As they say, once you have trekked in the Himalayas, you keep coming back. Having done Parashar lake earlier, this was the next one on the agenda. Nagtibba or Serpent\'s peak at a height of 9900 Feet is the highest peak in the lesser Himalayan range of the Uttarakhand state. It did carry special significance for me, because the last time, I wanted to do it, the trek was called off because of incessant snowfall.
According to the folklore, Nagtibba was named after a snake, which was so huge that the head of the snake occupied a peak in India, while the tail occupied another peak in Nepal. The snake supposedly wreaked havoc in the region and when it died, the locals named both the peaks as \"Nagtibba\". So there\'s another peak in Nepal with the same name. These are stories, which you do not read on Wikipedia but can only learn when you speak to locals and makes traveling to such desolate places so much more fun.
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A view of the Dhauladhar Range clicked from the Top of Nag Tibba.
The three famous peaks of \"Swargarohini\", \"The Black Peak\" and \"Bandar Poochh\" can be seen here. \"Swargarohini\" at a height of 6200 Mts. is famous for its steep and challenging climb and according to legends is the path taken by Pandavas to go to heaven.
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Snow can be found on the peak, from December to mid March. It was the first week of May when we decided to make the trip. So none of us really expected to find snow at the top (though we would have loved to find some). I asked my two trusted friends - Vasundhara and Mitra. While Vasundhara immediately agreed, Mitra decided to spend the weekend on a drive on Yamuna expressway. Though I can appreciate the thrill, of pushing on the pedal till the speedometer of your car clocks 160, I could not understand the reasons of choosing the former over a Himalayan trek.
So, we booked ourselves a Volvo to Dehradun. The trek starts from \"Pachmarhi\", a small village about 80kms from Dehradun. Indiahikes had arranged for transportation and after starting at 9, it took close to 4 hours to reach Pachmarhi. The journey though beautiful, with never ending landscapes, is a little bumpy. My advise to people who are not comfortable on bus rides, do carry some medicine.
The Weather
Since it was May, the weather was hot with the temperature in the mid 30s. In the hills the sun feels stronger than usual so its best to be prepared. Thankfully we had carried our shades, caps and sun-screens. As one goes higher up on the trail, the chill sets in with temperatures in single digits for most of the evening and the night. If you plan to do the trek a little earlier in the year, be prepared for colder weather.
It Begins
The trek begins at about 3 km from the village. After having a light lunch, we were taken to the \"Starting Point\". One can start at the village itself, but we were trying to make up for lost time. The initial climb is not so easy. You run on graduated paths, cut out from the side of the mountain, gently climbing at a slope of 30 degrees or so. In the sheering heat, we were quickly out of breath.
The much awaited first pit stop arrived after walking for half an hour. It was a manually created water-reservoir. The water was cold and gave us a welcome respite from the burning sun. After chilling for a few minutes we moved on. The path from here was through the woods on the mountain.
Thankfully the weather turned for the good and the scorching sun light was intermittently halted by dark clouds which brought in a wave of cold air to make our journey a little easier. After walking within trees for a while, the trail opened up into an open space, and we took a few minutes to enjoy the valley, in front of us.
Intermediate Leg
The trail flattened out and we picked up some pace. Some of us who were walking with the \"Sweeper\" got time to bridge the gap. Since it was early summers, the path was still strewn with flowers.
We met up with some locals on our way, who provided us with some local produce - green peas and fresh lime water, and boy did they taste yum !! Our trek leader was instrumental in sealing the deal for us. Such interactions are more common on longer treks, where you spend few nights in a remote village.
The trail suddenly turned devious. We had to make almost a 60 degree climb on path, which was strewn with loose rocks. Most of us struggled, but in the end all of us got through. Nag Tibba is otherwise an easy trek, but its the presence of the stones in the trail that makes the trek a little tricky at times.The skies which at one point seemed would open up anytime, held up quite well and thankfully the raincoats were not required.
Base Camp
After trekking for close to 6 hours, and covering close to 7 kms, we were at the base camp. The base camp, at a height of 8000 feet was a couple of thousand feet below the vantage point . Its a nice little open place at the foot of the mountain, giving us clear view of the valley in front.
We were supposed to camp there for the night and leave early next morning. It was a magnificent site, with the moon just beginning to rise in the sky, and the chill slowly setting in. Our camps truly looked magnificent in the serene backdrop.
We were hungry after a tiring day and were welcomed with tea and snacks, which we quickly gulped. After having our dinner by the side of a campfire (Which we really pleaded for), and a bout of Antakshari with our fellow trekkers, retired in our sleeping bags.
The Final Assault
It was an early morning, with all of us being woken up at 5. The lemon tea helped us get out of our sleeping bags. The mornings in the mountains are simply exquisite. The cold fresh air, the bluish orange sky and the greenery all around makes you fall in love with the place.
We quickly finished our breakfast and resumed our assault on the final leg of the trek. The final part of any trek is the most difficult. It was no different here, we had to climb a couple of thousand feet within one and a half kilometer. But rejuvenated after a good breakfast, and a good night\'s rest, we made good progress initially. The trail, though well laid out, runs over mountain slopes but at times the incline makes for a tedious climb. A few people struggled, with cramps and the chill but, overall the group was comfortable.
Finally we could see the white flag mounted on the top of Nag Tibba, and boy it was a relief. We forgot our pain for a while, rushing to the summit, to see the panoramic view of the Himalayas. The cameras were out and all of us huddled together to get that perfect snap.
The Final Word
Nag Tibba is an otherwise easy trek. Every trek in the Himalayas has its share of challenges, in this case it was the loosely strewn rocks all along the trail, which made the trail slippery. One thing that a trek in Himalayas teaches you is team work. Misery seeks companionship. There are times when you feel exhausted, and almost feel like resigning. But as long as you have a friend to nudge and inspire you to get over the line, it becomes a little easy.
One fine example was when Debosmita was struggling to keep pace with the rest of the group but she had an able companion in Partha, who stayed with her and inspired her to complete the trek. Following is an article on Indiahikes, which talks about why one should go on a trek date before getting married.
http://indiahikes.in/trek-dates/ . This was an example of why one should go on a trek after.
One charming aspect of any trek is that you meet really interesting people. This time I met one of the most energetic, enthusiastic and fervent person ever. An animal rights activist and first time in the Himalayas, Sonali was single handedly responsible for improving the energy levels of rest of the group. Such was her eagerness to go for unconventional trails, that our trek leader offered her a position in Indiahikes.
Also refreshing to see was a bunch of youngsters, who had taken time off their first job at AON Hewitt to come on their first Himalayan trek. - God ! I should have started sooner :D.
For people in Delhi/NCR who love to spend time in the wild, \"Nag Tibba\" is a good weekend trek option. This is a doable trek and you can attempt it on our own. But if you are lazy, and taking care of logistics is painful, I would recommend to do it through IndiaHikes.
