Someone rightly said that it is not the end point but the memories and experiences during journey that matters.The 14 km trek to Kheerganga is all about those memories .The way upwards is not only mesmerizing but mystical as well . It’s a exhausting one but one worth the struggle. It’s a place that lets you – breathe, feel and listen, with mountains, waterfalls and pine trees all around, parallel to your eyesight.
With its ethereal view poins, beautiful villages and waterfalls, lovely locals and good vibes , the magic of Parvati valley pulls u towards itself, into its hypnotic beauty.
The Trek started from a village named Bashaini, in Kasol district.The first few Kms were hardly a climb. Our trek went through varied green flora, small hills and villages along the Parvati river . We couldn’t help but had pause on many points and sights to let the beauty of our surroundings sink in. With many trekkers in the sight, we reached our first stoppage; Rudra Nag Waterfall which was exactly 7kms from Bashaini, welcomed us with the gurgling Parvati river flowing through, from a Nag(snake) shaped stone pit to an amazing trek. The last part demanded a steep uphill climb in between the jungles, waterfalls and crossing of landslide areas with continuous heavy downpour – before we were finally in Kheerganga !
It was so peaceful and serene; surrounded by tall mountains crowned with white snow and dense white clouds and was nothing less than achieving nirvana . After trekking through the dense forest and some tricky trails and a crossing lot many landslide areas, nothing could have been more relaxing than taking a bath in the natural hot springs! Refreshing is the only word that truly defines the experience of having a bath in the hot water springs while experiencing a chilled weather(3 degree Celsius) outside the water.
We stayed in a tent for the night there. The view from behind the clouds was a perfect treat to the eyes, an image that couldn’t be forgotten. After the chilly night with some drinks, bonfire and soothing music, we started descending from the hill top. We covered half of our journey under the mild heat of the sun, but who can be sure of the weather in the Himalayas; to our surprise we met with a heavy downpour, but we knew that it will be become tougher and tougher with each passing hour so we decided to continue descending. Quickly putting on our raincoats, we continued to descend holding each other’s hands, trying to save ourselves from slipping on the muddy path and wet rocks. Well this was the toughest and most riskiest patch so we were careful to not slip, because one wrong step and we would be down the hill, so firmly putting our foot along with having a support of a stick we descended the hill.
As we reached back to our Traveller, we realized that our clothes were totally wet and full of dirt and mud, therefore we changed and took a cup of coffee, cherishing and laughing over the everlasting memories that we had created at this beautiful place.
Pratik's Travel Diaries 