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Published: October 9th 2013
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Where I crawled up
From the top looking down Manikaran - Parvati Valley
Hills of forest green where the mountains touch the sky A dream come true, I'll live there till I die Don McLean – Castles in the Air
'You are a bit crazy Paul', I said to myself for not the first time as I scrambled on all fours through yet anther dense thicket of seemingly impenetrable scrub of bracken, grasses, stinging nettle and 'farmers friend' weeds (to mention just a few).
I was staying at Manikaran in Parvati Valley, and had woken up early (around 4.30am) and already been to the temple hot spring bath. It was now turning out to be a perfectly clear blue sky morning. It was like being landlocked (only this was valley-locked), being down in the valley knowing that the peaks are just 'there' – up and over the lower mountains.
I excitedly raced through my yoga (not really good practice at all) and went back to the rooms to suggest a plan to my sister and brother, the latter having already gone down to the temple for his early morning hot spring bath. “We should get up there with this clear blue
sky, and view the snow-capped
Himali in the distance”. My sister opted instead to go and meet my brother for breakfast.
It was 7am, and I could see across the far end of town what I imagined must be a path heading up the steep mountainside. On the way through town I asked a local
dhaba wallah for the way and was directed to where a track started. All good. For about 30 minutes at least, and then....... a track but obviously overgrown. Still.... if must go up to something right? Every now and again a semblance of a properly stepped path – then again overgrown and nothing.
Up and up I struggled until I eventually reached a grassy rocky knoll, but I could see a landmark building I had spied from the guesthouse earlier and I was clearly on the wrong spur. It seemed logical to me that if I could just get up on this side of the intervening gully and around the top of the rocky crag above, I should be able to double around to what I still imagined to be a proper well trodden path.
THEN.....treacherous dense jungle with no paths, and
Stinging nettled arm!
Crawling through the thicket it was impossible to avoid the electrifying nettle I had to crawl on all fours to get underneath the thicket, with severe stinging from nettles and scratches on my arms and having to watch every step on the steep ascent. I began to imagine myself as an intrepid mountain climber (and indeed I was).
I eventually reached the top village I had seen from my room, but still I could see no high peaks. I thought ' you fool, it was all for nothing', but then.... just a little farther and …. magic....... I began to see distant gorgeous Himalayan peaks with some snow cover.
Now I realised that the real pathway up (and now down again) was from a totally other direction to what I had imagined. I began my descent along this luxury of a track – well worn and stepped and without stinging nettles. I began to notice that the path was winding towards our guesthouse end of town. Further along I was treated to a fantastic panorama of high peaks. The prize. Heart singing.
I came across the mandatory (in these parts) guy rubbing
ganga plants in the morning sun to make
charis – he was not an empty handed fool
at all. This is good business for the locals at this time of year.
As I started to descend I realised with due self-mocking and humility that the approach to this view was just minutes up the track in the backyard of our guesthouse. I could have reached my goal to see the peaks within 30 minutes instead of the 3 hours it had taken (not without considerable risk and a whole lot of discomfort).
'Hm... a metaphor for life' I mused. 'You fool'. But no matter – I was feeling elated. In the end, a perfect morning (albeit some stinging arms for a day).
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Vickie
non-member comment
amazing!
Well judging by the terrain other people would be using special gear but I love your style, just crawling! The prize is worth it judging by these photos...