I am the Tortoise in the story of the hare and the tortoise. In the last two treks, I had two strategies, one is to stand less in the middle of the trek and maintain a pace that is neither too high nor too low. I will keep my own pace and move forward little by little. This is why I have reached Ghangaria first, and the same in Valley of Flowers among my team members.You can take photos and videos with the convenience of arriving earlier. No one will rush you and say let's go, and you can have some time for yourself. And for this speed and consistency, I got a lot of praise from the two local trek leaders Bibo of Nagaland and Bhuvan of Uttarakhand.
This trek is very different from the previous 3 treks because there are thousands of people here. Besides, the food, the environment, the people are all different. People came from different parts of the world, and from different states of .The rush of the people were good in Zuku Valley too. But very few people have crossed or trekked along the entire trail. My team members were trekking in small groups.So there wasn't more than 4/5 people in a group. And in this Valley of Flowers trek, people queue up, the mules are the most annoying 😑. So at first I thought why so many people, I don't like so many people.
But because there were so many people in this trek, I may have known, seen and learned a lot. Learned many new flower names and saw that it will boost my strength in future. In this trail I have been seen many old people, who are my parents' age. I saw many people between 50 and 60 years. Those people went to Hemkund again the next day, which is much tougher than Valley of Flowers.Some of them went with friends, some with family, boys, girls, grandmothers, some of them went together as husband and wife. I don't know why when I see every elderly person, I feel like they are some people I know who are between 30 and 40 years old, they are more smiling, happy, lively, and living their lives in a beautiful way. How beautifully they were walking, and some were crossing others and laughing among themselves when they move forward somewhere. Feeding water on time, eating biscuits, giving it to others, talking , relaxing, enjoying the trail .
I had a 5 minute conversation with one such elderly couple, at a place where I stopped to drink water. The couple Sit next to me with a polite smile. My action camera had drawn quite attention to the old man. It is natural that it might be a new thing for him. Showed my action camera to his wife and said "hey look what a small camera".The gentleman again said "bariya hai, carry karne main asaan hai". He asked me the features and purpose of this camera. I described everything, that this perticular camera usually use for video, and it has wide angle lens. Then he said oh I didn't know such things, glad to know this. I only have smart phone which my grandson gave me."While talking, I came to know that they had gone to Hemkund the previous day, and had planned to return after doing so. Then they decided themselves that when they went so high, they would see the Valley of Flowers. Elderly people but seeing that they did not get on pittu, I also said that you are walking, why did not take pittu, it would have been convenient. Said "Na oh nahi karna hai, jeetna ho sake jaenge , humlog bhut earlier nikle hai 6.30 7 o'clock slowly chaal rahe hai, ho jaiga".They are an example of what people can do if they set their minds.
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Bestowed with the rare and exotic Himalayan flora, the Valley of Flowers is a bouquet of nature peacefully snuggled in the West Himalayan region of Uttarakhand.Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian national park which was established in 1982. Spread over an area of 87 sq km in the Chamoli district, the Valley of Flowers National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site .The valley is believed to have been discovered in 1931, when three British mountaineers – led by Frank S Smythe – lost their way and chanced upon this spectacular valley. Attracted by the beauty of this place they named it the “Valley of Flowers”.As the name suggests, Valley of Flowers is a destination where nature blooms in full glory offering a breathtaking experience. Exotic flowers (over 600 species) like orchids, poppies, primulas, marigold, daisies and anemones are an eye-catching spectacle. Sub-alpine forests birch and rhododendron cover parts of the park's area. The trek to the valley offers eye-catching spectacles like cascading waterfalls and wild streams. Situated at an altitude of around 3,600 m above the sea level.
