Wednesday, 6 January 2021

Solo Trip To Himachal

I had completed 5 years in Fitness Industry after leaving my MBA job. The business was going really good. I would just work without taking any holidays. Work was really fun. I thought to give myself a break and go on a vacation into the mountains. The Himalayas were always in my mind to visit. So I researched on the internet which places to go to. I had shortlisted Kashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Sikkim & Bhutan. I talked with many of my friends for their suggestion. Bhutan was getting a lot of recommendations but finally, I chose to go to Himachal. I don't know why but I just felt like that was the right choice. My plan was to travel for 10 days but I was unaware that life was planning a whole new chapter for me in Himachal in coming years.

  

I booked the flight till New Delhi. Then took HTRC bus from ISBT till Dharamshala. I had heard about Dharamshala a couple of times from my friends. Everyone would say that it was a very beautiful place. My bus reached Dharamshala in the morning at 6am on 18th May 2017. Yes, I remember every single detail from my Himachal trip. I did breakfast and the first thing I did was hire a bike. Whole day I was exploring Dharamshala on the bike. I went to the forts, temples, churches, monasteries and in the forest too. I was mesmerized by the beauty of that place. Mountains reaching to the sky, huge cedar trees, massive rocks, deep valleys and beautiful people. I was already in love with Himachal. The day was just amazing. I stayed in Mcleodganj that night.                                                      

  

Next day my plan was to trek to Triund. A very popular mountain to hike. I enquired about the way, gave back the bike and started climbing in the afternoon at 3pm along with my 15kg backpack. I met many youngsters hiking on the way. Mountain climbing was always my favourite thing. I had climbed many forts in Maharashtra. But the mountains in Himachal were way different. They demand more of yourself. I reached the top at around 5pm. That evening there were 200 people on Triund top. It was all good vibe. I made a few Tibetian friends and spend that night with them alongside the bonfire. In the morning I decided to go to Lahesh caves which was another 4-hour trek. I had my breakfast & chai. Took leave of my Tibetian friends and left towards Lahesh alone.

Trek towards Lahesh was the most dangerous and challenging one. After climbing for 2 hours whole scenery changed. Now there was no forest and no huge pine trees. I saw huge deserted mountains covered in the glacier. No sign of any human or animal. I saw some prayer flags blowing in the wind tied to a tree. There was a small hut nearby. So I kept my backpack there as the climb was very steep and slippery because of the glacier. I went up all alone in search of Lahesh cave. There was no sign of any cave. I had almost climbed halfway. There were many deep narrow valleys between the mountain. I was carrying a water bottle. While climbing it slipped from my hand and fell deep into those narrow valleys. I imagined if I would fall in it then there would be no one who would come to know about me. I would be stuck in them and die from the cold. The fear was getting real. So I stopped and just sat there looking at the panoramic view. I was stunned by the nature. Sitting there all alone, no sign of any living being, just the sound of heavy wind pushing me back and forcing me to close my eyes. I felt so small in front of the grand nature. I had surrendered myself to those mountains.       

A New Chapter of My Life Began In The Lap Of The Himalayas.      

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