Day 2 of the Bali Pass Trek Journey to Bali Pass from Sankri : Bali Pass Trek

Bali Pass : Day 0, reaching Dehradun
Bali Pass : Day 1, arriving in Sankri from Dehradun

Today was the day we would start the trek to Bali Pass. 

After a hearty breakfast, we got into the tempo traveller and and took a 20 minute drive to a nearby village. 

With the new construction of the road it was possible to drive upto a certain point, but more importantly, this road was a boon to the village people as now, goods could be transported from one village to another and facilities which were previously out of reach had become much more accessible.

The much awaited climb was finally about to begin after all!

The first 30 minutes, was surprisingly more tiring than I had anticipated. I kept my pace constant and after the initial half an hour I got used to it and no longer felt any tiredness. 

We took small breaks in the middle to drink water or eat a chikki. 

We walked through the mud filled paths and you could hear the mighty sounds of the flowing river  Supin down below. 

Our next stop was to the village of Gangar. The group reached in time and there was a small shop to stop at for a break. 

Over there, we were given a rather peculiar looking drink. It was a bright magenta coloured juice that looked quite intriguing. Turns out it was the juice from the local plant growing there, Rhododendron. It was a refreshing drink and we got on with our trek after the short break. 

A couple more hours into walking, we reached our campsite at Chilurgad. 

This was a scenic, green campsite that was by the river side. 

The sounds of the gushing water echoed around the place. It was time to explore campsite. 

Walking around , we met other trekkers too who were using the same route to go to the famous Har Ki Dun Valley, and others who, like us were en route to Bali Pass. 

The lush green campsite was covered in peculiar plants and vividly coloured flowers. Pieces of rock were lying amidst the gushing streams. The sounds of the flowing water combined with that of small birds and the wind, brought about a strong sense of tranquility all around. 

As the rays of the sun shone through the distant mountains, the snow covered caps of the mountains in the backdrop of the infinite blue sky was sight to behold.

A small local boy sat in a corner with his two goats, as we started a conversation with him.

The locals were quite open in their demeanour and I would argue, were rather unfiltered with their opinions which was an amusing thing to see. 

An example of this was when a group of local ladies with baskets on their heads approached my father and I began a conversation about where we were from. One lady from the group looked at me and then at my dad and asked ‘ Aap dono ke beech kya rishta hai?’.’

Meri beti hai’, he replied. She then looked at me for sometime, turned to my dad and asked ‘beti hai, ya sweety?’. The rest of them giggled and started teasing , saying ‘jhut mat bolo’ repeatedly to the both of us. After some rambling they finally got convinced, that we were indeed, father and daughter. She then changed her gaze to me and asked how old I was to which I replied, “18”. She then looked at me with mild surprise and went ‘acha, aapka shaadi nahi hui ab talk!’. I was dumb struck and said ‘nahi !!!’. She then went on to question me more about why my marriage had not yet been arranged for. 

It was one strange interaction albeit quite a funny story to tell once we were back in camp and sitting around the table with everyone else. 

We were greeted with delicious pakodas that nobody hesitated to run towards the moment it was served. I had a lot of pakodas. The food was great, and a dinner consisting of chapati and various curries was served to us at the dinner tent. 

I may have gotten a bit carried away with it and went all out on each dish. 

I would later realise that the momentary gluttony that I had indulged in was not the best idea…

Bali Pass : Day 3, journey to Waterfall Camp
Bali Pass : Day 4, journey to Ruinsara Lake
Bali Pass : Day 5, journey to the Basecamp
Bali Pass : Day 6, a chilling ascent, summit triumph, and a snowy descent