Blogchatter Half Marathon : The Trek Began

The day began with Tanvi (trip leader) waking everyone at 5 a.m. We were eight people and had three rooms to manage getting ready on time so we could leave for the first trek, or say it as the base camp for Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib Trek, Ghangaria. It was a 10 km journey with a steep stretch of more than halfway and descending a few kilometers.

Everyone got ready, turn by turn, and went to the breakfast table by 7 a.m. Our trip guide, Alok, patiently waited for us to start the journey and allowed us time to prepare for the adventure, as it was a long day with 10 km of walking. Those who got ready early got a chance to witness the beauty of the cloud-covered mountains from the terrace of our stay with a cup of hot tea.

The best part apart from the trek on the trip was the food. Every day, we received different delicacies, from poha to pancakes. We had meals we did not expect to receive on this kind of trip, where we lived in secluded places away from the city.

After breakfast, we walked a few kilometers to board a taxi to reach Pulna, where the trek started. With the mission to avenge the trek, we started from Pulna for Ghangaria. Everyone was full of energy and enthusiasm. We clicked pictures at the beginning of the trek without realizing how many more such spots would make us stop to capture the memories to cherish for life.

Little did we know, before we could settle on the trail, Sejal got hurt by Stinging Nettle. What followed was her panicking as the trek leaders warned us to stay away from any tree, plant, or leaf as they could be harmful. It was itching, and her skin turned reddish, making her worry more. But we had one of the best trip guides, Alok. He quickly took the wand and plucked a leaf from one of the trees. Before he could act, Sejal told him not to pluck leaves from trees. It was sinful. But when he went to her to rub a leaf on her wound, she understood that the tree was medicinal.

Panic turned into laughter soon. We continued our walk on the trail, with the river Pushpawati accompanying us as we ascended through the lush green valley, providing scenic views and the soothing sound of flowing water throughout the journey. 

On the way, we stopped at a small shop and gotta eat peaches directly from the trees. The lady fiercely climbed the tree to pick the ripened peaches for our group. It tasted yummy, and a few of us tasted peaches for the first time. I cannot express how pleasingly it treated my taste buds.  

 

And then we took a break for lunch. By then, we covered 6 km and thought the journey was about to finish soon. But when we started again after lunch, the distance seemed never-ending. On the way, whenever we asked how much distance remained to Alok, he would say, "Thoda hi hai, bas 2km." And the milestones said otherwise. 

By that time, we all got exhausted, and our pace slowed. We felt like crawling, walking by each other's support, sitting every few meters, and in the name of resting, we clicked pictures (why not when we knew we were almost there?). And there was another panic when Amish discovered he missed his phone. He juggled in his bag but did not find it. He went back on the trail, and one lady shouted that her husband had his phone, which he could collect. We all had a good laugh after this incident.  

We started again and asked people on the trail how much distance we had to cover. Nobody told the truth, but they were motivated to continue, informing us we were close to it. We continued till we reached the helipad of Ghangaria and realized it was 1-2 km more to our stay from there. Holy crap!

Without further stress, we sat near the helipad and enjoyed the scenic beauty before our eyes. We cherished and relaxed for some time, realizing we had to reach our stay before the evening snacks finished. After spending enough time near the helipad, we took pictures and sat looking at the mountain. It was when a person from another group came carrying my bag saying, "Arey ye apka hai, main galti se le gaya apne tourist ka samajhkar." At that moment, my mouth went agape, and I wondered what would happen if he took my bag. We got too mesmerized and lost in the view before our eyes. We did not bother about what was happening in the surroundings. 

But after all the chaos, panic, and fun, we reached our stay in Ghangaria and decided to recharge ourselves with some tea and fritters.

Wait for the next blog, to know the experience and fun we had on the trail to Valley Of Flowers.

This post is a part of #BlogchatterHalfMarathon