The experiences in the Himalayas blind you with their awesomeness. The inability to aptly convey the thoughts is purely my shortcoming. For those who have never been there, a first hand experience is advised.
Day 1: May 9
Leaving behind all the routine worries and loaded with minimum required luggage I reached the rendezvous point at Mumbai Central station. It was the first time that I was going for a Himalayan trek or rather any outing without any friends/family accompanying me. I recognised a few people from the practice trek a few weeks earlier and exchanged pleasantries. Then I was alone scanning the rest of the group to find anyone to strike up a conversation. I did find a group of architects waiting for another friend of theirs who had managed to be a bit late. By the time she reached we had had a round of introductions and then it was time to board the super fast Rajdhani which was all charged up like us to begin the journey.
The Rajdhani hospitality began with the journey with a quick round of snacks. Most among the 44 of us were in the same compartment and soon preliminary introductions were in full swing. Ours was a mixed group having seasoned trekkers and first time aspirants with almost a 60 year age gap between the 7 year old and the eldest one.
Sometime later in the evening, some of us played a new card game called Hijack which was a hilarious ice-breaker exercise. After a lip smacking delicious feast of roasted chicken (sorry veggies, but it was amazing) followed by dinner, we gathered for the 2nd ice breaker and you know what, my favourite :) a round of soulful old Hindi songs. I couldn't have been happier than sitting among some amazing singers. I knew then itself that I was going to have a blast in the next 12 days.
Day 2: May 10
I realized in the next 11 days that when you keep away all the worldly worries aside, even a minimal sleep of 5-6 hours is sufficient for a tired body. After an early coffee and breakfast, I spent some time chatting with the only person of my age in the group. However interesting the group is, you need someone you can relate to most, to keep company and she being from the same academic background we struck off well. ( do take this at the face value and not read more into it).
Our so called air con bus was waiting to pick us up at the Delhi station. It was a beast of a bus but an ugly one for sure. It was a sleeper coach and the younger ones as expected took the upper berths immediately. All were in high spirits and most part of this journey to Hrishikesh was covered with a long round of Antakshari followed by Name-Place-Animal-Thing (i guess I had played the game around 15 yrs ago) and Dumb charades. The other part was spent grumbling about the stupid bus whose twice punctured tyres cost us our evening in Hrishikesh.
We reached the Garhwal Mandal's Bharat Bhoomi guest house pretty late. It was a wonderful night though. Cool after light showers. I spent a long time on the windy terrace having a chat with my new architect friend. Another good friend in the making.
Day 3: May 11
I woke up pretty early and had a dose of Vitamin D on the terrace. The other nutrients (mostly carbs from omnipresent "aloo") came from breakfast and then we left for our next destination Mastura (4820 ft alt) in 2 small buses to tackle the gut churning mountain roads of the Garwhal mountains. I started off in the smaller bus but soon swapped places to go in the other one since there was no one to sing with in the former. We sang away as we passed DeoPrayag and RudraPrayag, the confluences of various tributaries of the Ganga. It rained later and as we gained height it suddenly became chilly. Excited as we were, we unleashed our repertoire of monsoon songs.
We reached Mastura, a very tiny village, before sunset. After tea and hot pakodas, I did some repacking for the trek and went for a stroll with a few others at sunset. It gets absolutely pitch dark so we didn't venture too far.
After dinner we had a camp fire, the first among many to come. Our group leader, an amazingly enthusiastic guy, came out with his stock of typical trek songs. When most of us went off to sleep we ended the session with some quiet melodies, a few by our multi talented doctor kaka. We slept off with a feeling of excitement for the next day since the actual trek was to begin.
