Aren't we all vagabonds, travelling from one place to another. Or at-least we all turn into one, when it's New Year-o-clock! Its' a time of celebration, merriment and definitely travel. We all just wanna back our bags and hit the road as soon as our clock hits New Year eve. I, not being any different, always try that I welcome every new year at a new location. Well, let's just say I have succeeded most of the time. Last year, like always, I picked one such location. People mainly turn to beach-y places when it comes to New Year but me being a wandering soul chose a rocky trail.
Then came the day to embark upon an adventurous and thrilling journey. I backpacked my stuff and was ready to start yet another exciting trip. I took an overnight Volvo from Delhi to Dehradun and reached Dehradun early in the morning at 6. I had already booked the trek package online which included transportation, meals and camping for 2 days trek. Dehradun bus stand was the pickup spot for the group. We were picked up at 7 AM and the ride towards the trek starting point began in a traveller.
Our first stop was at the most popular location of the town. When we were approaching it, it looked stunning from across the road with multiple water streams rushing from the mountains. Kempty falls is a magnificent waterfall located 13 kms from Mussoorie at Tehri Garhwal highway and is a famous hangout place among tourists. Don’t miss this one!! A cable car ride leads to the waterfall where you can enjoy a refreshing dip in the water on a bright and sunny day and other boating activities. Since I was there in winters and it was icy cold water, nobody dared to go into the water. You can listen to the invigorating sounds of the rushing water streams which mingle with the excited cheer of the visitors, hire paddle boats to enjoy the panoramic views or enjoy traditional Indian snacks in the restaurants nearby.
We again started driving towards Pantwari village where the trek starts. It was a beautiful and thrilling ride of 2 hours with luscious green scenery. We halted for lunch at a restaurant which was 10 kms behind the beginning mark. I got to meet all the trekker members of the group over lunch. Then we left for the last leg of the car ride which was the most difficult drive. At times, there was no path visible at all. That bumpy and appalling journey lasted for 30 min and my heart literally slipped into my mouth. We got out of our vans, tightened our backpacks and started marching towards the Nag Tibba summit in a pack of around 20 enthusiastic and invigorating trekkers at around 3PM.
Nag Tibba is a well liked trek renowned for its green scenery and panoramic views. Total trek distance is 9 Kms which we had to cover in two leaps. First day's target was to reach the base camp which was a 4 Kms easy trek. It is an easy trek for seasoned trekkers but still do some physical fitness training before the trek. It took us 3 hours to reach the base camp through the winding trails and rocky paths offering stunning views all around. I won’t describe much about the path, let my shots do the talking.
Sun was about to set when we reached our camps and a full moon was ready to shine overhead. It was so close that I could literally touch the moon. Yay!! Everything was just mesmerising.
We were welcomed in the camps with hot snacks. We all sat and gazed at the panorama in front of us over hot snacks and amusing talks. At around 8 PM, dinner was served and a bonfire was lit up. We all encircled around the fire and had a gala time playing fun games. It’s so much fun knowing different people from around the country. As night came rushing, the weather started to take a toll on us. It was freezing to the core but since it was New Year’s eve, we refused to sleep before it was past 12 and kept going with bonfire as our only saviour. And then the clock ticked 12. Everyone started shouting and the whole valley echoed with New Year wishes. In a celebration mood, we all started dancing and cheering. Weariness of the day was overshadowed by the jollification. The celebration went for another hour and then we went to our camps and within seconds all were in deep slumber.
At 4 o'clock, we were up again to cover the last leg of the trek towards the summit. Icy cold wind had a numbing effect on us and hot tea and 'maggi' came to the rescue. And then we started moving with exuberance and anticipation to see snow covered mountains up there. Our tour operator told us that there was snowfall a night before and we were too excited to get up there. This path was a difficult one with slippery and rocky steep slopes. I remember panting my lungs out at times but the snowy peaks and verdant valleys kept us moving. Do carry your portable speakers as music works as an utmost motivator.
When we were about to reach like 500m before, we could see the snow covered hilltop and we started shouting like kids. All the weariness just vanished and within seconds we were running towards it. It was past 9 when we reached the summit and it was hypnotising to witness the stunning views of the Himalayan peaks like Swargarohini, Bandarpoonch and Kedarnath. We went crazy clicking pictures, running from one end to another, playing with snowballs and what not. It takes a great deal of efforts to be there, but it was well worth the wait. The place is believed to be the abode of ‘Nag Devta’ or God of Snakes and there lies a little temple also where local people come to offer their prayers for their protection.
We were there for about 2 hours. Our tour operator was requesting repeatedly to start moving downwards as we had to cover the whole path in one stretch but we were too rigid to move. When we had fully ingested the bewitching panorama to our hearts, we started moving backwards with heavy hearts as nobody wanted to leave. The path became slippery with melting snow and it was a bit difficult to move. We even slipped a couple of times. We reached the base camp and halted for lunch. The sun had come up overhead by then and the chilling wind had faded away.
We relaxed for a bit and then grabbed our stuff to complete the journey ahead. At 4PM, we arrived again at the trek threshold from where we had started the other day. It was a mixed feeling of content and happiness laced with saddening goodbyes.
We were then dropped back at Dehradun by our tour operator. Bidding each other goodbye, we started our journey back home.
This marked the end of this full fun packed trip. Do visit if you get a chance. As they say, “When mountains call, all must go!!”.
Happy to answer any query if you planning a trip to this place. I will keep sharing my future travel experiences. Till then, stay tuned!!