Why do we trek? It is a gruesome hike that leaves us exhausted and sometimes causes serious danger too. But there’s something so meditative about that climb to the top, that we forget all about the tricky trek up there. The same goes for our traveller Utkarsh who got caught up in a trek like this but soon enough found a new perspective through it all. Let’s discover his outrageously adventurous trek to TRIUND. 

From Punjab to Dharamshala

With twisted routes and traffic, we can all agree that travelling by road always ends up being a long journey that devours the entire day. Starting off from Jalhander to Hoshiyarpur, and later a direct bus to Dharamshala took about five hours. Here on, Utkarsh took a cab to Mcleodganj which was overcrowded as it was Christmas week. 

Manu Adventures (travel agency) had made arrangements for their trek as well as the next days’ camp. Utkarsh and his friends relaxed the night off at a hotel before the thrilling experience that awaits them tomorrow.

Heading North

The Sunday morning wasn’t about lazing around but preparing for their jaunting trip ahead. They began the trek as soon as they got hold of the travel guide. Since it was a winter trek, they were informed that there would be snow at the mountains. But for the past week, Dharamshala didn’t have any snowfall, so they only made arrangements for rainfall. Triund was supposedly a beginner’s trek, for which Utkarsh had a lot of anticipation that might or might not have happened. Why not find out? 

Along the journey, they took short breaks at Cafes. The first one is Shiva cafe after a 15-minute hike. Here, the group of twelve strangers spent a while before elevating further. There was also a Maggi point for a mandatory Maggi break amidst the mountains. On the way, sunlight warmed them up and they settle down for lunch.  

At 2 pm, the high altitude and the weather gave them a hard time trekking. Suddenly, there was instant snowfall followed by cloudy paths that made their visibility weak. Utkarsh’s first snow experience at Triund was about to get wilder than he wished for. Almost an hour left to reach the base camp, they saw the yellowish-green mountains turn white with snow. 

Out Of Control

They weren’t prepared for this snowstorm-like weather and it became difficult to balance. During the hike, they kept slipping on the snow and falling down. Somehow they reached the base camp at around 4 pm. Halted at the tea stall where they served steaming hot tea that took seconds to turn cold. And just after 15-minutes or so, the excitement turned into fear. The freezing cold turned their hands red and blue and all they wanted was to get back to the foothills.  

On the edge of ordinary

When they began to descend from Triund, almost everyone was a victim of landing straight into the snow. This time they formed a human chain and managed to take each other support. Where do I take the next step? Was the only thing that went on in Utkarsh’s mind. And soon enough he faced the worst incident of falling down from a great height but regained his hold. They returned to the camp with a few bruises and a lot of memories to cherish later. 

With soaked clothes and no dry wood for a fire, sleeping bags were their only hope for some warmth. Even the good ol’ friend rum didn’t have the guts to fight the cold. So they stayed up all night with -5 degrees centigrade. 

When the sunrise hit, they didn’t waste a moment and returned back to Dharamshala. This over-the-top adventure was overwhelming for him. For which he had to cancel the plans of encountering the Lakha glaciers and a paragliding venture. But all he wanted was to reach home safely after this dynamic trip. 

Budget: Punjab to Dharamshala Travel- INR 3,600 per person, Manu Adventures- INR 1,000 and Stay at Hotel- INR 1,500 for a sharing room of three (charges may differ)

Amazed by the bold and venturous trip by Utkarsh? For more photos and videos, check out his Instagram page: @thetraveldocumentary

For more such unique and authentic stories stay tuned and follow us on our Instagram handle: @indiachalk