The Dhauladhars offer a very
different vista compared to the higher ranges in the Himalayas. Not very high and therefore a wide range of
vegetation offers a variety of experiences, views and bird sightings. It is an
easy trek that for the young and fit, and can be done in a day, however an
overnight stay at Snowline, further on, allows one ‘to smell the roses’ and
enjoy the view while walking.
Our trek started from Dharamkot,
a laid back hamlet on the outskirts of McLeodganj near Dharamshala. We were
staying in a homestay, of which there are many and most don’t appear on the web
so you could literally shop around and find a place to stay that suits your
budget. Almost every resident who has a house advertises a place to stay, from
tiny rooms with common toilets to reasonably well appointed places with en
suite rooms. Prices vary from a few
hundred rupees to about Rs1500 per night. Remember this is a hill town and
beyond Mcleodganj one has to walk to most homestays. Therefore the solitude increases in direct
proportion to the distance walked. This
imposes caution on the heavy traveller, take what you can carry on your back or
you have to hire a porter to take your luggage to the place of stay.
Eating in Dharamkot is superb and
cheap. Our very pleasant experiences with Out of The Blue (at the Gallu
Devi
road junction) and Trek and Dine (in the main Dharamkot
market) enabled us to eat excellent continental meals at less than Rs 200 per
head. Try the pizza at Out of The Blue, it is delicious. The large foreign
population is evident everywhere, they are mainly low budget, long stay
travellers who have come to this area for its low costs. Many of the foreigners, are here to learn
some skill or the other, hence many signs everywhere on teaching ‘Indian’
skills from yoga through jewellery making to music. The flute seems very
popular and we saw a very talented group practising on a roof top one early
morning.
Though we had planned a guide and
a porter for our trek to the top, the evening prior to our trek, we had met a couple
who had come down from the top and they explained the entire route to us. Based on this we decided to drop the idea of
a guide and porter (and save about Rs 5000!). The climb is from an altitude of
approximately 2000 metres at Dharamkot to about 3300 metres at Snowline Cafe.
Initially we thought we would
take the direct path from near our homestay in Dharamkot which would meet the
Triund track in a much shorter distance, however it was reputed to be very
steep and not clearly defined and so much more difficult and time consuming. Hence we opted for the longer route via Gallu
Devi, where the main Triund track starts. We started from our Dharamkot
homestay at 7 am and the climb to Gallu Devi took us about 30 minutes.
The track to Triund is a stony, well defined path with
steps at places and varying gradient. As we entered the path, a gentleman from
abroad, clad in long distance running gear, whizzed past us, presumably running
his way to the top! The trek to Triund is an easy three and a half hours or so with
spectacular views as we ascend. Due to unseasonal weather in the Dhauladhars,
the pattern each day was crystal clear at sunrise, clouds coming in by about 9
am, dense fog/clouds through the day and then again clears by evening and
through the night. Due to this by the time we reached the top views were
restricted to small vignettes through brief windows in the fog. There were a
lot of very pretty flowers blooming and a variety of flora beside the track, we
stopped frequently to enjoy and photograph these.
There are three ‘tea stalls’
along the way, these shacks of wood and plastic sell an eclectic mix of water
(Rs 40 a bottle as everything comes up by mule); aerated drinks, Maggi noodles,
assorted other necessities and non-necessities, and of course tea. Mid-morning we stopped at Magic View (the better
known of the tea stalls) for a cup of over-sweetened tea, this is a great perk
up when tired and did wonders for us, even the non-tea drinkers! From here we admired the view of Dharamkot
and the valley which was fast getting
shrouded in clouds rolling in. We also chatted with fellow trekkers who were
going up or coming down; one gains a lot of information in such passing but interesting
conversation. By now we began to meet the people who had spent the previous
night up at Triund and Snowline and were now descending, they had their own
tales to tell. It was very heartening to
see the invasion of the Waste Warriors at these remote tea stalls and the care
that the locals take in keeping garbage organised, separate sacks for different
types of garbage. We reached Triund at
lunch time amid dense fog, Triund is the junction of three ridgelines and a
popular destination judging from the large number of huts, and tents we
saw. At one of the stalls we ordered a
meal, this, as we had begun to discover, was either the ubiquitous Maggi
noodles or bread and omelette; hungry as we were, we orderedboth. The dense
fog precluded any views of the Kangra Valley which is supposed to be visible
from here.
