#55: My Story Contest 3 - 'Triund Trek'

Triund is a hill situated in the Kangra district of the state Himachal Pradesh, India. It's a part of Dharamkot and is easily reachable from Mcleod Ganj (a famous tourist destination). It lies at the foot of the Dhauladhar ranges and is at a height of 2,828 m (9,350 ft). The Triund trek falls among the most sought-after trekking trails in North India and attracts trekkers throughout the year. The distance from the start of the trek to the top is around 7km and will take you approximately 4-5 hours to cover (depending on your strength and speed). It's one of the most difficult treks to cover as the slopes are pretty steep and risky as well during the rain (which happens quite frequently here). But once you reach the top, the view is absolutely worth it. It has the most beautiful view of the Dhauladhar mountains on one side and the Kangra Valley on the other.

Three years ago, when I was in college, my friends and I decided to visit Mcleod Ganj. At the start of the trip, trekking was definitely not on our list. We had planned a 3-day trip which included visiting only Mcleod Ganj and Dharamshala. But as it turns out, there wasn't much to see! Although the number of tourist places was quite a few, they were all nearby and barely took time to cover. That's when our rented cab's driver suggested that we should head out to Dharamkot (around 9km from Mcleod Ganj) and cover Triund as well. And like the dumb idiots that we were back then, without checking any details about the place (distance, elevation, weather etc.) we agreed immediately. And the worst part : We thought it would be a small trek, so we didn't bother to change! All of us were wearing belle instead of sport shoes. :D

So we finally reached the starting point. If you are thinking that this is the height to be covered, then that's incorrect. From ahead the route turns to the right and it feels like a never ending path. You can either make it a day trek where you cover the place and climb down before it gets dark, or you can rent out tents and spend the night on top. We decided to go with the second option. The prices are decent but you need to be physically fit enough to carry so much weight and climb! We kept switching and taking turns to carry the weight. At the beginning it looked pretty easy. So we kept walking with smile on our faces not knowing what was to come!

The route was full of uneven rocks and pebbles and was slippery as well. There are some spots on the way where you might need another person's help to climb up. For 4km from the starting point you'll not come across any shop or resting point. So make sure to carry enough water with you when you start. Trust me you'll need it :D

Finally after about 4km of climbing, there's just 1 shop where trekkers always stop. You can rest for a while and fill up on water or food if you like. Obviously, they'll charge you more than triple the actual price of the items. Most of the people usually give up at this point and start their journey down the slope to return. The view from here is beautiful. You can see the entire town from here. Also there will be few small huts around with sheeps, goats and cows just loitering around the place.

By this time, our shoes were already wearing off and our legs were giving up. To be honest, we were all a bunch of lazy asses who barely walked even on a regular day. At this point even we thought of returning. But then the people who had been on top the previous day, had started climbing down. They were the ones to motivate us. They asked us not to give up now as it's only about 3km away and the view on top will make us forget all about our tiredness. And boy, were they right!!
When we reached the top after about a total of around 4 hours of climbing, the view that awaited us, left us speechless :)

By the time we finished having food, it was already cloudy and the guides who were there on top helped all the trekkers to set up our tents immediately. At night the temperature was as low as 2°C. On top of that it started to rain! We took cover under our tents. When the rain stopped everyone stepped out to enjoy the warmth of the fire which was lit. Everyone sat in a circle around the fire. Food was passed around, stories were shared over a cup of hot tea and strangers became friends. After about midnight we all went to sleep. The next morning when we got up, the clouds had disappeared completely. The sun was shining bright on us, making the scene look even more beautiful than it looked the previous day.

We just sat in utter silence, capturing the view in our memories and admiring the beauty around us. After about an hour or two , we started walking down as we had a bus to catch in the evening. By the time we reached down, I literally had tears in my eyes. My feet had swollen up a little and I even got a shoe bite. But it was all worth it. That was my first trekking experience and also my first trip with friends. The memories of that trip are still fresh in my mind. Even today when I close my eyes and think about Triund, I can see myself sitting on the grass, along with my friends, sipping hot tea and sharing smiles :)

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This is my entry in the contest hosted by @ashwinrajt. I hope you guys enjoyed reading about this beautiful place. Apologies for the quality of the images. I was a student back then and only had a 2MP phone camera :D

Cheers!

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!steemitworldmap 32.2596 lat 76.3565 long Triund d3scr