The Great Himalayan Adventure

The meadows and the conifers glittered and the Gangotri Glacier gleamed in the early sun's rays after being washed and cleaned by the yesterday night's pearly moonlight. We had viewed it, in addition to the stars glittering in the magical black sky, at that campsite in Chilapada, Uttarakhand. 

Raghu, Padma, Shridhar, and I, accompanied by an amiable, friendly, and knowledgeable guide named Mr. Satyam Rawat are on the Dayara Bugyal trek in Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Our fourth day's trek, our daily goal being to reach Dayara top, commenced with a quick breakfast of Nestle's instant noodles (better known as Maggi) early today morning at half past six. The trek started half an hour later. (it is a very bad policy to trek immediately after a meal) A forest of conifers (chir pines, firs, cedars, and perhaps some oak) appeared shortly afterward and the smell coming from these tall trees, their fallen branches and twigs cracking under our feet seemed literally like walking meditation. Mr. Rawat proved himself to be a walking-talking encyclopedia. The treeline gave way after an hour and we were at the Dayara Bugyal (meadows) that took away our ability even to exclaim...

I shall still try to describe this ' heaven of heavens'-category meadows. It is a vast stretch of land, higher towards the north with scattered flocks of sheep feeding on the grass, (I consumed a blade of the grass and it was delicious) and beautiful wildflowers of diverse colors (Mr. Rawat said there were twenty-seven different species) and, most importantly, just at a distance of fifty kilometers as the crow flies, to the north, northeast, and northwest, was the largest panorama of snow-capped mountains one could ever wish to see—the Gangotri-Yamunotri ranges, Kedar and Badri ranges and some ranges in the Lahaul-Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh. However, this was not the end of the trek as Dayara top, which would go on to offer even better views of various valleys and mountains at the backdrop of these snow-capped Himadri mountains, was still an hour's trek from where we were. We took our time, glancing as far as our eyes went, and when they did go no further, the use of my binoculars was instituted. Mr. Rawat was offering us all he knew about these meadows and we were listening to him with our eyes on the beauty of nature. The trek was not at all hard in terms of difficulty and its main thrills were the views and camping. 

Talking of the present moment—the five of us have reached Dayara top and set up all camping gear and now, I must take leave of you and return to gazing without blinking my eyes at such a mighty mesmerizing sight, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.