I had been wanting to do a Himalayan trek since my last visit to Rishikesh in early 2018 as it’s such an ideal access point, but sadly I was unable to find any hiking companions to join me. Luckily for me this time around I found a nice group on my yoga teacher training who all had the same Himalayan adventure spirit as me. We toyed a little with timings, in the end settling on a 3 day Himalayan trek as the best option and decided to set off straight after the yoga training finished.
However despite initial eagerness from all, the charm of India – otherwise known as Delhi belly – took one member down before we set off but we still remained a strong team of five ready – hmmmm kinda – to take on the challenge before us.
My 3 day Himalayan trek
Although I had been banging on about my high hopes to trek on this trip back to India, I still hadn’t really come prepared for it. I had with me the clothes I needed to keep me warm during the chilly nights and mornings on my yoga teacher training. This included; two vest tops, two long sleeved tops, two hoodies, three pairs of leggings and my snazzy animal print yoga pants. For my feet I had my fluffy bed socks to keep my lil’ tootsies warm and a pair of JD Sport trainers that I soon realised were lacking the necessary grips for such an expedition.
Before leaving I did check with the travel agent who assured me – obviously without any bias or thought of the dollars he may lose – that I would be absolutely fine and lending me a padded Reebok puffa – which added a rather slick retro feel to my ensemble – sent me on my merry way.
Day one
We began in Rishikesh at 6.30am and bundled into our truck eager and ready for our adventure. Our aim was to arrive at our first stop Deoria Tal at around 3pm giving us some time to explore and photograph the hell out of the lake, famed for the incredible reflection it offers of the Himalayas above.
Sadly however our promised 6-7 hour journey turned into a whole different animal. In a year or two’s time when someone travels along the newly widened and paved road that leads from Rishikesh to this Himalayan entry point I’m certain they will be very, very grateful indeed. For us however the long drive through the continuous roadworks, dust clouds, edge hugging turns and beepy queues only delivered more of a travel sicky vibe. Not all was lost though, the changing landscapes and the stunningly beautiful Ganges below was able to keep us well occupied.
Eventually we arrived around 4.30pm to Deoria Tal, our first nights stop at 2400 metres. Tired but glad to finally move our legs and set off on our first short hike to our home for the night.
Although the climb wasn’t steep – steep it was certainly steep enough to cause a slight shock to the body. Luckily my hiker’s pole came in very handy in managing the steps and the weight of worry about just what I’d got myself into. The views on this breathless climb were absolute first timers for me and gave me good reason to stop and take umpteen snaps. Watching the changing red tones glide across the Himalayan tops as the waxing moon shone down from above, highlighting the snowy peaks was unlike anything I have ever seen before.
Around 45 minutes of huffing and puffing later we arrived and settled into our base for the night. Although not the height of luxury it was certainly better than a tent, an idea that had been scarily banded around by the travel agent before leaving. It was what I would maybe describe as ‘India mountain chic’ with thick warm blankets, a proper toilet – although not quite in working order, but hey the thought was there – electricity points…oh the excitement! and an incredible meal cooked in the tiniest kitchen ever.
While very cold, it certainly wasn’t freezing and I felt a warmth of smugness wash over me and my limited hiking wardrobe as I settled into bed in the same clothes I had worn that day…and planned on wearing the next.
Day two
Committed to our daily meditation practice and eager to see the sky lighting over the peaks we woke around 6.30am and were welcomed with an incredible sight before us. It really was something quite beautiful and a magical spot for the morning practice.
This place sure is photo worthy, I don’t think I could have taken enough snaps to sum up its beauty.
One member down – the Indian charm had struck once more – our team of 4 set off around 8.30am and after another pretty steep and breath taking climb made it to a view point where we could see our destination and base for that evening, which looked fucking miles away.
The fear began to rise again but we were soon distracted by our guide Kali’s screech that he had just seen a leopard – or tiger as he kept referring to it as – running across our path. Sadly the rest of us missed it but we spotted many fresh leopard prints in the snow throughout the day.
We continued on and Kali’s promises of that days hike being ‘a little bit uppy and a little bit downy’ wasn’t actually too far from the truth. After the first upward climb the next four hours or so took us through shaded tree lined trails and open grassed mountainside, embellished with smatterings of snow.
Apparently a heavy downfall had come about two days before and after we took our lunch around 1pm it started to become thicker and a little more difficult for me in my trainers.
However, blessings are always there and without that fall the experience of this incredible creek, thick with fresh snow like a winter wonderland would not have been possible.
From this point onwards the snow remained with us, turning into slightly icey points at times as we moved deeper into the forested mountainside.
