Beas Kund: Trekking Expedition

So imagine this, you are sipping your morning tea after a long hour of castigation from your mother for

waking up late (I mean who wakes up early in routine, it is lethal) and suddenly you hear a ringing in

your head. You look around for all the electronic devices rather foolishly but the sound would not stop.

Thats when you realize, it is time, the mountains are calling. I did what any travel and adventure
enthusiast would do, signed up for the roll call. The next thing I knew I was on the train to Manali, with

an organization, CAC Allrounder, which I recommend to everyone, it is an experience full of epiphanies

and fireflies. So I was surrounded by stranger trekmates, dying of patience because the hyperactivity

inside me was too fiery to handle, the creative and unreasonable side of mine just wanted to fly to a

mountain and write poetry. So with a little nervous conversation full of awkward what- to-say-nows
between me and my fellow trek mates, I found myself sitting in the train, using all my strength to control

the enthusiasm and excitement which was causing bombs to explode in my stomach. We reached Delhi,
and the awkward exchanges between me and my humble trek mates turned into an unavoidable
discussion on beards and I can’t even remember where it started from, but I can say that, discussions

with fellow strangers while traveling are the wisest and most interesting discussions of all. So next, we

were aboard the Volvo for Manali. The most amazing moment during this part of trip is that when the
bus stops at a dhaba at night for dinner, one can actually feel the mountains. The cool wind that blows,

carry their scent with them. I could see the outlines of hills as I stepped out of the bus and it could not

have been more beautiful. So we were quite awake and fed, waiting for manali, the hilly areas became

more prominent and it was curvy roads and exquisite scenery that stole my heart away and I just could

not stop looking. We reached in the morning at our campsite in Shanag village.
I believe that if one wants to truly explore a place and taste its essence, then he or she should abandon

the luxurious way. Everyone should camp at least once in his or her lives. It is necessary to get out of our

extremely addictive zone of comfort, to be more adaptable and to take in precisely what nature has
offered us. There are many posh hotels in Manali, but the air of camping has the power to ameliorate

and heal all the negativity from the body. I learnt that there is a life outside electronic devices and

furnished expensive restaurants. This life is pretty simple and meditative. It is soothing, peaceful, and

extremely good for our mental and physical health. Our trek was until Beas Kund, where the Beas River

originates. So the route which we had to walk on was solang to dhundhi , camp for the night, dhundhi to

bhakartack and campsite, bhakartack to beas kund and back. Thus, it was a combination of snowy hills,

big rocks, rivers and a lot of trekking, climbing and to top it all, adventure.
We set of for our first milestone and walked all the way to our first campsite from solang. We were
tired, enchanted and healed in our process. It works in a magical way, all the problems somehow are
converted into the focus and enthusiasm needed to complete the milestone. Thus amidst the epics of
nature we walked to our first campsite. When we reached there, I felt a happiness I never felt before,

the one that is felt when we are enjoying the simplicity of life. Singing and dancing around campfire,

telling stories to each other, playing games never played after the death of childhood, made me realize

that the child inside me after all was not dead; it was burdened under the pressures of responsibilities

and maturity. Thus in my whole trip, I unleashed my inner child and enjoyed every bit of the moment,

which I beg to relive again.
We reached the second campsite, and sat down under the bliss of White Mountains where we had one
hell of a time. We all were very excited for the next day’s trek, as we will finally see the Beas Kund,

where trekkers from different countries come to trek. With collective effort of all, we started a campfire

and sat around it drinking soup, still going on with the process of acclimatization. While sitting there we

did not know we were being treated by a natural therapy. Recounting experiences to each other, I
realized how easy it was to let go of things.
Next day we all set to conquer our final milestone. We had to climb the mountains, pass through a trail

of snow, climb big rocks and finally another trail of snow to reach the magnificent Beas Kund. Through

that I realized my own strength and potential, that I could climb mountains and rocks, it was a very big

deal for me. The trek made me fall in love with myself. There was danger and risk but we went beyond

that. There is a deep philosophy hidden in every journey and adventurous ride. It is to see the world as it

should be seen.
Overall, I created many memories and made good friends. I remember the excitement we felt while
sitting in a Volvo going up, turned into despair and nostalgia while going down. I could not stop looking

back. I decided I would go again the following year, because I just cannot get enough of the wild, which

acts as a fuel for me. When the train reached Nagpur, all I could do was sigh and wait for another year.