Day 4: May 12
For the next few days the daily morning rituals were sans the bathing part. So getting ready in the morning was not much of an effort. By 8.30am we were done with breakfast and after dumping the extra luggage in a room we were raring to go. After some basic briefing and the customary Shivaji Maharaj's ghoshana/aaroli (ending with Jai Bhavani, Jai Shaivaji) which pumps in more vigour, we were off. For regular trekkers (like me, though this was after a long break) it was going to be an easy day. 4 kms of steep climb to Deoriatal (7998 ft). With poor levels of physical activity in routine life, people did struggle here, children included. I stayed back to egg on my new friend who was struggling a bit. But I must admit that she showed great spirit and reached the camp without taking any help.
Deoriatal, as the name suggests is a lake. One of the most beautiful locations I have seen till date, it seems to have apparated straight from a fairytale. It's a small lake, with almost three sides surrounded by dense trees and a trail going round it. As you approach the lake from south, it acts like a mirror and you get an amazing glimpse of the snow clad 'Chaukhamba' peaks. And for bird lovers, this place is heaven.
Though our camp site, consisting of a guest house and few tents, was just 5 mins away from this lake, it didn't offer a great view of the ranges and valley since it was totally surrounded by trees.
We spent the evening playing some real fun games. I don't remember screaming my lungs out in quite a few years.
And then there was the sunset. The same sun, the same you, but what a difference the backdrop makes!!
After dinner and a nice, warm campfire, I slipped into the sleeping bag inside the mini tent I was allocated.
Day 5: May 13
After a slightly chilly night, i woke up at 5am ("without alarm" !!!! ). A few other lucky people also woke up. I say lucky because what we saw by the lake some time later was out of this world. A beautiful, clear morning sky with cool, crisp air. And there we saw the peaks, getting illuminated by the early rays of the sun, one after the other as if it was choreographed (by God... who else) to perfection. Breathtaking!! And then as the sun came up the shafts of light bathed the whole valley, a scene which only your mind can capture.
After a walk round the lake and some 'genuine' bird watching, and amazing photography with my new architect friend, we went back for breakfast. I really wish all had come to witness the event.
This was a rest day which we spent relaxing, playing cards, UNO, Guess the Word (cool game) and sleeping, a thing which I hate to do when on treks. We went to the forest for some activities like rope climbing, which I was hopeless at, and Tarzan swinging, which I loved to do since I could do it :). And the best part was treasure hunt which we played in the evening; searching for clues in chits hidden in trees and under rocks... and my team won!! We spent the rest of the evening singing and chatting away by the campfire. I slept in another tent that night. It had been a wonderful day.
Day 6: May 14
The clouds were not so kind to us this morning. Those who missed last morning's sunrise were in for disappointment. Nonetheless, some of us waited on the watch tower near the lake, bird watching and chatting away.
After breakfast we bade farewell to Deoriatal and descended about 2kms to a village called Sari (9840 ft) which we had passed while ascending. The knee wobbling descent is what a few people including me dislike, however we made excellent time that day. Sari had a motorable road and we used the services of 2 cars to take us to the next trekking point. In case I have not mentioned it before, I must say that this was a leisure trek, unlike any treks I have been to before.
Our next destination was Dugalbitta (111152 ft), beautifully located in a valley having lush green pastures with crystal clear streams cutting through them. And to reach there, the approach road was equally serene. It was a 5 km climb through dense forest and I have no doubt that inspite of the climb, everyone of us wished that the road wouldn't end. As it's true with life, a trek is no exception; learn to enjoy the path, the destination would wait for you; since it is the path on which most of your life is spent. And make sure you chose your fellow travellers well. I was lucky on that front.
After the pleasurable walk everyone comfortably reached the campsite. We stayed in a two storey guest house with almost all basic facilities that one would need there. The day was spent exploring the camp area, playing cards and just resting. A small hailstorm in the evening was a pleasant surprise and the two youngest gals in our group promptly went hailstone picking. Those two also did some serious strawberry picking the next day. We started with our singing session with tea at around 5.30pm. Our bollywood songs database simply amazes me. We continued this nonstop bollywood hits programme for 4 hours on a trot only to stop at dinner time with the participants dwindling to 5 by the time we wound up.
