Today is the day of the longest trek - we must walk 14 km to Seema and gain 750 m in height. I set out at 7.30 am with my guide and porter Kamal carrying my haversack which weighs about 10 kg. I carry a small knapsack weighing 2-3 kg with water, some food, a jacket and rain gear. We set out along the left bank of the Har ki dun Gad, a stream which we will follow for the next 2 days right up to Har ki doon.
As we leave Taluka, Kamal points out a micro hydro-power station that supplies power to the village. The GMVN guest house remains without power for reasons other than a lack of supply to the area.
Some distance on, the trail bifurcates, the upper path leading Dhatmir village while the lower path heads more directly towards Osla. In a while, we see Dhatmir village perched precariously high up on the hillside. The slopes are terraced with fields of wheat and mustard - adding dashes of brilliant yellow and green to the drab brown and grey of the
mountainside. The fields extend to impossible slopes and dizzy heights. The trail moves along the stream, climbing up when the gorge becomes narrow and descending down to the level of the water when the geography allows. Along the way, it starts raining - that prevents me from enjoying the beautiful environs.
We pass the village of Gangad, where the valley has widened to allow the mustard and wheat fields to descend to its floor.
Turning a blind corner at a height above the river , we spot the village of Osla perched on the sheer hill slope on the other side. From a distance, the village almost merges with the grey/brown of the hillside. No easy access is visible to the village.
Below the village, the hillside slopes steeply to the river, while above it is a sheer vertical cliff capped with snow.
I wonder why the villages in this area are located high up on fairly inaccessible slopes rather than near the river bank. Is it the fear of floods? Kamal opines that it could be because the village founders were trying to hide from the rulers in secure locations.
We reach Seema - located on the left bank of the Har ki dun Gad just across but at a lower height than Osla - by 1 pm. After depositing my bags and changing, I settle down at the dhaba opposite the GMVN guest house to spend a long afternoon and evening in the amiable company of the dhaba owner, Jainder Singh, sitting on a raised platform beside his chullah.
Jainder is one of 6 brothers and 2 sisters. He tells me that his is a very old family of Osla. One sister is married and lives in the neighboring village. A brother works in Delhi. The other 5 siblings are younger and go to school. Jainder has studied till the 9th (the nearest high school is at Sankri) and now spreads his time between running the canteen at the GMVN guest house for which he has taken the theka and helping with the farming of the 50 nalli of land his family possesses. He prefers staying in the village with wife and family to working the char dham route during the season, even though the latter leads to a much higher earning.
The evening passes pleasantly enough. A young group, also from Delhi are also heading the same way as me. They are poorly equipped, having no heavy woolens and walking in office footwear. But what they lack in equipment, they make up in spirit. They are determined to get to Har ki doon the next day despite the reports we hear from returning trekkers of the heavy snow in Har ki doon. After a simple meal which tastes delicious under the conditions, we retire early for tomorrow is going to be a testing day.
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| Forest Department Map of the Govind Wildlife Sanctuary |
As we leave Taluka, Kamal points out a micro hydro-power station that supplies power to the village. The GMVN guest house remains without power for reasons other than a lack of supply to the area.
Some distance on, the trail bifurcates, the upper path leading Dhatmir village while the lower path heads more directly towards Osla. In a while, we see Dhatmir village perched precariously high up on the hillside. The slopes are terraced with fields of wheat and mustard - adding dashes of brilliant yellow and green to the drab brown and grey of the
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| A house in Gangad Village |
Turning a blind corner at a height above the river , we spot the village of Osla perched on the sheer hill slope on the other side. From a distance, the village almost merges with the grey/brown of the hillside. No easy access is visible to the village.
I wonder why the villages in this area are located high up on fairly inaccessible slopes rather than near the river bank. Is it the fear of floods? Kamal opines that it could be because the village founders were trying to hide from the rulers in secure locations.
We reach Seema - located on the left bank of the Har ki dun Gad just across but at a lower height than Osla - by 1 pm. After depositing my bags and changing, I settle down at the dhaba opposite the GMVN guest house to spend a long afternoon and evening in the amiable company of the dhaba owner, Jainder Singh, sitting on a raised platform beside his chullah.
The evening passes pleasantly enough. A young group, also from Delhi are also heading the same way as me. They are poorly equipped, having no heavy woolens and walking in office footwear. But what they lack in equipment, they make up in spirit. They are determined to get to Har ki doon the next day despite the reports we hear from returning trekkers of the heavy snow in Har ki doon. After a simple meal which tastes delicious under the conditions, we retire early for tomorrow is going to be a testing day.
nicely narrated ! I was at Har Ki Doon in Sept 2012 . Really God's Valley !
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