Joy of the outdoors

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Barot, Mandi

Another awesome season is nearing its end and I keep wondering if there will come a time when I am not amazed by things I see. Every time I finish a trek, I think I have been to the most beautiful place, yet. The joy of outdoors is immeasurable. Humans are meant to leave home and wander to appreciate what they have. The apprehension of leaving home and the excitement of coming back after days out in the mountains are the two main reasons that make it an intimate experience.

Flags at Dharamkot

Baby Goat, Kharibahi

Sunset at Kareri Lake

The more you travel the more you realise how beautiful things are around your home! The small flowers growing randomly on the hillside, the little colorful lichen on your gate, the sunrises and sunsets from your window, the sound of voices and birds and insects... I could go on.

Best Winter hikes around Dharamsala #4

The trail from Indrunag to Khaniyara is a lesser known trail but packed with thrills. Indrunag is a temple devoted to Shiva and his sons (Ganesh and Karthik) and has a mish mosh of stories surrounding its dubious 'Babas' in charge. It has a road going to it now and any taxi guy can take you there.

Once at Indrunag, you can take the trail going West and North which now criss crosses with the new road coming up. This trail leads to Bhanglotu village where the trail splits. You can ask any local and take the one going to Thatharna, a huge slate mining centre in Khaniyara. The trail goes past a famous Temple, now walled in and has a big school. Past this point the trail is literally cut into the mountainside. The trail itself is precariously cut into the mountainside. It can be steep at times but all in all an excellent day out.

The Thatarna slate mines are old school quarries all done by hand. These mines were huge money makers in the '50s but due to the severe environmental degradation, the Government shut them down in 1997. There is a river at Thatarna where you can chill, eat some food and then descend into the village and catch a taxi or bus back home.

Note: Pack your food and water, there are no shops on the trail. You might want to book a taxi to pick you up at the Thatarna Hydro Project as phone signals are not good there. Take water, extra money, your first aid kit, tell at least two people where you are going and be safe!

Best winter hikes around Dharamsala #3

Dharamskot to Triund is the most travelled trail in these parts. From Indian families to trail runners, they are all on that trail every weekend. Even weekdays are never free of the odd hiker or two. The proximity of Triund to McLeodganj makes it so doable.

The trail is easy to find and there are enough tea shops on the trail and in Triund itself to sustain the most unprepared traveller. But we are talking about winter hiking on this trail.

Things to prepare for:

1. The tea shops close during the severe months of cold and there are no tea shops at Triund itself. Ask at Dharamkot itself if there is anyone up at Triund or Magic View.
2. The trail itself remains over 2000m/6600 Ft ASL hence, you are walking in High Altitude - that means faster dehydration, more calories burnt and chances of AMS are high.
3. Cold or not, you will dehydrate fast, don't forget your water. You will need 6 Litres total of water for ideal hydration.
4. Carry a small stove, some food/snacks. While hiking the mountains with a small back pack, you can burn 600 Calories in an hour.
5. Carry warm clothes, wool hat and gloves. Don't forget, as it gets closer to the evening it gets very cold.
6. There will be no help if you have an accident or a medical emergency
7. Do not drink alcohol or smoke up in the mountains!! Being stupid never pays.
8. By law, all guides need a license, make sure your guide has one if you hire someone.

The trail is 12 Kms long from Dharamkot, so don't underestimate the mountain. It can do some serious damage to you. Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back. Also tell them when to get alarmed.
If you take a guide, please make sure the guide has a valid license. By law, mountain guides are required to register and carry their license with them at all time.

Building a fire 101 - Dharamsala style

To prepare food and chai in the outdoors, you will need fire - carry a stove. If you don't have one and need a fire for cooking or keeping warm, then in most areas around Dharamsala, you can go to a habitation and ask for some wood. For a few rupees, locals are willing to part with a few sticks, enough for your needs.

For a roaring fire, you need to build it slowly. First select a spot that will not result in a raging forest fire. Clear a bed where the fire should be, making sure there are no dry leaves or grass. You then need three types of materials for the fire itself:

1. Tinder: Dry moss, leaves, paper or anything that lights really quickly. A good tip is to carry some with you as our area has lots of rain all year round. To find something dry enough can be difficult.

2. Kindling: tinder burns fast and cannot light large pieces of wood. You need kindling for that. Twigs and branches not wider that your finger are best. This also needs to be dry enough to burn quickly. If you have wet twigs, try and whittle the bark to get to the dry part.

3. Fuel: This is what will keep you warm at night and cook your food. Try and get branches as wide as your wrist or forearm. The bigger the wood, the harder to light. Keep a large piece of wood, if you have one, as the back of the fire. This will eventually light and can last all night.

Remember, try and not burn plastics as tinder and leave the camp site as you found it. Cheers!!!

