A lightning speed one day trek to Lunsu Top

 

I had to go to Delhi to drop my daughter off to Australia on January 25, and decided to make a quick overnight train trip to Mussoorie.

From Mussoorie, I had contacted Rohit, an excellent tour guide with knowledge of the region's flora and fauna, to drive me on a two-wheeler to Moldhar village, about 2 hours and 50 km away.

The plan was to trek from Moldhar to Lunsu Top (2600 meters high) and back, see the Himalayas, stay at Devalsari Homestay overnight, and return back to Dehradun the next day.

Then I would catch the train back to Delhi in the night, then catch the train back to Hyderabad the next day morning, and be back home the following day.

My guide Rohit Singh Nayak  who helped me go to Moldhar and accompanied me on my trek. The yellow backpack is mine of course.

He did the entire trek for me in barely Rs.4,500 including two guides, food and snacks, a one-night homestay, and travel from Mussoorie. I only had to pay Rs.260 to get back to Dehradun.

A view of the ranges from Mussoorie

A view of the ranges from Mussoorie

We started the trek from Moldhar at 12:30 pm on January 26, 2023

The landscape was very picturesque with the lower reaches all green.

As we ascended, the landscape changed, and our trail was strewn with autumn leaves.

While dry leaves make the trail very soft and a pleasure to walk on, the moment there is a steep incline, they can be very treacherous, because your foot keeps slipping on the leaves. 

At one point, there was this wide ridge with five hundred feet valleys on either side, and cold breezes 

We were joined from Moldhar village by a local ornithologist (bird watcher) and lepidopterist (butterflies), Keshar Singh (+91-8477091851)

The ridge with valleys on either side.

Every step of the way, Keshar Singh told us about the changing deciduous forests, evergreen forests, vegetation and when he heard the call of birds, he would identify them and tell us. 

Keshar had an interesting tale about this gnarled rhododendron tree with the hollowed trunk.

It had a "Devata" on it, as believed by villagers on the left side ravine of this tree.

There was a big hunter who tried hunting a deer with his gun, who got whisked away by the fairies. "Uska death ho gaya" (he died).

He was a good son, so his ghost continued to come in the night and do the housework for his mother.

The villagers asked his mother to stay up one night, and after that his ghost stopped the nocturnal visits.

So the ghost still resides in this gnarled tree.

Keshar's tales helped me pass the time on the trek! 

A fallen leaf. 

Rohit, my guide, seemed intent on capturing enough memories for me. 

 Lunsu Top 

 Lunsu Top 

 Lunsu Top 

I never had so many photos taken! 

I never had so many photos taken! 

Rohit Singh, my guide at Lunsu Top 

The snow here wasn't slippery, but the deep hundred feet ravine on the right side of the top made me slow down and take a breath! 

Keshar Singh, my local guide from Moldhar village 

Walking through the pine and deodar trees at sunset 

Sunset is glorious! The real colors simply cannot be captured. There was a shade of purple that I vividly remember in the real scene. 

Sunset in the Himalayan Forest

Devalsari Homestay set about 3 km from Moldhar village deep in the forest area

Devalsari guest house is very neat and has huge space with a carpeted sit-out area outside every room.

The homestay is owned by the entire community who have a stake in it - including the cook, homestay keepers, and staff. My guide, Keshar, being a local, also had a stake in it. The beds and soft fluffy cotton blanket (razai) were very neat.

I always think the state of the commode and neatness around it is an excellent indication - it's my own star rating.

That it had excellent hygiene, and scalding hot water out of one of the taps, and a bar of soap besides, spoke volumes. I was getting the homestay at an incredible value.

The dinner was incredible, with as much as you can eat! There was palak and aloo, egg curry, hot rotis, mango pickle, and a dal that had lentils, beans, groundnuts in a mouthwatering combination.

Moths of Devalsari

Butterflies of Devalsari

The road down from Devalsari homestay

Traveling second class by Sampark Kranti from Nizamuddin Railway Station to Hyderabad.

When people talk to me about high-speed Bullet Trains and the much prided Vande Bharat ("Salute India") trains, they clearly don't know the reality of how 80% of Indians travel daily.

Second class is the way most people in India travel. In the mornings and afternoons, there are twice the number of people than reserved seats in the train and people sit huddled up in masses.

This is the area near the entrance door to the train at night. There is a strong stink of urine and feces because it adjoins the non-functioning indian toilet. The toilets have now been made "biodegradable", that means they clog up with feces and water, and stepping in and out is a big issue.

You can see an amputee whose left leg has been replaced with a metal and plastic prosthetic and whose right leg is bandaged.

The next day morning, I found out the person was drunk, blabbering incessantly, and probably traveling without a ticket.