Since childhood, I have always been attracted to mountains. It's like a connection without words or sound. They are like a mystery in themselves and shocking you with their beauty and greatness on every twist and turn. Slowly and gradually this love grew into passion and their was a time when all I wanted to do was roam in those mountains away from illusion, people and their never ending demands with life. However it was not too late when reality grew upon me and pushed me to take a step back and by reality I am sure you all know what I mean. So I decided trekking will never stop and no matter is happening in my life, I will always find a way to be tramp for peace. This is my first write up about my experience on the trail.
Churdhar
So First stop was Churdhar. named after churdhar Peak it is situated at an elevation of 3684 m in dist. sirmaur, Himachal Pradesh, It is referred to as Chur or The Great Arc. It is said that from this peak George Everest, once surveyor general of India made many astronomical readings and sightings of the Himalayas in 1834. Very Few people are aware of this fact but once you are on the top of the peak, you will come to believe yourself.
Our journey starts practically from a small town of solan. Its busy, bustling and beautiful. The narrow roads and pleasant weather sets an awesome background for our way to Rajgarh.
Rajgarh, also known as the Peach Valley of India.is the last major town before we start tramping, so also a good place to stockup on supplies and fuel.
From here, we move towards town of Nohradhar.The starting point of our 15km trek to Churdhar. A small village offering a great view of the entire rajgarh valley. You can find several shops, dhabas and general stores and to refill your canteens, incase you forgot to do it earlier. People are very warm, helpful. This offbeat trek offers a pristine view of outer himalayas and a easy to moderate climb with last part being fairly challenging. But remember “ The Best comes after the hardest climbs “.
Just forest. Is It?
The journey through Dense forest of Alpine trees and almost endless looking meadows is a trekkers Paradise. Remember that you are not passing through forest. The entire route is a wildlife sanctuary. Its also the youngest wildlife sanctuary of India. It is also the home of spectacular Monal, Himachal’s state bird.
The endangered Himalayan Black bear and the canine toothed musk deer are also said to inhibit in the higher reaches of the sanctuary. The sad part is that I never had an encounter with any of them throughout my journey.
Best time to visit would be May to Sep. Monsoon and winters are best to be avoided because of the terrain and route, of which most part is dense alpine forest.
On the trail
Did I forgot to carry any food or water? Don't sweat it. During the season(May to Sep), you will come across 3-5 supply huts. These huts will be situated at good amount of distance from each other. The distance between these huts could be anything between a 100 mtr depending upon their location, serving as a check point to trampers, specially for those who would prefer to have a coke or sprite to quench their thirst over good old H2O.
Now anyone for good old MAGGIE ! Well you get plentiful of it here. N I never clicked a picture of them cooking.in fact, you don't need one coz by the time you reach to the top, you will have one of your own :).
Apart from scenic beauty and serene mountains, this place is actually of religious importance. Local go through this trek to pay their respects and gratitude to Lord Shiva, whose temple is situated on the highest peak of this sanctuary.
Worst Decision
Beware of the trail you take and do not hesitate to ask someone you encounter about possible turns. During the last phase or rather I should you say the starting point of last phase would be ruins of small stone houses with little or no roof. These ruins are used by shepherds or gaddi (as they are called in local language) as place to keep their flock safe from leopards.
Now you may find a disconnect between my first line and rest of info in last paragraph. Actually there is a misconnect, I wanted to share a memory with you.
It was around 0800hrs, I was returning from this temple after my first visit. I was no more than an hour into the return journey and had arrived at those ruins. Instead of going straight I took a left turn and kept going down the trail, which proved to be the worst decision of my life. With no food and a little water, I kept on going, thinking that soon I will be arriving on the main trail but I was wrong. Even after walking for couple more hrs it never happened and I was officially lost and to make matters worse, It started raining.
Now I not a survival expert and never was but I knew that I cant afford to be stranded in the jungle after sun down, so I went downhill only to find out that its much harder to walk through the vegetation than the trail. The soil in the jungle is actually porous coz the dense vegetation or forest allow water to sprinkled rather than poured on the soil beneath. after almost for 4 more hrs,I finally I found a rivulet and kept following it before arriving at small village Just 8kms away from maternal aunt's place. And by the way my aunt lives in small village 45 kms away from Rajgarh.
Coming back to the story.
Upon reaching the ruins, on your left hand on the top, you will see a red flag and a small temple still on massive pile of rocks that cover most of the mountain.
Remember to pack adequate clothing as temperature dips down quite fast during evenings and even in summers it may go as low as 3-4 *C. Otherwise, you may probably do the entire trail in shorts and at-shirt. Lodging is free but don’t expect even a motel type accommodation. You will collect your blankets from the first hut on your left near the temple and would have to spot to sleep in one of the sleeping areas below.
On the top you won't find anything fancy. Pranthas are the only luxury you would get in the small eating places but I guarantee, it will all be worth it. But do not indulge in over eating because there is no public toilet at 12000 ft.
Especially due to this reason I prefer to depend more on liquids than solids. Tea is your best friend at this altitude. It replenish your lost water, offer energy and help you to stay warm.
For me this trail is not just a way to get away from all the noise and non-sense. It not just about getting away. I am lord shiva devotee and its the trail like these helps me to strengthen my belief that just like this trident in the picture, someone, somewhere known by any name be it shiva, christ or allah is watching over you. They are always beside you and always guide you through thick and thin in life.
more to follow...until then....Jai Shiv Shambhoo...
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