A peculiar feature of this trek was the frenzy to charge cell phones and camera batteries as soon as the gensets started in the evening. As I said this was a leisure trek. With the gensets shutting down at night we too hibernated.
Day 7: May 15
I had the chance to witness another beautiful sunrise that morning. It was a rest day reserved for a few activities around the camp. But the first attraction of the day was breakfast. Maggi!!!! Believe me it's a pleasure to have Maggi in the Himalayas. A different experience altogether. Well... maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but yes.. its fun.
One of our friends, an amazing photographer, had to leave the trek midway that morning due to some emergency back in Mumbai. We surely missed his company a lot.
I played some volleyball after breakfast and then we were off for valley crossing. Just 2 mins away from the camp our camp leaders had set up the ropes across a tiny gorge. We had to walk across to the other side and with the safety harness in place slide along the rope to come back. I did it for the first time in my life. It was fun but time consuming, so unfortunately we could do it only once. Everyone's expressions while hanging were worth capturing and our ever ready cameras were merrily clicking away. After crossing we were rewarded with a plate of yummy bhel brought all the way from Mumbai :)
Nature had its way again with our rappelling and rock climbing getting washed off in rains and hail. I went for a stroll to the nearby stream with my new young friends. We sat at a beautiful spot by the stream for a long time. Though both girls were just out of school, an event which took place in my life almost 9 years ago, we had many interesting topics to discuss. I must say that I am one of those lucky ones who can strike up a conversation with almost anyone.
We went back after the generators were on. And then I committed a crime, already committed by most others by now. I had a bath...!!! We had broken one of those unwritten rules of trekking. From then on we started calling it a 'Trip' rather than a trek. But anyways... it felt good to be clean again.
That night by the campfire, I saw one of the most beautiful views of the night sky I have ever seen. From the valley it seemed like we were some insignificant beings staring out of a large vessel, awestruck by the big, beautiful universe out there. But for the cold, I would have slept out there staring at God's gardens.
Day 8: May 16
There was a change of plan. Instead of going to our next camp Chopta, we were going to go for Tunganath and Chandrashila peak that day itself and come back to Dugalbitta. The change was to accommodate some other plan which had just materialized. The plan was to reach Chopta, about 6 kms away, by vehicles to save time and start the climb. Some of us walked halfway and were rewarded with some time on a beautiful pasture with horses and cows grazing away leisurely. After a quick cup of tea and some election news on the radio in a shack by the side of the pasture, the car picked us up on its fourth round.
As with any temple in the north, the road to Tunganath (12070 ft) was completely built up. It was a typical stone path, pretty steep sometimes but a cakewalk for regular trekkers. The route was beautiful, the path steadily winding up the lush green mountain sides. Higher up, we left the trees behind and had clouds for company.
A dear little friend was feeling pretty ill, and some literal hand holding was necessary to get her up. But I am glad she made it to the temple. (I know she would kill me for calling her "little", but that's the best I can do without names). Another friend made it on a khacchar (a mule). I'm surely in for a beating here. :)
Tunganath is a nice little temple made of granite slabs. With clouds floating across, the feeling was heavenly. We performed a small aarti at the temple and started our final ascent to Chandrashila peak (13450 ft), a steep climb of about 1.5 kms. I was totally fired up for the last climb and was the first to ring the temple bell atop the peak. We had made it!!! This was the destination we had started for and it was great to see that most of us had made it to the top. The feeling was magical, to be at the top, floating in clouds. Though without clouds the view would have been even better. The cameras were clicking away again and surprisingly all phones had started working. We quickly called up our loved ones just to say 'Hi' from the top.
We got back down to the temple and had excellent aloo parathas and some rhododendron juice, which was quite nice I would say. The climb down after that was pretty fast and eveyone hogged on bun-omelet, maggi and veg pulao at the small eatery at the base. Those of us who wanted more of the trek, walked back to Dugalbitta camp, another 3.5km gradual climb down through beautiful forests and pastures.
