End of Har Ki Dun : A Heavenly New Beginning

Shadow Play

We are at the top. Swarg Rohini is glittering like dimond and stands strong in front of us.  It is our second day of exploration on the top of  Har Ki Doon. We are ready to explore the summit and visit Manindra Lake. Last night seemed challenging for some of us. Chandan, Anup and Sangita were unwell. Many of us did not feel like having our dinner. Pranav also started saying he feels unwell and may be due to high altitude. The fear takes you over very easily. I now take over the seen and tell everyone that the altitude of 12000 feet cannot make you sick. It is only because of the cold and change in food. My conviction seems to work on them. I am sure, some rest will be good. 

The morning is clear and Sun decides to bestow his love on us. We are ready for a small climb. Chacha leads our way. It seems like an easy climb but turns out to be quite difficult. Anup opts out of this expedition and prefers to stay back to click some photographs. Everybody else is eager to touch the feet of Har ki Doon. It is a beautiful route. We seem to be reaching nowhere.  Sangita is going slow. However I am sure that this strong willed woman will surely make it to the top. 

I do not want to leave Chandan behind today of course for my selfish motive. If he decides to quit half way through I am going to feel bad all my life, for he did not get to the summit. However to my surprise, he seems to have recovered and is ahead of many of us.  We admire the beauty of Har ki Doon while we walk, click, giggle and chatter. We are so relaxed now. Finally we reach where the water is accumulated at one place. Everybody is slightly disappointed after knowing that this is the final destination and the lake is really not a lake. Padmawati pond on Rajgad has more water than this lake. 

Manindra lake

But I like the entire journey and love the surroundings and quietude of the place. Even a whisper seems to break the silence of nature.  Silence of mountains, quietude of the lake and peace of our minds merge with each other and a  new music is born. The music is playing in my heart. The music of peace and harmony,  the music of silence,  the music of quietude. I am internalizing. I am peeping into my  mind and trying to harmonize my feelings with the beauty of Himalaya.

Ashok, Abha, Sushant and Suhani slide down the snow. Their sounds break the silence. However I do not mind now. Because the tranquility has been absorbed by my mind. I am enchanted, enriched and empowered. 

Mountain Garlic : Costs a Bomb

We are now on our way back. There are beautiful flowers,  birds and streams on the way. Chacha shows us a small plant of mountain garlic. He says this has medicinal properties and sells at Rs. 10,000 per kg in Delhi Market. I am amazed. Nature is very generous and impartial. A diamond is born in the midst of coal and priceless medicines grow in the company of weeds. 

We come back and finish our lunch. Most of the people want to retire to the tents for the post lunch nap. Kalyani and I decide to explore har ki dun. Arnab also joins us for a small walk. It is very cold but it seems to be a clear day. We cross the river and decide to walk along the river towards the down stream. Arnab shows us some beautiful spots. We are overwhelmed. We see a large plateau

as we look down. We immediately start discussing whether it could be converted into a football ground or may be a helipad. 

Human mind is very selfish. It wants the ownership on every bit of earth without doing anything for it. 

The evening is delightful, we see a family of bison in the far away mountains, the glittering river, the shiny mountains, everything is so mesmerizing here. 

We have packed our bags and are ready to head down from Har ki Doon. We will be spending one more night in tents and will then proceed to Sankri village. The day is bright and our hearts are light. We begin to descend. The river bank looks so beautiful from the top. Everything on the way looks amazingly different now. We are

near the Osla village. This is an ancient village of Gadhwal region. We want to see the village and hence decide to enter it since there is no hurry for us to reach down. The children in the village gather around us and ask for chocolates. We give them some sweets and admire the beautiful habitat of beautiful people.  All the houses are constructed with wood. Temples carved with intricate designs. We are awestruck by the craftsmanship, the people, their attire and almost everything. 

We eat lunch on the way and slowly head to our destination for the day. Our camping site is besides the river bank of Supin.  Aabha decides to wash her hair today. I am too skeptical about cold water for my head. However inspired by her deed I join Kalyani and

Enchanting Evening

Sangita to wash my hair.  The batteries are charged now. Chandan radio station is back to normal. He is completely rejuvenated after the descend. Arnab is now wondering if we are the same set of people.  We chat play cards and enjoy the neighborhood. Ashok prefers to take some rest. Mayur and Vishal go for a small climb as if morning activity was not enough. Anup is back to normal after the descend and hence Prerana is delighted. Aabha and Sidharth look very happy since they will be able to go to Masoori for shopping. Naredra dada is composed as usual. Sachin is full of energy after a bath in the cold water. Pranav and  Kalyani are enjoying the weather and look contended.  Suhani and Sushant are engrossed in deciding the next poses for selfies. 

Next day is light however we want to finish it in time. We start our

journey to Village Taluka at 8.00 am. We had covered this distance in two days while climbing. The day begins with excellent weather. We want to have a look at snow caped mountains for the last time. The journey is enchanting. We are now reliving our onward journey. Carpets of flowers are laid down on our way. The birds are singing and the river is playing a background music. 

We reach Taluka village at around 3.00 pm. The jeeps are waiting for us. We load our luggage inside the jeep and ourselves on the top of the jeep. The villagers are shocked to see us climb on the roof top. They give us a look as if we have run away from the asylum. I

Brave and bumpy : here we go

was criticizing Chandan for sitting on the rooftop when we had reached our first camp. Look at me now  sitting on the rooftop. Himalayan weather has played its magic. 

After a thirty minute bumpy ride we are fully drenched in rain. The hotel rooms are cozy and warm but they are no way comparable to the warmth of the hearts of Gadhawali people, they are not as cozy as the company of my trekking mates indeed. 

This is the last evening together. We will be going to Dehradun next day and will fly from Delhi to Pune. We will still travel together but will not trek together for another year or so. The company of Himalaya will also end tomorrow. 

I am enchanted, enriched and empowered. Himalaya has played its magic, the people have left a lasting mark but more so, it is the trekking mates who made all the difference. My soulmate Chandan chatters all the time, Sachin keeps him a company, Naren dada adds the spice whenever necessary, Aabhaa and Siddharth fashion the trek, simplicity of Anup and Prerana is adorable, Sangita’s patience and Mayur’s silence is amazing. Ashok’s maturity and Vishal’s stamina is impeccable, Pranav and Kalyani have excellent chemistry as siblings. Sushant’s mimicry adds life and lively Suhani is delectable. Hats of to you guys. It was an absolute privilege to spend those ten days in the lap of Har Ki Doon. But it was an absolute enjoyment in your company indeed. 

Contact Details : Himalaya Shelter