It was a beautiful hike but after 16km and 6 hours of trekking, boy was I relieved when we finally arrived at our collection point. From here we were driven the short distance to Choptha, a roadside village at 3000 metres and oh my, you could feel the temperature had dropped at this higher altitude. This was cold like I have never really felt before and it was clear that no matter how may pairs of leggings I was going to layer, I was never going to get warm again.
We did try but the freezing temperature had got to us all and come 7pm I had to hit the hay, fully dressed – even in my puffa jacket – and ready for our 4am set off the following morning.
Day Three
With our guides warning that we could be knee deep in snow for the final days ascent I rented a pair of ex Indian army boots from the place we were staying. Comfortable and calf length they appeared fit for the job but sadly once we hit the first of many, many, many ice patches it became clear that they were not. It would be unfair to say that the grip on them was as bad as my trainers, but I’d be hard pushed to say they were any better.
Now a team of three – we had lost yet another member to the charm – we slowly and steadily moved onwards and upwards, taking odd moments of rest to take photos and gaze upwards at the most incredibly star filled sky I have ever seen.
The trail up was not the clambering up a mountain side I had envisaged but instead a built in pathway that gradually and consistently elevated us towards the peak.
Our guide Kali supported my many twists and turns as I slipped and stumbled on the ice like Bambi. Eventually – sick of being grappled at by my flailing arms no doubt – he lent me his pair of walking boots and continued on in the ex-army pair, dealing with the ice patches in a much more graceful manner. Without snow and on the nice clear paved slabs I can imagine this would take about 45 minutes maximum, but for us it was at least 90 minute job until we reached Tungnath, the highest Shiva Temple at 3460 metres.
I think Kali had expected the path to be more snow and less ice filled and as we reached the edge of another long turn upwards he suddenly informed us we would be taking a slightly different route and climbing directly upwards. It was at this point that my fear of edges crept in and as you can see from the pictures caused me to climb up this vertical edge with an almost flat body pressed against the side.
It’s an interesting look and may be unconventional to some but it worked for me and along with Kali’s continuous words of encouragement and comical wisdom I managed to pull myself up several stages of a grass verge, clambering to the top for these eye popping views. I thought we’d made it.
Sadly however this wasn’t actually Chandrashila, our destined peak which at 4090 metres was still another 40 minutes snow filled trudge upwards. Exhausted and really feeling like I had hit every peak I need to by that point I opted to find a resting spot about half way along and took in the awesomeness with one of my clambering colleagues.
We took in some meditative mountain moments before beginning the descent back down. Pretty soon I realised why we had been led up the grass verge instead of the path, because it was actually an ice filled highway of terror. I spent the majority of it barely catching my breath and muttering ‘Oh fuck, fuck, fuck.’ as I moved at a snail’s pace along the path whilst tightly gripping Kali’s hand. I wanted to sob, loudly. In fact if my tears would not have turned to shards of ice in the fucking freezing temperatures I think I would have.
Finally we found our way back to the Shiva Temple for a moment of calm and where I was hopeful that Shiva might appear to whisk us safely down the mountainside. Sadly my dream was not to be realised and we set off on the long and still rather treacherous descent downwards. Of course having such a terrifying experienced framed by such complete beauty does make the experience a hell of a lot easier.
As we made the long walk down, dodging the increasing ice patches filling the path in the morning sun and passing the large numbers of young Indian men all struggling in their trainers to make the ascent, I realised just what we had all achieved. A big icey back slap deserved by us all.
Himalayan trekking tips
- Check the weather! Do remember that there is likely to be snowfall, especially if you choose to go in winter. Unless you are an experienced trekker and enjoy the thrill of being in uncomfortable coldness at times, then it might be worth considering another time.
- If you don’t have the correct clothes then take some time before to shop for or rent what you may need. Rishikesh is filled with what you would need to buy and there are outdoors shops where you can hire boots, jackets etc. to support your experience.
- Shop around, especially if you are in a large group. We paid 7300 INR per person, but if the group size would have been more it would have gone down to 6300 INR. We were quoted over 10,000 INR from another travel agent though, so definitely worth exploring your options.
- Consider your timing options. We choose a 3 day Himalayan trek, but if you have the time then extending this to 5 or 7 days would mean you could go much deeper and higher into the peaks.
- If you know any locals or meet anyone who has previously trekked then it would be worth finding out any guides recommendations they may have and dealing with them directly, saving you the travel agent middle man fee.
- I would highly recommend our guide Kali who you can find here. Available for treks in Rishikesh and Nepal – to name a few – he comes with beautiful hair, an extensive catalogue of comical words of wisdom and some very excellent guiding skills.
Have you been trekking in the Himalaya’s? I would love if you could share your experience and any tips in the comments below.
