There were numerous tumbles, twists and turns, but we all just wanted to spend some time away from their regular lives, away from concrete jungle, in the lap of the Himalayas.. it was a last week decision (again!) for this triple trek. Not a high altitude, yet so beautiful, another trek full of those awe-struck moments.
We were almost the same gang who trekked in Binsar in Feb: Me, Harwinder, Akhil, Ishita, Prerna, Ashutosh, Ankita.. new additions Swati, Lalit and Preeti..
So well met at Kashmere gate in Delhi, on 2nd May, to board our Volvo to Mandi at 8pm. That night we disturbed a hell lot of people in the bus playing our innovative games and all the bakarrr n PJs..
Hardly managed any sleep, 3rd May early morning was what I waited for long.. the Himalayas visible out of the window as our bus that halted for tea at a small dhaba in sundernagar.. We hopped out of our bus to sip some tea and enjoy some fresh air.. the bakarr continued..
Later we reached Mandi and headed straight towards Ishita's house. One real advantage of trekking around Mandi, a really luxurious start as Ishita's mom made some really awesome Pooris that everyone attacked, people took lavish time to freshen up.. cabs and guide for todays trek were also taken care of.. Ishita's father being in forest department, suggested us an alternate route to prashar lake via Naintunga mata.. that was at a higher altitude and the route supposedly more beautiful.. Although more distance to trek, we opted for this plan since everyone was excited that morning.. Ishita's cousin, Anurag also joined our team and was our photographer for the day..
we moved out towards Jawalapur via Aut.. It was on Kullu road, so the stop at pandoh dam, at the Hanogi temple and the yelling in the tunnel were inevitable.. After 2 hours journey we met Kashmiri ji, our guide for the day after a little wait and another tea at a forest post.. meanwhile we tried some stretching exercises as well.. another 3-4kmsfurther drive and it was 12.45 when we started the actual climb..
we were too late to start and as per guide we were to trek about 9kms to reach Prashar Lake.. So the return from same point seemed impossible.. Luckily we had the option to ask our cab driver to drive around the hill and pick us directly from Prashar from where an alternate route was possible..
The climb was steep but all through the woods.. we kept moving till we reach this small meadow patch in the middle was this small isolated temple..
The scenery was worth a pause and people took their leisure to enjoy..we continued through another steep section, then another.. Now we were amidst the forest, some snowy peaks visible really far away.. I was trying to hear to the bird sounds around me.. there were so many unique sounds I could recognize.. I even got glimpse of a beautiful pair, black birds with wide wings and a white tail.. Prerna got hold of a looong feather which I guessed was of an eagle as we saw a lot in that region..
After the last steep ascend we reached the Nain-Tunga mata temple.. it was a 2 hours of continuous steep climb that tested everyone.. At the top we had a small biscuit break and visited the temple.. It was a very small temple with pastures around where shepherds were grazing their sheeps.. a small periphery encircled the temple which was full of this red color.. A recent sacrifice of a sheep was evident, and seemed very common in this region..
We were done I think 4-5kms and expected another 1-1.5hr journey till Prashar.. But our assumptions were to be proven wrong.. We kept walking for more than an hour and at times running as well.. this was easier section with relatively flat trail and downhill also at times.. But it was kind of never ending.. Every now and then I thought we have reached but wasn't the case.. There was this very unique vegetation of small shrubs that we crossed and we came across some red rhododendrons that we were actually eating.. the girls collected a few for their chutney recipe..
Later we reached this amazing huge pasture where numerous sheeps were happily grazing the fresh green grass.. I was thinking about how this amazing meadow was there, why not any trees but these vast pasture terrain all around.. I was lost in these thoughts when I realized people around me caught the excitement as they witnessed this beautiful scenery.. everyone ran across these meadows, flying across with their hand wide open.. All seemed in their own mood, while I was busy in my imaginations, Prerna's shepherd instincts came alive , Anurag busy in his photography, Ishita, Swati and Akhil flew across.. Lalit and Preeti busy among themselves.. and Harwinder trailing somewhere.. :)
Who wanted to leave this place, but we were quite late, almost 5pm now and Prashar Lake was on the opposite mountain, which meant another 3-4Kms to go.. Another pasture we reached where I took the advantage of reaching first and enjoy this unique view in front where our first treasure of the trip resided..
