Hello and welcome again to my blog.
Two weeks ago I went on an adventure with some of my friends. We explored a tiny part of the Great Himalayan National Park, check this post to read more about that.
On the next day, we had some other plans. We planned to go to Jalori Pass. It is a high mountain pass situated at more than 10,000 feet above sea level. This is one of the closest mountain passes to Delhi. The views are so mesmerising and picturesque there.
Credits: Google maps India
It was a steep climb, the roads were much steeper than any other place we have been. We had to go from Tirthan Valley, situated at an elevation of around 5000 feet, to the Jalori Pass in just a few kilometres.
As we drove higher and higher we could see the huge snowy mountains in the distance. They were miles and miles away. We saw some
We reached the starting point of our trek. Parked our car, grabbed something to eat and started our trek once again.
The first part of the trek involved crossing through a forest of large deodar trees.
It was now afternoon and the sky was clear, few leaves were there on the trees and the shadows created an interesting pattern. It was an unforgettable experience. It was slightly cold but the forest provided protection against winds.
After a kilometre or so we saw the forest ended abruptly and a lush green meadow replaced it. But it was just a temporary break from the large trees.
There were a few camps for refreshments. But we didn't stop here for long... just soaked in the views and continued our walk on the trail.
It was not a busy trail. We saw just a few people coming down. Well, it was too early for someone to be coming back. Neither did we meet anyone at this camp side.
Until now, the trek was fairly easy and we were not gaining much height but the last stretch of this trek was difficult with a much more inclined route. We were not in such a hurry and took our time with it.
We had a great view of the greater Himalayan range on our right. Some of the peaks were likely to be over 100 km in distance but were easily visible to us.
After about another 2 km from the last camps, we were finally at the top and left the forest behind.
We were finally at the top with large grassy meadows enabling a complete 360-degree view of the landscape.
There were some camps in this location, I can understand why... the views were so iconic from here, who would not want to wake up to this picturesque view of the Himalayas. Truly a paradise for all nature lovers.
But this trek is also famous for its man-made structure. The Raghupur Fort, Yes... there is a fort on top of this mountain. It is believed to be built by Mandi rulers to protect themselves from invasion.
Raghupur Fort
There is a temple inside the fort walls... but this seems like it was constructed much later using the rocks from the fort walls themselves. It was closed on that day.
There were small huts, but they are too small for people to enter. Something is mysterious about these, maybe they were used to store valuables?
This was the best spot to build a defensive structure like this. You could see your enemy coming from all sides. We sat in the bright sunlight there. You could feel the cold breeze even in the afternoon. One could just imagine the cold at night. Must be below zero degrees C at night.
You feel at the top of the world from this place.
We stayed at the top, completely soaking in the views and now I can't ever forget that view. There were other groups of people coming as the day progressed. I will go again if I get the slightest chance.
We didn't want to come down, but we had to... we were on a tight schedule. So, we hiked back to our car and with many unforgettable memories left for our home. It was a long journey back around 12 hours or so.
This trip is among the top ones that we had in the past couple of years as a group. First, the beauty of Great Himalayan National Park in the Tirthan Valley and this high elevated view of the mountains.
Believe me when I say that Heaven is here on earth. We just have to look for it.
Thanks for coming onto this journey along with me. Let me know if you enjoyed it. I skipped over many minor details just so you can spend more time looking at the pictures rather than me explaining everything. Hope you liked this approach.
Thanks for reading...
Namaste 🙏
Stay tuned for more adventures...
Few places to visit in Delhi
Note:
- All the content is mine unless otherwise stated.
- Banner image created using Canva.
- Photos were taken by us (me and my friends from our group) and edited using the "Snapseed" app.
- Text dividers are from @cryptosharan.
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