Best short hikes around Dharamshala #2

Day Hike to Kareri Village

Our range of the Himalayas is the Dhauldhar range. This range is split in the middle by Indrahar Pass, which is dead North of us. The Western side is a thickly wooded wall of mountains that rise from the Kangra Valley straight up to 5000+ meters. The trails on this side of the range are great for camping and hiking. There is a lot of water, access to food and roads, making it ideal for all ages and families.

West of McLeodganj lies the small village of Stobari, you can access this place by taking an autorickshaw, taxi or by walking it from Dal Lake. From Stobari, this hike is a total of 12 Kms (7.5 Mi) one way.

The first 4 Kms are down hill and the rest is all uphill. You head to your first destination called Ghera. It is all the way down on the banks of the river. This river has a big hydro project on it and is easy to find, just ask the locals. Here, take a break at Panditji's chai shop, recover, hydrate and start the long climb towards Kareri Village. Because of the new road being built, the old trails are unused now. Take the trail from the Ghera main town. There is a bridge to cross the river here, take that and head up the trail that will take you through villages and forests. Remember to keep asking as there are many trails forking off going to other habitations.

Kareri Village itself is spread out over 3-4 Kms East - West and is a Gaddi village. On the Eastern end is the Forest rest House and on the Western End is Harnala camp grounds. In between are houses and farms of the local people. The Forest Rest House has a few rooms you can book in Dharamsala (through the District Forest Office) or you can camp anywhere along the river at Harnala. 

Carry water, some food, shelter, rain gear and emergency money with you at all times. The people are hospitable and it is easy to find shelter, but it is always good to be prepared for any circumstance.

Navigation on our trails is done by asking and reaching the destination. There are no markings on these trails and maps are vague at best. If in doubt, you can hire a guide for the day to show you the way.

Best Short Hikes around Dharamsala #1

It is November and the weather is awesome in Dharamsala and the upper areas of the Dhauladhar Range in the Himalayas. There are numerous trails around McLeodganj and one of the best is the trip to Guna Mata Temple. West of the tourist town of McLeodganj, head out in a taxi or an autorickshaw or just walk to, the small village of Naddi.

From Naddi there is an easy trail that goes North West via a pine forest to the river Bathed. When your each the river, there is small snack shop at the bridge abnd the road bifurcates - one heads West to Birlai Village and one heads North to the Guna Mata Temple.

A short and steep climb will take you to another crossroads. You take the road that turns North (on your right) and head on to the temple.The minute you reach the temple, you feel rested. The views of the Kangra valley are amazing!! Also looking North, you can see the massive Bhimghasutri Pass (14,500 ft) that connects to the Chamba Valley.
This hike is doable in 4-5 Hrs and is open most of the year. The trail gets difficult to negotiate after the first snows in January all the way to end of March.

Panastar RSCX 7500, 2-in-1 grooming kit, a review

Yes, I am now officially an expert on reviewing electronics. I have taken it upon myself to pick out the worst (or best) Made in China electronics and review them. Being a not-so-tidy man, I was hard pressed to be a little ‘put together’ leading to run to the local electronics store and buy the Panastar RSCX 7500, 2-in-1 grooming kit.

The Panastar RSCX 7500, 2-in-1 grooming kit is available only at this one store in Dharamsala. The box contains an electric shaver and little gizmo for nose/ear hair and a lot of plastic that doesn’t contain anything. It also has a small sheet of printed stuff talking about nothing in particular. When I saw this equipment sitting amongst other similar, misspelt names (Soni, Pansonic, etc) I just saw a vision of myself as a metro sexual male, always looking good, clean shaven and somehow in a suit. Cutting a long story short, I bought the damn thing because it was the cheapest.

Coming home I ripped off all the plastic, plugged the shaver in and went to work. A very interesting thing happened. The four whirling shavers got stuck in my stubble and just clung on to my chin. So here I am, standing in front of a mirror, with a buzzing shaver stuck to my chin. Luckily for me the makers of the Panastar RSCX 7500, 2-in-1 grooming kit, used the worst materials they could find and it just stopped and fell off. To be fair to the product, the little buzzing gizmo works just fine (if you tap it hard on the side of the sink) and the shaver does work under certain circumstances.

So, being very objective I shall give my expert opinion regarding this piece of equipment. Well, the Panastar RSCX 7500, 2-in-1 grooming kit can be a painful way to start your day, but hey, no pain no gain, right? It will not, I repeat, it will not shave ALL the hair off your face. It chooses to randomize its approach to which hair stay on and which go off. So you are left with a patchy set of hair that you can get with a razor yourself. I must say, the patches I got done were very smooth. The noise is just a little over that of an electric saw. My wife thought I was blending something in the bathroom and was very suspicious for a day or so. I t does have a red LED light showing it is charging and a power button. It looks like any other shaver though and can fool anyone casually glancing at your personal kit (nosy neighbors, jealous relatives) into thinking you are Yuppie!

I hope this review helps all those thinking of buying the Panastar RSCX 7500, 2-in-1 grooming kit. Please DON”T buy it. Until my next encounter, Cheers!!