Do you ever have that feeling when you see a mountain *what would it be like to climb all the way to the top, stand on the edge and glance at the world?*

That feeling is what I think drives mountaineers throughout their life and it’s the same feeling which pushed me to climb Dhauladhar Ranges. II have been planning a trek at Gowal Tikkar for quiet a while now, it’s supposedly one of the highest mountain around Palampur and with quiet a spectacular view. One fine day as gods would have it I was able to roll into action this plan; me along with Anil (Employee at the Hotel) left for Gowal Tikkar trek. Gowal Tikkar is around 45 mins drive from the Hotel and a pleasant one, as we reached we parked our car and started on foot from road side. The trackway was narrow with forest on both sides and bird voices adding a rhythm to the place, it was a 20 min walk till we reached an open green area which was the first leg of the trek. You could see the whole valley from there and how magnificently nature crafts its lands. Here are some pics.

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After resting there for 10 mins we decided to move forward as we had a lot of distance to cover. The track beyond this point became tricky as it was a bit steep covered with mountain gravel and nothing to grab onto if you fall, I slipped 4-5 times but managed to not fall down.

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After about 20 mins we were able to finish this stretch of the trek and started walking on grass , the climb was not hard now but the air was getting thinner and making it harder to breathe proper, walking for another 20 mins we reached a small shrine created by local people to pay their respect to Maa Bolabali, the original temple to Maa Bolabali is situated another 2 hr walk up the mountain from there which is where we were headed to. Gods live in heaven, as kids we are taught this and think heavens are places outside this world but they are actually pieces of land scattered all around the world and when you climb such mountains you realize these were the heaven you were told about. In Himachal every mountain has a Deity who resides on the it and the people who live on the mountain worship them. Below is the view from the shrine.

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This is where we realized that we forgot to carry our water bottle and I was really thirsty but as fate would have it there was no water nearby but there was hope that there might be a broken water pipe up the mountain which supplies water to the villages and town below coming straight from the natural springs inside the mountains. So we started moving again, the path now was bit better and we were moving at a steady slow pace, the trek was full of scenic wonders and we captured it as we moved on.

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After another 45 mins of trekking we reached a flat ground on the mountain this is where the local shepherds and cowherds bring their flocks to graze also the place where there was supposed to be water, after a bit of searching we found the fountain of life and we drank like anything. We sat down there and realized how small things in life can be so satisfactory.

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After pondering over such thoughts we made a move for the final leg of the trek which was straight uphill climb in between forest by making your own way between the rocks. This was no easy task and more physically demanding as there wasn’t even a single patch of grass only rocks to climb with trees all around if you need some support, climbing for another hour taking short breaks in between to capture awe-inspiring views we were able to reach a spot from where we could see the place we started this final leg of the trek (Marked in green Circle).

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After climbing for another 10 mins we were able to see our destination and it was heart-stirring. A large flat ground covered with grass with the view of a lifetime, we rushed to have some water near the temple, paid our respect to Maa Bolabali, sat down there and played some music, it was divine. From there we could see para-gliders practicing for the World Paragliding Olympics in Bir Billing this month, one even passed above us shouting greetings to us, we hailed right back at him, it was a realm of peace where only few tread and I was happy that we did.

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How to reach here - Take a Volvo to Palampur and then hire a cab and guide for Gowal Tikkar Trek.

Cost to reach here - Volvo - INR 1200 from Delhi to Palampur , Cab - INR 1000-1500/Day.

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