Trek to Triund

It is hard to believe that the lockdown hasn’t played a spoilsport in your plans, whatever they might be.  Just thinking about it makes one frown, feel sad and frustrated all at once. Well, same is the case with me- I had a plan to go for trekking this summer. It would only have been my second trek though…

I am a novice, of course. Perhaps even novice is too much. But that doesn’t matter much to me. I love the hills, the snow-clad mountains and the simple lifestyles of the people there. There’s peace, serenity and tranquility that is unmatched in every aspect. There’s this mystic and alluring vibe about the hills that attracts everyone.

I don’t know if you would call this a coincidence, but my name “Tuhin” means snow which might be why I love going to the hilly areas.

Anyways, let me share the experience of my first and only trek to Triund so far. Although it’s two years back, I thought of penning it down as it is well said that –

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”

Every year, I along with my family used to visit a tourist place during the holidays. In the year 2018, I had a long deliberation with my parents just before the commencement of the summer vacations. Since it was summertime, the obvious choice was to go to a hill station rather than the sea-side.

But tourist spots are pretty crowded places, and it might spoil your vacation plans if not planned well. So, we thought of staying somewhere away from the tourist hotspots. I also expressed my wish to go for a short trek while planning.

So, considering all these views, we decided to go to Naddi village, a quiet village in the upper regions of Dharamshala and not very far off from the McLeodganj square.

A day was kept separate for the trek, which we later decided to be Triund, among the many other trekking destinations.

We travelled from Kolkata to Dharamshala by flight via Delhi. On reaching the Kangra airport at Dharamshala, we booked a cab and headed off for Naddi. The mountains could be seen at a distance far off.

The weather was hot and humid, and dust was blowing all around at lower Dharamshala. It definitely did NOT feel like a hill station and it was no different than Kolkata.

I doubted if we even came to the right place at all…

After covering a pretty long distance in the plains, we started moving up. We could feel the temperature dropping, and the humidity replaced by a soothing cool wind. Rows of oak trees covered both the sides of the road that bended in sweeping meanders so frequently. It seemed straight out of a movie scene.

Or as many say-‘Love is in the air’.

The snow-clad mountains that enchanted us all, came closer and closer as the car sped up in the almost empty road. I opened the window and looked out of the moving car. The hundreds of cars that were there near the airport had taken some other route. Baring a couple of vehicles, the road was pretty clear.

I sneezed, and I understood that it was getting chilly. I closed the window, put on my jacket and thought-“Yeah, this is definitely a hill station. Now we are talking!!”

We crossed the Mcleodganj square, and then the car started climbing steep up… We had already reached the upper portions of McLeodganj. The car slowed down suddenly, and I looked ahead. A narrow road went sharp downwards and up a bit to a beautiful looking villa. The signboard said- Nishaad Resorts.

The car went down slowly and parked in the hallway. The resort looked perfect, and I realized that it was due to the meticulous plans made by my parents.

As we got out to take the luggage, a chilly wind greeted us. We quickly went inside the reception room and were welcomed by the owner- Mr. Nishaad.

Meanwhile, I went outside the lawn to have a look at the surroundings.  I watched the majestic snow-clad mountains of the Dhauladhar range get engulfed by the darkness, and then headed inside.

Of the two rooms that were reserved for us, Mom had chosen the one with a big window that gave a neat view of the mountains.

It was so chilly, that we immediately started the room heater. Just 24 hours, and we had switched from air conditioner to heater! We were thrilled with the location of the resort and the panoramic view of the room. I could never imagine that such a place even existed.

The warm room, the faint sound of the rain outside and soon eating a local delicacy- the evening went great…

Next day when we woke up, we were still a bit tired because of the long journey. It took us some time to get adjusted to the climate there.

The view from the lawn was spectacular- it offered a 180° view of the mountains. And they started glistening with a golden colour as the sun started rising. Our resort was the last one in the area, so we had the best view of the surroundings.

I looked at the lush greenery- with bees humming and butterflies all over them. The ground was a bit wet due to the rains. A little puppy came from nowhere, and I enjoyed playing with it until my little sister joined me too.

Soon, we had breakfast in the open air extension of the dining hall of the resort. Even from there, the mountains were so close. The scenic beauty was of another dimension totally.

And then, we headed out for seeing the local places in and around Dharamshala. 

Over the next two to three days, we visited a lot of places- the crowded McLeodganj square, the Dharamshala stadium with the mountains in the background, the tea-gradens, the Tsuglagkhang Complex, the Namgyal Monastery where His Holiness The 14^th Dalai Lama resided, the Gyuto Monastery, the Bhagsunag Temple, Jwala Devi Temple, the Tibetan Art Museum and the Norbulingka Institute to name a few…

Then the day before the trek came… I and Dad planned to go for Triund as it was a moderate trek and it was a good idea, as I had no experience in trekking. I was waiting eagerly for this, even though Mom and my sister Trisha decided to stay back at the resort.

A vehicle was arranged to take us to Dharamkot and then to Gallu Devi Temple, from where we would start our trek to Triund. I and Dad discussed with Mr. Nishaad regarding the details of the trek and he suggested to start early as it could take 6-7 hours, provided the weather was good.

