How Brahmatal Trek In Autumn Mesmerized Our Trek Leaders After Lockdow...
How Brahmatal Trek In Autumn Mesmerized Our Trek Leaders After Lockdown - A Photostory
Category Photo Story
By Latika Payak
2020-10-02
Here’s a beautiful photostory that tells you why it’s not enough to experience a Himalayan trek in just one season
Autumn has again set in on the Himalayan treks. And under clear blue skies, Trek Leaders Nitesh Kumar and Vijeet Shaw decided to go for a quick recce on the Brahmatal trek, just before the trekkers arrived.
What they saw, left them spellbound.
To give you a background, Nitesh and Vijeet had seen the Brahmatal trek only in winter. The mention of Brahmatal only brought back memories of a landscape in white, with pines and rhododendrons stooping under the weight of snow.
But now the setting was different. And understandably, after the white winter landscape, nothing prepared them for a completely different side of Brahmatal trek in autumn.
In this photostory, they share their joy of witnessing the autumn colours on Brahmatal trek. The photos are clicked by TL Nitesh and narration is by TL Vijeet.
The Photostory Of Brahmatal Trek In Autumn
“Both Nitesh and I have done Brahmatal trek in winters in thick snow, and we felt that there are a lot of questions that need to be cleared before we lead our batches (in autumn).
We thought of doing a quick recce before the batch. There was a lot of self-doubt on how we will fare, what would it be like, or how much of the trail we can cover because both of us were back on slopes after almost eight months.
The last Himalayan trek we did was probably way back in March. Between then and now, both of us have additional baggage from “ghar ka khana” we have been eating all these months. I never expected this recce to be this good! And am really excited to share this experience with you all,” TL Vijeet updated on WhatsApp just before beginning the photostory.
Those who have done Brahmatal would recall the first Dhaba/rest point we have on Day 1, this is that very same place. It was quite amazing to see all the greenery around the clearing. After a quick water break, we move forward.
Lances of sunlight piercing through the canopies also called Shivlights. This is in the forest before Bekaltal.
We have also marked the confusing sections of the forest trail with orange ribbons for ease of navigation.
Bekaltal Campsite: Both of us had a very different picture of this place in our head from the winter treks that we had done before this and this was quite a surprise. Btw, this is where we camp during the winter season.
The green meadows of the very popular Tilandi had us both running around the place. Seeing Nanda Ghunti, Bethartoli, Trishul, Mrigthuni, Maiktoli right as we stepped out of the forest is an experience we are always going to remember.
I decided to walk barefoot from there. The feeling of soft grass beneath my feet and the majestic tall mountains right ahead is something I had been longing for ages now.
We did not go all the way till Brahmatal lake because of time constraints and decided to return from a Kilometre ahead.
The forests of Khorurai got us confused too because we had a very different picture in our minds. It was difficult to figure out where we used to camp but finally, we managed to find the place.
From Khorurai, instead of taking the usual route, we took a new path. Right when we thought that we had explored most of the trail, we came across beautiful meadows of Maling. At 9100 ft, on the right of the meadow we get beautiful views of Dewal, Gwaldam, and further ahead in the valley whereas in left, we have Nanda Ghunti and Trishul.
After a sharp descend from Maling, we joined the main trail to Lohajung near Mundoli and were back at Basecamp by 1200 hrs.
The photostory ended with these 10 photos. But TL Vijeet had something more to share.
Candidly, he added, “I’d like to thank Nitesh for multiple reasons – be it the brilliant photos he clicked or insights and experiences he shared with me on the trail. But most importantly for the self-made vegan peanut chikkis and dry fruit ladoos he carried (Read: How This Vegan Outdoor Trek Leader Is Breaking Dietary Stereotypes) on the trail today.” What a treat!
This photostory brought alive so many memories of the Brahmatal trek. At the same time, it drove a crucial point home – it is not enough to experience a Himalayan trek in just one season.
Do you agree? Share your thoughts with us in comments below 🙂
Happy trekking!
Latika Payak
Senior Content Writer
About the author
Latika is a Senior Content Writer and one of the rare team members who has seen Indiahikes from its initial days. She was among the first few to begin creating content at Indiahikes, documenting treks around Maharasthra, interviewing trekkers and writing their stories.
Latika started trekking after joining Indiahikes and has trekked to Roopkund, Hampta Pass, Kedarkantha, Dayara Bugyal, Tarsar Marsar, and Har Ki Dun.
With a strong background in print media and have worked with several publications. Latika is always hunting for great stories hidden in the folds of the mountains. Horror stories from ancient routes and villages of the Himalayas are her favourite.
She is presently working on bringing out news from the remote trekking regions of our country.
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