Birthday Bash! Dharamkot - Triund - Snowline - Ilaka – Day 2-3. Days of New Friendships and Realizations

The following are the entries in my Travel Journal of the last remaining days of this trip:

# Saw another guide and a foreigner dashing past me when I was returning from Ilaaka area. First emotion had been of jealousy. They were going towards Lahesh Cave which I had so recently given up. Then this negative feeling melted away and turned itself into good wishes and of admiration towards these two.

# Discovered that the foreigner's name is Shane and his nationality is New Zealand. He and his guide Mahendra had made it till Lahesh Cave. Felt genuine respect and adulation towards these two.

# Weather getting worse from bad.

# Had warm and hearty chats with Shane, a French couple, Sukhi and Herman from the Indian Air Force Services. Ate, Drank Tea, Coffee.

# Hail Storm, from Low to Medium to Death Metal followed by silent snowfall (Simon and Garfunkel) 

# Dinner at 8. Feeling scared and anxious as weather getting worse and worse.

DAY 5

# Woke up at 6:30.

# No improvement in weather conditions. Not feeling scared anymore. Slept well over my last night's fear and anxiousness. Feeling a lot better instead of worsening weather conditions outside.

# 10:00 AM - Had breakfast and coffee with Shane and the Airforce soldiers. A weather window opened up. The heavy winds and snow they stopped. Till now god was playing and pausing the winds and snow. Now he has pressed the stop button on it.

# This was our weather window to start the descend. The airforce group had decided to stay. Shane and Mahendra have decided to make it for Triund. My decision was to follow Shane and Mahendra the guide as all the yellow markings and the trail path are buried in heavy layers of fresh snow.

                   "On The Way To Triund"

# Feeling more confident walking on snow.

# Came back to Triund safely in record time of 50-60 minutes.

                  "Triund Covered In Snow"

# Had tea, chit chatted in general at Triund.

# From Triund everything was a cakewalk. We came storming down; jesting and laughing, with periods of silent descend. Picked up all the litter and garbage along the way in my rucksack's rain cover.

# Reached Mcleodganj. Had sumptuous lunch with Shane at a Tibetan restaurant. Noodles and rice in Thai Vegetable curry. Peach iced tea and banana shake to gulp it all down.

# Shared the contact details. Wished each other luck and parted.

# Collected all my leftover belongings from Dharamkot in the midst of heavy hailstorm. 

# Booked my bus to Delhi for 7:00 PM. Bus on time. 7:15 PM started for Delhi.

# BIRTHDAY WELL SPENT

Birthday Bash! Dharamkot - Triund - Snowline - Ilaka – Day 2 - Strolling And Fooling Around Can Be Fun Too!

#Strolling Around

After the snowfall was over, the entire snowline - Illaka area was covered in Snow. I took a long walk to the nearby places testing my new Quechua Forclaz 100 which I got as a Birthday gift from my Aunts. This shoe is brilliant. It has good grip especially on snow. Also it is about 75-80% waterproof. I would recommend that you should always buy trekking shoes one size bigger than your normal size. I did what I preach, following this useful advice from the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed. It provided me that extra space and cushion during descends while protecting my toes from getting hurt or crushed. A pair of good trekking shoes has the capability of transforming your trekking experience from a good one to an awesome one. I had never realized the power of right gears and equipment until now. @Chidiyyaaa and @meera.in.me had also gifted me a pair of warm track pants from Adidas. I would like to use this opportunity to thank them and my Aunts for such utilitarian gifts. These gifts enriched and enhanced my overall trekking experience many folds.

"Indrahar Pass Mountain Range, Covered with Clouds"

I was missing a Guide at this point in time. Being alone and walking unknown paths sounds adventurous. But no matter how much adventurous it may sound, one should always think and operate in certain comfort level when dealing with nature. Keep a feeling of respect and reverence towards nature and it will treat you the same way. I can see the way towards Lahesh Cave from Illaka, but as the weather was unpredictable and I had my own apprehensions about snow and snowfalls, I abstained myself from taking that path. I retracted my steps back to Snowline cafe camp with a heavy heart. I was also getting hungry and the Snowfall was growing heavy too. 

#Hijacking A Group Guide

I was alone in the Snowline Cafe Mansion sipping my tea, eating bread omelette and talking to the shop owner about the possibility of people coming in such bad weather. As we were speaking I heard some voices and saw a group of 3 people approaching the cafe. They were going further towards Illaka. They had a Guide. I thought I will go with them farther into the Illaka area and if I feel confident and good I will go to Lahesh Cave alone. This Guide had 2 clients with him. They both were from Delhi. They were good and kind people, but were not very good hikers. They gave up mid way between Snowline cafe and Illaka. Their Guide and I made it all the way to Illaka area leaving the other two midway on a snow cliff stuck and struggling. 

"Hijacking the Group Guide"

"Mission Accomplished. Guide Hijacked!"

