Himalayan Retreat - The Indrahar Trek !

Living in concrete jungles and toiling away day and night to make that extra buck has become a norm for most of us. Have you ever imagined breaking away from these shackles and exploring the true essence of life? Being highly passionate about travel, adventure and photography I sometimes feel the urge to explore the wild and wander around freely with nothing but pure bliss as companion. Well what's life without actually living it!

As an old 11th century saying goes "Traveler's will cross many rivers and climb many mountains. Plainsmen may always live within a valley. But only those seeking the truth will ever reach the summit". This is a vivid recount of my tryst with destiny.

A few weeks of planning and last minute leave approval meant I was frantically on my way to catch that evening flight to Delhi on a cloudy Friday afternoon in Bangalore. An overnight stay in Delhi and we start off early next morning to catch the Kalka bound Shatabdi Express. The excitement is palpable on reaching Kalka as we brace ourselves to board the "Himalayan Queen". The Kalka-Shimla Himalayan Queen is an architectural gem providing breathtaking panoramas of the Himalayan foothills as it meanders its way through 101 tunnels and 864 bridges on its slow accent to Shimla. An amazing experience as we stay rooted to the doors soaking in the lasting memories.

The next two days are spent wandering about in Shimla, the summer capital of India during British Raj. One can only admire this city for its immaculate planning and architectural beauty. After a brief detour to Kufri we visit the "Kali Baadi" (Kali Temple) and the "Jakhu Mandir" (Hanuman Temple). Legend has it that Hanuman rested here for sometime when he went to collect the mythical medicinal herb “Sanjivani” from the Himalayas to cure the mortally wounded Lakshman and in the process his footprints got embedded here. Soon the time came to bid goodbye to this historic city as we help ourselves to some goodies at the famous Mall Road and take the overnight bus to Dharamshala.

A 9km drive from Dharamshala takes you to Mcleodganj, abode of the Dalai Lama and the epicenter of Tibetan cry for Independence. Apart from being the headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile this suburb is the base point for many a trek into the mighty Dhauladhar Range and hence is always bustling with trekking enthusiasts from all over the world. After a token visit to the Dalai Lama Temple we pack our sleeping bags, tents and hiking sticks to head for Dharamkot (a small town 2km from Mcleodganj) next morning. Here we meet our guide, Kuldeep, and he infuses enough confidence in us to be able to complete the trek within 4 days.

The ridges over the Dhauladhar do not lend themselves to easy trekking and the Indrahar Pass is no exception. This trail however is well defined as it is the traditional migratory and grazing route of the "Gaddis", the colorful, semi nomadic Hindu shepherds. Climbing uphill from Dharamkot along a rocky path, amongst the clouds, it took us about 5 hours to climb 800m and reach Triund (2850m). The 9km walk is steep but provides splendid views of the meadows below. Needless to say the vivid Himalayan flora en route caught everyone's eye. At the top, Triund painted a pretty picture with mountain goats and horses grazing on green pastures amidst a backdrop of the mighty Himalayas. We spent the night at the forest guest house here and woke up early next morning to catch the beautiful sunrise above the high mountains shrouded in layers of thick clouds. Words can never do justice to this mesmerizing experience!

The trail from Triund starts to climb gently through oak and conifer forests and after a point the green pastures seem to give way to huge rocks and boulders. We pass through a ridge of prayer flags and descending porters and after a 3 hour climb reach the campsite at Lakagot (3350m), 6km from Triund. The altitude is getting to us by now and our pace has drastically reduced. Snow Line Cafe provides a lifeline here as we fill ourselves to the brim with the basic food available and decide to camp out for the night at near zero temperatures, all the while gazing at the misty mountains right ahead of us and what it would feel like to be on top.

The day after Kuldeep dutifully wakes us all up at 5 am as we start for the final assault to Indrahar Pass, 6km from Lakagot, through dense fog and almost zero visibility. A rigorous trek for 2 hours and we reach Lahesh Cave (3600m), a huge rock overhang adjacent to a "Nullah" (Glacial stream). The legs have started paining badly by now as we rest here to catch a little breath. Kuldeep has words of encouragement and constantly eggs us on. The trek up to the pass involves climbing through rugged and slippery terrain, sometimes on all fours. Holy markings engraved on the rocks by shepherds all along the way help to keep a sense of direction amidst the maze of rocks. As I climb higher I can hear my heart pounding heavily and asking me to turn back with each forward step but the determination to reach the top keeps me going somehow. The last stretch to Indrahar Pass (4350m) is an almost vertical climb and the sun is unforgiving even at that altitude but once there the majestic view of the snow capped Pir Panjal Range and Mt. Mani Mahesh Kailash (5650m) to the north is simply spellbinding.

Standing there on top I had this strange feeling of belongingness and a sense of achievement that I had finally made it to the abode of Gods. Needless to say the pain endured during the last 7 hours was traded for every inch of ascent!

And as the popular Gaddi saying goes "Ye pathar bulate hain!”, I hope to make it back again sometime in the near future!