A forty hour Pune to
Manali journey in cramped trains and buses, blistering Delhi heat, never ending
traffic snarls on the ghats leading to Manali , a bus driver who had apparently
never heard of speed limits – these hardly seem like ideal beginnings of a vacation.
But, all these troubles were forgotten when we stepped out of our bus into the
cool dawn of Manali.
First stop was at
Prini campsite and we all retired to our tents to rest after the long journey.
However, we couldn’t stay inside for long and were out in a couple of hours, admiring
the appealing nature. There was a military touch to the campsite, thanks to
its owner Khem Raj Thakur, a retired armyman. Lush greenery on a hill slope, cozy tents and the appetizing food had
made our day. That evening we went for a
stroll through the market and visited the famous Hidimba temple
.
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| Snow bridge |
Next day, we woke
up early and started packing for the trek to 'Beas kund'. Trekking
sacks, feather jackets and ponchos had us
all geared up and excited about the trek.
We drove till Dhundi from where we were to begin the 'Trek De
Himalayas'. Dhundi was a fascinating
place with bounteous trees and a river, although in its infancy, flowing agitatedly. We crossed it with the
help of logs which joined both banks of
the river. Soon we could see the
extravagant landscapes of ice capped mountains against the backdrop of deep blue skies. The river, lush green
trees and the mighty Mt. Hanuman Tibba covered
with a blanket of snow was a breathtaking
display of nature. The trekkers, who had now turned into photographers got busy in capturing the best possible
shots of this enthralling sight. Further
ahead, we came across a thick snow bridge arched above the flowing water, which was an alluring way of nature to
facilitate the crossing. After a couple
hours of walking across the enchanting meadows, we reached the camp site of Bakhartaj. This campsite is situated at
the feet of Hanuman tibba which is a
majestic peak of Himalaya and , now that we were closer, it appeared mightier
than it had from Dhundi
In the afternoon we
were curious to take a look at what they called as 'lady's
legs' ( few ridges of a peak). This was the first time we had to cross the icy
cold water barefoot. The strong current
of water coupled with its chilling effect, benumbed our feet while we crossed it. On our way back to the tents, we
were buffeted by rains and cold winds. This was
the first time we got a taste of the weather
in Himalayas. The first day of trek which began with a variety of picturesque sights ended on a high note because of the
nostalgic atmosphere created by songs and
conversations with fellow trekkers in
the tent.
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| Mt. Hanuman Tibba |
Next morning on waking, we were greeted by the sight of the lofty Hanuman tibba gleaming in the early rays of sunlight, its snowy edge contrasting against the blue sky. That day, we were to climb further up to the Beas kund . The fact that we had to carry our own tents from here on was a challenge for us, which surprisingly boosted our enthusiasm instead of hampering it. After climbing for some time we halted to rest. We were now at a spot from where one could catch a glimpse of all the peaks in the vicinity. The seven sisters, Deo tibba, Friendship range were a few of those. The Kshitidhar peak which was not visible till now, had made its appearance. Moving on further, we came across perhaps the most annoying patch of terrain known as 'Moraine'. Moraine, unlike its attractive name, consisted of countless boulders of various sizes piled up in a haphazard manner. Even the larger ones were shaky, ready to tumble down any moment, which made stepping over them a tedious task. However, after this troublesome patch, we were faced with a snowy slope which was a delight to slide on and served to alleviate our suffering of crossing Moraine.
We descended onto the glacier of Beas Kund
which was nestled in a valley formed by the peaks of Kshitidhar and Hanuman Tibba. Major part of it had
a layer of ice, concealing the water
flowing underneath. It was a bright sunny morning and the crystal clear skies highlighted the snowy
peaks. These were excellent conditions
for photography and we didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the favourable
weather. We had now reached our last
campsite in afternoon and began to pitch tents for our stay at night.
Surprisingly, they were pitched on ice instead of dry ground, by the
porters, and this could pose a challenge to stay
in at night. |
| Beas kund |
After lunch we started climbing
up further to Beas kund ,which is a tiny lake situated at a higher side of this valley and is the heart of the river Beas. We then began the climb up to
the Kshitidhar peak. But, the ascent was
difficult due to the high altitude, compelling
us to take baby steps. We halted at a considerable height which offered us a panoramic view of the other
peaks and the glacier. The tents pitched
on the ice below looked like pebbles whereas
the colossal peak of Hanuman tibba facing us seemed never ending. The rush and high of reaching this height was
slowly replaced by a feeling of peace.
Deep silence was undoubtedly the most priceless feeling nature could have offered; a calmness which could pacify a
mental unrest; such serenity, which could assist
a human mind achieve the rare state of
thoughtlessness. One however feels completely powerless and feeble amidst these mighty creations, a mere puppet left
to the whims and fancies of nature.
After a while,
the conditions up there started getting rough and the porters being well
versed with mood swings of the local weather advised us to get back to the
tents. Their timing was perfect as it started to rain the moment we got
back. We patiently waited for the rains to
stop after which, we came out to eat. . It was getting increasingly colder, assuring us that the night would
be a sleepless one. The valley was now
filled with fog. At night, the snow underneath our tents made us crave for
the comfort of our warm beds back home. It was
now a typical subzero condition, freezing
us inspite of the multiple thermals we wore.
The next day was the final day of our trek and we began the descent from Beas kund to Prini
campsite. This camp that flagged off our Trek De Himalayas, also marked the end. On the way back, our porters updated
us with a tragic news of an accident of a climber on kshitdhar peak. A group of
porters carrying medical kit, snow stretcher and other necessities,
instantaneously began their climb. Their altruistic act towards another human
life was worth admiring.
