Hippie trail to Kheerganga Trek, Kasol #WeekendWorthy #BackToTheMountains

We were in Kasol in the month of March for a repose, a town popular amongst trekkers, hippies, nature admirers and wanderers. All we eagerly wanted was to climb to the most talked about and holy place Kheerganga. While roaming around in the city, we enquired many localities about the trek and kept getting the similar negative response that the path is too difficult to traverse being blocked by snowfall. But we were too adamant to drop the plan. In the evening we asked our hotel reception and luckily he arranged for a guide for us.

We reached Barshaini at 10AM in a private vehicle provided by the guide. Although Kheerganga trek is crowded with trekkers all throughout the year but still if you are totally new to the area, I would recommend hiring a guide for a relaxed and guided journey. And also don’t forget to take along with you the best companion for your trek, a Himachal breed dog. There are many in the area always eager to befriend you. We decided to take the Rudranag route and stepped right onto our venture crossing the thunderous Parvati river.

Full of zeal and excitement, we kept running towards the snowy peaks and the freezing heights. After climbing a fleet of concrete steps for around 1.5 hours, we reached our first port of call, Nakthan village. It’s a beautiful village offering some breathtaking views of the region inhabited by warm and welcoming people. The village is full of wooden artistic homes and home-stays are also available here. There are many stalls here to rest and recharge and it was a heartwarming experience to bond with the locallites over a cup of tea. It’s quite a popular stop for trekkers headed towards hot springs of Kheerganga.

Around 20 minutes ahead of Nakthan, there lies a holy place on the outskirts of the village, Rudranag temple. It’s a tranquil place lying amidst the green pastures and beautiful waterfalls nearby. Sitting there listening to the music of the falling water streams encircled by lofty snow clad peaks is all the therapy you need to de-stress.

From there, the path led to the other side of the thunderous Parvati river with a wooden bridge giving the way. Deafening burble of the streams echoed in the valley. The thud made us shudder while walking on the narrow bridge and the sight of the maelstrom thumping the boulders was both ghastly and awe-inspiring. The path from here unfolded into narrow steep trails and slippery rocks. It became difficult and difficult with each climb but we went on. After an hour of strenuous and back-breaking climb, we got a glimpse of what took our breath away, dissipated our weariness and made us jump out of joy.

It was right there in front of us. White, white and only white sparkling like glitters in the bright sun!! All around till the point our eyes could see. Difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations and it was so pretty and magical. We sat and beholden the scenery for hours to take it all in.

There is a beautiful temple at the top devoted to Lord Kartikeya and Kheerganga hot water springs to enjoy a soothing hot bath in that chilling weather. Water is a little sticky and has a milky texture giving the impression of Kheer and hence the name Kheerganga. You can easily find camps to stay overnight at reasonable prices and cute little cafes to dine with fireplaces inside. Don’t forget to give orders well in advance because it takes more than an hour to cook even maggi. So, you can imagine. The temperature plummeted to -4 degrees in the night and it was freezing cold outside. The reflections of the camp lights on the crystal clear white frozen snow was mesmerising to watch.