So the next day, on 06.04.2018, I and Dad left early from the resort by car before sunrise. We carried with us a small backpack containing two water bottles, dry fruits, breakfast from the resort, two water resistant jackets and two walking sticks for support, in case we needed them.

We reached Gallu via Dharamkot at 07:45 A.M. The journey was definitely not good, filled with rocks and potholes everywhere. But the best part, the weather was pretty fine and we were on time as per our plan.

I took the backpack and we started trekking immediately… Initially it was not a tough task at all, and we covered a couple of kilometres up in no time. In fact, the 6 km long trek up to Magic View Cafe was pretty easy and we reached there around 09:15 A.M.

We drank some water, ate some dry fruits and I gave the backpack to Dad. We clicked some pictures as the view was already getting better. The place offered jaw-dropping views of the mountains up ahead and the gorgeous Kangra valley on the right. I thought of calling Mom, but there was no network.

Quiet and still, this place was disconnected from the rest of the world. There was a rare sense of freedom and joy just by being here.

But we decided not to waste any more time as weather in the hills could change dramatically, without any premonition.

So, off we headed for the latter part of the journey. The path had now narrowed down, and we were crossing through lush forests of rhododendron, oak and deodar trees.

The path was slippery at places owing to the moss formation, and we took steps carefully. I took a peek on the right and looked down. A lump formed on my throat, and I gulped. Not that I was scared of heights, but a nasty fall would surely be the end of anyone’s life.

We kept on going. My energy started sapping fast, as the climb was getting steeper and we had to climb over broken branches, boulders, etc.… Many a times, we slipped a bit but the sticks helped in giving grip.

But our enthusiasm never died, and we didn’t stop or look back for a moment. We took turns taking the backpack. Every time we turned around a sharp corner or bend and saw some tourists descending, I kept asking-“How long to the top?”

But ‘a little more’ was the only answer I got. The last 2 kms were so steep I thought I had been trekking for ages.

But slowly and eventually, we reached the flat portion of the hill covered with green grass at about 10:45 A.M.

Swinging between hope and despair, it took me some time to digest the fact the fact that we had reached the destination.

Beaming with exhilaration, I went from one corner to the other and looked at the mountains of the Dhauladhar Range. They were so close, so very close I thought I could take a leap and be there. And they were beautiful.Stunning.Magnificent.Snow-cladded.

I was spellbound for a moment, and took some time to sink this feeling in.

This was it. Under the blue sky and the green grass underneath, this was the best place I had ever been. Perhaps this was it… I felt as if I belonged here. Miles away from the busy city life filled with uncountable worries.

We were greeted by some tourists who had reached before us. A couple of tents were still up, probably for those who would trek even further up the hills. A small stall stood on one side, supplying food stuffs and water.

We sat down near a cliff and had our breakfast. 

It was just aloo parathas with butter, but in that moment it was just perfect. We finished our food in no time and sat back in the grass. Head resting on a rock and looking at the surroundings, I contemplated about the struggles to the top. This was just so rewarding, and turned out to be the best experiences of my life so far.

At about 12:30 P.M. we started packing up as dense clouds started circulating. We started our way back to the descent. I looked up for once at the dense clouds and then at the mountains. I wanted to stay there longer but we didn’t have a tent and it was a long way down. We tried our best to go cautiously and fast at the same time, but by then it was already too late. Snow had started falling.

It wasn’t such a nuisance and the snowflakes were, in fact, a sight to behold. But it made the narrow and steep path even more treacherous and visibility was badly reduced as the snowfall increased heavily.

We held on to our jackets and descended faster once the steepness decreased. We somehow hurried inside a tea-stall and took refuge there for some time. That was when I remembered that we had left back the walking sticks. But it didn’t matter now. The snowfall was replaced by a heavy downpour of rain, and we got stranded there. Lots of tourists started pouring into the cramped, small stall.

The rains kept their pace. And it was ever increasing…We took a sip of tea and decided to descend down in spite of the rain. We reached Gallu at about 2:30 P.M.

But owing to the bad weather, there were no vehicles at Gallu. I and Dad were already half drenched and having trekked all the way to and fro Triund, walking on the road seemed a pretty easy task.

So we set off…to where the solitary road took us. The rains started slowing down… And after about some time, they almost stopped, and the sky started clearing up. 

The earthen smell of the ground, accompanied by the beautiful sounds of the songbirds and the rain dripping from the leaves of the oak trees made a beautiful symphony.

Soon enough, we reached Dharamkot. From there, we took a cab and went straight to our resort. I was dead tired all of a sudden, and yeah, I felt as if I hadn’t eaten anything for days! After getting freshened up and having a light snacks, I felt better. But the fatigue didn’t go…

And my mind was still preoccupied with the trek. Perhaps, perhaps I left it there, back in the hills. I was pretty excited to share my experience with Mom and my sister, but they were asleep then.

That evening, I along with my family sat outside to see the sun set across the village. It was a sight to behold… 

Sipping on a cup of warm coffee, I kept talking about my first trek. Somewhere near the resort, I heard the faint tune of a local song being sung. It was beautiful. The mountains started getting enveloped in a cloud, making them look ever so mysterious.

There were still so many places and routes unexplored. And Triund was just the beginning. The trek turned out to be the best experience of my life so far. 

Just before the mountains completely disappeared, I shouted and said-

“Next time, I will trek even higher and steeper!!”