Day 1 – Lohargunj to Didna (8600 ft), 31st Aug

Day one, we woke up to a cold morning! As we prepared for the trek to Didna village, we were aware that for the next 6 days, we could not possibly have a good wash, forget a bath. While I was waiting for my turn at the washroom, I was amused to hear Deepika shout out to Sridevi to ask if her facial makeup looked alrite. Sridevi, who was standing at a good 50 ft, answered back that it was perfect and resumed shooting from her video cam. Well, for the next 6 days, it would not matter how we looked. 


We handed our medical certificates & declarations and got our trekking passes.
Then packed our trek bags - these would be transported to the day's camp by mules - which was a luxury. Took out our day bags, filled them with the essentials – water, chocolates, sun glasses, sun screen lotion, and a sweater and left behind all the things that we would not need on the trek, esp. mobile phones! I had passed on the twitter link to my family and asked them to follow it and not expect me to call till I came back. Being completely cut off from the known world is such a welcome change!


Arjun had briefed us that the first day’s trek would be the most difficult trek of all. Our route for the day was through a 5 km flat road to Kuling Village, then 4 km downhill, across Wan river - first by foot and then by a bridge - and finally 5 km up on the next hill to Didna village. With a quick group picture at the camp, the first rope set off with Sridevi, our rope leader setting the pace. Rope 2 set out after 20 minutes, with Rajesh tailing all. The rest of the indiahikes team was made up of Narendra, Sardar, Bhisht, Dhano, Bhupal, and a few others who followed with our luggage and equipment on mules. Mothay and Abhinav kept the group spirit alive in our rope. The path was full of lovely Rhododendrons and tiny & medium waterfalls. The slightly slushy path was still motorable and we could see jeeps zipping past us. Though the locals zipped away while we trudged along, the thrill of bipedal exploring did give me a sense of perceived superiority. 

We stopped frequently for bio breaks, chocolate breaks but few photo breaks - unlike rope 2, which we discovered later, stopped very frequently for photo sessions. As we approached Kuling village, Sardar handed us nice and strong wooden sticks. Though we could manage the first leg well without the sticks, it was only during the downhill descent after Kuling that we realized that we had got the walking aids on time. The steep climb down, strewn with small stones and pebbles, coupled with water trickling down the path in many places, made it difficult to maintain the body balance on our own. 

Pic - En route Didna - Srini
At Kuling, we rested for a few minutes. There we saw huge bails of raw wool being dried out in the Sun. A few minutes later, when rope 2 reached Kuling, we set off for the next leg. After a quick descent, we braced ourselves for the climb to Didna. It was not as difficult as expected but because of the sun, we were exhausted. Not to forget the pain points in the toes after the constant pressure in the downhill trek. It is interesting that muscles and nerves that you would never know existed, come alive on a trek and make their presence felt and how! Is this a way to connect to your physical being as well? In that sense, isn’t a trek the perfect prescription to connect to one’s body, soul, heart, and mind! 

As we ascended up, we could see colorful flowerbeds dotting the scenery. Much as one wanted to laze around the scene, one had to move up and keep the pace of the climb steady. As we reached Didna, we remembered Arjun’s instructions to skirt the core village and keep to the outer path. Our camp was a little above the village, on a picturesque mound overlooking the Wan valley, right next to a clean stream. On reaching the campsite, it was a sight to see the ones who reached before us, lying there on mats, oblivious to all else. I followed suite and so did all others who came after us. As we all lay down there, there was no chitchat, no small talk, just a comfortable silence, building kinship among all the trekkers. We were perhaps silently absorbing the nature of the trek, and learning to respect the terrain, our purpose/objective, and the spirit of the indiahikes team.  Pic - Camp at Didna - Sri

We got up to collect our trek bags and check the tents that were put up for us. Ritu, Sridevi, and I settled in a tent. After a quick wash, which would be a luxury later, we prepared to enjoy the rest of the day. Had a delicious lunch and were all set to explore the area, when all of a sudden, rain set in. Later learnt that this was a common phenomenon - sunny bright mornings followed by rainy afternoons. The view from the tent as the clouds gathered and spilled out was fabulous. The rain made it difficult for us to interact with the rest of the group, except in the form of occasional shouts across the tents.

Towards early evening, it was fine to step out and enjoy the air and the view. It was then that we heard a loud thud: a huge tree had collapsed at the outer periphery of the campsite. We were fortunate that no one was roaming around at that point. On the lighter side, the tree provided  good cover to people who did not want to venture too far for a leak.

It was an absolute pleasure to watch the valley from the camp. I just sat and stared at the mountains, enjoying the enormous presence of the elements around.

Rajesh had earlier told us that we could have a bonfire if it did not rain in the evening. We had a great bonfire. It warranted some music. As we belted out numbers one after the other, the porters poured kerosene every few minutes to keep the fire alive. With the touch of the fuel, the fire would flare up to a huge ball before dwindling into ambers in a few minutes.

By then the makeshift loo tent was put up for the ladies. It saved us the trouble of scouting for a secure place. At this point, one guy said that they were told that out of two tents, the right tent would be for the men. The reply he got was, what was now ‘left’ out there was the right one! ;-)

Tea at 5 followed by an early dinner at 7:30, and we were ready to tuck in for the day. Next day, we were headed - through a dense Oak forest first and then meadow lands - to Bedni. Listening to the mellifluous music of the bells tied around the mules, I dozed off.