Trek Himachal

Travelogue

Day 1: Dharamkot at 1796 Metres – Guna Mata Temple at 2078 Metres, 6.5 km, 3 hours, total altitude gained 282 Metres

A slight reference to an untouched, lonely spot in the mountains gets a wandering spirit like mine going. I had read about Guna temple on a blog dedicated to trekking in Himachal. According to the blog, this temple is used as a start point for 3 treks. 3 treks!! That's enough to get me interested. So, when Jango suggested this route, I did not think twice. I anyway think it is imprudent to question someone like Jango. To me, he is the god of trekking, the god of vagabonds and I revere him with all the devotion I can muster.

We started from Dharamkot through the Deodar jungles west of McLeodganj. The trail followed an army water supply pipe. Through the way to Tibetan Children's Village (TCV), we could see McLeodganj. TCV made me think twice about how much of Dharamshala have I really seen. For a town just 36 km from where I live, I think Dharamshala is unknown to me. Its the same old story of not valuing what lies in your backyard. I made a mental note of going to Dharamshala one of these days as a tourist.

While purchasing the supplies, we had forgotten the most essential one to ward off the cold. Liquor. Jango got a couple of bottles when we stopped at TCV. The weather had been looking bad that morning. Clouds of varying types were hovering around. None of them looked like an immediate threat though. Through this murky weather, we continued our very slight ascent towards Guna Mata. Had it not been for the GPS in my hand, which I now trust about as much as I trust India TV, I would never have figured we were even climbing. So, whether we were climbing or not, I don't take any responsibility for that. Because a Garmin GPS said so, I am saying so here. After Balh, two things happened. We actually climbed (and I could have said that without a GPS) and, I saw a small real life drama of Indian bureaucracy being enacted out. Since the climb was not very eventful and the weather was murky, I am guessing the tale of Indian bureaucracy would be more interesting.

As we reached a clearing above Balh, I saw a group of 3 people walking towards us. One of them, dressed in neat light brown trousers, a crisp shirt and a dull maroon sweater, with a leather mobile holder on his belt, greying hair neatly combed, was leading the caravan. He had an air of unmistakable superiority around him. Behind were two more creatures and their body language suggested they were about to fall over at the feet of their leader. There was hierarchy even among the followers. The leader of the followers was a curly haired, anxious character constantly trying to engage the leader in a chatter. More often than not, he drew only mono syllables from the leader and sometimes, there was eerie silence. The follower of the followers was poorly dressed, was even more subservient, had a Himachali cap on his head and considered himself so below the other two that he did not even try talking to them. He just towed and spoke when asked something.

As the group approached and one of them (the leader of the followers) talked to us, we came to know the star cast. The leader was a Junior Engineer from the IPH (Irrigation and Public Health) department, the leader of the followers was a contractor responsible for laying water pipes in the area and the follower of the followers was a lowly employee in the deepest bureaucratic ravine of the IPH. So, that explains why 'leader' was quiet, he was on an inspection. That also explains why 'leader of the followers' was anxious to talk and chatter, he was eager to please. That also explains why the 'follower of the followers' was quiet, he was just doing duty with a heavy heart.

As we left Balh and climbed towards Guna Mata, the discussion centred on the weather. Guna Temple is not very high, the option of heading back the next day was always there but I was dreading it. I could not afford the weather ruining my first trek for 2 months. 3 hours from the time we had started, we were already at Guna Mata. First days of treks, in my opinion are better kept short, with not much altitude climbed. Though I have often not paid heed to this advice, it helps to get the circulation going in the legs and accustom you to tougher days ahead. At Guna, I offered to cook the Maggi noodles for lunch.

I had chopped onions, tomatoes and lettuce for the noodles when the procession we had met at Balh reached Guna temple. The leader of the followers asked me if they could use the fireplace in the communal kitchen ahead of us. A part of me wanted to refuse because were were the first to reach there. However when he threw in some phrases like “JE sahab ko wait nahin karwa sakte (We can't make the officer wait)”, “JE sahab inspection ke liye aaye hain, unko khush rakhna hai (Officer is here for an inspection, I have to keep him happy)” and the like, the prospect of the drama that would unfold made me give away the fireplace.

A mat was laid out in the temple courtyard and the leader was made to sit a fair distance from the kitchen. After all, why should he be subjected to seeing the filthy job of preparing a meal? Paranthas were heated and first served to him. The leader of the followers served him personally and took decency to another level. He offered more salt, more curd, more parathas, more everything. The leader always made sure he refused once before accepting. The refusal had a air of reluctant acceptance. It was like saying “I do not want this, I do not like this but I am just taking it because you insist so much and you bloody well remember that I am doing you this favour” while the actual feeling was “Why are you even asking? I am dying after climbing for the first time in my life, just keep doling out”. At one point, I thought he was about to offer eating food for the leader or breathing for him. It was the matter of an inspection and a successful inspection at whatever cost would have probably meant a lot. Hail the Indian bureaucracy, I will miss it when it is gone.

Most of the rest of the day was about watching the sunset (yet again) and watching the Dhauladhars. This trip, I was determined to do at least half the work, including cooking, setting up camp, foraging for wood, even if that made me look silly. I just need more experience of outdoor life and that also prompted to think about starting a section on this site on tips about life outdoors. Sleep was good with a 2 litre Pepsi bottle filled with hot water kept in my sleeping bag and half a bottle of alcohol down my throat.