Har ki Dun trek – on the path to the Gateway to Heaven (8th to 14th May 2022)

Thousands of years ago, five warrior brothers, abandoning all they had, set forth on the quest for afterlife. Striding on the winding paths of the majestic Himalayas, they approached the gateway to Vaikunth, followed only by a dog. The dog was the disguised God of Dharma, and the brothers the Pandavas, protagonists in the biggest epic of Indian mythology. Who disclosed this path to them is unknown; surprisingly they chose a path and passage through the quaint villages where their biggest foe and cousin was worshipped instead of them – the mighty Duryodhana.

Over these thousands of years, one isn’t sure if the folklore has been passed on to the pines, to the river, to the boulders and rocks just like it has been to the human ears, and yet their swaying and gurgling and formidability indicate a trance like chanting, as if telling a tale. We walked with them for three days and listened, saw, sensed to finally cross a small lazy wooden bridge on the river Supin, ascending the final steps, in anticipation, to be welcomed by an open Shiva temple. Nandi, guards it as usual and a priest was chanting mantras – a pristine spiritual setting. And then you turn to face to your right and there it is – the enchanting magnificent and formidable gateway to heaven – the Swargarohini peak. The first glimpse of the valley surrounded by the majestic mountains makes an indelible impression and your senses just can’t take in enough; hungrily you keep feeding them with the gorgeousness around.    

Not once in all the time we spent gazing at the valley and the mountain could we see the entire peak. Clouds engulfed it, as if guarding the secret passageway, and revealing only parts of it to the onlooker. It felt like being part of an enchanting story. Imagine the eldest Pandava brother Yudhistir, the only survivor till the end, walking to the tip of the Swargarohini peak and then disappearing – just like that - like being sucked by a blinding light, or like touching and transcending the secret passages of Narnia or the Matrix to go to the mysterious other side. Or were the clouds Indra’s white regal snowy horses pulling his invisible chariot?

But I’m rushing ahead. Let’s start from where it begins.

Day 1 & 2 (8^th & 9^th May2022): Mussoorie to Kotgaon (Acclimitizing - breaking the ice with new weather conditions – accepting, being accepted)

Another trek with YHAI. This time around, I fortunately didn’t miss the YHAI Hostel as the bus travelled from Dehradun to Mussoorie. Mussoorie (more about it) is a popular crowded hill station in Uttarakhand at an altitude of around 6500 feet. We were to be group HKD7 and one by one fellow trekkers kept arriving till the count became 26. The group was a fine mix of a kid, teenagers, youngsters, middle-aged and the not so young ones. Initial interactions happened as they always do, and previous trekking experiences were shared, and were being shared till the very last day of the trek.

We left for Kotgaon at 7 a.m. by bus. Kotgaon is 4 kms before Sankri, which is the base village for the Kedarkantha trek. The distance from Mussoorie to Kotgaon is around 150 km and the ride takes you through pristine pine forests and snaking mountain roads revealing fine valleys, towering mountains, cascading waterfalls and scary drops as you gain altitude. You get glimpses of the massive Kempty falls as you leave Mussoorie and if you’re observant, all throughout the ride, you’ll see cuts been made on most of the pine tree trunks towards the bottom to collect the sap. A local said this sap is used as an adhesive in the construction of roads.

We reached Kotgaon at around 4 pm and were welcomed by a drizzle. The rains followed us on almost all days. We got our first glimpse of snow capped peaks and with every timeframe, the hue changed as if testing which colour suited the sky the best till the sun finally set.

