the decision was made to conduct the trek with our small group after some participants had to cancel not long before the trek started. The trek was memorable!

“What was your itinerary?

We had some early setbacks due to one of our members becoming ill, but the Hanifl team quickly responded and adapted our plan. Rather than following the original plan of Dayara Bugyal - Dodital - Darwa Pass –Hanuman Chatti, we rerouted to spend two nights at Dodital and then backtrack and exit through Agora.

“Did participants find the trek difficult?

There was a lot of up and down on the trek. The highest was 12,400 feet or 4,000 metres at Darwa pass. It was a challenging hike but a good one. All participants had to acclimate to the high altitude. We were all from places in California and Washington state in the U.S. that are close to sea level. I came a week early to begin acclimating to the altitude. It froze on the second night when we were at 11,500 feet, but the Hanifl Centre team was great and provided us with good support to stay warm and healthy throughout the trek. Overall the weather was fantastic.

“What did you do during that week of acclimatization on the hillside?

My wife Julie and I had some interesting opportunities to engage with the school and other people on the hillside. We happened to be here during the Entrepreneurship Fest, and Julie got to ask questions of students from local schools who were delivering business pitches.

Sanchali Chakraborty in the Advancement and Alumni office gave us a nice tour of the school, and it was great to have someone take us through the many renovated spaces. While roaming the hillside we were invited for tea at Tom’s Cabin with Bob Shoemaker who manages the school archives and went for dinner with Tsering Choden at her home off the Chakkar.

My classmate Joyce Burkhalter Flueckiger ’70 arrived two days before we left for Punjab. I had an afternoon at Ivy Bank with her and later enjoyed a walk in Jabarkhet Nature Reserve with her and Judy Crider '69. We enjoyed good times on the hillside!

“What advice do you have for alumni considering joining a future Hanifl Alumni Trek?

The weather and views are amazing, and it’s a great experience. However, you’ll need to prepare well. The trek is strenuous. If you’re at all susceptible to altitude, get sufficiently trained.

The Hanifl Centre has found the Alumni Treks to be a great learning opportunity. They foster an understanding of Alumni's profound attachment to the school and the enduring legacy of a childhood spent exploring and celebrating the Himalayan environment.

Though the Centre wasn't a part of Woodstock education for many alumni of decades past and was established much later (through alumni funding in fact), it has modelled itself to sustain these inherent values and develop responsible citizens. A yearly check-in with our Alumni enriches us and reinforces the values we want our current students to imbibe. It also helps us remain clear in our vision to provide education about the Himalayan outdoors for all. Our alumni care deeply for this hillside and its people, and I would love for more alumni to come to learn about ways our programmes are creating more such connections with the hillside for our partners from across India and around the world.

Akshay Shah, Hanifl Centre Director