After a while we hit this broad trail (a road only, for vehicles), leading us to the Lake. We said goodbye to our guide and walked for another 1.5Km or so to reach this pristine and mysterious lake.. There was a beautiful temple on its side where we did our prayers.. With its unique structure, the beauty of it's location, the isolation and the silence, all made it another memorable moment in god's lap..
We went little closer on a hedge to enjoy the view of lake.. There was hardly anyone there apart from our group and another group of guys, probably some bikers.. On a side inside the lake was this mysterious island, and we came to know after the trip that it moved freely in the lake, not stationed at a point.. that added to the amazement of what we witnessed there.. we just had enough time to have a Maggi and tea, and some dal rice.. Fog was building up around us turning that place to heaven.. A light drizzle also started so we had to hurry to start back.. Lalit and Preeti originally planning to stay there dropped the idea and joined us in the tempo traveler.. It was a tricky road, with no asphalt, we were just moving over the rocks with hairpin sharp turns every now and then.. the darkness made it more scary but thanks to the amazing songs that our driver played, we kept ourselves busy in those and later we sang some..
We reached Mandi, had a late night dinner and then reached Ishita's house wandering the safe dark streets of Mandi.. Still 2 more days of plans in view we did not waste much time and took rest..
Day2: To Shikari Devi.
Shikari devi is the highest point in Mandi district. We had the option to directly drive till the top or a light trek from small village Janjheli.. As usual, cab and guide taken care by Ishita's father and he guided us the route as well.. After the long 5 hour trek yesterday, Ashu and Ankita opted out to trek today, Ishita too due to her injury.. Rest of us were in no mood to rest, we wanted to trek all 3 days..
We started from Mandi at around 8.30, collected the special kachori's (whooping 30 was really overestimated for the 8 of us). After witnessing a small fight at outskirts, we moved into remoteness turning our route just before the Pandoh dam. Surrounding was already turning beautiful and we were gaining altitude constantly. After a while a halt at this mysterious huge rock balanced over a stone base, which we could single handedly dangle. Everybody tried their hand and made wishes. After about 3hrs of ride we were here in this beautiful valley of Janjheli..
This world seemed hidden from the outer world.. The view outside the window was another awestruck moment I had in the Himalayas.. It was a beautiful scenery with a river stream flowing, apple orchids around, beautiful village huts with the green covered hills stacked one after the other in background with a light fog on top.. I gazed continuously outside, couldn't resist to praise it again and again..
We met our guide and at some middle of nowhere place we were dropped to start our trek..
so we 5: me, Harwinder, Prerna, Akhil and Swati were trekking today.. We were just following the road for a while, then realized our guide was not thinking of taking us through any trek trail but the road.. After we corrected that, he just made us climb through this super steep section of a hill.. I don't remember when did I climbed so steep last.. Since he was leading, I was confident to climb it fine.. The route was full of wild vegetation and trees that added to confidence of not slipping.. I was amazed by the skills of Swati as she was effortlessly climbing through not so evident sections.. while others also caught up well as this wasn't an easy climb.. Akhil did got stuck for a while, following the super confident Swati, but he was rescued well by our guide.. Once we crossed this, we were on the road again and this is what we were to follow for the next 3 hours or so..
Soon after we hit the road, our guide vanished in front, so was Harwinder.. Rest of s happily talking about a lot of random stuff.. I was amazed by Akhil's readings, about William Dalrymple and 'nine lives' and many others he mentioned..
We caught up with Harwinder after a while.. we took a halt and enjoyed some Kachori's.. Continued further and we came across our first patch of snow for this trek.. There were again some meadows to cherish, although not so vast that we saw earlier.. We tried some shortcuts that became tricky for Prerna, while climbing through the rocks..