We both were happy to reach the destined location. But I wanted to go further all the way to Lahesh cave. So after taking a few selfies I asked the Guide about the way. He advised me not to go alone in such bad weather but showed me the path to Lahesh Cave anyways. I was in a limbo. Then something clicked and I finally gave up on Lahesh Cave in my mind and heart. I thought may be this is not the right time, may be some other time. I made a mental note that I will be coming here and doing the Indrahar Pass Trek next year. Our guide took some more pictures and asked me if I wished to return to Snowline Cafe with him. I said yes with a heavy heart and we both made our way back to Snowline Cafe, picking our abandoned, half dead trekking soldiers on the way.  

Birthday Bash! Dharamkot - Triund - Snowline - Ilaka – Day 2 - First Snowfall

#Campfire And Time To Sleep

Snowline Cafe, 5th Of March. There were 10 of us who stayed back at Snowline cafe after the cafe owner asked a group to return to Triund as there was scarcity of space. We all collected woods from the nearby area for the evening's campfire, spreading out community vibes. This group of 9 people consisted of 6 students and 3 working class people. It was good fun. The kids were doing Engineering from a modest college in Chandigarh. We had the fire going. It was getting chilly as the night was progressing. We laughed, joked sitting in a circle around the fire. The college lads brought freshness to the group with their silly jokes and pranks. The 3 adults were more and partly serious but avidly took part in the silly conversation that was going on about girlfriend issues. At 9 PM our host called us in for food. by 9:30 we all were in our spot, ready to sleep. The place was all crammed and packed with 10 sleeping bodies lying adolescent to each other. We all slept sound and well in tiredness in spite of the discomfort of the place.

#First Snowfall

“I was in love, and the feeling was even more wonderful than I ever imagined it could be.” 
― Nicholas Sparks

First hand experiences are always better than vicarious experiences. Moreover if you are experiencing it for the first time. 4:30 AM was on the clock and 6th of March on the calendar. I was woken up by gushes of water droplets hitting my face. It was still dark outside, I thought it is raining as I was checking my sleeping bag for any kind of serious wetness. There was no cover on the front entry of the shop from where the gush of wind was bringing water droplets inside. I was getting more and more worried about my sleeping bag getting wet. I managed to find a spare blanket. I pulled it on top of my sleeping bag and face. I went to sleep after this. I woke up at 6:30 AM; when the sun had just started to come out; with everyone else. When I looked outside what was green a few hours ago has turned itself into white. It was not rain but snowfall that was taking place since 4:30 AM in the morning. It was still snowing outside. This was me witnessing my first snowfall of my life and that too on my Birthday. This was nature's birthday gift for me.

"Snowline Cafe Submerged Under Fresh Snow"

All the young lads went crazy at the site of fresh snow outside. I broke the news about my birthday to others at this point. There was jubilation, excitement and happiness in the air. Everyone congratulated me. We all played a little in the snow and took group pictures with the college gang. The college lads and the 3 adults had to leave, We bode our goodbyes and thanked each other for the wonderful time that we have spent together. 

After they left, I had the entire day at my disposal. The thought of this prospect made me feel expectantly happy and hesitantly unsure because I had Lahesh Cave in my sight and fresh snow under my feet. My experience of  walking on snow is very limited and sketchy. So after Breakfast I went out to survey the fresh snow. Walked to near by places, getting my feet and body adjusted to walking on snow. Building my confidence and enjoying everything that was unfolding on this day. 

  

Birthday Bash! Dharamkot - Triund - Snowline - Ilaka – The Trek Starts

#To Triund and Beyond

Next day was Saturday on 5th of March 2016. I had checked the weather on Accuweather for Triund before planning my trip. It said that 3rd and 4th will be bright and sunny (These were the days spent in Dharamkot, sunbathing), 5th and 6th will be rainy and cold with thunderstorms and hailstorms (These were the days chosen for trekking and to be spent in snowline cafe and Lehash cave). I had a good raincoat which I had bought in Mcleodganj and a good backpack rain cover with me. The morning was overcast with clouds in the sky. I was all set and ready to start the trek on this fine morning. 

After a sumptuous Indian Breakfast at Radha Cafe in Dharamkot the trek had started. It is not even a trek but a 8 km walk in hills. Soon after walking for 3 hours and 15 minutes I reached Triund at 1:45 PM. Weather in these kind of areas is very unpredictable. It is always a good Idea to carry a raincoat with you as there were spats of rain here and there on the way. 

"On The Way - Triund"

After reaching Triund I observed an unusually high volume of crowd of 30 - 40 people in the area. Normally such places are devoid of people. I took some pictures, inquired about the price for securing a spot in shops to sleep and eat. It was Rs. 250 for a night's stay and Rs 130 per plate of Rice and kidney bean Curry. I had planned to stay in Triund for a day and leave for Snowline and Ilaka the next day on my Birthday. But after seeing swarms of people coming in and overhearing a few people talking about going to Snowline and their plans to stay there, I changed my mind instantaneously and decided to leave for Snowline right away after tea. "Instinctive decisions are the best decisions" this idea has been emphasized very well in Malcom Gladwell's book Blink. This has again been proven right.

