TRIUND ....a mind blowing trek !
(excerpts from http://travelkrazyann.wordpress.com/)
(Picture shows bhaskarbenjamin at Triund )
A backpack trip can never be complete without some real trekking…
I was excited even at thought of trekking up to Triund…11 kms …one way….from the main market of Mcleodganj….
Everything was in order…I made all the preparations for the trek next morning….I checked my shoes…managing with my regular sport shoes…which I later realized is not a good option while trekking on rough terrains…I kept an umbrella …a torch( a must have ) … pair of binoculars…a bottle of water and some biscuits and chips to munch on…apart from my clothes …I planned to stay up in the tents.
I kept the day before the trek quite light and relaxing… I tried convincing Jack..a friend I met at Carpe Diem…while having dinner one evening..
Jack was adamant …He couldn’t gather guts to accompany me …third time for him…It gave me a hint about the level of difficulty in the trek…
I decided to take the plunge alone….
I left my hotel ,next morning…early as suggested by a few friends….7 am…I was walking on the lonely streets on Mcleodganj…with only one fruit seller arranging his goodies..Preparing for the day….
I bought a mango from him…starting his days’s income…and my breakfast…I ate it while walking…
I started my walk from the main market ….up towards Golu te
Most of the other trekkers,I found later, took a cab till Golu temple… Road from market to the temple is a motor able road…I however preferred to walk…saving Rs 400 /-
The trek uptill Golu temple was pretty easy…a straight walk through the Deodar forests…
The real climb started once I crossed the temple…
It was a tough trek ….a steep climb up… crossing big boulders ….watching my steps…
The trek takes you across lush green Rhododendron trees….
My legs started to ache …barely reaching the first quarter of the climb…
Finding a few people resting enroute , I joined them. …After a brief introduction, I found out that they were a middle aged Dutch couple travelling through India…
A long rest wasn’t a very good option…Bidding goodbyes to my new friends…I resumed my upward journey .
There are only a few tea shops on the way to Triund …
The first one is at nearly half way….that is approx 5 kms from the start of the trek…
It was nearly 11 …I stopped there to grab some Maggie(noodles)….a very expensive deal…Rs 70 /- for a bowl….having no other option , I ate it…But I did not regret ….It was the best vegetable Maggie I had ever eaten….cooked on slow fire…
I felt quite heavy and lazy to walk up …But I managed with a few short breaks here and there…
We were walking up along one mountain trail…making it possible to see the entire route from starting till the end….
During one of my breaks I saw the Dutch couple walking back down the hill,far below… I felt proud of myself…having the determination to complete the trek…
I felt my heart pumping …my heart beat went up…but I was determined to reach to the top…
I covered the last stretch soon…only to find myself in the lap of nature…a breathtaking view of the Himalayas…Snow mountains covering almost 180 degrees view….i was standing in green meadows….handful of people around me…
(read more in travelkrazyann's weblog at http://travelkrazyann.wordpress.com/ )