We reached the base in about 3 hours.. Another 30mins we took to climb the stairs till the temple.. This was a tiring climb.. I pulled my raincoat out due to this light drizzle.. Me and Swati reached first and waited for others.. I was expecting a lot of snow at the top, but wasn't the case.. We asked a local about the Forest guest house and he pointed to a red roof hut at a distance, sitting in isolation among the green grassland.. We got super excited..
Rest of the three took leisure time and finally we all walked together this open temple, with no roof.. it is said the peak maybe full of snow but the snow never covers the Shikari devi idol in the temple..
It was windy, rains starting to catchup, so I swiftly started to move toward the guest house.. Soon it was hailing from top.. It all became noisy as the hails banged my plastic raincoat.. I then heard a voice from behind.. Harwinder was pointing towards a stall where they were heading too.. good idea as they did not had any protection from the hails.. I said a bye and headed forward.. With destination in front, I moved swift but careful as the route was slippery.. The hails, wind and rain made each step tougher but I kept going.. Now I could hear some noise apart from the hails.. I realized Ishita, Ashu and Ankita were cheering from the hut, for me to catch up.. That was really a booster and I paced up more.. I charged towards the hut and was a dramatic entry as if I was a real roadie just completed my task against all odds.. that was the moment.. :P
With that people did realized the importance of raincoats and bagcovers which not all carried even after continuous reminders. I made myself light, got rid of the wet raincoat and gloves.. and other clothes.. Since I came with the news that rest of the people were also on the top, we were relaxed and waited patiently for others to come, meanwhile Me and Ankita learnt some himachali dance steps from Ishita.. About 40-45mins later rain stopped and rest of the 'roadies' also entered.. It was a joyful atmosphere as we were in this remote hut, disconnected from the outside world..
Me Ishita and Ankita went for a stroll around to enjoy that fog, the view around and also that tea along the fire..
The darkness surrounded us soon and we were all in the cozy blankets doing our talks as usual.. Then the idea hit of dancing in that place.. since it wasn't freezing cold, there wasn't much resistance from anyone.. Everyone stepped up and perform on the weirdest songs and the awesome dance steps.. One of the best part of our trek when all got very much mingled up 'on stage'.. this was luxury! ;)
We were back to our talks, this time the real sensitive issue was taken called Marriage.. it continued for a long while.. got a lot of lessons, mainly the changes that go thru the girls life etc etc.. alongside the extremely tasty Rajma Chawal was served in dinner.. Weather was not so promising, it rained heavily for some time in the night too.. Me Ishita and Harwinder went out to check the status and enjoi some darkness.. The snow at the Shikari Devi peak was visible in dark too, and we could observe some city light at some distance.. My plans to do a stargaze dropped due to the clouds.. we talked interestingly for some time.. I took charge for early morning 5am wake up and do the decision making whether we are gonna trek to Kamrunag (almost 15Km away), or just ride back via Janjheli..
Day3, the best time
It was a difficult night as I slept on a sofa not so wide.. Early morning my alarm rang and I went out.. Surprisingly Harwinder was awake too who helped me to open the door latch.. He went back to bed while I went out to check the beautiful morning.. It was little windy, the sun about to rise and the clouds above seemed disintegrated.. I said to myself, it's gonna be a good day.. Enjoyed the view for a while and went back to wake everyone up..
I was amazed by the enthusiasm again.. We all readied ourselves, packed stuff, had our cup of tea and were raring to go at 06.15am.. Seemed I was with the ideal set of people with me who go along with the conditions without showing any signs of being tired or lazy.. Today was a day of test at we had to trek continuously for atleast 17-18Kms and catch our cab.. The start was really good.. people were swift, route was plain, weather good and the trail through the beautiful deodar forest..
