Triund, Laka Glacier & Macleod Ganj Report By: Monica Foster (Spain) : E-Mail Author

Triund is situated 9 kms from Bhagsu Nag which is now very famous among  foreigner tourist as a trekking paradise. Triund is name of a ridge in Dhauladhar Himalayas and it shows very close look for Moon peak-Indera Pass . Reaching Triund is very easy for people coming from Punjab. I met Samuel through Internet and contacted him for crossing indrahari Pass which has been told to me as very tough and dangerous. Himalayas is very beautiful but my main emphasis to come in this area after visiting Maharastra, Karnataka, Bihar, Utter Pradesh & now I was going to undertake a Yoga & Meditation as referred to me by a French friend. Meeting Samuel was again a problem as I do knew how he looks like but as he told me in his e-mail that you can not miss his tall frame even in dense crowd. He was not wrong. I spot him when he was coming down from autorickshaw. it was nice meeting him with all his joking, commenting and deep understanding of mountain and weather.

MacleodGanj is seat of His Holiness Dalai Lama of Tibet . Many people visit their monastery which is open for one and all.From Macleodganj ,Bhagsu Nag is just 1 Km and ten minutes walk . Trek starts from here and it gradually winds up for the ridge. It is 7-9 Kms from Bhagsu Nag through different different routes. Avoid using short cuts as while raining,these short cuts proves very very costly-ultimately resulting in some slip or fall.There is well laid trail -follow it- it winds up from Alpine jungle to Rhododendron jungle and slowly slowly you are taken to Triund ridge.

For people coming from planes of Punjab : Temperature at night falls down and wind also is cool. Use your winter clothing as soon as the sun is down. I saw Samuel wearing woolen cloths although it was very comfortable for me.

START: We started from Bhagsu Nag & found young people from various countries enjoy evening/late night walks here. Our sacks were packed-still we purchased some emergency ration and started walking towards eagles point. Samuel had planned to camp at Eagles Crest . This place is vital for people like us who do not wish to live in hotels and guest houses. We pitched our tent and slept. Samuel says cloud formation was not good and pre monsoon disturbance was suspected but we slept to decide in morning about our march to Triund.

WALKING TO TRIUND: It is not easy to walk in sun and moisture as much region of this trek is exposed to east. We started early and by the time sun comes up-we were safe in dense shade of high mountain cliffs. We met many trekkers but found no Indian among them. It's a long walk and gradual ascending to triund which is 9 kms. from Eagles Crest. We reached Triund and I was shocked to see many people know samuel. We camp and had good rest. Clouds were coming down and so was Samuel's face as he was worried about being trapped. I told him that I rely on his decision and if he feels it is not safe to go further -I will not. After dinner-we slept soon. Wind was harsh.

LAKA GLACIER: next morning, we had clear sky and started early to reach in time as he feels that it weather will pack up very fast. Laka glacier is no more glacier now as there is no snow or glacier like thing there. It's a small moraine and a shepherd pasteur. We reached Laka in two hrs. from Triund. Clouds were coming fast down and within couple of hrs. We were having snowballs banging on our tent. Wind raised gradually and at one time-I was not sure that our tent will stand up that much pressure of wind and snowballs. Somehow we spent a hard night in which he slept peacefully but I could not blink a eye. Whistling wind and sound of snowballs banging was enough to make me shiver. I felt very jealous when I used to see him sleeping as this was normal course in Himalayan life, for him.

RUN BACK:He wake up very early-it was dark outside and I was half awake. He shooked me and told me that this is rt. time for us to leave this place. He says he wants couple of hrs. to leave this exposed area and then he will be happy to see me in safe slopes. We packed our tent in wind and packed it very fast. I never have seen such a fast packing. We started slowly as it was slippery and bit dark too. It was 4.45 AM and we managed to leave triund nonstop. Further descending down..we were back in Macleod Ganj at 1.0 PM. My legs hardly giving me a feeling but he was fine. Sometimes, I looked at him with surprise as he is so slim and tall frame guy. But his jokes and laugh makes him more dearer and I am sure that whenever I will me in India, in Himalayas, we will be trekking together. yes, he had promised me to take me for a climb too.....Yes, he made me climb a rock also. My first lesson of rock climbing.