Among vultures, crows, and ravens in the Himalayas

India – June 2024

It’s all thanks to Sagar, whom I met in Thailand, that I ended up hiking in the Indian Himalayas on 4 consecutive days this June. His friend Neha and I start following each other on Instagram after a FaceTime call during Divali in 2022. We quickly realize, that we have many common interests. So when I finally master up the courage for a solo trip to India, we just have to fit in a meet-up. Neha picks Himachal Pradesh as a general destination and we decide on a hiking trip. Once her friend Abishek hears about our plans, he’s very intrigued and the two of them come up with a grand itinerary. The only thing I contribute at this point is making sure to be in Dharamshala on 13 June.

Thinking that Neha will arrive at my guesthouse in Bhagsu at around 9 am on the agreed-upon morning, I plan to sleep in a bit before the first hike. However, At 7 am I hear the door to my room open and see Neha’s bright smile. I’m immediately wide awake and step outside to greet the new arrivals. We sit down on the porch with Abishek and discuss the rough plan: packing for me, showering for Neha, dropping our large backpacks at the guesthouse, hiking to the Shiva Café for breakfast, meeting Shantanu (a guy I met a day ago, who mentioned interest in trekking to Triund too) and cover as much altitude as possible until lunchtime.

During the short walk to Shiva Café Neha, Abishek and I establish that despite our different upbringings, we not only share many core values but also a sense of humor. And once we dig into our breakfasts, we are already bantering like old friends. When Shantanu arrives and soon after states, that he doesn’t plan to get married or have kids anytime soon (or ever), the ice is definitely broken. With full stomachs and without hiking poles, we finally tackle the steep ascend to Triund at around 8.30 am. It’s already way over 28°C and the only thing saving us from even more intense heat are the clouds.

A few minutes into the hike we pass a checkpoint, where we’re asked to pay a small fee to access the trail. We pay for 3 overnight stays and a day pass for Shantanu before we’re allowed to continue. The trail through the woods is steep, but I’m happy to be walking in the shade. At the edge of the forest, we encounter the first houses made of stacked flat stones. With the view of the valley below, they kinda remind me of the traditional mountain huts in the south of Switzerland.

At the corner point, where the trek turns left, a number of these huts have been turned into cafés and eateries selling Maggi Noodles. The most memorable one of them is the „Red Eye Café“, whos owners do their best to live up to the name. We buy some extra water and continue. From here on we‘re walking on meadows. We pass few hikers – some on their way up, some on their way down – and many animals. There are sheep, goats, horses and cows grazing on the lush green grass.

Overall, the scenery reminds me a lot of the Swiss Alps. However, there are differences in the hiking culture, which make this a completely new experience. The trail is only marked very sporadically and we‘re lucky that Abishek has been here before. The frequent Maggi stops mean that you don‘t need to bring your own food. And when we arrive at the camp site in Triund, we are served Dhal and Maggi Noodles at the sheperd’s shelter. Which is also where we rent a tent including mats and 3 sleeping bags. (Shantanu spontaneously decides to stay overnight too – it’ possible that the starting rain plays a role in this choice too.)

With full bellies, the four of us look for a place to pitch our tents. Of course, we want the best view, but also a flat sleeping ground. We soon strike gold and quickly set up the dome shaped tents. We take some time to admire the majestic snow-covered peaks across the valley, and then try our luck with some bouldering under the instructions of Shantanu. After succeeding more or less elegantly, the next item on the agenda is the sunset. It‘s accompanied by the bleating herd of sheep returning to the stable to the night. With nightfall comes the cold, and we all layer up.

Then one of the small eateries provides delicious meal of fried rice and we return to our tents to light the leftovers of the previous camper‘s bonfire. The damp wood takes a while to catch on, but after a while we have a crackling fire to warm us up. The four of us continue the conversation about various topics from earlier. Unfortunately, the night is quite cloudy and we can‘t see any stars. Quite exhausted from the days adventure, we fall asleep at around 10pm.

As always when camping, everyone wakes up quite early. Either by the rising sun or the need for a bathroom break. However, with a lot of pitched tents and a lack of trees, the latter is a challenge for Neha and I. We decide to pack up quickly and begin the descent before the majority of the people start hiking. We even skip breakfast – already dreaming of the pancakes at Shiva Café. On the first passage, we pass several wild horses, cows grazing, and a bunch of goats who took over a small hindu temple. At the deserted second campground we luckily find a toilet tent (100x better than a porta potty).

Relieved we tackle the rocky downhill stretch to the Red Eye Café. It is here that Shantanu first mentions his fear of heights. Doing our best to distract him, we point out the many birds in the sky. We are contemplating how to distinguish ravens from crows and marvel at the giant vultures soaring above us. On the slightly flatter part after the turn, some young Indian guys overtake us, blasting music from their portable speakers. Trying to take in the silence, we take a break to fall behind. Our final stop before we reach civilization is a Maggi point above Bhagsu.

Abishek invites us all to Lemonade (which for some reason is salty). Then we make Neha‘s wish for a picture of her in a tree come true and hit the last stretch to the Shiva Café. Much earlier than expected, we reach the famous rest spot and finally order our long-awaited treat. As per Neha and Abishek‘s plan, we reminisce about the last 24 adventure-filled hours. I already almost forget the strain of the previous hiking day and am excited for the next one – starting the following day. Stay tuned for part 2!