We kept continuously moving for about 2 hours, encountered a few meadows (again!) and small lakes, which were nevertheless beautiful in their own way.. We were running in joy over the meadows, talking stuff and singing songs.. the time, the moments I felt should never end..
I could observe multiple off routes leading to some mysterious places.. Luckily we had our guide to guide us through the correct trail.. We reached this amazing meadow site where we sat and enjoyed our kachoris.. This was another away from the world place and I was imagining the fun if we get a chance to camp at such a place..
We din't stop for long and continued, trying some short cuts and off routes.. We came across some small settlements once in a while, probably of the shepherds which we came across every now and then grazing their sheeps..
After another hour of trek we hit this steep climb section.. After the climb we were awed by the Himalayan peaks spanned all around us.. This was another meadow patch where we relaxed for a while observing the view.. the small yellow flowers of grass were so attractive.. At far away distance we could see the snowy peak of Shikari Devi, that made us realized how far we had come..
We climbed through another steep section further higher.. the dimensions of the beauty changed drastically.. This was another vast green pasture but this some surrounded by fog and some virgin rocks seemed rarely any human came here.. A horse grazing at a distance, a patch of forest in the background and the rocks we had to summit visible over a higher elevation..
We took some pause and clicked some photos.. One thing I forgot to mention, the people leading the trail this time were Ankita and Akhil, always waiting for us at some high awesome view points, while we measured the trails behind..
Another final climb among the clouds and now we were close to Kamrunag as per our guide.. I checked altitude on my phone's GPS, it was close to 9800ft.. Now was a brief descend and then a gateway followed by this rocky trail.. I decided I am not gonna stop anywhere till Kamrunag but this was a never ending trail that I kept following for almost 30mins and finally could hear some noise near the lake..
I was totally surprised to see the number of people here.. The noisy group was actually a group of guys playing cricket!?? I din't expected that at all sice we hardly met another human on our trail.. The lake was not in its natural shape anymore with a defined periphery and a temple on a side, it looked like a popular spot for local people who gathered here for their wishes.. Legend says any wish asked at Kamrunag is granted..
Harwinder reached after me and went ahead to grab some pakode from a small tapri.. We waited patiently for another 20-25mins before all could catch up.. It was about 12.30pm, implies we trekked for almost 6 hrs flat that definitely mean atleast 15-16Km of trail traversed already.. Our further route to Rohanda was a steep downhill route..
We visited the temple, I observed more blood on floor here too.. A small premise with a statue at center and a square fence around it.. The fragrance of the dhoop there was mesmerizing.. I politely asked my wishes and took a round around the centre.. The lake in front, not very clean and full of coins thrown by people.. historically they say many jewels were also thrown in the lake for the wishes..
Back from temple we had some tea and maggi.. We started at about 1.45pm for the last stretch, so as to catch our cab on time.. It drizzled to start with but then we were in forest again.. it was really a steep route with some really tricky sections to descend.. I saw the roadie of the day Ankita struggling a bit to get down.. even I slipped and injured my fingers at a section.. We were careful enough wherever necessary and another great performance from all we traversed the entire route within two hours..
Indeed a great day of trekking that ended well with all safe and sound at the Rohanda base where our cab was waiting.. We all gave a high five to each other as this marked the end of our 3 days of trekking.. phew I was happy and content.. and dint wanted to go back..
Our ride back to Mandi was full of fun, songs we sang as playlists of movies and in our own tones.. When we reached back, our bus was 3 hours away and we got this news from Ishita that her mom has prepared some light dinner.. The trip ending in luxury again as we went to her house.. People enjoyed their bath and tea and then the food which was not 'light' from any angle.. Another attack :)
We were discussing what Ishita's father said.. We are now certified trekkers after finishing the three days of trekking and can conquer any trek (I hope so :))..
Finally it was time to say bye-bye to all at bus the bus stop as I was heading towards Punjab now and rest of the people to Delhi.. Some more jokes cracked at last moment but now it was time of a separation again till we all meet for another trek.. A group I feel so blessed to acquaint with, not sure of others as they were still together, but it's hard to adieu people with whom u just spent a real memorable time..