There’s a nice bridge in Kotgaon with a beautiful waterfall and I enjoyed reading by it; the walk to Sankri is a scenic one too. We were made to do a short exercise drill and then went for an acclimatization walk next morning through the village of Kotgaon, crossing it into the woods. After formally introducing each other, our humorous guide gave some information about the flora and fauna of the region and then revealed his skills for the stage post giving some advice for the trek – exactly the same anecdotes I had heard in 2016 on the Kedarkantha trek – rehearsed and repeated over the years and still a pleasure to listen to. Before heading back to our camp, we visited the Someshwar temple in Kotgaon. The head priest was called to share the history of the temple and the village. It’s always interesting to hear such stories; the priest mentioned how cowherds from the village would find their cows drained of their milk and followed them stealthily to find out the reason and that’s when they found their cows magically give milk to unidentified objects that had magically appeared that the cowherds had never seen before. A cowherd threw a sickle at these statue-like objects and it hit one of them, which apparently stayed while the others disappeared. They brought it to their houses and worshipped it but it seemed the mystical tablet wouldn’t accept their veneration. The Brahmins were then called and they built a temple around it and the God accepted their manner of worshipping. Perhaps, this is a way in which the village folk keep the importance and superiority of particular castes alive. The temple isn’t open throughout the year; only during festivals is it accessible to devotees. The deity is moved between three temples in the nearby villages including the one here in Kotgaon and the one at Osla.

We saw a lot of apple trees on our walk and the guide narrated how only after the settling of some travelers from Himachal Pradesh did the planting of apple farms start in Uttarakhand. Another thing I found really interesting was what he said about the beautiful pine trees – how the pine cones produce pollen, which is like a powder, carried around by the wind, resulting in pollination – nature taking care of and thriving by itself.

Back at the campsite, the night wasn’t to be a pleasant one for a few of us like Ritwik and I as monstrous terrifying sounds from various sources ricocheted from the walls and the ceilings onto our eardrums, making it impossible to sleep. When he couldn’t take the sound of the snores anymore, Ritwik went out stargazing at 3 in the morning.

Day 3 (10^th May 2022): Kotgaon to Taluka via Sankri (a 16-kilometer ride) and then trekking to Seema (12 kilometers)

The Har ki Dun trek starts from a hamlet called Taluka. To reach Taluka from Sankri or Kotgaon, one has to hire a jeep (4 x 4) as that’s the only vehicle that is sort of convenient for this kind of an off-road track. Another adventure beckoned us as we stood behind in the jeep with the wind in our hair, trying in vain to avoid looking at the scary drops of the valleys and the horrific thing that could possibly happen as the tyres maneuvered along the edges of the cliffs. It was sad to see that substantial parts of the mountains were being cut for the development of roads though.

Our guides, the two Rana’s led us through the 12-kilometere long stretch from Taluka to Seema. Funnily, the trek starts by descending over a drain and walking over a cemented pathway lining fields before we take a left to enter the forest and get the first glimpse of the bubbly Supin river. It stays with you throughout the trek, making intermittent appearances and makes one wonder how it’d look when the river, in its full force would gush roaring down the gorges in the monsoons. The water was turbid though, throughout most of its path except the last stretch near the Har ki Dun valley. Makeshift wooden bridges help you cross the river at various points.

You ascend to a plateau below which a permanent bridge is being built and then it’s all dense forest from there on. The path is of stones and boulders surrounded by pine trees as you keep ascending and occasionally stop to catch your breath. There is something very romantically pleasing about the pines, their towering structures are softened by the calming shades of green and the way they spread their branches as if welcoming and desiring an embrace. Throughout the walk, you hear the teasing whistles and chirping of elusive birds. Occasionally you come across a local walking with their goat as if walking their dog in a park – their hardened mountain faces and wrinkles, their simple and traditional attire are postcard perfect.

There are a few shops on the way where you can get nice fluffy and extremely tasty omelets, boiled eggs, maggi, tea, biscuits, soft drinks and the like. We made the most of them. We had our lunch in the middle of the forest, sitting by a channeled outlet of ice-cold water flowing rapidly. It started raining heavily post lunch and had to take shelter in a shop.

It took us 7-8 hours to reach our next campsite at Seema, perched at an altitude of around 8000 feet, nestled daintily over the roaring Supin with a view of the snow capped mountains on the other side.

