Tough Testing Trek #TravelGoal

This started as a road trip across Punjab and parts of Himachal Pradesh but ended up as my greatest achievement till date. Me and my friend started off in my car from Delhi towards Amritsar. On our way we visited friends and relatives in Jallandhar and Ludhiana. In Amritsar, we visited the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh and the Gate Closing Ceremony at Attari Border. A day later we were driving towards Dalhousie passing through Batala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot. In and around Dalhousie, we visited Khajjiar and Chamba along with a speed boat ride at the Chamera Dam on the Ravi river. Our final stop before coming back to Delhi was Mcleodganj and this is where the unplanned and unexpected trek happened.

Our second morning in Mcleodganj and we decided to do the Triund trek. A 6kms trek one-side totalling 12kms in one day was a herculean task for me whose weight is 100+kgs. Nevertheless with nothing to lose and the hope of getting some great views, I started off with my friend. In the beginning, the trek does not look daunting but as you complete about 1km, the gradient really goes up and the stones on the trek make it a little slippery too. Then there are a few natural steps made by the roots of the trees that are a little tricky. After about 2kms the trek flattens out a bit and this is where you get a relief especially with the Mid-Point dhaba that serves the typical mountain street food along with the favourite chai-coffee. But much more than chai-coffee, I was looking for some energy drinks that could keep me company till the top. The Dhaba owner can converse in 20+ languages as the foreign tourists have taught him the basics of their national languages. Once the dhaba is crossed, that’s when it gets really tricky with a rocky path and steep gradient. At places the path is very narrow and with the steep cliff on the other side, you got to be really careful all along this trek. But the real stamina testing stretch is the last 1km where the rocky path gives way to steep steps made out of tree roots again and with most of the energy drained out, this part is literally back breaking. The one thing that keeps you going is the occasional view of the Dhauladhar range that you get to see from certain points of this trek. Once you reach the Triund top, it is Heaven. The trek is definitely worth every minute of pain and every drop of sweat. The Dhauladhar range is right in front of you and the Triund top is a flat grassy mountain top with a couple of dhabas so you can just lie down there to get your breath back. The views down into the Kangra valley are amazing with the Dharamsala Cricket Ground and the entire town visible.

There is an additional 3kms trek to the Snow View point from the Triund top towards the Dhauladhar range for which you got to carry a camp kit as it is not possible to come back down from there on the same day and there are no places to stay up there at the Snow View point. For me, reaching the Triund top was in itself a huge, unimaginable achievement and something which I will remember forever. The trek back down is also tough and cannot be taken lightly. In fact at some places it is really tough and slippery so you got to be very careful coming back down making sure you do not slip especially on the rocky stretches of the path.

While going up to the Triund top, I took 3hrs 45mins and coming back down took me 2hrs 30mins. The best part is that I will be doing this trek again once the situation eases post the pandemic.