Blogchatter Half Marathon : Trek To Heaven
But today was a bit different than other days. It was Sejal's birthday. As we woke up, we started singing a birthday song for her. I went to her and gave her a bear hug. After birthday wishes, she went to get ready, and others followed.
As we decided, we were ready for breakfast by 6:15. On the breakfast table, I found the menu had milk oats and vegetable semolina porridge. It was unexpected to receive these items in a meal on hills. But the organizers treated us well before and after the trek.
We all got down after breakfast by 6:45 to start as early as possible. Since there was no restriction to ascend Hemkund, we started ourselves without waiting for a guide because we knew he could join us anytime with our slow pace.
After the two-day trek, we had little to no energy. The organizers informed us about a reduction in oxygen levels as we would elevate to Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara. It was at 15,197 feet, surrounded by seven mountain peaks, and many people suffered breathlessness. If someone is not fit both mentally and physically and wishes to visit Hemkund Sahib, Gurudwara should opt for palki or restraint to avoid any health issues.
We started the Hemkund Sahib Gurudwara trail at 7 a.m. and noticed there was no one alongside. We thought we were early and could make it on time by walking at our own pace. We clicked pictures before starting the trek and motivated each other that we could do it. We had the slogan, "Whatever it takes." We kept shouting that slogan. Our trip leader, Tanvi, ensured everyone felt fine while trekking. Considering everyone's pace, she started a drill to walk ten steps and take five breaths.
After walking for around one hour, we noticed many people we met on the way to Valley of Flowers passing us on mules. And then we realize why we were the only one early on the trail. We were slow due to fatigue caused by the past two days' trek. Neha and Nikita decided to take mules after walking for some time to avoid any health issues. The rest of us continued walking until we realized Sejal had difficulty walking, and Tanvi suggested she take the mule and complete the journey with ease.
Amish, Shreya, Sapna, Tanvi, and I continued walking and felt determined to do it with the slogan, "Whatever it takes." The thought, "If I face difficulty, I will find an alternative to complete the journey to avoid any health concerns," lingered around me for the last two kilometers, but somehow, I pushed to climb on my own. I remember how I was managing to meet the speed of others because we were too slow to get their own time.
We sat on the way to keep ourselves hydrated and ate protein bars to keep our energies up to the mark. We met a few uncles on the way. There were shortcuts to ascend the trail. At one point, we came across one shortcut, and people who climbed through that told us youngsters could try it. When we were halfway, they told us not to ascend from there and kept warning us. Now that we were already there, there was no turning back. And they could not refuse but helped in pulling all of us up. We felt so happy, as if we covered adequate distance, realizing afterward it was still a long way to go.
We continued walking, and that uncle kept motivating us. They walked alongside until we reached the Gurudwara. The last 1km was more challenging, but we all managed to pull ourselves through it. Also, we witnessed Brahma Kamal as we neared Gurudwara.
After reaching Gurudwara, we met Neha, Nikita, and Sejal. They were ready to descend by that time. After seeing them off, we ran to the sacred glacial lake before offering prayers. The view was mesmerizing and breathtaking. We made it there around 12:30 p.m., so we had less time to offer prayer and have langar. More than that, we wanted to have Kadha Prasad (a sweet-savory dish made of wheat flour).
We climbed the stairs to the Gurudwara premises, offered prayers, and went to get Kadha Prasad. Tanvi and Amish went to take it twice while the rest of us ate once.
There was Laxman Temple near Gurudwara. We visited that and poured water as an offering to Shiva Lingam and took Prasad from Laxman temple. We took so many pictures and shot videos near the lake. We sat relaxing near the lake by dipping our legs in water. It was too cold but mesmerizing.
After we had langar and sat near the lake for some time, it was time to vacate the Gurudwara premises.
When it was time to leave, Tanvi told us she would catch up with us a little later. It was then that our eyes lit up. We guessed she would climb the peak near Hemkund Sahib to find what it held. It was Hathi Parvat. Amish, Shreya, and I also wanted to climb with her. She agreed, but I took a step back as I was having nausea. I thought not to ruin anyone's experience and rested while Tanvi, Amish, and Shreya ascended Hathi Parvat.
Sapna and I stayed back and rested for some time. As the trio reached uphill, Tanvi called to check with Sapna and me if we wanted to join them, as the view from the top of the peak was surreal. Sapna chose to rest. I felt tempted to climb up for once, but considering my headache, I decided otherwise. After around half an hour, the trip guide asked me to tell them to come down as it was getting late, and we had to descend.
Tanvi, Shreya, and Amish came down and shared their experience uphill. They witnessed 300-400 Brahma Kamal simultaneously from close. And the lake looked so beautiful from above. And, then the trip guide intruded and requested us to start descending. When we started walking, it was downhill, so we had to walk carefully.
While descending, drizzling started, and we were again in our "Jaadoo" avatar. After walking for a few kilometers, it started raining heavily so we stopped to grab a bite. The stall where we stopped had a splendid music collection that took our attention, and we chose to spend our time eating there. We all had Maggi and grooved to the music.
After finishing Maggi, we started descending again. I held Tanvi's hand out of fear from the previous day's falling event. Somehow, I got used to the trail going down. Later, Shreya realized she was having difficulty walking. Tanvi came to her rescue and supported her. But she did not feel any better even after putting in relief spray. She walked until Tanvi and Shreya realized they could run down the slope. It was then everybody was racing except me. I felt terrified to run.
We were 2 km away when we only had to descend and I asked the trip guide to help me but he shied away in holding my hand for help. In my mind, I thought, "Am I asking your hand for marriage that you are shying away from?" I shouted at one point, and then he supported me in the walk. Later, when I caught up with others in my group, I noticed one of the trip guide's friends mocked him when he told his friend that he had to help me walk. I overheard that.
I ran to my friends and told them about this without realizing the same guy was passing by us. We all laughed together.
We reached the starting point of the trek at 6 p.m. and the real challenge started then, i.e. finding a cake for Sejal. We searched every shop for cake, but we did not find any. We settled with Gulab Jamun and Lotte Choco Pie. After reaching our stay, we decided to get a massage as our legs were in sheer pain. The masseur came with his massage kit, and we were ready to watch Shreya getting a massage. But she managed without pain and did not jump like the previous day.
While we were having a massage, Neha knocked in and spilled the beans. She asked if Sejal's cake ceremony happened already. Sejal got alert as she told us not to do anything for her birthday. But we already planned. Along with that Neha also informed about the mishap that happened with Nikita on the way to Hemkund Sahib on mule.
It was serious but more than that it was Bollywood-like. She could not stop laughing and cribbing herself for laughing as it was terrible. Neha said that while Nikita and she were riding on mules, she felt petrified and asked the mule owner to stay by her side. She involved him in chit-chat. They did not notice that Nikita and her mule were about to get stuck with a tree. Nikita held the tree log and fell down the mule with her legs attached to the saddle. The mule dragged her for a few meters before its owner, and Neha noticed the incident. Neha got afraid and asked him to help Nikita. This incident frightened Neha, and when she was about to get down the mule, Nikita came to ride on the mule again. It was disturbing, but we were laughing. Our concern was Nikita, and she was safe, that was all that mattered.
Resuming the birthday story.
After dinner, we took Sejal to the dining area, making her close her eyes until Tanvi presented an extraordinary cake before her, made with gulab jamun and choco pie. We sang the birthday song, and a little girl, Aanya, came in, stealing the limelight and distracting us from Sejal. We chatted with her mother for a while. We realized we were celebrating Sejal's birthday.
After that, as we decided to sleep, Amish knocked in and asked us to play Uno. I was having severe headaches, and others felt tired. When he made others agree, I was in no mood to get out of bed. When I was about to cuddle and sleep, something happened. Sejal jumped on my bed, snatching my blanket that was under her in no time, and I was fighting with her for a blanket. She did not deter and asked me to get up and play. After trying to grab my blanket, I gave up and asked them to come to my bed. Tanvi knocked on the door to check on us.
We played a few games and decided to sleep with loads of laughter. When Tanvi and Amish were about to open the door to go to their rooms, a tourist from another room knocked and started yelling at Amish about the noise we were making. Amish, being the only boy in the room, had to hear what the guy had to say because the guy was a bully and tried to suppress Amish. After this episode, we all had to sleep.
But we did not sleep without laughing maniacally even after that incident.
I know you are going to plan a trip to this beautiful place soon. Till you plan yours, let me give you more about it in my next blog.
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