Purujeet Parida
Those who seek to escape, even if for a short while, the claustrophobic civilization closing in all around us, should take small breaks occasionally to explore the majestic Himalayas in all its sublime splendour…
We humans have evolved to tune out noise. This helps some of us sleep through thunderstorms and some of us sit through days after sultry days of monotonous office hours. The whining of the fan, the honking of traffic, the overhanging chorus of rain splashing down upon the pavement, puddles and roofs of tin, plastic or concrete, we can tune all this out while watching something on TV or reading the newspaper. When we really want to concentrate we have to tune out the noise and think clearly. Many people achieve this by listening to opera or orchestra music. Those of the adventurous type, whose legs are young and hearts younger, choose to head out of the city. To borrow a line from one of my favourite TVF shows, “The Solution to every problem is – Roadtrip!”. I would add that even without problems, any city dweller should definitely set off for a soulful recharge in the Himalayas every now and then. After all, where else would you feel closer to spirituality or even devotion than on the snow clad shoulders of humbling mountains, while climbing higher towards the peak hidden among the clouds?
If your heart has managed to convince your guts to stake it all on the sincerity of your lust for adventure, you are now ready to find a group and just go to the Himalayas. There are several tour operators running packages for treks to peaks and lakes in the middle and upper Himalayas. At this stage, you can decide if you want a weekend trip lasting 2 to 3 days or a week-long trip lasting 7-10 days. Most of the trips start from Delhi.
We picked the Triund trek with the Himalayan Weekenders for a number of reasons. We wanted a 2-3 day trek and cover not only Triund but also go till the snowline. Triund is an easy 4-5 hours (about 9 km) of trek and the summit offers stunning 180 degree views of the mighty Dhauladhar Himalayas, Pir Panjal ranges, Indrahar pass, Lahesh caves and the entire Kangra valley. We wanted serious trekking and serious snow. With Himalayan Weekenders we got all this for a reasonable price. On treks into the upper Himalayas it is always advisable to go with a group that consists of expert mountaineers. Even if the Triund trek is moderate, you never know when the mountain decides to test your resolve and your fate simultaneously.
Bonfire Bonhomie
In our group, there were many first time trekkers and novices who had never been to the Himalayas before. Truth be told, however, even the lot of us who had been on treks into the Himalayas before were not aware that this trip would be something way beyond our expectations. We set off from Mcleodganj towards Dharamkot, a small hamlet 2.5 km away which served as the base camp for the trek ahead. The first day of this high altitude trek was a day for acclimatisation. The trekkers hiked to the Bhagsu nag falls, where many took a plunge into the cool dark waters to soak away the tiredness of the journey. After being soaked to the bone, we set out towards the serene Dalai Lama Temple, Tsulagkhang complex, Namgyal Monastry and St. Johns Church, by which time we were hungry and dry and with the setting sun we made our way to the camp. To set the tone for the adventure to follow on the next days, we lit a bonfire and gave company to the hot embers shooting off into the sky where the light of shy stars slowly came to light. Somebody brought out the guitar and the harmonica and we needed no more invitation to join in the singing and impromptu beatboxing. By the time we all drifted off to sleep after surviving a day of subjecting our shoddy plain muscles to Himalayan topography and our vocal chords to newfound comrade choirs, the tone had been set. Introductions were over. The real conversations with the mountains (and self) are to follow.
Mother Nature
The day two of the trek started early with a briefing of the trek routes, topography of the area and various trekking techniques. Armed with that, we followed the leader into the woods. We were also educated about minimum impact environmental practices. The philosophy is simple. We are merely visitors into the home of wildlife. We should leave every place just as we found it, otherwise it would be unrecognizable and unusable for the wildlife. We owe them this much at least, especially after the devastation wrought upon them by centuries of hunting for business and pleasure. The first part of the trek was through a rocky outlay running through the forest leading to the Galu Devi Temple where the trekkers were divided into smaller groups of six-seven members. That way each trekker would be responsible for the safe passage of their group members in those parts of the trek which were narrower or steeper and progress would have to be made in a single file.
The trail from there went through the oak and the Rhododendron trees overlooking the valley of Kangra. The gradient was moderate at first and increased gradually. For many it being a first time trek it seemed difficult at first but the constant motivation from the team kept them energised. When the climb got steeper, the group camaraderie went on high gear, motivating everyone to stick to the pack and forge ahead. By dusk, the team reached the top of Triund where they were treated with delight as the lofty, snow clad Dhauladhar Mountains stood right in front. Triund is named after the junction of three mountain ridges where it lies. The freshness of the air was the balm, the clouds moving by was the backdrop and the chill of the wind blowing softly was the re-energiser and soon the team was setting up the tents. By the time the stars came out, the tents were pitched and the camp was set. Coincidently it was a full moon night and somebody played melancholic music in the background. Everyone sat by the bonfire and played group games that slowly devolved into ghost story telling. Ordinarily, the same stories would not have the same effect as while sitting around a warm fire with the dark cold night all around, with co-scared faces seen dimly in the flickering light and no familiar sounds anywhere. With no mobile network and zero connectivity everyone enjoyed the stories — and the music. We also sat for hours under the full moon washing ourselves in the cool moonlight and thinking quite useless, pretty fanciful thoughts, occasionally asking silly irrelevant questions.
Bittersweet Trek
The day three of the trek began after breakfast with a trek even higher up the mountains to Ilaqa Got, where we trekked up to the snowline. It was a tough trek but the sight of the snow in abundance kept everyone going. Many of the trekkers experienced snowfall for the first time after they reached Ilaqa and they indulged in some friendly snowball fight. By lunch time all the trekkers came back to Triund and after lunch the descent began. While trekking down, the pace seemed easier and so it took much less time. This time a different route was taken through the dense forest which led us to Bal Village — a scenic and secluded village in the mountains where people reside in the lap of nature, totally free from commercialisation of any kind, a far cry from the lives we were used to in the plains. The afternoon was spent by the plunge pools and cascades where everyone swam or dived into the fresh water and/or relaxed by the Dal lake of Naddi. From Naddi to Mcleodganj was the last bit of the trek which was bittersweet because the trek was over but the experience we had was ethereal. From Mcleodganj the trekkers boarded the bus back to Delhi.
Lofty Call
Himalayan Weekenders is run by the trio of Sanjay, Dibya and Ankush. Ankush is the organiser, doing all the trip planning, organising and social media promotion. Dibya is a professional social worker who left her job at an international organisation to be part of this startup. She takes care of the communications, logistics and first-aid during the trips making sure that everyone in the trek is safe and fit. Sanjay is an ex-Air Force personnel and also a mountaineer who has trekked through most of the Himalayan mountain ranges in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarrakhand, Himachal and Sikkim. He leads all the treks and keeps everyone’s spirit and morale high all through the trails in the mountains.
Himalayan Weekenders is a platform to introduce young people to the world of trekking . Their aim is to develop confidence among the youth through trekking in different regions of the Himalayas and create awareness about the environmental changes particularly observable in the mountains.
There is something about the mountains that call out to some people. Some are driven by the irresistible urge to conquer them by summiting the peak, some are drawn to the pristine nature of the ecosystems they support. We went to escape the claustrophobia that city life can often inflict upon city dwellers. Our foray into the Himalayas was an effort to push back at the civilisation closing in all around us and make more space for our souls to breathe.
In doing so, we learned a few ways of living sustainably in rocky steep forests. But most importantly, the mountains built a relationship with us that will resound within us during times of turmoil and uncertainty. The introductions were over. A lifelong ritual was in the making.