Is it the spirit of the trek or the mountains I wonder – all our fatigue from the long strenuous walking seemed to disappear as we had our tea and snacks and huddled for a fun-filled session of Uno and the occasional shayari from RK and the budding Nakul. A few discussed the sky and had decided to brave it out at night to capture the Milky Way. The temperature dropped a bit as it started to rain accompanied with thunder and lightning but it still wasn’t that cold. No network, no electricity – bliss! The moment the rain turned into a drizzle, we hurriedly had our dinner in the drizzle with our ponchos on and immediately got back to our tents. All the dolby digital surround sound snorers were in one tent and the non DDSSS slept in the other. It was fun to see each other struggling to get into our sleeping bags; you’d know what I’m talking about if you’ve used one.

A day well spent!

 

Day 4 (11^th May 2022): A steep ascent to Kalkatidhar from Seema (6 kilometers)

Waking up to birdsong and the constant gurgling of the river, as we lifted the flap of our tents, the mountains were still there, the forest was still there – it wasn’t a dream; we were in the lap of nature and it bestowing us with its beauty. The backaches from the uneven ground we slept on with stones prodding into our ribs also confirmed reality.

Our next and last campsite was to be at Kalkatiyadhar, 6 kms from Seema. We were to gain a lot of altitude today (around 2400 feet) which became quite evident as soon as we started our trek at around 8 a.m. Today’s was supposedly the most strenuous part of the Har ki Dun trek for two basic reasons: one – the entire path (well most of it) is a steep incline and leaves you panting and out of breath as you yearn for flat land and a relief for your feet. Secondly, you’re exposed to the sun and the rain as you aren’t walking through the forest but on the edges around mountains. The river soon looks like a stream as you gain altitude and you are enticed by the green mountains on the other side of the river covered with pine and some beautiful waterfalls. In front, the snow capped mountains lure you to go on. At places, the layers of hills joining at the valleys look like unwilling sleepy children in rows holding hands during a drill. We didn’t go through the village of Osla but that is an option too.

Mountain dogs follow you everywhere; they are a delight – fluffy, wolf-like, royal yet very peaceful and quiet. Half through today’s route finally and thankfully brings you to a stretch of flat fields and you walk across them to ascend again. A few locals were playing cricket with a woolen ball and we joined in. Later, in Osla I would know that they didn’t just make that ball as an on off thing but that the shops sold them. Made complete sense – less bounce!

An untoward incident happened on the way and I mention it here for fellow trekkers to be careful of and remember basic things your guides warn you against. The path you traverse are narrow and hence when poor mules laden with double the weight they can possibly carry come wobbling in your direction, you have to let them pass first, and more importantly stand against the mountain and not at the cliff side. One of us was standing at the cliff end and just a light touch by the load being carried by a mule threw him backwards into the valley. The horrific thing happened right in front of me. Luckily, he hung on to some trees and there was a small landing below him. The locals herding the mules immediately jumped on the landing and pushed him up. Extremely lucky, I’d say to be safely back with only a few bruises.

There are a few shops on this route too and getting water isn’t a problem. Shubhra tried a drink what I think was made from the fruits of seabuckthorn, a thorny plant; it’s a little sour but high in medicinal value. It seems Himchal Pradesh has started numerous plantations of it. It was a relief to reach the Kalkatiyadhar campsite based at a very scenic location and we were to make another beautiful discovery of the location the next day. The sun was shining brightly as we reached the campsite at around 2 pm. There were other group’s tents also in the vicinity.

The rest of the day was spent watching the snow-capped mountains (our guide told me they were Bali ridge and locally called the Hata peak) and the sunset, lazing on the grass, playing dumb charades and of course Uno. The weather turned bad again in the evening and there was a heavy wind with showers followed by lightning. It rained till late in the night.

 

Day 5 (12^th May 2022): Kalkatidhar to the Har ki Dun valley and back

We all gathered quite early in the morning to witness the spectacle we’d been promised yesterday. Our camp leader had told us that the very first glimpse of the sun you see rising behind a particular peak makes it look like a diamond and this lasts for only a couple of seconds.

We waited with bated breath, equipped with our phones, cameras and curiosity. The sky was thankfully clear. Diamond or not, what was unfolding in front of us was nothing less than a miracle. With every fleeting second, the colours changed to different shades of blue, gradually losing its darkness on the continuum and it appeared as if the mountain in the distance was a king whose coronation we were witnessing. A crown of rays appeared mesmerizingly surrounding the peak, and the rays only got stronger and wider. It looked like the scenery we all drew as children of the mountains and the sun. And then it happened, just at the right corner of the peak, the sun just peeked in and it looked more like a star to me than a diamond. Seconds later you couldn’t look at it as the rays got blindingly intense. Nature works in mysterious ways and we were blessed to experience what we saw.