We were almost the same gang who trekked in Binsar in Feb: Me, Harwinder, Akhil, Ishita, Prerna, Ashutosh, Ankita.. new additions Swati, Lalit and Preeti..
So well met at Kashmere gate in Delhi, on 2nd May, to board our Volvo to Mandi at 8pm. That night we disturbed a hell lot of people in the bus playing our innovative games and all the bakarrr n PJs..
Hardly managed any sleep, 3rd May early morning was what I waited for long.. the Himalayas visible out of the window as our bus that halted for tea at a small dhaba in sundernagar.. We hopped out of our bus to sip some tea and enjoy some fresh air.. the bakarr continued..
Later we reached Mandi and headed straight towards Ishita's house. One real advantage of trekking around Mandi, a really luxurious start as Ishita's mom made some really awesome Pooris that everyone attacked, people took lavish time to freshen up.. cabs and guide for todays trek were also taken care of.. Ishita's father being in forest department, suggested us an alternate route to prashar lake via Naintunga mata.. that was at a higher altitude and the route supposedly more beautiful.. Although more distance to trek, we opted for this plan since everyone was excited that morning.. Ishita's cousin, Anurag also joined our team and was our photographer for the day..
we moved out towards Jawalapur via Aut.. It was on Kullu road, so the stop at pandoh dam, at the Hanogi temple and the yelling in the tunnel were inevitable.. After 2 hours journey we met Kashmiri ji, our guide for the day after a little wait and another tea at a forest post.. meanwhile we tried some stretching exercises as well.. another 3-4kmsfurther drive and it was 12.45 when we started the actual climb..
we were too late to start and as per guide we were to trek about 9kms to reach Prashar Lake.. So the return from same point seemed impossible.. Luckily we had the option to ask our cab driver to drive around the hill and pick us directly from Prashar from where an alternate route was possible..
The climb was steep but all through the woods.. we kept moving till we reach this small meadow patch in the middle was this small isolated temple..
The scenery was worth a pause and people took their leisure to enjoy..we continued through another steep section, then another.. Now we were amidst the forest, some snowy peaks visible really far away.. I was trying to hear to the bird sounds around me.. there were so many unique sounds I could recognize.. I even got glimpse of a beautiful pair, black birds with wide wings and a white tail.. Prerna got hold of a looong feather which I guessed was of an eagle as we saw a lot in that region..
After the last steep ascend we reached the Nain-Tunga mata temple.. it was a 2 hours of continuous steep climb that tested everyone.. At the top we had a small biscuit break and visited the temple.. It was a very small temple with pastures around where shepherds were grazing their sheeps.. a small periphery encircled the temple which was full of this red color.. A recent sacrifice of a sheep was evident, and seemed very common in this region..
We were done I think 4-5kms and expected another 1-1.5hr journey till Prashar.. But our assumptions were to be proven wrong.. We kept walking for more than an hour and at times running as well.. this was easier section with relatively flat trail and downhill also at times.. But it was kind of never ending.. Every now and then I thought we have reached but wasn't the case.. There was this very unique vegetation of small shrubs that we crossed and we came across some red rhododendrons that we were actually eating.. the girls collected a few for their chutney recipe..
Later we reached this amazing huge pasture where numerous sheeps were happily grazing the fresh green grass.. I was thinking about how this amazing meadow was there, why not any trees but these vast pasture terrain all around.. I was lost in these thoughts when I realized people around me caught the excitement as they witnessed this beautiful scenery.. everyone ran across these meadows, flying across with their hand wide open.. All seemed in their own mood, while I was busy in my imaginations, Prerna's shepherd instincts came alive , Anurag busy in his photography, Ishita, Swati and Akhil flew across.. Lalit and Preeti busy among themselves.. and Harwinder trailing somewhere.. :)
Who wanted to leave this place, but we were quite late, almost 5pm now and Prashar Lake was on the opposite mountain, which meant another 3-4Kms to go.. Another pasture we reached where I took the advantage of reaching first and enjoy this unique view in front where our first treasure of the trip resided..
