Shrikhand Mahadev Trek | June 2018. It is one of the toughest trek of 70 Km (both sides) to the pilgrimage of Lord Shiv at the altitude of 5300 m in the Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh. This is a 35 Km harsh track starts from Jaon Village not easy at all & weather can make it your worse nightmare anytime.
Ideal Itinerary :-
Start :- Delhi to Shimla to Rampur (Overnight Bus)
Day 1 :- Rampur to Jaon Village (50 Km-Cab/Taxi)
& Jaon Village to Singhad Village (3 Km Trek)
Day 2 :- Singhad Village to Tharchu (12 Km Trek Steep Hike )
Day 3 :- Tharchu to Bheem Dwar (10 Km Trek)
Day 4 :- Bheem Dwar to Shrikhand Mahadev to Bheem Dwar (14 Km Trek)
Day 5 :- Bheem Dwar to Tharchu (10 Km Trek)
Day 6 :- Tharchu to Jaon Village to Rampur to Delhi
This trek is said to be ideal in month of July when annual pilgrimage yatra is organised by the local administration but this is also easily accessible from 15th June to 31st Aug because as per locals food & shelters easily available on the route during the same period and we also found the same during the trek. Except when the weather turned out crazy, do not try to attempt it as weather is very dynamic and extreme here so take all the precautions and backup for crazy weather.
During yatra time , it is also rainy season but you get all the support from local administration at that time. In the peak pilgrimage time, it is very easy to find food, water and sleeping bags.
Do not over-pack, but make sure you carry water bottles, glucose sachets, warm clothing, rain wear, trekking pole, good trekking shoes, flashlights and dry fruits.
Day 1 :- We attempted this trek in June 2018 with lots of hopes and energy. We started from Delhi in the night and reached Shimla early in the morning, from there we got our first bus to Rampur in the morning. This distance we covered till afternoon then after little eating at Rampur we took the cab from Rampur to Jaon where road ends. After that we had to go with trekking till Singhad Village till then it was already evening. In Singhad we found the Thakur Guest House of a very kind & sweet family. They welcomed us with very refreshing Sharbat, then after getting fresh from a tiring day of travel we took some amazing pics and had our delicious dinner in the night.
Day 2 :- Next morning we got up early, had our breakfast and left for 12 Km steep trek till Tharchu. During this 12 Km trek we found permanent baba ji ka ashram where we also got tea, then some people distributing prasad and then a constant tough steep hike also with our heavy backpack. We also got some cold drinks and refreshments in between which truly helped us to keep our energy. As it was a time when annual Yatra by authorities is supposed to be started in few days so the shops at different places in trek were getting visible. After enjoying this tedious trek through dense forest and pristine nature trail, we reached Tharchu where we found plenty camps for stay and food, so we took the first one and took a rest for the day.
Day 3 :- Next morning after getting fresh & had our breakfast, we went towards Bheem Dwar through Kali Ghati. So far till Kali Ghati it was a still steep hike but on rocky terrain. Therefore it took complete efforts to reach Kali Ghati which is top point of a deep valley with one dhaba where we had our Maggi. From that it was a complete downward trek through slippery rocks and boulders. After crossing all these little hurdles, the awesome views were getting more closer which were motivating us to move further. In the meanwhile one of our friend started showing AMS symptoms for which we had to stop multiple time gave him medicine, water and food but in the end just few kilometer short of Bheem Dwar we had to take the shelter with dhaba becuase we didn’t want his situation to get worse. Soon the weather started to turn bad and started drizzle. In the night after having our dinner, somehow we managed to get our uncomfortable sleep.
Day 4 :- Next morning, the rain was playing games with us but also gave some of the beautiful moments of our trek. After little breakfast there we decide to reach Parvati Bagh that day in the rain. We took out our rain coats and got ready for the trek. It was a extreme weather of rain & cold winds at such height and slippery rocks making it more challenging and exciting both for us. For us it was a scene of hollywood adventure and action where we were standing on top of mountain in rain, cold winds and shouting “Har Har Mahadev” it was a moment of passion. After this we Bheem Dwar which is a camping site with plenty food and stay options. But we didn’t stop there and moved further while crossing multiple waterfalls. From Parvati waterfall it was meadows but getting more steep and more tough with rising elevation. We reached Parvati Bagh (4100 m) in around afternoon but Parvati Bagh had only one Dhaba with limited space, so it had become our compulsion to stay there under that bad weather. In the night it became too much congested and uncomfortable due to more people got in. It was a thunderstorm with heavy rain which occurred that night terrified us and gave us most uncomfortable night.
Day 5 :- Next morning it was again raining heavily with dark clouds & no one was able to reach near to Shrikhand Mahadev (5300 m) as of dangerous glacier trail with hailstorm. After waiting for few hours and observing our friend condition with heavy heart we decided to come back from there. It was still raining with more clouds playing games in the valley, it was mesmerizing & terrifying both simultaneously. After trekking down from Parvati Bagh we reach ed to Parvati Waterfall where we crossed yesterday with visible rocks but that day it was overflowing due to heavy constant rain and nothing remained visible, only horrifying water flow. The water was very cold and it was also raining then making it extreme odd situation for us. After lot of discussion and searching other options, one of our friend crossed the water after taking his shoes off by following the same rocks before on the edge of deep valley blindly where one wrong step could become last step. We did the same as we had no other options and somehow survived to tell the story. Thanks to the blessing of God. After this it was left normal trek for us till Tharchu and we took a rest for the day.
Day 6 :- Next morning we woke up to perfect sunny or clear weather and our regret of not reaching to Shrikhand Mahadev became huge like a mountain. I hope one day we will again go there to accomplish this trek till Shrikhand Mahadev but this trek also taught us many good lessons of life. Although safety of all is first purpose of any trek or travel and we spent a awesome time together in this trek. So we were happy from this experience in the end. In the last we reached Jaon and took a cab to Rampur and then a bus from Rampur to Shimla to Delhi.
- These are the few pics from our Shrikhand Mahadev experience.
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