How a Solo Trek to Nag Tibba changed my approach to life?
Have
your friends ever ditched your plans at the last moment, especially while you are excited and busy making a to-do list.
Yeah!
I know how it feels ….very bad and disappointing!
And
it's obvious to feel bad as you have planned a lot for the trip.
However,
this time, instead of canceling the plan because of my friends I
decided to do something adventurous on my own.
decided to do something adventurous on my own.
Firstly,
I wasn't sure about this solo trip for the reason that it was going to be the first time I would be traveling alone.
My mind was occupied with fears and questions. Secondly, lying to my parents about
going with my friends was my biggest fear because I eagerly wanted to go and
there was no other option left for me.
Day
1(Dehradun-Panthwari Village-Base camp)
It was
a chilly morning and I headed to the Dehradun railway station where I was going
to meet my guide and the group with whom I was going to spend those 2 upcoming
days. It was a tempo traveler and sitting inside there were 11others. We
introduced ourselves to each other and had an ice-breaking session.
Most
of them were on their solo trips just like me or they were in a duo, but all of
them was either graduates or postgraduates and I was the only one who had just
started his graduation.
Around
8:00 am, we started from the station and headed to the Panthwari village from
where we were going to start our trek. We were passed through Massoorie and
Kempty Falls where we had our breakfast.
Gradually,
I started getting comfortable with them. After breakfast, we routed via Yamuna
bridge, Nainbagh and reached the Panthwari village after a 3-hour journey.
There
we were served with our packed lunch and got ready to start our trek. My
excitement level was at its peak and I had a lot of expectations in my mind. We
started with our trek. Some of them had earlier experiences of trekking including
me and for some, it was their debut. Passing through the lush green valleys to
the wide expense of meadows, we all had a great time. We had our lunch in small
bits taking breaks in between. After trekking for around 3 hours I was able to
see some of the katcha houses, which turned out to be a village which I had
never expected.
It was The Goat Village, a crafted heaven in the hills of Garhwal Himalayas. At a height of around 5000ft, this is the best place to stay and spend the nights. We spent some time in the village and had delicious hot Maggi and Chai. The view of the village was fulfilling.
An
hour of pushing ourselves, we passed through the "Pravesh Dvaar" to
Nag Tibba. And it seemed like we achieved our first victory after 4 hours of
walking and exhaustion. Driven by the beauty and the astonishing scenes of the
Bandarpoonch peaks, we kept walking up to the mountain without taking any rest
or breaks. The trail after the entry gate was quite steep so it consumed most
of our energy and by the time we reached
up, it was sunset.
The night was cold and the temperature was continuously getting low.
We all
sat beside the bonfire and the hot sizzling flames took all my fatigue with it
and I started to feel comfortable and fresh. After our supper, we danced and
sang just like we all had seen in the movie Yeh Jawanni Hain Deewani !!
It
was getting too cold all of them shifted to their tents for the night. But I
sat outside near the bonfire to feel the beautiful twinkling stars in the sky which
I miss the most in my overwhelming life in cities.
Day
2(Base Camp-Nag Tibba Summit-Panthwari Village)
After sleeping
for a few hours, one of the group members asked all of us to come out of the
tents.
I was
confused as it was only 4:30 in the morning and it was so cold.
I came
out shivering, continuously rubbing my hands and saw the most beautiful scene
of my life. All our tents were covered with snow and snow falling down like
beautiful white pearls. It was like a dream to me.
It was
the darkest hour before the dawn when we started for the summit. By that time
snowfall had stopped.
Switching on our flashlights and taking small steps, we passed through the snow-covered forest and motivating each other, we walked the trail.
By our consistency and the guide’s motivating comments, we were able to reach Heaven, yeah! you are right….
By our consistency and the guide’s motivating comments, we were able to reach Heaven, yeah! you are right….
The Nag Tibba Summit woohoo!!
Strong
winds were blowing at their highest pace making me shiver a lot. My toes were
frozen and keeping all that aside, I had never felt so proud of myself before.
I remembered that snowball fighting and the sliding on the snow was fun,
although making butterfly lying on the snow bed was our greatest play.
After
an hour to enjoying in the snow we started to step down. Stepping down we
prayed at the Nag Devta Temple
covered with snow. Taking a lot of memories and photographs we trekked down back
to the base camp where we had lunch and then back to Panthwari.
My
Experience
It was
my best experience I could have with a group of strangers. I should say that
The trekking solo was the best decision I made to date. And also I could conclude
it that:
"If you are going to
travel solo,
You will understand the world better
".
Walking
through the dense forest filled with flora and fauna, provided me with the
breathtaking views of Bandarpoonch peaks
and the snow-covered peaks of Changabang.
It was
not a kind of an easy trek as it challenged me at times but as I always say
that you have to be consistent and patient while trekking.
So, Have
you been on a trek that not hard yet challenging for you?
If you
have, share your experiences in the comment section below.
Comments
Post a Comment