After a while we hit this broad trail (a road only, for vehicles), leading us to the Lake. We said goodbye to our guide and walked for another 1.5Km or so to reach this pristine and mysterious lake.. There was a beautiful temple on its side where we did our prayers.. With its unique structure, the beauty of it's location, the isolation and the silence, all made it another memorable moment in god's lap..
We went little closer on a hedge to enjoy the view of lake.. There was hardly anyone there apart from our group and another group of guys, probably some bikers.. On a side inside the lake was this mysterious island, and we came to know after the trip that it moved freely in the lake, not stationed at a point.. that added to the amazement of what we witnessed there.. we just had enough time to have a Maggi and tea, and some dal rice.. Fog was building up around us turning that place to heaven.. A light drizzle also started so we had to hurry to start back.. Lalit and Preeti originally planning to stay there dropped the idea and joined us in the tempo traveler.. It was a tricky road, with no asphalt, we were just moving over the rocks with hairpin sharp turns every now and then.. the darkness made it more scary but thanks to the amazing songs that our driver played, we kept ourselves busy in those and later we sang some..
We reached Mandi, had a late night dinner and then reached Ishita's house wandering the safe dark streets of Mandi.. Still 2 more days of plans in view we did not waste much time and took rest..
Day2: To Shikari Devi.
Shikari devi is the highest point in Mandi district. We had the option to directly drive till the top or a light trek from small village Janjheli.. As usual, cab and guide taken care by Ishita's father and he guided us the route as well.. After the long 5 hour trek yesterday, Ashu and Ankita opted out to trek today, Ishita too due to her injury.. Rest of us were in no mood to rest, we wanted to trek all 3 days..
We started from Mandi at around 8.30, collected the special kachori's (whooping 30 was really overestimated for the 8 of us). After witnessing a small fight at outskirts, we moved into remoteness turning our route just before the Pandoh dam. Surrounding was already turning beautiful and we were gaining altitude constantly. After a while a halt at this mysterious huge rock balanced over a stone base, which we could single handedly dangle. Everybody tried their hand and made wishes. After about 3hrs of ride we were here in this beautiful valley of Janjheli..
This world seemed hidden from the outer world.. The view outside the window was another awestruck moment I had in the Himalayas.. It was a beautiful scenery with a river stream flowing, apple orchids around, beautiful village huts with the green covered hills stacked one after the other in background with a light fog on top.. I gazed continuously outside, couldn't resist to praise it again and again..
We met our guide and at some middle of nowhere place we were dropped to start our trek..
so we 5: me, Harwinder, Prerna, Akhil and Swati were trekking today.. We were just following the road for a while, then realized our guide was not thinking of taking us through any trek trail but the road.. After we corrected that, he just made us climb through this super steep section of a hill.. I don't remember when did I climbed so steep last.. Since he was leading, I was confident to climb it fine.. The route was full of wild vegetation and trees that added to confidence of not slipping.. I was amazed by the skills of Swati as she was effortlessly climbing through not so evident sections.. while others also caught up well as this wasn't an easy climb.. Akhil did got stuck for a while, following the super confident Swati, but he was rescued well by our guide.. Once we crossed this, we were on the road again and this is what we were to follow for the next 3 hours or so..
Soon after we hit the road, our guide vanished in front, so was Harwinder.. Rest of s happily talking about a lot of random stuff.. I was amazed by Akhil's readings, about William Dalrymple and 'nine lives' and many others he mentioned..
We caught up with Harwinder after a while.. we took a halt and enjoyed some Kachori's.. Continued further and we came across our first patch of snow for this trek.. There were again some meadows to cherish, although not so vast that we saw earlier.. We tried some shortcuts that became tricky for Prerna, while climbing through the rocks..
