"Padh-Yatra" journey which always with me

Contributor:- Participant from Padh-Yatra
Reflections from: Padh-Yatra

I am very thankful to Shashank bhaiya for giving me an opportunity "Padh-Yatra", I was very excited for Padh but I didn't even know anything about either youth alliance or Padh Yatra. My friends told me to fill a form and that's where the story started. I read that we will be going to Himachal with one team then after a few days Shashank bahiya sent me the confirmation mail, that was a dream come true moment for me, A big thanks to him. to give me the opportunity to see and feel nature. I was waiting for the 13th of April with excitement and reached ISBT KASHMIRI GATE correct 8:50 pm where I met all the team members. I was very happy to meet them as all seemed to be very good hearted, caring and helpful people specially Shashank bahiyaa and Subhi di. I was very impressed to meet everyone , in the starting of this journey we faced some minor problems like our bus breaking down yet everyone was fully energetic and I was very impressed to see that. I was very happy being with such supporting friends...And enjoyed every moment of this journey. Everyone is very loving & caring for each other. As we reached the solan the whiff of fresh air from surrounding hills warmed us up. It took us around four hours from Solan to reach Nohradhar which was more than usual time taken by the sumo, we took rest ,had lunch and then went to Nohradhar village to do small tracking.

It was an amazing view there. Later we came back to our hotel and had dinner and slept. Next day we woke up at 5 'o' clock to visit Churdhar peak. It is at an elevation of 12,000 feet and is one of the highest peaks there. On our journey ahead, we routed to the Nohradhar village . It is around 18 km away from Churdhar. Initially it was an easy path but by the end, it became extremely steep and vertical, this is the most popular route among trekkers. The trek was east for an initial two kilometers. So we managed to walk easily in the snow. Our shoes were wet due to melting snow and we could barely feel our feet. It started to get colder as the temperature kept on decreasing but four kilometers of the trek was still pending. The trail ahead was very steep and slippery and it was getting difficult to move forward. Sticks helped us a lot in walking in the snow. As we moved forward it got darker. As the altitude went on increasing the depth of snow kept on increasing with more than two feet snow, it became more and more slippery. We could barely manage to rest our foot on the snow. At this point in time, I realized the importance of having proper trekking gear. I was wearing sneakers and it was my biggest mistake. I had to take each and every step with utmost care. Having a wooden stick carried from the downside was actually a good idea. It feels like you would die the moment you take a wrong step.We then decided to reach the top and move along the peak afterward. We somehow managed to reach the hilltop covered with four feet of snow. But at the top there was no way to move forward as it turned out to be far riskier. We somehow descended down and moved along the slope with the help of sticks. I was worried about the Suraj and Divya diwho were accompanying me. But hats off to their bravery. Both of them kept moving forward without any kind of fear. There was no network coverage at the top and we were totally cut off with the world. In case of any miss happening, there was no one to help us. After a few minutes, I saw a group of 5 to 6 boys who were trekking at a little distance ahead of us. I got a sigh of relief. We waited for them to reach us. So finally we were happy that at least there is someone who can help us and guide us. We started following them. Me, Suraj and Hardeep bahiya decided to move along the peak but it became more difficult as there was a narrow path on the top of the hill, and the chances of falling down were more. 

It was less about the trek and more about rock climbing as we had to move through huge boulders on our way to the temple. It was too cold and none of us had any gloves resulting in our hands feeling numb. But being able to see the glimpse of Shiva temple at the pick, after the completion of the trek, we took a rest in Dharamshala for lunch. We faced some problems there as well, but the experience was good for me. The next day when we woke up in the morning, I was taken aback by what the view outside. The view was so mesmerizing with mountains around and snow sparkling in the first rays of sunlight. So serene it was! I went outside, brushed my teeth, and washed my face. The water was so chilled that my hands literally felt numb for a few minutes. We then started to trek to visit other villages. Walking in the snow was no less than heaven to us. We didn’t have any kind of trekking gear so we picked up wooden sticks on our way to assist us in the snow. Later we had lunch and took Lumo to Shimla. The bust started at 10:15 and we reached Delhi ISBT KASHMIRI GATE. We gave a warm see off to each other and I felt very heavy at heart. This trip was one of the best, adventurous, and most memorable trips of my life. A big thank you to all.