Dalhousie
It is a very beautiful, quiet little hill station in the state of Himachal Pradesh surrounded by five hills. Established in 1854 by the erstwhile British Empire in India as a summer retreat for its many troops, prisoners and bureaucrats, the town was named after the viceroy in India at that time. You will find it situated on the western edge of the Dhauladhar mountain range of the Himalayas at a height of 6,400 meters above sea level.
Well, that’s where we went camping in the summer of 2009. All of us were excited about the prospect of living together in alpine tents, and seeing the wonders that the place holds. After more than thirty hours of traveling — we finally reached our campsite, which was on the hillside, opposite and roughly three kilometers from the town, deliberately not supplied with electricity and away from civilization.
And what we saw there was truly breathtaking. A magnificent view of the Chamba Valley and the inspiring snow-clad peaks filled the entire horizon there, presenting panoramic views of the plains. The terrain around us was populated by tall pine and cedar trees, and displayed a bountiful variety of shrubbery, with a thick growth of oak trees, flowering rhododendron and daisies by the dozen. And oh, those sunsets just made anyone wish to live there for eternity!
But sightseeing wasn’t our sole purpose of going so far. Many activities like trekking, bird-watching, tree-identification, rappelling, river-crossing and campfires were scheduled — intended and designed by the organizers to develop the physical and mental strength of us youngsters. Alongside the students who had come from Ahmedabad at the camp, we first went for a lengthy walk into the valley, echoing with the sound of little waterfalls and brooks, to have a splash. After a frigid bath, the route back to our campsite was as steep as it was slippery — and as long as it was tricky. We were again dead tired, sweaty and frustrated. It is worth noting the irony that Dalhousie is really a perfect place where one can retreat, relax, and rejuvenate physically and spiritually — if you cut out the treks. And this little excursion was nothing compared to what was yet to come, but fortunately it did help us acclimatize and increased our stamina.
Obviously, we used to get hungry after all this walking. The food provided at the campsite was fresh, nutritious and delicious, much to our joy and surprise. We were supposed to wash our own utensils, which some of us urban-dwellers weren’t used to. Food was not to be wasted, and there were concrete rules to preserve the natural beauty of the place by not littering around with non-biodegradables. The organizers were strict, and had to be, as they were responsible for our safety.
Over the next week, we trekked almost forty kilometers climbing up and down and going around wooded hills, walking more and more with each progressive day. Yes, forty! Our legs were inflamed — and it took us all our willpower to refrain from moaning about the next day’s longer trek. But the sights we saw were totally worth it. The forest trails overlooked gorgeous vistas and picturesque landscapes. The view from atop Ganjipahadi was something all of us we were one of the very few lucky ones to see.
On the penultimate day of the camp, we hiked for a total of eleven kilometers in under seven hours to visit Khajjiyar, also called mini-Switzerland. It was the only patch of plain flatland in the whole area. Simply put, reaching there was the ultimate test of everyone’s willpower and we all felt supremely satisfied afterwards. Pretty hard to imagine that we had really walked that much.
After a bit of rest, we played cricket and soccer, some did horse-riding; some sat, chatted and enjoyed their proximity to nature — while a few did some fun zorbing. While going back to the campsite, the sunset, the winding roads and the cool atmosphere was enjoyed much. On the final day, we finally went to the town for some shopping and got to relish some restaurant food. Being a sport fanatic and a Facebook addict, I could not resist hopping into a cyber-cafe to be updated with the rest of the world.
Next dawn, it was time to go. We weren’t ready. Bags were being packed quite slowly. Time had flown while we had enjoyed ourselves, yet the place had a quality of being frozen in stillness. The simplicity of life here, the natural beauty, the surrounding serenity and tranquility, it was all very endearing. The moments spent here taught us so many things — like being independent, appreciating the things we have, accomplishing our goals, seeking adventure, exercising regularly and what not.
With one last, parting look, we boarded our bus and it sped off, taking our lives to its normalcy, its monotony.