We reached the base in about 3 hours.. Another 30mins we took to climb the stairs till the temple.. This was a tiring climb.. I pulled my raincoat out due to this light drizzle.. Me and Swati reached first and waited for others.. I was expecting a lot of snow at the top, but wasn't the case.. We asked a local about the Forest guest house and he pointed to a red roof hut at a distance, sitting in isolation among the green grassland.. We got super excited..
Rest of the three took leisure time and finally we all walked together this open temple, with no roof.. it is said the peak maybe full of snow but the snow never covers the Shikari devi idol in the temple..
It was windy, rains starting to catchup, so I swiftly started to move toward the guest house.. Soon it was hailing from top.. It all became noisy as the hails banged my plastic raincoat.. I then heard a voice from behind.. Harwinder was pointing towards a stall where they were heading too.. good idea as they did not had any protection from the hails.. I said a bye and headed forward.. With destination in front, I moved swift but careful as the route was slippery.. The hails, wind and rain made each step tougher but I kept going.. Now I could hear some noise apart from the hails.. I realized Ishita, Ashu and Ankita were cheering from the hut, for me to catch up.. That was really a booster and I paced up more.. I charged towards the hut and was a dramatic entry as if I was a real roadie just completed my task against all odds.. that was the moment.. :P
With that people did realized the importance of raincoats and bagcovers which not all carried even after continuous reminders. I made myself light, got rid of the wet raincoat and gloves.. and other clothes.. Since I came with the news that rest of the people were also on the top, we were relaxed and waited patiently for others to come, meanwhile Me and Ankita learnt some himachali dance steps from Ishita.. About 40-45mins later rain stopped and rest of the 'roadies' also entered.. It was a joyful atmosphere as we were in this remote hut, disconnected from the outside world..
Me Ishita and Ankita went for a stroll around to enjoy that fog, the view around and also that tea along the fire..
The darkness surrounded us soon and we were all in the cozy blankets doing our talks as usual.. Then the idea hit of dancing in that place.. since it wasn't freezing cold, there wasn't much resistance from anyone.. Everyone stepped up and perform on the weirdest songs and the awesome dance steps.. One of the best part of our trek when all got very much mingled up 'on stage'.. this was luxury! ;)
We were back to our talks, this time the real sensitive issue was taken called Marriage.. it continued for a long while.. got a lot of lessons, mainly the changes that go thru the girls life etc etc.. alongside the extremely tasty Rajma Chawal was served in dinner.. Weather was not so promising, it rained heavily for some time in the night too.. Me Ishita and Harwinder went out to check the status and enjoi some darkness.. The snow at the Shikari Devi peak was visible in dark too, and we could observe some city light at some distance.. My plans to do a stargaze dropped due to the clouds.. we talked interestingly for some time.. I took charge for early morning 5am wake up and do the decision making whether we are gonna trek to Kamrunag (almost 15Km away), or just ride back via Janjheli..
Day3, the best time
It was a difficult night as I slept on a sofa not so wide.. Early morning my alarm rang and I went out.. Surprisingly Harwinder was awake too who helped me to open the door latch.. He went back to bed while I went out to check the beautiful morning.. It was little windy, the sun about to rise and the clouds above seemed disintegrated.. I said to myself, it's gonna be a good day.. Enjoyed the view for a while and went back to wake everyone up..
I was amazed by the enthusiasm again.. We all readied ourselves, packed stuff, had our cup of tea and were raring to go at 06.15am.. Seemed I was with the ideal set of people with me who go along with the conditions without showing any signs of being tired or lazy.. Today was a day of test at we had to trek continuously for atleast 17-18Kms and catch our cab.. The start was really good.. people were swift, route was plain, weather good and the trail through the beautiful deodar forest..
We kept continuously moving for about 2 hours, encountered a few meadows (again!) and small lakes, which were nevertheless beautiful in their own way.. We were running in joy over the meadows, talking stuff and singing songs.. the time, the moments I felt should never end..