Today’s was to be a relatively easy climb and the most scenic one to the Har Ki Dun valley (at an altitude of around 12000 feet), and to be in the proximity of the Swargarohini peak. In two hours, we made the climb and the river made an appearance again but this time its water was clear and transparent. As I’ve already mentioned at the start of the blog, you cross the river on a wooden bridge to face a small temple with a goat on its roof, Nandi guarding it and a Shivling behind Nandi. The Har ki Dun (Valley of Shiva) is like God’s wallpaper – the cloud engulfed and snow-capped Swargarohini and neigbouring peaks on one side, a river flowing and disappearing at both ends in the valley below, brown impressive mountains contrasting the whiteness at the other end, snowy clouds lazily caressing them, the invisible wind marking its presence with its sound and the fluttering of everything in its way, cattle grazing in the meadow on both sides of the river, ravens gliding like eagles – a rich calm soothing visual never to be forgotten. Simply incredible! 

Om Namah Shivay! The mountains are rightly your abode; they embody your beauty, stillness, calmness, magnanimity and awe-inspiring magnificence.

Ahaan, one of our champion trekkers, a nine-year old kid needs a special mention here for his spirit, endurance and liveliness; even though he wasn’t feeling well with cramps in his stomach and was vomiting badly, he made it energetically till the end and that too with the sweetest smile on his face. So did the teenagers Nakshatra and Aarav.

Day 6 (13^th May 2022): Kalkatidhar to Seema via Osla and Day 7 (14^th May 2022): Seema to Kotgaon/Sankri

In the movie Mr. India, while describing the staircase in his house to Sri Devi, Anil Kapoor says ‘Ye sidiyan upar jaati hain, aur upar se yehi sidiyan niche aati hai’. So, we traced our way back through the same meandering route the next two days with the only exception of passing through Osla village and coming across the temple dedicated to Duryodhana, which has now been turned to a Someshwar (Shiva) temple (https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/a-temple-for-duryodhana-in-the-himalayas/article18425964.ece). We played cricket outside it with the local kids.

All of us had an adventurous and exhausting drive back to Dehradun. Another trek came to an end – like Ashwini mentioned later on – from ‘I was about to go on my first trek’ to being on the trek to it becoming a memory so soon!

So, until next time – HAPPY TRAVELLING!

(Cameramen Bharat, Paras, Ritwik and Shubhra ke saath, mai Soumen Har ki Dun tak)

If you’ve reached this far, here’s some advice …

• While traveling back to Taluka, we saw a young group of 70 (WOW!) youngsters dressed in sleeveless clothes, shorts, sport-shoes etc. – clearly they all seemed set for a party, not for a trek. Please remember, it’s a trek, not a picnic.
• Don’t be brave unnecessarily. Know your limits and push them only a little – to a point. If you’re not feeling well, sound it off to someone at the earliest. A very untoward incident happened – a middle-aged trekker died (read news here) from AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) as his oxygen level dropped to 35 (90 – 95 being normal at such altitude) while we were at Kalkatiyadhar. It is important to keep in mind the nearest place you can get medical help from when you’re in a place with no network access. On this trek, it is Dehradun, which is practically two days away! I have to admit that this was the first trek where I saw so many people returning from halfway or before (a good decision I would say if they weren’t up to it), in spite of their backpacks being carried by mules. Please know what you’re venturing into before you start; it’s not for no reason that trekking is classified as an adventure sport.
• If you have forgotten any gear, don’t worry. You can buy or rent almost everything at Sankri; there are many shops for trekking gear and accessories. Please carry rain gear whether you think it will rain or not.
• This trek can be extended to and include going to the base of Jaundhar glacier, to Ruinsara Tal and another lake called Maninda lake.

Pictures - © Soumen Das Choudhury