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On all fours, across the landslide
Two porters -- Jaypal and Gunga (he was mute) -- and a guide, Rajendar, in tow, we were pit straight against the mountain as Rajendar signaled us down into a trail, if you can call it that, through what seemed like an orgy of destruction.
Swearing not to look below, we followed, sometimes on all fours, across the landslide, many a time sending loose rock hurtling below into a ravine hundreds of feet deep. It was only on the way back we realized there was an easier path from a little way up, and that Rajendar was just testing us.
The rest of the 5.6 miles to Taluka was a relatively uneventful but lovely walk, through enchanted forests of maple and pine. We could spot snow-clad peaks in the distance, of the Kedar Kantha and Bandarpunch massifs.
Four and a half hours later, we reached Taluka, a sleepy hamlet by the Supin river, surrounded by thickly forested mountains.
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This area, from Mori upwards, is part of the Govind Wildlife Sanctuary that stretches 592 square miles, and most guide books say 'chances of spotting wildlife are good' on the way to Har Ki Dun.
We were very excited when there were some noises in the forest just below the trail we were following, till an elderly village woman who was coming down said, "langur.' Anything less exciting than a leopard was not worth our enthusiasm.
By the time we reached Taluka, I had realized time had stood still here. Like the still waters of the artificial lake -- tal means lake -- that stood as a memento to the failed pisciculture project here, Taluka was exactly the way it had been 11 years ago. Except for the feeble solar powered light in one of the five-odd shops in the evening.
Not much grows here, except for a red shrub the locals call ramdana or cholai; they use it to make flour and brew hooch. Food options here are limited to rice or Roti, Dal and Rajma. You get Maggi, the instant noodle that is a trekker's staple diet, till Seema, but prices go up as you do, because everything comes from below. Mules are expensive to hire, and a kilo of onions costs more than Rs 40. If you want luxuries like garlic, you better get them from Dehradun.
Text and Photographs: Sumit Bhattacharya
Also read: My date with leopards and tuskers
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Have you been to Har Ki Dun? What was your favourite sight there? Where did you have the best meal? Do you have a hotel to recommend?
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