The real adventure is not what we plan to experience, but what we don’t even expect and
yet we face. Well someone said very true that it’s all about the journey, not the destination. This journey will show you how a journey itself can be more memorable than the
destination.
This journey actually started from a small room of our hostel. It was the first month of the
year 2015 when we were planning a trip while sitting in our hostel room. After a long
discussion, we decided to explore places like Kullu, Manali, Mandi, and other nearby
places. We decided to start our journey of Himalayas by enjoying the panoramic view and
ascetic ambiance of the pious lake named as Prashar.
It takes 10 to 11 hours to reach Mandi from Delhi by bus. So we took a bus from Delhi around 9 pm and reached Mandi early next morning around 7:30 am. Booked a hotel room to put extra luggage and to have some rest. By the time the watch indicated 9:30 am, we were all set to go. After few enquiries we came out with findings and decisions. As Prashar Lake is about 49 kilometers from Mandi district and 7.5 kilometers from Baggi village. To experience nature’s beauty completely, we decided to trek from Baggi to Prashar. So we booked a cab from Mandi to Baggi and reached there by noon. After reaching there we again enquired from natives about the route and the weather then we got to know that snowfall took place two days ago. It was a matter of great happiness for us that we would enjoy the snow on the way. Amidst of this happiness and excitement, we had a problem too that none of us had water to drink but, then only our cab driver told us that we would get drinking water after approx. 1-hour trekking and the same was told by the natives also.
Finally, we started the trekking around half past twelve. As we started, we met a watchman who was heading towards the same destination as we. He told us that he was going up to guard the temple during the night which is located near the lake. He couldn’t join us because he was used to the route, and can easily cover that in maximum 2 hours, but he gave us some advice and his mobile no. to contact in case of any emergency. He also told that it would take maximum 4-5 hours for us to reach there. So we started our trekking to conquer 8960 ft. with total four bags, few eatables and a bottle of rum but no water.
Initially, we found path full of stones and rocks and a beautiful stream of water coming from somewhere through the mountains. We were not sure whether that water was potable or not so neither we tried to drink nor even stored for future. Everything was beautiful and alluring around us and we were enjoying the moment entirely. We took few breaks just to catch normal breathe and then we started again. On the way we met a child who was about 12 years old, he showed us some so called short cut. As it was day time and we could easily feel the sunlight peeking through tree leaves, we started feeling an absence of water with us. It was more than one and half hour and we hadn’t seen any shop to purchase water from. We were thirsty but the excitement level was so high that somehow we compensated that thirst with the beauty of nature which we were enjoying that time. We were posing here and there and capturing as many moments as we could in our camera. After trekking of one more hour, we again felt like we need water. But by now we had entered a different phase of our journey, the phase when the snow started appearing on the path as well as on trees. Most of us were experiencing snow on the mountains for the first time, so again we forgot about water and thrust and started playing with snow by making balls with it and throwing it on one another. Some of us were trying to give funny poses with snowballs near their wide open mouth. We enjoyed a lot and then moved on towards our destination.
When it's been 3 hours and we concerned about either we were heading towards right direction or not? The depth of snow also got increased and we wore normal sports shoes, not proper trekking shoes. Our socks as well as feet got wet with snow and we were feeling too cold because of that. This time we met few local men who sat near a hut just smoking and discussing something, they also told us the direction in which we were supposed to move. All these were working in no way, we just kept moving in same direction which we thought will take us to our destination. As we brought some eatables also, so we took a pause and ate some food but still we did not have water and this time we were so thirsty that we started swallowing snow which was in a great amount around us. It was around 4:30 pm (four hours since we started) and we were continuously moving upward but not able to guess how much time still we have to trek to reach Prashar Lake. We called our cab driver whose number we took to call next morning when we would come back to Baggi and need a cab to reach the hotel, after that we called that watchman, but on the mountain it was very difficult to locate ourself and we were not any expert to use some trick for that, so it didn’t help us. After that, we heard a shepherdess’s voice but could barely saw her because she was far away from us and was totally surrounded by trees. We shouted for her help, to find the right way to go to Prashar Lake. Might be she was trying to help us but due to language barrier both of us were not able to understand each other.
What would you do, if you get stuck somewhere on a mountain which is covered with snow and you have no water to drink? Some of us were thinking that we should move back now but others don’t. Both were right at their stand but nobody was there to tell us what's right in that situation. While this discussion was going on, one of my friends and I told others that you four can stay here and we two will be back in some time just after checking few more feet, may be we would find a way or the destination itself. We did the same. We went for another 50-60 feets and as we reached a peak, we found another peak which was higher than that. We were totally confused what to do and what not? At that moment we heard an echo of our friends’ shouting. They were calling for us to come back and let's head downwards. Their point was also correct if we think practically, because the Sun was hiding behind the giant white covered mountains, and in a forest, it start turning dark before than that of the plain region. I too convinced to go back at a point, when the friend with me there told me, Brother...we should move now because the main problem was we don’t have water to drink. But before going back I wanted to record that moment. I put out my phone, recorded a video and then moved back...
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