Everyone was pretty tired that evening to do much activity. We chillaxed till night, packed up to leave the next morning. After some time by the camp fire, we slept off.
Day 9: May 17
It was a long journey back to Hrishikesh, back the same route we had come by. After a lot of leg-pulling and singing and chatting and lunch en route, we reached Bharat Bhoomi hotel in the evening. There we had a nice bath, a quiet dinner and then we slept off, dead tired after the weary journey. But... we all had smiles on our faces and excitement in our heart for the next day.
Day 10: may 18
Today was the day of the other plan which had materialized at Dugalbitta. It was rafting day!!! A welcome change in plan unanimously voted for. We got ready in our swimsuits... well, not literally, and left hotel for a decent south Indian breakfast. Cars were ready to whisk us away to the starting point of our adventure. We reached there with cars loaded with rafts and rafting gear and after donning the rafting gear all of us quickly had a round of goti-soda to beat the heat. Then the sorting hat (our group leader.... this was for Harry Potter fans) sorted us into our rafts and we were off. Frankly I had expected more thrilling rapids than what we got, but it was fun nevertheless. It was pretty easy work paddling the boat with the experienced guide giving all instructions. But the best part I liked was swimming in the cold water of Ganga. With the sun trying to roast you from top, the water was the best place to be in. We stopped for some cliff jumping which reminded me of the 4th floor jump in my swimming pool days back in Mumbai. Was surely thrilling!!
After a few more rapids and some more swimming under the Ram jhula and Lakshman jhula, we reached the finish point. And all of a sudden everyone went wild, pulling each other in the water, splashing water and wetting already wet people. It was damn fun. In the end a few Pandavs had to be literally pulled out. Oh.. how did I forget to mention the Pandavs before??? We had this extremely funny gang of teenager guys each one with some peculiarity (like a mobile range addict, maggi addict... etc). These were our Pandavs.. or jugaari Pandavs as we later called them since loved playing cards.
We went back to the hotel to clean up and get some rest. In the evening, we went to the Ganga ghats near Lakshman jhula to witness the aarti. It was pretty crowded and very hot and so we didn't loiter around for too long. People did some quick shopping since there wasn't much time at hand. Dinner was at the famous Chotiwala restaurant, which actually had a guy with choti sitting at the entrance.
Back at the hotel, there were plans for a dj session, for which our leader especially bought speakers in the afternoon. However it wasn't much of a success with only a few enthu dancers on the floor. Sorry guys... i'm not so crazy for dancing. Another result of the poor turnout was that, we had to eat about 4-5 ice creams per head to finish off what was bought for all... that was simply too much. Then I stayed back late for sometime with the junior gang playing cards and 'Truth or Stare' in the corridors. I remembered my school days when such games used to be fun... asking each other crazy questions. After answering some expected questions I went off to sleep.
Day 11: May 19
It was practically the last day of our trip. We left Hrishikesh early to ensure that we didn't miss our Rajdhani. The bus was excellent and sleep deprived that I was, I slept most of the time. I guess that's what most others did. We only had packed breakfast and Amul kool enroute and reached Delhi station well in time for a quick lunch at Comesum. Keeping up its reputation, Rajdhani left on the dot and we were off to Mumbai. The feeling then started to sink in that the next morning we were going to go our own ways. I have gone through this many times before but it's something you can't help. The bond you start sharing after spending the whole 10 days together compels you to feel sad. Everyone exchanged their contacts and made promises to keep in touch. A get-together was planned.
In the spur of the moment we make these promises. Everyone knows that not all would be kept. But that's the way you always end your journey.. on a good note, with hopes of meeting again and carrying forward the friendships which started blossoming in the mountains.
Day 12: May 20
We had come a full circle and reached Mumbai Central. It was time to bid farewel. With smiles on our faces and memories in our heavy hearts we finally dispersed to face our own lives once again.
