It was time to leave the comfort of our homestay and begin our trek. The day started early at 7 AM, as we freshened up, packed our bags, and enjoyed a hearty breakfast by 8 AM. We then gathered for the day’s briefing and engaged in some warm-up exercises to prepare ourselves. By 9:15 AM, we were all set and left the homestay, ready to embark on our adventure. Starting at an altitude of 2350m, our goal was to climb an additional 900m, reaching an altitude of 3250m by the end of the day and covering a distance of approximately 10km.

Around 20 minutes into the trek, we lost our phone network. The initial two hours of trekking were on an off-road trail alongside the Bhaba River. Soon after, we entered a dense forest filled with oak, pine, and other trees. It was a long walk in the woods under the shade of these towering trees. We took a break to rest and enjoyed the packed lunch from earlier in the morning. After lunch, we navigated through large boulders and crossed small streams, stepping on precarious logs and stones. Eventually, we emerged into vast open meadows, adding a new and equally beautiful element to our journey.

We took a break to admire the stunning view of the meadows. The ground was adorned with lush, towering ferns that seemed large enough to swallow a person whole, while above, the majestic snow-capped mountains stood proudly against the sky. We took this moment to capture photos and soak in the beauty of our surroundings. We soon continued our trek, finding that the toughest climb for the day was behind us and we were now on a more gradual descent through the valley. We reached our campsite around 2:50 PM. Our trek guides helped us set up our tents just as the rain began to fall intermittently.

The rain, accompanied by a bit of wind, made it quite chilly and did not let us explore the surrounding any further. We had dinner around 7:30 PM and settled into our tents for the night. However, around 9 PM, the sky lit up with lightning and thunder, which was very loud and lasted for over 30 minutes. The rain continued throughout the night, tapping on our tents and creating a dramatic end to our day.