Woke up to a wet day yet again. This time our rain gear was in place from the camp itself. Narendra had to deaden his pace to guide us to the right path. Chatting with him, I found that his family was in Lohagunj and he had two kids. Their school was a little far to go by walk. They woud get rides occassinally otherwise, it was trudging all along. Life is not easy up there. Or you may say they are used to it and are stronger and healthier for the same reasons.
Once we crossed back the bugiyals, we again hit the same kind of moss and fern forests that took us from Didna to Bedni. The slush made it a difficult climb down. But the fact that we were heading back home gave impetus to the knees and toes and we skipped along. So much so that at one point Ananth skipped a good 20 steps. Abhinav, the one who proposed the shortcut, stood watching as Ananth went down as a ‘thara’zan! As he collected a lot of slush on his hands and clothes, he hunted for water to wash it away. He found a small stream where he unburdened the extra weight!
Once we came out of the forest, the view was fabulous. As I stood watching from a depression, the mountains looked fresh and green, the rain lent a beauty that surpassed any description. We crossed bridges above gushing streams. Yes, you can never have enough of Nature - it never fails to charm you. Even after seven days in the area, every moment had its share of the wow! factor.
As we hit the outskirts of Wan village, we saw beautiful rose-coloured flower beds. Bhupal who was with us then, told us that the seed was used as flour. Came across mountain folks facing just another cold and wet day. Reached the designated point for pickup in jeeps. The designated point was a general store, which stored everything! From maggi to shoes to books, you name it and it was there on the shelves. There was no power though. As we waited there, the phone calls were in full swing. It had been seven days since we last spoke to our folks. Hearing their voices was such a joy. They had been following the tweets and knew that I was unwell for some time. Then came the news that the CM had died in a chopper crash. Shock, disbelief, relief - all prevailed in the group. For me, the real world was very far away and I did not want to think about it yet.
The jeep ride was 8-9 km and we sat there, wet and heavy. On reaching Lohargunj, a jubilant Arjun welcomed us back. He was thrilled to bits that despite the odd weather conditions, we were all in one piece and that 13 of us managed to go up to Roopkund. He wanted to hear all the gory details and we spent the evening filling him out and then learning more about the indiahikes projects from him. The team intends to generate good revenue and sustainable employment for the locality. Good luck to the endeavor!
Much as we were in a disheveled state, we heeded Arjun’s advice not to exert or subject the body to any more cold. The immunity levels would be at the lowest and a little carelessness would cause trouble. So, I settled for a gentle face wash.
Dinner was followed by a thanksgiving session to the indiahikes team. Achin was at his loudest best as he thanked them all and explained in no unclear terms why he was so thankful!
As we settled for slumber, we could hear the trio and Achin in the room next to us. I dozed off immediately. It was only in the morning that we heard of the sleepless nites spent by Ananth and Srini with Abhinav and Achin. The video/recollection of that nite will always keep us in splits. And Ritu was also sleepless, half from fatigue, half from back pain. And also perhaps from looking forward to the 8-hr cab ride next day to Haridwar! ;-)
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