My annual sojourn in the mountains-Joshi's Cottage revisited

Start of the path to Joshi's Cottage.  It is two Kilometers from here

Lemmings all, multitudes of tired, over-civilised people feel that going to the mountains is like going home. Crowds, loud music, parties, traffic jams and garbage, all go towards making it feel homely. Crowds bring waste, plastic waste, and all the villages, including Dalar, are slowly becoming a rubbish dumps.  

Nature, peace and quiet is the last thing on their minds.

Dalar Village is about two kilometers from the Binsar WLS road.

Until now I have to walk about two kilometres to Dalar, this keeps most of the party animals, except the most adventurous, at bay. I have told Santhosh that once a road comes up count me out. In any case being retired I go at the “off season” when there are the least people. 

The same cottage that I had stayed on my previous visit, now with a verandah.  See the mist in the background.

From my last trip here almost exactly a year ago, I can see visible signs of change to the old homestay, a new verandah, changes to the family cottage, the more expensive homestay is now ready, work begun on a new one and on it goes.

all construction is on mule or human back

The food is absolutely delicious, and Kewal outdoes himself in providing a variety of food which is piping hot. Earlier he was a chef at a nearby resort, but now he provides the same delicacies at his family's homestay.

The old Lady of the house.

This is the second time I go to Joshi’s Cottage and it is like coming home; the entire family is there to meet me. With everyone pitching in and making me feel welcome, there is Santhosh and his two brothers, his mother, his wife, sister-in-law, his nephews and niece. Meals are at a central facility, the only concession given me is that I get a chair to sit on as I cannot sit for long periods on the floor.

The path to Dalar

The Path to Dalar is through the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary.  There is so much wildlife to see, we saw a leopard and her cubs twice, Barking Deer, Ghural, wild boar and lots of birds. In fact iI was advised not to go out on the path in hours of darkness for fear that a wayward wild boar or leopard make a substantial meal out of me (well fed that I am).

Sunrise on Trishul and Nanda Devi

One of the most beautiful walks is up the hill at the back, from the top I could see the sun rising on the Kumaon Himalayas. I must have been up at least four times, though I got to see the sun rising only once. It is a beautiful natural light show, the best I have seen.

Rain soaked sweet limes at a working village

It rained more on than off, often hail stones would fall and the mud would get gooey. Santhosh and his family bemoan the fact that there has been no rain or snow this year and that the crop is less because of this. 

Raindrops on a wire 

It rained almost every three days, in fact there was a storm on two days and when it cleared the drops had tiny, upside down images in them.

The school where I would walk

There are plenty of places to walk, and I would walk for three days and rest for one.  The rain automatically made me rest, so I followed a natural rhythm. 

Mist at near the water and clear above, a view from my room

It is curious to see that mist or fog sticks to the valleys where there is generally water and that the upper reaches are quite clear.

Silhouette of a Black-headed Jay with a oak nut

There are many birds close to the village and each sunny morning I would be treated with birds on the tops of trees, basking in the early morning sun.

Himalayan Woodpecker

Woodpeckers would embed nuts in a walnut tree and eat them at leisure. These appeared in mist or sunlight, this bold one, looking at us curiously, is in the mist. 

A pair of Slaty-headed Parakeets basking in the sun

Each morning a flock of Slaty-headed Parakeets would feed on the trees nearby, then, as if on a signal, they would cry noisily and fly away together. There is strength in numbers I guess.

A Himalayan Griffon resting on a tree...

Kamal, (Santhosh’s brother) once showed me a Himalayan Griffon sitting patiently on a tree, tired of soaring or was it waiting patiently for its next meal? 

...It didn't fly

It did not fly as long as I kept a distance, though it was alert all the while and looking at me. I saw many Himalayan Griffon soaring on thermals or flying above dead animals, but just this once I saw one sitting.

Rhododendrons

Rhododendrons are beginning to grow in this season, bright scarlet (at this altitude) punctuation marks in an otherwise multi-hued green forest. 

The view from my room on the last evening 

Keep close to Nature’s heart… and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” – John Muir  

I did both.