Lost in the mountains of Spiti when I thought I would die

so, not boring too much with the other details I will come to the point. So after exploring highest Post office in Hikkim, trying the best spiti thali in the highest restaurant in Komic...and taking hell lot of pictures my phone battery was drained to 1% when these guys Raghav and Ayush dropped me on their way to Kaza (I don't remember this exactly) on the road from Hikkim to Langza. Their driver Tenzing bhai warned me about the misleading paths in the mountains and told me one thing "ghum ho gaye to road dhundhana" (if you are lost look for the road). but I was confident and in a very high spirit, so bidding them good bye I took the trail and started walking uphill.

Now here before you tell me how foolish I was, it should be noted that I have done many treks in Maharashtra and it always follows either the trail or a waterfall and you will reach your destination. So ,I started following the trail... but what I wasn't expecting was not a single soul on the way. I thought i will ask someone if i get lost, of course there must be some villagers in between.. but believe me the only single soul I came across after walking for hours was a cow.. yes a cow... and she was also going in the opposite direction. but still I had one thing in mind if I follow the trail , I will reach Langza. My phone got switched off soon after I left the road ... (the reason I don't have much clicks of the trail) ..now those of you who have been to spiti , you must be thinking what use can phone be in spiti (there's no network in spiti).. but I don't wear a watch and my phone was the only device which told me for how long I was walking.. so here I was with no idea of time, walking aimlessly surrounded by the mountains and meadows. In between I thought I will go back and will get a lift from the road , but I was sure I had walked a lot and going back was not an option and above all this I AM STUBBORN ... I don't give up easily.... and trail was still there... there were footprints on the trail sure someone has gone from here .... quite assuring right ?... after walking like another hour, this assuring trail suddenly disappeared in nothing .... my only hope just disappeared in grasses..... now I had nothing to rely on.. I was in this beautiful place like heaven.. alone with not single human being or civilization in sight.....in freezing cold.... with a small backpack which has nothing to eat only a small scarf, a water bottle which was about to finish.. and only a woolen gloves and a jacket which was not good even for the day weather.... I had no idea for how much time I was walking ...I had no idea what was the time and how much time was left for sunset.... No one knew where I was except Nikhil whom I had met for like 20 minutes .. no one can call me ... no one can contact me ...my family had no idea that I am on a bear grylls adventure mission.... and that's when I thought if I don't get the correct rout soon ..I may Die here..... and my family won't even get my body...

yes, I thought I may die... You know you have two voices inside your head the one you call heart, which gives you all foolish but brave suggestions, which was still yelling 'Hey you can do it, C'mon ' and the other you call brain, which gives you wise suggestions , that told me from the start not to follow the hike and wait for the lift on the road and that voice was now standing handfolded and was giving me "I told you so" look... but no matter how wise the suggestions are of brain you always follow your heart :)

So Now I was walking without even a trail.. I came across a waterfall kind of thing and based on my experience of trekking I followed the water fall which lead me to a point which had nothing but only snow and a cliff from where if I would have slipped I would have fallen to death... so I climbed back this waterfall or whatever it was and then walked some more.... I was so tired by this time that I was loosing hope.. my body was slowly giving up I looked around and wished to see single person who can tell me where to go ....which direction to go... and that's when I thought I am not gonna make it... I am gonna die in this beautiful place .... I sat there right where I was and I looked around, I saw all the barren mountains... all the grassy meadows, the snow capped mountains behind them... and then I thought maybe I was destined to die here ... maybe dying here is not that bad after all, I love this place so much....and thinking this when I was looking around out of those snowy mountains one stood familiar.. I had seen that mountains from the langza ..from the cafe too... and suddenly for the first time my brain and my heart both spoke in a unison "C'mon girl , You are not dying here"....and I stood up clenched my freezing hands sipped the last amount of water from the bottle and I spoke to that Mountain ..yes I literally spoke to a mountain... I prayed it to help me to get back...and calming myself I thought 'what should I do .. should I go back through the waterfall and try to get down through the cliff..' brain and heart again replied in unison "Bad idea"... then suddenly it struck me I should get to a higher place from where I can see around maybe I will see the road... so taking all my strength I climbed a small hillock to look for the road....and that's when I saw Him.. I saw 'The Buddha ' of Langza although miniature and very far but he was there and now I knew where to walk ..that day that mountain and 'The Buddha' were the hope which saved me... which gave me the strength

Now in between me and 'The Buddha ' was a steep barren muddy mountain... when I started climbing up I realized first thing I was damn tired second spiti mountains have loose soil which makes it very difficult to climb up the steep slope... soon after I was climbing on all fours motivating myself by counting ''one...two....three...up" i slipped so many times ... got hold of some bushes and dragged my self up... I don't know how I crossed that steep mountain.. but I did and now "The Buddha was visible"

I got some magical strength I started walking with all new strength as I knew soon its going to be dark now my ears were craving for the sound of vehicles and road... here I will tell you one thing, when you crave for something a lot and you are in a situation like I was, your mind start playing tricks on you... even wind blowing used to feel like sound of a vehicle.... somehow after crossing lot many slopes I finally saw the road ......you can't understand the feeling of that moment....only someone who has gone through that situation can understand what that road meant to me that day....that driver's voice used to ring in my ears "Ghum hue to Road dhundhana"(if you are lost,Look for the road ).... after walking down some more slopes when I reached the road I finally saw an aunty working in her field...I saw a human after like a lifetime... I tried to call her and ask for water if she had but she did not respond so now out of all energy I decided I will sit here on the road and wait for the lift....it was almost dark by this time ....and I was worried that no vehicle will come now.... but as long as aunty was there .. there was a hope so I sat there and fortunately soon a vehicle came and stopped ... it was heading to langza only and after getting in and having the conversation with the locals in the vehicle I realized it was vehicle of owner of homestay I was staying (read everything again before calling me lucky).... then suddenly the driver asked "waha ek aunty the kheton me kam karte.. unko awaj dee apne ? (there was an aunty working in the fields ,did you call her for help)" I said "Yes, I did but she didn't answer" and they all started laughing and told me that aunty is half deaf..... and I was like why was this day so cruel to me?

so ending this journey when I reached homestay, there was Nikhil warming up himself near local heater in the dining hall waiting for the food .... and I smiled looking at him I smiled like I have met a long lost friend.... and he smiled back and asked "So, how was it?"