Love, Snow, and Sia: Our Himalayan Adventure as a couple
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In April 2018, chandu and I decided to take on a new adventure and hike to Pangarchulla Peak. Located in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India, Pangarchulla stands at about 4,590 meters (15,060 feet) above sea level. We were looking for something exciting and fresh, and this trek promised just that with its beautiful views and challenging climb.
Our adventure started with a flight to Delhi, followed by a bus ride to Rishikesh. From there, our trekking company arranged a pickup to Joshimath, which was our base camp. After spending a night in Joshimath , we got some of our trekking gear and met the rest of our group, ready for the journey ahead.
Day 2 was our first real day of trekking. We started from Joshimath, walking along rocky paths and through small villages. The terrain was mostly flat, and we saw a lot of local animals and friendly villagers. By the end of the day, we were taught to set up our own tents at camp and explored the area. We saw herds of mountain sheep and enjoyed the fresh air. That night, the sky was incredibly clear with countless stars, no other source of light , no source of sounds . It was me and chandu under the sky full of stars ( haha romantic much ? )
On Days 3 we continued our trek, moving to higher altitude. The scenery became even more stunning, but the trek also got tougher. On the 3rd day, we had to camp a bit away from the summit because the closer camp was covered in snow. We experienced snowfall this day.
The 4th day was the summit day which began early at 3 a.m., and we started trekking under the stars with our torches. It was both thrilling and a bit scary. As the sun rose, we saw the mountains lit up by its rays, words can’t express the beauty here. This was the hardest day of the trek, with snow-covered paths and steep climbs that made us focus completely on each step. I nearly gave up during the final steep climb after trekking for about 7 hours. But then Saurabh made me listen to Sia’s “Never Give Up” , haha i certainly did not give up after that . Music do have that magic indeed ! Despite some trekkers feeling unwell due to the altitude, saurabh and I made it to the summit luckily after trekking for another 2 hours . The view from the top was incredible but also a bit dangerous One wrong move could cause a crisis. Descent was tricky at first but eventually became more fun as we slid on the snow. It took us about 4 hours to get down, and when we finally reached camp, I was exhausted and fell asleep right away. The next morning, when i got up i thought i was reborn, thanks to the paracetamol !
The following day, we descended to Auli for our next camping spot. There was no snow in Auli at this time of the year , but we still had some tough trails to cover. Finally reached back to basecamp rested and the next morning left with bag full of memories from mountains to our city lives.