I could observe multiple off routes leading to some mysterious places.. Luckily we had our guide to guide us through the correct trail.. We reached this amazing meadow site where we sat and enjoyed our kachoris.. This was another away from the world place and I was imagining the fun if we get a chance to camp at such a place..
We din't stop for long and continued, trying some short cuts and off routes.. We came across some small settlements once in a while, probably of the shepherds which we came across every now and then grazing their sheeps..
After another hour of trek we hit this steep climb section.. After the climb we were awed by the Himalayan peaks spanned all around us.. This was another meadow patch where we relaxed for a while observing the view.. the small yellow flowers of grass were so attractive.. At far away distance we could see the snowy peak of Shikari Devi, that made us realized how far we had come..
 |
| The small snow cap visible far far away |
We climbed through another steep section further higher.. the dimensions of the beauty changed drastically.. This was another vast green pasture but this some surrounded by fog and some virgin rocks seemed rarely any human came here.. A horse grazing at a distance, a patch of forest in the background and the rocks we had to summit visible over a higher elevation..
We took some pause and clicked some photos.. One thing I forgot to mention, the people leading the trail this time were Ankita and Akhil, always waiting for us at some high awesome view points, while we measured the trails behind..
Another final climb among the clouds and now we were close to Kamrunag as per our guide.. I checked altitude on my phone's GPS, it was close to 9800ft.. Now was a brief descend and then a gateway followed by this rocky trail.. I decided I am not gonna stop anywhere till Kamrunag but this was a never ending trail that I kept following for almost 30mins and finally could hear some noise near the lake..
I was totally surprised to see the number of people here.. The noisy group was actually a group of guys playing cricket!?? I din't expected that at all sice we hardly met another human on our trail.. The lake was not in its natural shape anymore with a defined periphery and a temple on a side, it looked like a popular spot for local people who gathered here for their wishes.. Legend says any wish asked at Kamrunag is granted..
Harwinder reached after me and went ahead to grab some pakode from a small tapri.. We waited patiently for another 20-25mins before all could catch up.. It was about 12.30pm, implies we trekked for almost 6 hrs flat that definitely mean atleast 15-16Km of trail traversed already.. Our further route to Rohanda was a steep downhill route..
We visited the temple, I observed more blood on floor here too.. A small premise with a statue at center and a square fence around it.. The fragrance of the dhoop there was mesmerizing.. I politely asked my wishes and took a round around the centre.. The lake in front, not very clean and full of coins thrown by people.. historically they say many jewels were also thrown in the lake for the wishes..
Back from temple we had some tea and maggi.. We started at about 1.45pm for the last stretch, so as to catch our cab on time.. It drizzled to start with but then we were in forest again.. it was really a steep route with some really tricky sections to descend.. I saw the roadie of the day Ankita struggling a bit to get down.. even I slipped and injured my fingers at a section.. We were careful enough wherever necessary and another great performance from all we traversed the entire route within two hours..
Indeed a great day of trekking that ended well with all safe and sound at the Rohanda base where our cab was waiting.. We all gave a high five to each other as this marked the end of our 3 days of trekking.. phew I was happy and content.. and dint wanted to go back..
Our ride back to Mandi was full of fun, songs we sang as playlists of movies and in our own tones.. When we reached back, our bus was 3 hours away and we got this news from Ishita that her mom has prepared some light dinner.. The trip ending in luxury again as we went to her house.. People enjoyed their bath and tea and then the food which was not 'light' from any angle.. Another attack :)
We were discussing what Ishita's father said.. We are now certified trekkers after finishing the three days of trekking and can conquer any trek (I hope so :))..
Finally it was time to say bye-bye to all at bus the bus stop as I was heading towards Punjab now and rest of the people to Delhi.. Some more jokes cracked at last moment but now it was time of a separation again till we all meet for another trek.. A group I feel so blessed to acquaint with, not sure of others as they were still together, but it's hard to adieu people with whom u just spent a real memorable time..
