The Day I Walked Out on Everything - My First Solo Backpacking Adventure!

Plagued by a persistent itch to getaway from everything normal and mundane, I decided to step out and lose myself in the beautiful vales of Himachal. Even though my search for a companion yielded no results from all quarters, my ambition had already taken shape. I set off for this adventure all alone. This, I believe, was one of the best decisions I had taken in a very long time. After a quick post-exam celebration, I packed my bag (it was a borrowed one, actually!) and rushed to the Kashmiri Gate ISBT.

Delhi-Kasol

The first leg of my journey was a 13-hour bus ride to Bhunter. There isn't much to expect from this stage of my trip. I was asleep for a major part only waking at the two short stops we made for meals and snacks. One thing that struck me immediately in the hills of Himachal was the utter lack of good food in the road-side dhabas. Kumaon has a clear advantage over Himachal in this respect. Try the pahadi raita with chana and pakodas in Uttarakhand, this violent combination creates a sensation that leaves you yearning for more. 

Back to Himachal now. The bus dropped me off in Bhunter and after a quick homely meal in a small restaurant, I boarded a bus for Kasol. It is nearly 30 kms from Bhunter which means a one and a half hour ride in the hills. The road follows the curves of the river and is not in a very good condition. Yet, the scenery created an expectation of better things to follow in the immediate future.

Kasol - Manikaran

The first thing that strikes you when you get down at Kasol is the crowd! All around you, people with backpacks, some Indians, a lot more foreign travelers ( a vast majority hailing from Israel) milling around with an acute sense of wanderlust prevailing in the air. The excitement that accompanies it is visible in the crowd, in their motions and their gestures. Within minutes I was discussing the trek to Khirganga with a couple from Israel. They intended to make it there by nightfall. I on the other hand, had different plans. My first task was to secure cheap accommodation, which I did after some serious haggling (emotional jabs mostly!) and was able to get a decent room for INR 350 a night (pretty good bargain right?). 

View From My Room (Neat, right?)

The bus ride had left me tired, so I decided to take a nap before exploring Kasol and the neighborhood. My first excursion was a leisurely stroll to Manikaran which is 4 kms away. Manikaran has a Gurudwara with hot spring water to take a dip in. I took a detour  to the river bank halfway to my destination. The river, still in its youthful stage, gushed violently past not caring for anything that lay in between creating a picturesque scene that is mesmerizing for the beholder.The Gurudwara is approached over a bridge, below which the river churned over rocks creating scary rapids. The hot water bath in the Gurudwara is another unique addition. The steam rising from the surface of the water betrayed its temperature and true to its appearance, the water was extremely hot! 

Enroute to Manikaran

At Manikaran Gurudwara, Notice the steam rising up from the discharged hot water

The heavens shortened my stay at Manikaran as dark clouds began rolling in slyly from behind the tall peaks. A strong breeze followed by a short but heavy shower made me take shelter first, beneath an overhanging bush and later in a man-made establishment.

Shelter during the drizzle! (Later on it it turned to heavy rain and I had to seek shelter elsewhere)

It was seven by the time I returned, giving me ample time to explore Kasol. Tea and view of the snow capped Himalayan peaks left me fresh. After several introductory conversations with various travelers and an occasional talk with the local folk, I decided to have dinner at a place recommended by a friend - Stone Garden Cafe. It wasn't something great, rather an okay-ish establishment.Dessert from the German Bakery made up for this ordinary experience as I sampled at least 3-4 of the wares on display. It is a must try for everyone who visits Kasol. A short after-dinner stroll and I was ready to call it a night around half past eleven.

Kasol-Barshaini-Kheerganga

Up early the next morning, yet I was only able to get the 9:30 bus to Barshaini. This village is an hour's ride from Kasol. The bus frequency is quite low, with the first one coming two hours before and hence this bus was crowded. I jostled for space in the aisle with a bunch of school kids and a cage with two baby-goats. The bus emptied in Manikaran and I was able to secure a seat for the reminder of the journey. 

At Barshaini, I had my brunch in a small restaurant run by two ladies who happened to cook the most delicious of meals (another recommendation). After having my fill, I proceeded to gather directions for the trek from another restaurant owner nearby. His map and a graphic description of the wonders of Kheerganga only added to my curiosity and anticipation. (He described a lot more in context with the 'wonders of the Kheerganga valley'!)

