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“It is not the mountains that we conquer but ourselves.”
These words by Edmund Hillary describe the desire of every solo traveler who wants to break free from the monotonous life and go on a journey of self-discovery.
Having resigned from her job, Gurgaon-based Neha Gore had a transient phase in front of her to fulfil her desire to travel before she could take another. A short period is all she had to make lifelong memories, and she knew that she had to make it count. She set her eyes on the beautiful Valley of Flowers Trek, and after getting several positive feed backs about the place, there was no looking back for her.
Another major reason for choosing the Valley of Flowers Trek was that the trek is open for just three months every year—when nature spills its best colors and the flowers blossom—exhibiting a picture-perfect imagery. The Valley of Flowers Trek in Uttarakhand is a visual delight for nature lovers as colorful flowers blossom in the months of July and August. The riot of colors reflects every existing hue of nature in its purest form, and that’s not all! The snow-clad mountains in the backdrop add to the picture-perfectness of the place.
Neha likes to travel solo; having accomplished many treks across India, she believes that trekking alone has its perks as you make many friends on your journey who become a part of the journey, and a few go on to become friends for a lifetime! When she decided to trek to the Valley of Flowers, she was most excited to meet new people and exchange life experiences. Finally, she chose Thrillophilia and received quick responses and instant support.
Journey to the Heaven
Neha set off to Haridwar from Kashmiri Gate in Delhi on the night of July 30. Early next morning, the travellers assembled in Haridwar and were taken to the base camp of the trek, i.e. Govindghat. By 8 p.m., they had reached the base camp and after a delicious dinner, they dozed off to prepare for the big morning next day.
The next morning brought with it air of anticipation and excitement. The trekkers were driven 5 km in cars, after which they started trekking. After covering a distance of 9 km, they reached Ghangaria. The unimaginably beautiful weather surprised them all as it rained at regular intervals, making the valley appear lush green. Streams crossed their paths, and the sound of the gushing waters constantly reminded them that they were in the lap of nature. En route to Ghangaria, they stopped to have tea at food stalls, which kept them warm in the shivering cold.
Reaching Ghangaria at 3:30 p.m. was the first achievement for the trekkers. They explored the Ghangaria village that day and took shelter by night. The Valley of Flowers was 3.5 km from here, and the trekkers could not contain their excitement that night as they were scheduled to trek to the summit the next morning.
Glimpses of the Heaven
Now, it was the big day that the trekkers had longed to experience. The 3-km trek was short but difficult owing to the frequent rains and steep surface which was slippery at places. With great difficulty and enthusiasm, Neha and fellow trekkers made it to the Valley of Flowers, finally! For Neha, it was a sight unforgettable—she was so awestruck when she first entered the Valley of Flowers that she could not help but stand there and admire the unbelievable creation of nature.
The view was enchanting as colorful flowers formed a carpet against the backdrop of snow-clad mountains. The wet flowers adorned raindrops, which looked like a jewel in the crown. To add to the beauty, the trekkers were surrounded by clouds at a whopping height of 3748 meters, and it was a like-never-before encounter with nature.
The trekkers clicked pictures of the flowers and explored the valley. If it wasn’t heaven, it wasn’t any less than it too for the visitors. The picturesqueness of the valley was unparalleled and they beheld the sight on their way back to Ghangaria village.
Tripping Over Tranquility at Hemkund Sahib
The next day, they geared up to head to Hemkund Sahib, which was 7 km away from the village. The air in the trek was filled with spirituality as Sikh devotees on the way chanted ‘Satnam Waheguru’ all along. After walking a difficult trek, the last lap of a thousand steps ensured that they finally reached the place—triumphant and contented. Despite the difficulty in trekking, their spirits didn’t bow down to the extreme weather, thanks to the frequent tea and photography sessions along the way.
The trekkers entered Gurudwara at 12 p.m. for Ardaz, after which the they spent some time up there clicking pictures and in self-discovery. The serenity felt by Neha at Gurudwara was unmatchable. The lake by the side was covered by clouds, making the experience all the more soothing. Each scene since they had set off for the trek was better than the previous one, and it just kept getting better.
By 2:30 in the noon, the trekkers had descended to Ghangaria village with visual memories of the heaven they had trekked to. The next day, they visited Badrinath and Mana, which happens to be the last village of India.
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Neha could not contain her excitement as she found new friends here: the mountain dogs! She fed them food and made them trustworthy companions on her expedition in the village. Did anyone say that solo travelling is not fun, eh?
The trip was coming to an end, but Neha and the fellow trekkers, whom she labels as the “most cheerful and entertaining lot” out of all the solo trips she had undertaken in the past, garnered enough memories to savour all their lifetime. The dinner on the last night was followed by a cherry on top of the cake—an ice-cream and lots of unending laughter and moments of sharing life experiences.
It was a happy ending to the night as a 20-year-old fellow trekker mesmerized everyone with his guitar tunes. Soon, everyone joined to sing along, adding to the beautiful memories of what was a tale of energetic friends, heavenly visuals and tranquil experiences.
