Dayara Bugyal : Nature's Musuem

Starting with this wonderful quote by Sir Edmund Hillary , I, Aditya would like to bring to light my recent trekking experience with my friends, father and his friends in The Dayara Bugyal (Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India) for 4 days after class 10 board examinations.

"It's not the mountains we conquer, but ourselves" - Sir Edmund Hillary.

You will see the importance of this quote later on but now coming back to the range, we see that it offers a variety of things like dense forest cover , vast open meadows and large snow blankets. It also houses a variety of flora and fauna such as the rare blooming rhododendrons, golden oak forests, leopards, deers, wolves, bears and many species of birds.

Despite it being my first time trekking , I didn't expect much difficulty here as it was rated as an easy trek. After some casual running and exercising here and there on a few occasions , the day had come. We had to take a flight from Pune to Delhi , then a train from Delhi to Dehradun. From there we reached our base camp 'Raithal' which was approximately an 8 hour drive from Dehradun and was at an altitude of around 6000 feet from sea level. The total trekking distance was nearly 21 km through forests , meadows and snow along with being fully monitored by Indiahikes. We were a group of 23 with people from various places like Pune , Bangalore etc.

We started our trek the next day (26th March) in the morning after a light breakfast. The trek seemed relatively easy at first but after 4 km the weather got bad and we got our first glimpse of snowfall. Along with this we saw the golden oak forests and rhododendrons blooming which was a marvelous and rare sight. Everyone was in a mix of emotions , some enjoying whereas some finding the energy to battle with the altitude. Finally we reached our first campsite, Gui which was located approximately 9500 feet from sea level. After lunch and a quick nap , we all gathered to play games , listen to stories and have a good time. We went to sleep with 3 layers of clothing , a liner and a sleeping bag. Adjusting to the sleeping bag was not an easy task but with persistence and boredom I finally fell asleep.

The next day we woke up comparatively late as the trekking distance today was only 3 km considering we needed people to get accustomed to the conditions in the mountains. Today the Indiahikes team gave us the roles and my friends and I were made trek leaders. We saw the Gui Lake which was a small pond with a few huts near it. After executing our roles efficiently and being coordinated all the time, we reached our second campsite , Chilapada. There were small snow blankets nearby and seeing that we weren't tired , my friends and I decided to build a snowman. After doing that I had another session of activities with the entire group. Then towards the night after the sunset , It started snowing. Although our tents now had snow all over them I genuinely enjoyed the snowfall as it was my first time. Sleeping that day was comparatively easier as now I was adapted to the sleeping bags.

I was not prepared for all that was going to happen the next day. The view I was stunned by till now was going to fall short in front of what I saw the next day. We started the day by waking up at 5:00 AM in the cold morning and after tea and breakfast, left the campsite by 7:30. Today was supposed to be the most difficult day as we had to cover a total distance of 9 km out of which 3.5 km was ascent and 5.5 was descent. I took the first hour to shake off the laziness and get into full throttle. Then we entered the snow blankets which made me overwhelmed with joy. My happiness knew no boundaries seeing the white and perfectly layered snow. I wanted to rush in and play with the snow but knowing that haste makes waste, I waited for a good spot. The snow wasn't deep for the first 10 minutes or so but after that our feet started sinking into the snow. Another 30 minutes the snow was up to our knees. Some snow started seeping into our boots which was irritating me. In the last 500 meters of the ascent , I wanted to give up as my legs were hurting from all the lifting and sinking. My friends, Parth and Advait, seeing my state started to motivate me to trudge on.

Then finally after what felt like an eternity , we reached the summit. I was moved by the fact that there was a small shivling on the summit to worship Lord Shiva. The view was the best thing there. A full 270 degree view of the great himalayan ranges like Shrikanth , Gangotri ranges , Yamunotri Ranges , Black Peak , The Virgin Peaks , Bandar Pooch , Draupadi ka danda etc.

The view and the surroundings made me realize the greatness of mountains.At this point of time I was at a height of 11,820 feet from sea level and to be honest I was slightly annoyed that 'why was it not 200 feet more'. However in all seriousness, the sense of accomplishment was over the roof that time.

Then we started our descent shortly after a photo session. Many people slipped and fell in the snow on the way down. This didn't hamper anyone's spirit and we all had a jolly and fun time coming down. We also slid down a snowy hill which ended up in snow getting inside of my shirt. It felt cold but my dopamine and serotonin were so high that it didn't matter to me. Then when the snow descent was over , we stopped at the only place outside of the camps I had seen for food throughout the trek. We had bun omelette which made me realize how having the smallest pleasures like hot food after trekking in the snow can help us feel better. It was then I realized that I should not ignore the small things in life. Then we descended for another two hours with speed as black clouds from the Gangotri were approaching us. Then after we reached the final campsite, Nayata, we were greeted with beautiful meadows with forests in the background. It was pretty late by the time we reached so I rested a bit. Then after snacks and dinner, I went to sleep.

The next day we had to trek 5km down to reach Raithal, our original base camp. That morning we were given postcards to write to ourselves in the future about our emotions regarding the trek. I got emotional while writing and wanted to enjoy the view up close for the last time. It took 30 minutes of talking to my friends to be happy again but after that we three enjoyed our way down. Then we reached the base camp. After lunch and some rest, we were given the choice to either go to the nearby village to interact with the locals or go to a natural hot spring around 40 mins away. A few of us , including me, decided to stay back and go to the village as we did not have enough clothing with us that time to get wet in the spring. In the village we saw a 500 year old house , a temple and interacted with 2 elderly men for some time. The village was serene and had a charm of its own. Then we came back as soon as it started raining. After that we had chowmein for snacks and seeing how it tasted almost similar to the way my mother makes it , I was washed down with a sense of comfort and. Later on, the people who had gone to the spring too came back.

Then we had a debriefing session with a breakdown of the trek on a personal level with the highlights , learnings and changes we will incorporate in our lives.

After a while, it was my chance to speak. I had so much to say but I was overwhelmed with the mixed emotions that the trek is coming to an end. I explained the major highlights of the trek there and how this trek taught me the way to endure more , have more patience and be focused. Being honest, I had come to this trek to get a good mental break before my 11th and 12th for my JEE journey. We were asked to share the changes we will bring in our lives with everyone. The changes I have incorporated in my daily life are those pertaining to sustainability like not wasting resources , ensuring proper recycling etc. I also highlighted the fact about how grateful I was to the kitchen team for waking up at 3 in the morning and cooking such delicious food for us in the mountains. For instance , we got pasta , gulab jamun , jalebi , noodles and many more dishes for the foody people like me.

Regarding my connections with people on this trek , I had got a new "family". On the first day in Raithal , Shweta, our trek leader said we all have to be a family on this trek. That time it was just a word to me but reflecting back upon it while debriefing , it was now an emotion to me. I have got so many new friends despite the age differences between us. We played antakshari, made jokes, shared experiences of our lives with each other too.

My father took such good care of me on the trek. Always made sure I was well hydrated , made me eat food although I had lost appetite due to altitude sickness. This trek made my connection with him much closer and stronger than it was earlier.

Last but not the least, I'd like to thank Shweta, our trek leader , Vinay and Hrithik, our trek guides and entire Indiahikes for making this life changing trek possible for me. ( Indiahikes )

I dont consider trekking as a recreational activity anymore and would rather call it a phenomenon that happens to people and transforms them. Hence if you ever feel like going to a trek , dont hesitate as the mountains are calling you.

If you have ever done a trek, I'd love to know about it !

~Aditya