Tasty and amazing!

The hand drawn map to Kheerganga (N is Nakthan, RN is Rudranag, PD is Pulga Dam)

The trek to Kheerganga would be a 11 km long one . I sighted plenty of travelers heading in the direction of the trail and chanced to ask a group of three whether they were heading for Kheerganga. After the first few introductions, we headed off together along the trail becoming good friends in the process.

The trek begins!

Markers are available all along the route (8 kms to go!)

The trek follows a beautiful trail with sights of small waterfalls, snow capped peaks and green slopes all around. The first leg of the trek is from Barshaini to a village called Nakthan. From Nakthan, we head toward Rudranag. Here the water scoops upwards in a small cup in the rock and subsequently falls as a projectile. It is a place of worship and the last bit where the easy walk ends. The next five kilometres were the most grueling ones with an uphill trek. We ended up going round robin on the backpack with the tent. (My companions were carrying a tent and I had agreed to camp with them!) . The path is marked with several small streams rushing down from the snow melt. The cold water left us gasping when we accidentally submerged our feet (shoes and socks) while crossing one. We stopped on a number of occasions and were only able to complete the trek in 4.5 hours! (The locals say that they do it in 3!)

The beautiful hillsides

The snowcapped peaks

Rudranag

The feeling of accomplishment at the end of the trek was dwarfed by the beauty of the Kheerganga meadow. Lying in an oval -shaped valley between mighty peaks, this meadow was a lush green setting dotted with rocks and a small human settlement. After a visit to the temple at the top, our first task was to setup the tent, which we did in quick time (And in this process I learned how a tent is assembled!) . Following the completion of the above, we rushed to take a dip in the hot spring pool to ease the tiredness of the journey. As we sat in the hot water pool, the cool breeze played a good companion to the heat from the water and this combination was refreshing.

On reaching Kheerganga! The smile cannot convey the feeling!

The hot water spring pool!

Following this, I spent some precious moments of solitude (numbering some 90 minutes!) just taking in the breathtaking scenery around me. From my vantage point, I also had the opportunity to interact with a variety of other people who were headed to and fro from a gathering a 1.5 hour trek away. (I gave it a miss owing to the tiredness that had set in now). By now the sun had almost completed its southward journey. The multitudes of colors on display that came with the setting sun were a bonus. As night crept in, the temperatures dropped. We built a fire (after prolonged efforts) and I had to don warm clothes, lest the cold troubled my sinuses again. Swapping stories (And stuff!) around the fire was fun! A less than palatable dinner in the small shacks (restaurants!) was a dampener for the spirits but what followed afterwards cannot be explained in words.

Enjoying these moments of solitude!

As we lay around the fire looking upwards at the heavens, we were taken by surprise by the night sky on display. It was a new moon night and the entire sky was dotted with stars sparkling small and bright. The valley seemed entombed in a beautiful shroud of twinkling stars . We lay admiring the needlework of the Gods on the dark wool of the skies as the sound of the river rushing deep below filled the silence.  With flames giving way to embers, we too decided to call it a day around midnight.

The next morning, I was the first one up and spent another beautiful period of solitude. It was the best feeling. With no contact from the outside world (there are no cellphone signals up there except for a lucky few like BSNL) and everyone, these moments of mine seemed to stretch into eternity as I forgot all and lived another life in those moments, among these hills. 

Our shelter for the night

Another dip in the hot water pool and we bid adieu to this enchanted location. The descent was quick and we made good time completing the journey in a little over two hours. From there it was a bus ride to Kasol where I parted ways with my new found friends who journeyed on to Kullu, while I stayed back to have lunch at Evergreen, which was a good recommendation.

The morning dip

On the way back!

Kasol-Kullu-Delhi

After a final walk around Kasol, I had to wait for a long time for the bus to Kullu. The bus dropped me off at the Kullu bus station with minutes to spare. The fact that the trip was ending didn't strike me until the bus had started moving off towards Delhi. As the rain splattered the windows outside, my eyes could not leave the hills beyond. I drifted to sleep with images of beautiful vales, gushing rivers and mighty mountains all left behind in this wonderful world.

8 am I touched base at ISBT and in 45 minutes I was back to college again!

Cost of the trip : 3,950 INR (Delhi-Kasol-Kheerganga-Delhi)

The experience : Priceless!

I am itching to run away again!