After lunch it was time to move
on to Snowline. The track now became
less defined; this coupled with the dense fog caused us to lose our way, meandering
along false goat trails into a maze of boulders. The barking of sheep herders dogs, led us to
a shepherd’s refuge amongst the rocks, a pen surrounded on three sides by rocks
and the fourth side being fenced in with tree branches. The sheep and their master were away, but I
decided that if we had to,
we’d spend the night here rather than on a bare
mountain side. Marking the spot
carefully, we moved cautiously towards where we thought the track was, which we
found in about half an hour, to our immense
relief. In a while we discovered a series of yellow arrows
marked on rocks, a trail made by the owner of the Snowline Café. Beyond Triund
it is important to follow these arrows as the trail is not very clear and it is
easy to get lost, particularly in fog. As we were continuously gaining
altitude, the hill side got barer, with pine trees and rhododendrons being more
evident.
We reached Snowline at 4 pm, a
little late due to our wandering off the track earlier. The name comes from the
fact that pre-global warming; this was the point from where the permanent
snowline started. However now it has
receded substantially and there is no sign of snow except on distant peaks. Even the
glacier is now a muddy tract of ice on a distant hillside. We were ravenous
when we reached and immediately requested the owner to make us; yes you guessed
it, a plate of hot Maggi noodles and sweet tea.
Snowline Café….a grand name for a
plastic sheet and wood shack, the only one here, has been here for more than 18
years (so says the owner) and is the overnight staging point for trekking
further to the Lahesh Caves and Indrahar Pass.
Apart from water and other
supplies, the owner provides lodging too.
Rs 500 gets you your own six feet of space to spread your sleeping bag
or his three blankets, a little more money upgrades you to a one or two person
tent and a sleeping bag. His intense marketing, signs painted on rocks,
proclaims this to be the last café on this route. Others at the café were a
couple, a French boy with his Assamese girlfriend staying in the shack, a party
of three Russians with their guide using their own tents. Dinner was a simple
but tasty rajma-chawal which everyone enjoyed. The owner, colourful gentleman,
had interesting stories to tell. When I asked him whether he had heard of
Mumbai, he looked disdainfully at me. He
had sold bed sheets bought in Ludhiana on the footpaths of Mumbai and Delhi for
a number of years! He then started
Snowline Café.
Being October it was not too
cold, the temperature range for the entire trek was between 12 and 22 degrees
centigrade. In the morning everything was soaked in a thick layer of dew. The
others were moving on to the Indrahar Pass (a 9 hour round trip) and so left at
7 am. We were not prepared for this leg of the trek and so decided to turn back
after enjoying the sunrise. From here to
the Indrahar Pass it is advisable to have a guide or move in a self-sufficient
group as the route is not defined clearly. There is no place to stay beyond the
Snowline Café, though those carrying a good enough sleeping bag and food, have
stayed in Lahesh Caves.
We enjoyed the sunrise over the
Dhauladhar Range on a sharply clear morning. This is a spectacular light show,
as the sun rises from behind the range and the rays gently caress highest peaks
first, gradually spreading their warm glow downwards, backlighting the heights
in descending turn. We were told that the sunrise in each season is very different
and each a joy to behold. How true, we
were truly enthralled.
After a breakfast of more Maggi
noodles, we began our descent. The walk
down to Triund took us an hour along an isolated track; lost in our solitude we
enjoyed nature at its pristine and untrammelled best. Only serious trekkers
come this far, and they are usually careful of their surroundings. A pair of
Himalayan Griffon, huge majestic birds, kept us rapt with their precision
gliding. They seem to effortlessly ride
the thermals by just moving their wing tips, not one flap of the wings in all
the time we were watching; what supreme economy of effort. In the dense forest
on the lowers slopes we heard many calls of jungle fowl but nary a sighting.
