On the 12th, Baba, Kaka and Baidul walked over 20 miles, climbing up and down steep mountains of searing rock during the heat of the day, with nary a tree to provide shade for miles around. They crossed over dangerous and rugged steep pathways at the edges of mountains looking down on deep valleys, and across strong river currents. They had no food except chilies, onions and hard, stale bread. The ponies given them to ride during the initial stages were not used to this kind of rough track through the narrow passes. They abandoned riding the ponies anyway, as Baba's thighs became sore and scratched, which made even ordinary walking that much more difficult.
Reaching the village of Jasgiran, Baba tried to contact the very high mast, later revealed by Baba to be between the sixth and seventh planes. This great mast was also named Nanga Baba. For 25 years, he had sat in a squatting position, utterly naked, on a hilltop — virtually a living sacred idol or god — exposed to all of nature's elements, in sun, rain and snow. The saint's strange diet would have been beyond belief, had not Baba, Baidul and Kaka seen him eat it. He would eat dry bread with a paste made of wood soaked in water and powdered stones, which was then molded into a cake by his caretaker.
On one occasion, the saint pointed to Baba and told the small crowd, "He is my elder brother ... He adjusts and protects the whole world!" Baba sat near the saint for three hours, but could not get the opportunity to contact him alone, since Nanga Baba was surrounded by devotees during the day, and at night his attendant slept by his side. Baba expressed that he was not happy with this manner of contact and wished to be alone with the saint. Disappointed, Baba led the men on the trek back to Haripur and from there returned to Rawalpindi, arriving on the 13th and staying at the Punjab Hotel.
Chanji met them in Rawalpindi the following night. But that night, a loudspeaker near their hotel disturbed Baba's sleep, and Baba complained about it again and again, for more than half an hour. They had to be up, anyway, by 3:00 A.M. on 15 September, and left by train for Gujranwala, where Baba contacted three masts. Mastan Rehmatullah was a filthy mast whose abode was a garage; and Nanga Shah (Naked King) was a good mast who lived in a hut near the train station.