Background
We 3 friends decided to go for a short trek for
Nag Tibba which is near Mussourie.
Train tickets were booked well in advance to avoid the last
minute hassles.
1st Feb (Friday)
We all packed our bags and left office by afternoon to catch the Delhi Dehradun Jan Shatabdi Express. We reached the station well in time and left Delhi by 3:25pm.
Had a comfortable ride and reached Dehradun at night by 9 pm.Had to wander a little to find a hotel room and settled for a cheap and
comfortable one near the Dehradun Railway station.
After having a late dinner and watching some TV retired to
bed as we were expected to be at our rendezvous point near Dehradun station the
very next day at 6:30am.
2nd Feb (Saturday)
Got up at 5:15 am, had some
tea and biscuits and left for Dehradun station. After reaching the station we
could see other trekkers already waiting for us. Our group leader from
Indiahikes introduced himself to us. We had to wait a little longer for some
members to join in and left Dehradun by 7am. We made our first stop near
Mussourie (Kempty Falls) at 9:30 am for a dash of breakfast which included bread toast, omelettes, Maggi and tea.
Finally we reached our destination around noon, a small village called Panthwari from where our trek started. Gajji was our guide for the trek and the below is the first pic captured by Anil.
The path was very steep initially and continued to be the same, thereafter.
Once we were at a descent altitude, it provided a breathtaking view of the valley.
The entire journey was a steep climb with patches on few meters being on levelled ground.
Some of us decided to take a break about 1 hr from the base camp. The snow clad peaks started to get visible from here.
It took us almost 4 hours to reach the top with small breaks for filling our lungs with oxygen. Once you reach the top (Nag Tibba base camp), you cant be more pleased to see that our camps were already ready with sleeping bags and camp mats.
We were greeted with hot tea, coffee, biscuit and snacks courtesy Indiahikes team.
We could also see small patches of snow on the ground.
After taking some pictures, it started getting dark by 5:30 and the bon fire was lit. People started to gather around the bonfire sharing their experiences about their previous treks and how to avoid the attack from a Himalayan Mountain Bear :).
Pre dinner, we savored some lovely soups and our dinner was served by 8:00-8:30 pm.
Temperature was hovering near zero.
Before calling it a day, we were served hot bournvita to keep our-self hydrated and then we entered our camps trying to fit ourselves in the sleeping bags, which I must say, was not easy.
After a difficult night sleep, we got up around 6:30 in the morning and were served hot tea and coffee.
The early morning temperature was 0 deg.
And we could see frost on top of our tents, thereby reminding us that the temperature at night might have been well below zero.
After a short course of breakfast, the plan was to target Nag Tibba and reach the summit which would be a steep climb for 2 hours.
I decided to rest at at Base Camp, but our fellow trekkers pushed off. Later did I realize, what I had missed.
Here our some snaps courtesy Anil Suri.
The trekkers came back around noon and we all had lunch together and started for the descend by 2pm. The way down was a little less tiring as more distance could be covered quickly, not without hurting your knee and feet.
Finally, we all were back at Panthwari by 5pm and our bus started the return journey for Dehradun to be back at the railway station by 9pm.
Special thanks to our coordinator Vaibhav and our guide Gajji.
Finally, thanks to the crew from Indiahikes who helped to setting up the camps, managing the cooking and all the logistics. Thanks to them for making these 2 days memorable for all of us.
After a sumptuous dinner, we boarded the New Delhi AC express and retired to our berths to be woken up at 6am the next morning by our fellow train passengers.
2- There is no substitute for good trekking gears (backpack, footwear, trekking pole, hydration pack etc)
3- Finally, while trekking, please keep yourself hydrated.
Will I be doing trekking again?
The answer is yes, destination still needs to be decided :)
"May the force be with you".
Finally we reached our destination around noon, a small village called Panthwari from where our trek started. Gajji was our guide for the trek and the below is the first pic captured by Anil.
The path was very steep initially and continued to be the same, thereafter.
Once we were at a descent altitude, it provided a breathtaking view of the valley.
The entire journey was a steep climb with patches on few meters being on levelled ground.
Some of us decided to take a break about 1 hr from the base camp. The snow clad peaks started to get visible from here.
It took us almost 4 hours to reach the top with small breaks for filling our lungs with oxygen. Once you reach the top (Nag Tibba base camp), you cant be more pleased to see that our camps were already ready with sleeping bags and camp mats.
We were greeted with hot tea, coffee, biscuit and snacks courtesy Indiahikes team.
We could also see small patches of snow on the ground.
After taking some pictures, it started getting dark by 5:30 and the bon fire was lit. People started to gather around the bonfire sharing their experiences about their previous treks and how to avoid the attack from a Himalayan Mountain Bear :).
Pre dinner, we savored some lovely soups and our dinner was served by 8:00-8:30 pm.
Temperature was hovering near zero.
Before calling it a day, we were served hot bournvita to keep our-self hydrated and then we entered our camps trying to fit ourselves in the sleeping bags, which I must say, was not easy.
3rd February (Sunday)
After a difficult night sleep, we got up around 6:30 in the morning and were served hot tea and coffee.
The early morning temperature was 0 deg.
And we could see frost on top of our tents, thereby reminding us that the temperature at night might have been well below zero.
After a short course of breakfast, the plan was to target Nag Tibba and reach the summit which would be a steep climb for 2 hours.
I decided to rest at at Base Camp, but our fellow trekkers pushed off. Later did I realize, what I had missed.
Here our some snaps courtesy Anil Suri.
The trekkers came back around noon and we all had lunch together and started for the descend by 2pm. The way down was a little less tiring as more distance could be covered quickly, not without hurting your knee and feet.
Finally, we all were back at Panthwari by 5pm and our bus started the return journey for Dehradun to be back at the railway station by 9pm.
Special thanks to our coordinator Vaibhav and our guide Gajji.
After a sumptuous dinner, we boarded the New Delhi AC express and retired to our berths to be woken up at 6am the next morning by our fellow train passengers.
Lessons Learned:
1- Even for a short trek, one needs to be prepared physically and mentally2- There is no substitute for good trekking gears (backpack, footwear, trekking pole, hydration pack etc)
3- Finally, while trekking, please keep yourself hydrated.
Will I be doing trekking again?
The answer is yes, destination still needs to be decided :)
"May the force be with you".
