Dayara Bugyal Boys

Trek To Dayara Bugyal-The Meadow Heaven 2 am. Some were returning from the canteen and crawling back into their monotonous routines,when 40 boys and 37 girls were checking out of their hostels for the journey ahead-an HEC organised trek to Dayara Bugyal.Groups of students had gathered near Ravindra Bhawan to distribute the necessary supplies-glucose ,energy bars and snacks among the members.Bags were hurriedly put in the back seat of the bus to catch up with the planned schedule.We were already running late by an hour.It must have been half past three in the morning when we finally heard the sound of our bus engine .We cheered hoping for an amazing journey ahead.The trip was on. Most of the people in our bus fell asleep,while some found it hard to adjust to the jerky ride.we first stopped at around 6 am in some dhaba to grab a little breakfast.It is a bit uncertain if anyone fell asleep after that- the breathtakingly beautiful views of the Himalayas made it hard to look away.As we proceeded,we could see more and more of the mountain land taking shapes of terraces.As we gained altitude,slithering our way through the curved hilly road,views of rivers and fountains became as frequent as opulent.Throughout most part of the bus journey,we could see the Ganga flowing down the pebbled riverbed.Next we stopped midway,near Uttarkashi,around 2 pm to straighten ourselves.As with most groups,we had our share of people with travel sickness . The curved roads only added to their discomfort.Some had come vomiting their way to the halt.After getting refreshed from the continuous ride,we set on the bus again to complete the rest of the journey,this instance,the destination being the Dayara Bugyal resort. A few kilometers before the resort ,the road became ardous.The road was unmetalled throughout its entirety,and at some places ,barely wide enough for the bus.Looking down, we could see the Ganga, reduced to the size of a serpent from the height we were watching.All thanks to the skill of the driver,the bus maneuvered without any trouble up to the Dayara Bugyal resort. It took a while to get over the nausea that you get after travelling for more than 10 hours. We straightened our spines and had some food that they prepared for us at the resort.I remember the food not being any spectacular,but the way everyone was eating it didn’t reflect it.After half an hour of photography session,we were once again tightening the straps of our bags.A local guide had been arranged beforehand .Finally,we were embarking on the trek we had waited so expectantly for. Fast forward 10 minutes into the trek,most were dripping with sweat.The question-‘are we halfway already?’ was already being thrown by some. Now ,a quick description of the trek.A path paved with stones of different shapes and sizes ran meanderingly uphill through the dense forest.The canopy hindered any sunlight from reaching us.For first time trekkers ,it was pleasantly surprising to see every spare patch of land covered in vegetation.The air smelt astounding,infused with the subtle aromas of vegetation and wet soil.As they say-It’s about the journey,not the destination’ ,started making sense the moment we got our first glimpse of the mighty Himalayas-a peak adorned with snow shining perfectly under the light of the sun.The first sight of the majestic Himalayas charged us to push ourselves through the rest of the trek ,however difficult it was.As we trekked uphill, there were no longer any stone paved pathways- instead, we found ourselves walking through grasslands with azure sky above,a spectacular view of the Himalayas.It was breathtakingly beautiful to say the least-indescribable to say any more. It started drizzling when we were halfway through our journey.By the time we reached the base camp after the trek of about 7 km,our clothes were drenched but our spirits were flying high. After a few moments of ecstasy,we realized the temperature was below 5 degrees Celsius ,and started unpacking our tents and supplies.We had some quick snacks to munch on,as we hurriedly worked to get our tents upright and standing.Dinner was being prepared by the locals.We hoped to see the stars,and it felt disappointing to see the sky covered with clouds.By the time we finished setting up the tent,the local guide called us for dinner. The dinner was arhar-bhaat’, or boiled rice in a slurry of yellow pulse-the plain and simple staple food of the pahadis’,or hill-folk.It was satisfying to get some food after the long trek.It must have been half past 8 but the whole mountain had fallen into a peaceful silence.In the tents,the only sounds besides our whispers were that of wind rustling against our tents.It was cold but the long trek of the day had made it easy to fall asleep in the comfort of our sleeping bags. Next morning,we were up at 4 and excited to complete the trek.We put on extra layers of clothing and popped some energy bars to keep the climb smooth.The trek ahead was 4 km long ,but it was steeper than the previous day’s trek.For 4 am in the morning ,there was more light than usual.As the trekkers looked up with sleepy eyes,they were mesmerized with the beauty of the sight.There wasn’t a trace of clouds in the sky, the stars were twinkling with more grandeur than we had ever seen before.In the unpolluted environment,we could see the infinite ocean of stars undiminished. There was a violet hue around the moon that seemed to dissolve around the moon in a gradient.Out of the 40 ,only 24 had chosen to continue the trek.We had reason enough to bear the discomfort of the trek-catching the sunrise in its full glory,the icing on the cake being the cloudless sky. The start of the trek was ardrous,the path being paved with slippery stones.As we moved ahead, the path merged into wide open grasslands intersected by streams of water flowing downhill.The light increased as the morning moved to maturity,illuminating the breathtaking beauty of the mountains around us.It took us an hour to reach where we desired to-an altitude of more than 3100 m . After catching our breath for a while,the trekkers went back to the routine activity of taking pictures and selfies.The horizon had started to light up indicating the long awaited sunrise. The sunrise was as peculiar as it was spectacular.Contrary to the expected dull red color of the sun during sunrise,the sun emerged from behind the mountains shining in full glory,and within a second ,illuminated the part of the Bugyal(grassland) we were standing on.The grass seemed to spring back to life as the lush green color shining in the rays of the sun infused a new life into those meadows.The sunlight relieved us of the cold and cool gushes of wind refreshed the body every now and then. “A thing of beauty is a joy forever” came that instance as an epiphany. It was about 6 am and the bugyal was bright with the sunlight.The trekkers had finally satisfied their appetite for selfies and were heading straight back to the base camp.The downhill trek took half an hour.As we reached the base camp,the girls’ trek was making its entry.The locals prepared hot noodles for us.After a delightful breakfast,we began,hesitantly though,trekking back towards the resort. At noon,we had reached the bus. IITR was calling.It was time to head back.