"After Reaching Triund"

Snowline cafe has a maximum stay capacity of 12-13 people inside the shop. Given the fact the weather was going to get bad, pitching tents would have been risky. I somehow foresaw that Snowline cafe too is going to get crowded and there would be a fight for space. I literally pushed  myself towards Snowline cafe. There was a situation here and with that a sense of great alacrity. Within 1 hour 30-45 minutes I was at Snowline cafe leaving behind 2 large groups of students.

When I reached snowline cafe, there was no one else there but the shop owner. I booked my sweet spot, by planting my backpack in a spot inside the shop. I had a word with the shop owner about the price, it was nearly the same as what was in Triund. I also informed him about the 2 large groups approaching his establishment for which he was happy. I had some omelette bread, and tea to gulp it down with. I was a happy chap after securing food and lodging. 

I took off my new Quechua Forclaz 100 to put on my Quechua Arpenaz 200 Sandals in order to take a stroll in nearby area. The feeling was of happiness and contentment with nothing to do but just to be. 

"Sunset from Snowline - Ilaka"

Birthday Bash! Dharamkot - Triund - Snowline - Ilaka - Initial Days

#To Catch A Moving Bus

It was 2nd of March 2016 and I had a 9:22 PM bus to catch. With that in mind I got up and got ready to leave for office early that day. The dilemma was whether or not to go to office on cycle. After a few deliberations I decided on going to office on Cycle that day. I reached office at 1 PM thinking that I will mark half day and leave office early at 6:30. Feeling confident that 3 hours will be more than enough to reach ISBT from my den in Noida. I was forgetting or rather ignoring the fact that I was on cycle and there had been no packing done. I left office (which is 15 kms. away from my home) at 6:30 PM and started cycling towards my home. Reached home at 7:30 PM with less than 2 hours in my hands.

Now was the time that I started getting scared of the fact that I will miss my bus. I was packing my backpack with very little time left for thinking what to pick and what not to pick. In the end my rucksack was jam packed with jacket and shoes hanging out from it. I wish I had more time, because I then realized that my backpack had 60-70%  useless contents which I was never going to use on my trip. Here I would like to throw a list of essentials to pack, rest all is useless:

1) 2-3 T-shirts
2) 1 or 2 pair of Jeans
3) 2 warm track pants
4) 2-3 underwear
5) 2 pair of socks
6) Heart and will

Backpack - Finally Packed, Jam Packed

Finally I reached ISBT at 9:30 PM, running, huffing and puffing. When I reached the Himachal Transport stand I came to know that my bus had left. I was in shock and despair for a few minutes, then another person told me to run as the bus is still in the process of leaving and showed me the moving bus. I ran with all my might towards the bus with my heavy bag and eventually caught it. I was grinning from ear to ear and must have been looking so crazy that everyone in the bus was staring at me. A thought crossed my mind "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" by Aristotle.

#Dharamkot and Mcleodganj

Next day I was in Mcleodganj. I had to buy mattress and raincoat as I was planning to sleep in Lahesh Cave for one day and not to get myself wet. I bought those two items for Rs. 1000, 500 each. I reached Dharamkot; which is 2-3 Kilometers walk from Mcleodganj; late in the morning. It is always wise to stay in Dharamkot as it is quieter, less crowded, and cheaper than Mcleodganj. After booking my room for Rs. 500 a day at Paul Room Service I headed out for Breakfast.  Nothing beats the Indian Breakfast in sumptuousness and fulfillness. I had a filling breakfast after which I strolled, read, and relaxed in the Dharamkot area till evening and after dinner slept early.

Indian Breakfast At Trek And Dine, Dharamkot

Next day after sleeping off the tiredness and having breakfast I decided to go for evening group sitting in Dhamma Sikhara for Vipassana.  This center is closed till mid March is what I came to learn from the locals. As I was returning from the center I observed the shops being closed. After walking a few steps I saw a funeral march of someone who had died a few hours ago the same day. The entire town was a part of that march as I could see some familiar faces of local shop owners and workers. I too said my prayers for the dead and walked on. All the shops in the area were closed. I retired to my room feeling uneasy and disturbed. Later on after my meditation I went to sought my dinner. It was dark and all the lights in the town were shut off and all the shops and restaurants in the area were closed too. I came to know that this was to pay homage to the dead. The dead was no monk, no politician but an ordinary citizen who has died a natural death out of old age. I was literally moved upon encountering such solidarity and community feeling which so much is absent from where I belong. I found a small restaurant open. They too had all the lights off, so I had my silent and reflective dinner under candle light and went to sleep right after it.