My favorite peak is “Hanumangarh Peak”, whose height is 3080 meters. This is the only peak whose top I have visited more than 10 times and every time I go here, I promise this mountain that “we will meet soon”. Sometimes when I sit down to think, I feel that neither the mountains nor I could live without me. Earlier I used to go for walks in the mountains and now it seems as if the entire mountain revolves around me every moment.
In the state of Himachal Pradesh situated in the northern direction of India, which is also famous by the name of Devbhoomi, there is a district Mandi and in Mandi there is a valley Kangra in which this beautiful peak is situated. 360 degree view is visible from the top of the peak. If you are standing on the top of this mountain and the weather is clear then you can see Kangra Valley, Thamsar Pass, Chhina Pass, Jalsu Jot, Chhota Bhangal Valley and Gauri Jhunda Peak etc. from here.
I went to sleep the night before after deciding that we would go tomorrow to visit Hanumangarh Peak. After a good sleep at night, I open my eyes at 7 in the morning and my body feels completely fresh. Since winter has arrived in the entire Himalayas and the first snowfall of the season has also occurred due to which the cold has increased. As soon as I wake up, I wrap my body in my jacket, freshen up, have breakfast and go out with a water bottle and 2-4 chocolates in my bag.
After walking one kilometer on the road, the single foot trail starts. Starting from Bari village, this climb goes to the top of Hanumangarh Peak. There is an elevation gain of 2100 meters in this 8 km summit, which means about 250 meters per km. I am ready to face this tough climb. After crossing Bari village, I now enter the pine forest. Amazing views of the Dhauladhar mountain range are visible from the middle of the forest, the entire range is covered with a blanket of snow.
I take the first break after 3 km, I have named this place ‘Bear Cave’. Stopping here, I drink water and control my breathing and start walking again. Sunlight is filtering through the trees in the forest. On the way, crossing the stone path made by the shepherds, I reach an empty ground where some horses are eating grass. Of course I talk to him but he doesn't talk to me out of arrogance. After insulting myself, I move ahead.
The take off site of paragliding is visible from here and colorful paragliders flying above my head are adding to the beauty of the sky. I shout from below, “Have a nice day” to the paraglider pilot and move ahead. Near Shepard's hut, I find a goat lamb that looks as if it was born today. I ask him if he wants anything, from the language he is using it seems as if he is saying “I want to drink my mother's milk”. Your mother has gone to eat grass and will come to you soon. Now I will leave, little friend.
Till now I have covered 6 km. I have covered the route, and after facing almost all kinds of problems, I have reached a point where snow has started on the road. Snow has also fallen on the same side of the road from which I have to go. Now my speed has slowed down a bit and I am trying my best to walk carefully. If I slip from here, I will not die but will definitely get badly injured. I stop and try to capture the energy of the snow covered Dhauladhar in my eyes and click a few photos and come back on the path.
After walking for 3 hours and 30 minutes, I finally reach the top of Hanumangarh Peak. There is a temple of Hindu god Hanuman on the top of this peak. This is a temple which has neither walls nor roof. When I move towards the idol of Hanuman, I meet a local youth who has come from Mandher village to see Lord Hanuman. They offer their prayers in front of the idol of Hanuman and by offering Prasad they make their wish in their mind.
After that, I also stand in front of the idol of Hanuman and worship and take blessings of God and enjoy the surrounding view. Once upon a time, this peak was used as a watch tower by King Bhangaliyan to keep an eye on the enemies. How dangerous it must have been to keep soldiers and fight enemies in such a rare place because it receives 3 to 4 feet of snow and is inhabited by leopards and black bears. Taking a selfie of myself with Hanuman, I start walking back down.
Today was a very nice day, the weather was clear and walking in the hot sun in such winter was a great experience. On my return I find another goat lamb, this one is also very cute like the first one. I take her in my lap and sit and talk to her about many things. When the lamb gets bored with me, it starts screaming, after which I leave it there and come back to my home. And this way I come home before lunch. After taking bath, I have lunch and go out for a walk in the evening. That's all for today, see you in the next post, till then stay healthy and happy.
Disclaimer: This post is originally written in Hindi by me and I have taken the help of Google Translate to translate it into English. All photos are clicked by me and edited in Lightroom.