On a cold winter morning of 26th Oct, there was not a whiff of wind at Triund. As i glanced out of my tent, the silver lines marked the series of tall standing peaks of Dhauladhar Range.
On one side was the equally modest sun spreading its golden glow; to the other, above in the grey wintry light, loomed the black rock walls and fault lines of the Himalayas. Further below still, through steep slopes of Cedar and Deodar, and below the slowly circling eagles, was the foggy floor of the Kangra Valley. The Valley appeared like a green and brown checkered pattern, highlighting a clutter of small towns and villages with colored roof tops.
I stepped out for a stroll to embrace the meadows of Triund, at the level of the clouds, wishing for a small corner, my own space, under the open sky.
Trek to Indrahara Pass was the best suited option to be explored in 4 days. I was super excited for this was going to be my first solo trek with no / random planning. But, how could Deepti let me have all the fun alone, and she decided to join meJ. We decided to drive down, a 4X4 wheel drive in her brand new Yeti against the original plan to travel by Volvo.
Trek Started from Galu Devi (2130m) at Dharamkot. After a 3.5 hours of comfortable walk through the a mixed forest of oak and rhododendron, we were up in Triund (2975m).Triund is a forest protected land with Forest Rest House as the only permanent structure. Ranjeet's father is a care taker of this rest house since last 22 years. We had an option to stay in the rest house, but we opted for camping.
Post lunch at the rest house, me and Ranjeet went up till snowline (3300 mts). Both the Pir Panjal and The Great Himalayan ranges are visible from the top. Snowline’s majestic views include the peaks of Mun(4610m), Slab(4570m),Rifle Horn and Arthur’s Seat.
Original plan was to camp at Snowline and trek to Indrahara Pass (4375m) the next day. As Deepti wasn’t keeping well, we touched the clouds at Snowline to descend back to camp at Triund. By the time we reached our campsite, sun had set. Over dinner, we decided to return to Meclodganj the next day morning, leaving Indrahara Pass for the next visit. Temperature was dropping rapidly outside as we slipped in our sleeping bags in the warm and snug space of our tent.
Mcleodganj, the Tibet settlement above the Kangra Valley and the dusty planes of Punjab, is a miniature Tibet outside Tibet. The Monks, with wide leathery face, broad shoulders and an air of calm and dignity wore enveloping maroon robes. We explored the lanes of mini Tibet, visited Bhagsunag and the Dalai Lama Temple after descending, on the evening of next day.
“Violence may be justified by our scriptures in certain circumstances, but anger and hatred, are always forbidden" is a famous Tibetan Belief. Promoting this, late in the evening, were seen hundreds of people, across all the religions, peacefully protesting and marching in solidarity, in memory of a Tibetan Monk who self- immolated to protest against the violence spread by China.
Next day, was the time, to say good bye to the mysterious city of Meclodganj. We left at around 8 am and swiftly steered our way to Palampur for a small halt. Drive through the tea gardens along the foothills of the Himalayas was quite scenic. Next halt was at Anantpur Sahib. The Gurdawara was well lit at around 7 pm and the environment was very serene and peaceful.
It was exactly 1 hour past midnight, when we reached home. I kept thinking, all through the night, about the remarkable journey, fresh and absorbing air of the mountains offering lovely views, having met some of the incredible people who eat,sleep and live simple and uncomplicated life. I was feeling almost invincible,thinking about my next visit to Dharamshala to underline the unfinished task - Indrahara Pass
1 comment:
U remember every detail of the journey. It would have been so special. Please keep sharing.
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