Does every trek have a purpose? It isn’t a must to always feel this way. Even without a thought in mind, you might end up on a trek and find your purpose on top of cloudy terrains. And that’s what Utkarsh felt after coming across his trek to Chandrakhani Pass. 

Every traveller has a story that made them go on more trips, with more stories to tell. For Utkarsh, it was his exceptional trek in the monsoon of 2018. ‘There’s a beauty to be found in life’s unplanned plans’, and this unplanned trip was organized by the Trekking camp Of India. 

Campaign

The Government of Punjab sponsored Youth Leadership Trekking Camp with the motive Nasha Mukhti Abhiyaan (Anti-Drug Campaign). The NCC and NSS Candidates from the colleges of Punjab were selected to attend this campaign. Utkarsh came by this opportunity as an alumnus of Lovely Professional University. The camp had almost 150 participants from different districts of Punjab. All coming forward as a part of the National Service team of our country. 

Utkarsh started off from Jalandhar To Kullu Manali by bus. The twisted roads were a bonus to the nausea of traveling by bus. And after reaching the district base camp, they settled down for the day. 

The next two days, they held campaigns and classes on the ill effects of drug abuse. As the youth of India, it is a necessary and eye-opening approach to talk about addiction. And to maintain a healthy lifestyle, they practiced yoga every morning. 

At the camp

Before their trek, they went on a 4-5km long hike on the third day. Preparing for the major trek was a fun experience along with other like-minded participants of the camp.

When the group was divided into two, Utkarsh became a part of the second group of trekkers that would leave after the first group came back from the trek. The plan was to climb uphill to the pass, spend the night at its base camp and return to the main campsite. And the first group successfully managed to finish theirs with ease. But that wasn’t the case for Utkarsh’s trek. 

Halfway up, they met the first group with talks of a warning sign. They weren’t positive about the others climbing the mountains that were washed off by heavy rains at night. So everyone returned back hoping for a clear sky and paths for tomorrow. But their hopes were swamped by the stormy weather and the trek was postponed for yet another day. 

Keeping Steady

On the eighth day, they were determined that whether the paths were clear or not, trekking is a must. But along with other issues they also had limited time. They had to trek to the top and come back the same day. Bags packed and raincoats on, they left to ascend at 7:30 in the morning.

As they already expected it to be, the routes were all swamped with mud and it was common for them to loose their grip and fall. Taking each others support every now and then, it was a task to keep steady. Around this time, Utkarsh came across the worst situation he never imagined to be in. A slight slippery path made him almost fall off to the edge of the mountains. Thankfully, the other guys acted quickly and threw a rope for him.

This unexpected accident made him more attentive and everyone started taking the trek a bit more seriously. At 12:30 pm they halted at the base camp to have lunch before their climb to the top. As they came nearer to the peak, the inclination of the terrain increased. Using both their hands and legs, they felt like spiderman reaching for the top.

Worth It!

11,800ft tall Chandrakhani Pass had a view of the valleys as beautiful as Kashmir. Despite the rainy weather, the mountains gave a refreshing sight. The drizzle of water in the silence was peaceful. Utkarsh couldn’t deny that the journey was exceptional but it was worth it.

After spending some time in the serenity of the hills, it was time to head back. They left at 4 pm to reach the Kullu base camp as early as possible. Ontop of the dangerous decline, it was Utkarsh’s turn to carry a bag that included everyone’s stuff. Being an inexperienced trekker, he thought it would be better to descend while sitting down.

This way everyone slowly made it to the camp by 8 pm and left for their expedition to Manali. The entire day was an experience that made Utkarsh wanting more.

This was the start of an incredible journey which began with Utkarsh’s page thetraveldocumentary. The inspiration to travel and unfold adventures. And his story to Chandrakhani Pass that brought about the wanderlust in him. For more photos and videos check out his Instagram page: @thetraveldocumentary

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