Quick Jumplinks to Navigate
It is rightly said that once you make your mind to perform a feat, the entire universe conspires to get you closer to your goal. You must have heard it in the movies or read in the novels, but believe us, being one of India’s top travel and adventure aggregator we see the examples every day.
Aarushi: The Uptown Girl Decides to Embrace Trekking
Hailing from Ahmedabad, a Software Engineer by profession, Aarushi Ranade also made up her mind to take a break. A break from the urban hodgepodge and embrace the nature in some form. In her words, “I had started looking for a trip to take online because the work at the office was getting exhausting and I needed a break. I had learned about Thrillophilia from a friend who had booked at their platform and had had a ball on her trip. They are doing a great job by bringing the operators directly to the travellers.”
Roopkund: Because the Pictures were Good!
Browsing through the extensive categories and travel experiences, Aarushi found something that she recalled as something she always wanted to do – a trek expedition. Well, the feat was settled, now the question was which one? She remembers, “I did not look at the difficulty level, I didn’t even know how important that detail was. I just browsed through the photographs, and thought to myself that if the pictures turn out to be good, I would go there”. She decides on the Roopkund trek. It was ‘going with the gut feeling’ move and she had absolutely no idea of what preparations or efforts would go into the same, on which she still laughs loud.
From her Roopkund experience, she now has a mental note, “Next time I will surely take in the minute details of the trek, but for my first trek, I just went with the pictures. You know how mesmerizing the pictures are, and the bio of the trip was so interesting that I couldn’t stop myself from reading it all and wanting even more.”
Check Out Thrillophilia Ladakh Reviews before Planning your Ladakh Trip
Roopkund Trek: The Mystic Trek and the Skeleton Lake
Aarushi says that choosing Roopkund as her first trekking experience was the best choice she made. “Roopkund was truly the experience that made me realize that mountains have a certain kind of unique charm that knows how to keep you hooked. I was so attracted to them that I even searched for YouTube videos of people who had already been on the trek and they all turned out to be equally amazing.”
Roopkund, well-known as the mystery lake of Uttrakhand is perched in the laps of the snow-clad Mt. Trishul is situated at an altitude of 16,499ft.
One of the reason, Roopkund attracts trekkers attention is for the human skeletal remains that are visible at its bottom when the snow melts. The story behind the skeletons dates back to the 9th century, where it is said that the people inhabiting the place were killed in a sudden valiant storm.
The route along the Roopkund trek is a fascinating journey amidst the Himalayan vibe comprising of the oak and blooming rhododendron forests. A moderate trek, the trek trails through mountainous rivers, enthralling ridges, lush forests and scenic meadows.
With the attributes that make Roopkund an irresistible trek, Aarushi straight away went on to the preparations part to maximize her experience. The problem was, she had no idea from where to start.
Must Check Out: Reviews Of Thrillophilia
Preparation: The Convincing, The Planning, The Questions
After a long convincing session with the parents, as a girl on a trek is still an eyebrow raiser for the Indian families, she recalls, “I had mailed my concerns to Thrillophilia, and was informed that I was not the only female on the trek”. Well, that settled the family on one factor.
Aarushi also tagged few of her colleagues along on this expedition and she also went through the pain of convincing their parents. Still, “it was worth it.”.
She also went a bit ambitious and booked her parents a trip with Thrillophilia around the same time. What!!? Well, we had the same expression. “So to keep their minds occupied, I booked a trip for them around the same time as mine. This would have kept them busy on theirs while I was enjoying mine. I took on the hardship of planning two trips so I could enjoy mine without worries.”
Now the convincing and planning is done. Next, Aarushi started by gathering the required information to make it through the trek and prepare herself for the efforts that will go into the experience. “I emailed them (Thrillophilia) my questions about the number of people in the group, things to carry and precautions to take. It was really great to leave them an email and get a reply within the hour, answering all my concerns, and that of my parents”
With her kind words towards the service, she adds “I took a leap of faith with them because they looked like they knew their work, and executed it with a level of professionalism that was extremely rare. I told them that I was going to book for a certain date because I had to intimate my office about my absence, as well as book my tickets while there was still time. And they told me to go with it. The whole process was very smooth and went without any wrinkles.”
The Trek Begins
Aarushi was one of the most super-excited travel ambassadors we have so far and she humbly took the pain to detail her whole trip whilst our conversation. Below are her own excerpts of her trip itinerary:
“I booked my tickets, as well as those of the colleagues that were going with me. So we took a flight to Delhi from Ahmedabad, and boarded a bus to reach Kathgodam”.
“We reached Lohajung in a car, where we were briefed about the trek, met fellow trekkers of the group, how to properly consume food with high protein etc.”
“The first day of the trek it was an easy walk on a straight road. We reached our first destination at around 2 PM, and were instructed to not sleep before 9 PM because then we would have stayed up in the night till long”
“I remember that a person in our group who was a star enthusiast woke us up at 2 AM to look at the stars. Being a city girl, I had never so many stars ever before. I can easily say that view was the most beautiful part of the entire trek. I saw more than 10 shooting stars that night. That scene was imprinted on my mind so deep, it didn’t let me sleep the entire night.”
“The next day we left early, about 7, and the washroom part that morning was a little tricky. Let’s just say that we are more used to the modern ways, and there weren’t any available there. The destination that day was to reach Bugyal”.
“We reached Bugyal at 4, and our tents were prepared beforehand. It was going to be my first time in a tent, and I was looking forward to it. We made a ball out of rags and tied it using my rubber band, and we played cricket with it.”
“I remember when we halted, for a change in itinerary, the place had a dome-shaped structure which was supposed to be our shelter for the night. At around 5, our guide called us out to see that there were clouds right below us. It was like someone had spread huge cotton balls beneath us, and that gave us the feeling of being in heaven.”
“The following day was the main Roopkund trek to the lake which was 12 km one way and a 25 km round trip. Around the halfway point I was famished and out of exhaustion I told my group to continue without me, but they persisted on me coming along and motivated me. Amidst all that, I never realized that I walked for another 5 hours.”
“At around 1, we reached the top of that mountain to take in the view of the Roopkund Lake. That lake is what the entire trek is based around, but for me, it was not as exciting as the experience I had gone through on the journey till here. The guides told us about another mountain called Junar Gali, which is the highest point in the trek, not far from there”.
“I don’t know what got me so hyped, but I ended up convincing five members of my group to trek up to Junar Gali and it was the best decision ever. From up there, we enjoyed the parallel views of Roopkund trek and Mt. Trishul, the three summited mountain.”
Talking with Aarushi made us realize that even though we plan and execute trip for thousands of people every month, each trip has its own unique story. A story that changes someone life forever and a suite of memory for the lifetime. Our motive behind all the hustle that we put into Thrillophilia is the same, to give everyone an amazing experience. Stories like Aarushi motivates us to keep doing that.
Here’s a Piece of the Aarushi’s View From the Trek:
