Trek in Kheerganga -Part 2

Everyone wants to live on the top of the mountain but happiness and growth occurs when you are climbing it, by Andy Rooney

With this beautiful line I want to start my trekking experience -

Name of the trek - Kheerganga

Place - Kasol, Himachal Pradesh

Level - East to moderate

Altitude - 2950 meter

Significance of the name -

Kheerganga, got its name after the white milky Parvati River running through the valley. It is said that Lord Shiva had meditated here for around 10,000 years, making it a holy place.

The total distance of the trek was about 12 to 13 km( including both up and down), and it took about 6 to 7 hours to reach the point. Barshini, which was 20 to 30 minutes away from Kasol. On 2nd june, we checked out from our hotel room and took a bus from Kasol Market towards the starting point. After a 20-25 minutes journey, we reached there and met our tour operator and guide. He packed our luggage, and with his help we hired all the equipment for trekking, such as raincoats, shoes, sticks, etc. We also bought additional socks and trekking shoes. After taking some photographs, we received some basic instructions from our guide. At 11:30, we started our journey. The first 15-20 minutes on the road was very easy.

Now, coming to the view, it was completely mesmerizing. I always wondered that whether something is present there in the mountains, some mystery in the clouds, and the sound of waterfalls try to convery something. We encountered a total of four waterfalls on our way across the bridge. After crossing the bridge, we continued towards our destination, stopping at several points to take a break and have lunch inbetween.

The first 5 to 6 hours of our journey were difficult as soon as we started our trek. Even though the view was splendid, still the roads were becoming more and more rocky and slippery because of the rain. As we continued our journey after almost 3 hours, we had no network connection in our cellphones. On the roads, in some places we found iron railings, which made it easier to climb. After crossing the five-kilometer mark, we faced a new challenge. The upcoming roads were completely vertical with some loops for support and it was the final stretch of our journey.. The danger was that if someone’s leg slipped, they will go down dragging the people behind them too along with themselves.

After almost 7 hours, we reached our destination.

There is a proverb that the best thing comes after the hardest climb. That day, I realized it after I reached the peak and got the chance to see the mountain's majestic beauty at sunset. That time, my pain and anguish just vanished at an instant. I am truly unable to express the view and the overwhelming feeling in words. After that, we went inside our camp to rest at the lap of the mountain and enjoy the panaromic view with a cup of tea.

Slowly after the sunset, the temperature started to drop. After some brief comversations with the other group members, we started enjoying the bonfire with some music. The only thing we missed that night was the stars and the rain had to be blamed for it. Then, we had our dinner and went inside our tents to rest.

The next morning, after waking up, I really felt that maybe I should quit my job and stay here but quickly realised that its not possible. The sunrise made the surroundings look like heaven. We had our breakfast and started our return journey to our base camp around 10 o'clock. The return journey was not going to be that tough as we had already conquered everything to reach the top. Now, we just have to push our minds and bodies to reach back to our base camp.