Paragliding Triund

Triund is the crown jewel of Dharamshala, situated in the laps of Dhauladhar mountains, it has the perfect view of the Dhauladhar mountains on one side and Kangra valley on the other. Triund is a very popular trekking spot. Triund attracts a lot of tourist every year from India and all over the world. Triund trek can be described as a tranquil trek which can be easily accomplished by almost all age groups . Triund has an unambiguous byway which goes through a beautiful mixed forest of oak, deodar and rhododendron. Trek is fairly easy for the first five kilometers but the last one kilometer may require a bit of toil, the last one kilometer is popularly known as the 22 curves as it has 22 tiring curves before you finally reach Triund. As per the plan, a 12-member team started from IIT Roorkee towards Mcleodganj at 9 in the morning. It took 10 hours to cover the distance of 400 km and everyone finally arrived at Mcleodganj by 7 in the evening. Having had the dinner the contingent started the quest for the summit. It took at best four hours to complete and though quite a few managed to do it within two hours. The trail itself wasnt too gruelling, even for the unseasoned trekker. There were a few stalls selling refreshments on the way, so trekkers broke the trek into parts and rested a while on the way. The top offered excellent panoramic views of the Dhauladhars along every bend of its trail. After reaching the grassy meadows where the trek ended, the clouds descended to give company and the view was absolutely spectacular! The camp was set there and since everyone was exhausted, all drifted off to sleep. Pitching camp has two distinct advantages. First, you get to experience the aweinspiring sunrise and sunset, not to mention the star-studded night sky. Second, you get to take an early morning hike towards the Kareri Lake and make the trek up even more worthwhile. The next morning, breakfast was served and the group headed to Lahesh Cave. Everyone was there by 12 pm and after enjoying its scenic beauty the team started trekking down to the base camp. The return journey was longer than expected. Everyone came down the hill by 6`O Clock and spent the night at hotel in Baijnath. In the morning everyone was ready for the adventurous extravaganza. All got excited as it hit everyone that they were going to be flying in a few minutes. After 15 minutes, everyone reached the launching spot, i.e. Biling. Since paragliding is an extreme sport filled with many risks (you can get injured or die in case it is not obvious), each had to sign an indemnity form before proceeding. It is standard protocol and it is to indemnify the pilot of any issues that arise from the flight. After having the flight, everyone was of the opinion that extreme sports like paragliding or skydiving is something that everyone should try at least once in their lifetime. It will tingle your worldview and your senses after you do it. After all, when you have just spent a few minutes of your life suspended hundreds of meters above ground and seeing the world pass you by, you cannot help but have some perspective shift in terms of how you see things, even if unconsciously. After enjoying the sport, the team returned to Roorkee