Despite the circumstances surrounding it, the Poon Hill Trek was a highlight of our 8 week holiday last year and we were both keen to do something similar again.
So when we were planning our trip to North India, we couldn’t resist another venture into the Himalayas.
We looked at various options; we had budget and time constraints so we were looking for an affordable trek that was no more than a week long and was fairly easy to get to from somewhere on our Mumbai-Kolkata route. In the end the Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar swung it and we opted for the Chandrashila trek that picked you up from there.
We booked a group trek, mainly because that seemed to be what was available but also we thought it would be a great opportunity to meet new friends.
A minivan picked us up from Haridwar train station and navigated it’s way along the terrifying hillside roads to the village where we would start our trek the next morning. After four weeks of buses, trains, markets and horns, the peace of the terraced hills and distant mountains was very welcome.
But after dinner we were told that the plans had changed. Due to a path being closed to the ponies they used to carry their equipment, we would no longer be walking a continuous four day route, camping somewhere new each night, we would now be based at two camp sites and walk out and back each day and be driven from the first to the second. This considerably reduced the amount of ground we would be covering and meant that we would be retracing our steps each day.
We were pretty disappointed.
But there was nothing to do but think positively and make the best of it so that’s what we did. We had a fantastic trek group with a real range of ages and backgrounds: most people were Indian but there was also a Czech couple, a Mexican girl and a Turkish guy. We had great fun together, chatting away and playing charades whilst hiding from the driving rain! We were very lucky that everyone spoke such good English!
The climb up to the peak of Chandrashila was spectacularly beautiful all the way up and the view from the top was incredible. It had snowed the night before and there were still icicles hanging from rocks and even snow underfoot in some places.
On another day, we walked through beautiful forest and took a dip in a freezing pool – water that not long ago had been snow capping the mountains! It was so cold but wonderfully refreshing and invigorating.
Although I had been apprehensive about it, I loved the camping. Watching the sunset with a mug of soup and then retreating to our tent to hide from the storm was wonderfully cosy. The sun set early so each evening we wrapped up and made our way to the dinner tent by torchlight.
I wouldn’t use the same company again but despite the initial disappointments we had a wonderful experience, even if it wasn’t the physical challenge we had expected.
We are already planning our next trek and will definitely go with a a private guide rather than join a group. As much as we loved meeting all the people in our ‘pack’, on the Poon Hill Trek we were free to go at our own pace. We even stopped earlier on one night because I was feeling ill. We preferred that freedom and flexibility and would opt to do it that way on any future treks.
I don’t want it to sounds like we didn’t enjoy the experience – after the initial disappointment we absolutely enjoyed ourselves and just to be in such a beautiful place was a real privilege. We tried something new and have learnt a lesson for next time 