From Triund walking down was as anti-climatic
as the descent in altitude; the tranquillity of the two days was shattered by
at least a thousand people who were going up to Triund for the long
weekend. This was a veritable parade of
fashion, selfies, blaring music and suitcases on mules. A raucous welcome back to reality, The Great Indian Traveller strikes again!
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It looms out of the mist like the prow of the Titanic; enigmatic and majestic, caped in the monsoon green so typical of the region. Koraigarh (or Korigarh), in the vicinity of Lonavala, is a day's nature walk, ideal for the monsoon season when it is a verdant green, swathed in chill mist at the top.
Around the base of the fort there is dense jungle. A path through it takes one to the steps of a fort. This jungle, with dense bamboo thickets, abounds in flora and a fascinating variety of birds and insects. The steps are steep but not very taxing for the average person. At about the halfway mark there are some caves and a view point from where one gets one's first panoramic view of Aamby Valley. There is also a small Ganesh Mandir. Another 15 minutes climb gets one to the top, via an ill-maintained entrance gate to the fort. Like most main entrances to a fort, this is parallel to the walls. The reason for this is to prevent the enemy from being able to gain momentum in a charge to storm the gates.
Inside the perimeter, the walk is a naturalist's delight. The ecology is centered around two ponds that are teeming with life. The most striking is the deafening bull frog chorus: thousands of frogs in curious symphony. The food chain was demonstrated by the presence of a large number of tiny water snakes, land crabs and a multitude of insects.
Lohagarh, as the name suggests is an iron fort, soaked in history. The bastion stands aggressively amidst the Sahyadris near Lonavala. In the monsoon the fort is veiled in mist, brilliant green foliage lines the route and waterfalls punctuate the verdant hill sides; making a trek to the fort at this time a wonderful experience.
Another small village, Lohadwadi, is situated in the depression between Lohagarh and Visapur, this is really a collection of vendors selling food and drink at the base of the fort. The climb up the steps is easy, with spectacular panoramic views along the way. The fort walls are in good repair and it is easy to discern the three layers of defenses marked by walls. The precision workmanship and fine finish of the stone blocks used in the fort walls are noteworthy, fitted together without cement or any other discernible adhesive. The steps are mostly in good shape, however at places they have eroded due to rain water and small water streams, and it is wise to be cautious at these places as the surfaces are slick with moss. Vichhu Kata. At the top there is not much by way of fortifications but the expanse is large and over interesting undulating terrain. The functionality of the walls and the absence of architectural embellishments within the fort perimeter indicates that these were austere fighting bastions and not fort-palaces as is common elsewhere in the country. The many ancient underground cisterns and the stepped bawdi (tank) used for water storage shows the meticulous planning of the ancient warriors to ensure they did not run out of water during a siege.
A walk around the top shows a few ancient temples and dargas in varying states of repair and the breathtaking views in all directions. The vivid green panoramas of the rain soaked Sahyadris are truly beautiful. A walk to the Vinchu - Kata (scorpion's sting), so called because of its shape, rewards one with a grandstand view of Visagarh opposite. The Vinchu - Kata was an extension of the fort which was used as a look out, and as a line of defense in ancient days. During the monsoons due to the narrow, slippery path and strong winds, care is advised. During the rains there is a constant mist and fine drizzle at the top and one has to wait for gaps to enjoy the scenic beauty. While descending from the fort the slippery rocks can be tricky.Within a kilometer of Lohadgarh the climb to the twin fort of Visagarh begins. The history of these forts is intriguingly interlinked as they constantly changed hands and one fort acted as the counter to the other. The climb to Visagarh is more arduous and tricky, but more about it in another article.
In the vicinity of the base village are the famous Bhaje Leni (caves), these are reached by a short climb up steps from Bhaje Village. The well preserved carving of these ancient Buddhist caves into the rock face of the mountain framed in waterfalls is definitely worth a visit.If one is energetic and fit it is possible to take in both the forts and the Bhaje Leni in a day, but for the less physically inclined, a walk up to Lohagad and a side track up to the caves would make for a lovely day out in the rains.