As I crossed Renjo La, the third and final pass and began a 1200m descent, tears began to roll down my face. I started running down the mountain as I always do on a long descent. But the waterfall flowed with all it’s might. I was overwhelmed but I didn’t have my reasons. Forever mesmerized […]
Treks
Bunbuni trek – the best alternative to Kheerganga!
Kheerganga is one of the most popular treks among beginners in Himachal Pradesh. The hike is filled with hundreds of enthusiasts, mostly those who have no idea what they have gotten into while the campsite turns into a picnic spot once the sun goes down. For people who really want to enjoy the beauty of […]
Goechala- Trekking to the base of Kanchenjunga!
Camping below towering snow-covered peaks, one of the highest, the world boasts of. Walking on one of the most beautiful trails, enveloped in autumn colours. Getting a grand view of the mighty peaks at dawn. As exciting as it sounds, it is even better in actuality. These are the stuff dreams are made of. The […]
Trekking Sandakhpu- The best of Kanchenjunga!
The highest peak in West Bengal is also it’s most beautiful. I still wonder in disbelief when I think about Kanchenjunga; the third-highest mountain peak in the world, visible from my terrace in Siliguri on a clear autumn sky. Just a few hundred kilometres of straight distance. And yet how many of us care? While […]
Samanden- Gorgeous hamlet in Bengal straight out of a dream!
While supper was being served at the freezing dining room in Phalut, a fellow trekker started glorifying Gorkhey. ‘It is one of the most beautiful villages you will come across’, he remarked, lifting our expectations. We were to be staying there the next day. Offbeat villages in Sikkim! The tale of Samanden’s discovery Excited as […]
Camping at Khaliya Top – The longest night of our lives !
After what we thought was a decent sleep of around 5-6 hours, we woke up to the rustle of wind against our tent. It was dark and still snowing. ‘Should be another couple of hours to dawn’, I thought. At -15 degrees, we were now uneasy and fidgeting, desperately waiting for the first signs of […]
To Bhrigu Lake – A 3 day trek near Manali !
Another one of my solo treks. And with every trek, I am only realizing how much I love my company, the need to spend more time with myself, undertake more challenging treks, get fitter, inspire, experience the new and fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds’ worth of distance run. A trip to Manali is incomplete […]
Kareri Lake Trek- Pristine and less explored !
Hill stations nowadays are no more than crowded towns at high altitudes. Treks to Triund and Kheerganga are getting too popular and as a result are in the process of getting ruined by litter, noise and ignorance of ‘educated’ people from the cities (yes, that is us). Still pristine and lesser known is this 13 […]
Kuari Pass – The perfect beginner’s snow trek !
You don’t have to be a trekker for this. Need not have climbed great mountains. No prior experience required. Two weeks of jogging (2-4kms) everyday and regular exercise and you are ready. This is the minimum. Kuari Pass is one of the easy treks covering about 30-35kms in a span of 4 days and is the […]
Trekking solo to Deorital-Chopta-Chandrashila summit!
This was my first solo trek and it was better and much more than I had expected it to be. Trekking solo in India unlike the west, remains unknown, untried and unthought of and hence looked at with raised eyebrows, weird faces emitting amusement and scepticism; and also sometimes with an acknowledgement for some kind of […]