I stood there feeling high, not from marijuana, although it was readily available in the area, but from the sheer ecstasy of the profound beauty before me. Perhaps it was the altitude of 15,000 feet that made me feel high. Kirti and I had journeyed by car, then by bus up Rohtang pass, known for being one of the deadliest roads in the world.
We hiked the last six kilometers to reach the khajana (Hindi for treasure) of nature known as Chandra Taal Lake. The soaring mountain peaks and lush green fields surrounding the lake made it look like a painting alive with the whims of nature.
Our arrival
We had reached the camp late the previous day after spending seven hours on a crowded bus crawling up the steep and narrow roads of the Himalaya Mountains. Our campground consisted of a bunch of tents and yurts set up and managed by local guides. We were relieved to find a vacancy as it is nearly impossible to make a reservation. You just have to show up and hope for the best!
We paid 1,300 rupees (about $12 USD) per night for the tent, bed, blankets, and food. After unpacking, we enjoyed a simple hot meal of rice and dahl while chatting with excited travelers from every corner of the world. Our “neighbors” were a couple of bikers from Argentina. I also met a sweet young woman from the Ukraine that was there with her Indian husband.
Chilling temperatures
It was sunny when we arrived at the camp, but the weather quickly took a turn for the worse. The clouds rolled in without warning, and it soon started to rain hard. As night fell, the rain stopped, but the temperature dropped to below freezing. We hadn’t prepared for such cold temperatures. I slept in my gloves, coat, and hat but was still miserably cold all through the night.
Life around camp
In the morning the sun came out again, and we warmed up inside the kitchen yurt while our guides made us a hot breakfast. Kirti had an omelet, and I had buttered toast with jam along with chai tea. Afterward, we took pics of the camp yak. I had never before seen a yak. It was huge, hairy and not thrilled that we were following it around. They had released it years ago to wander around freely, a gift to the gods to ensure good luck.
Trekking to the lake
Around 9:00 we headed up the trail to trek about 6 kilometers to the lake. On the way, we met a goat herder that lived in a house of stacked stones with a tarp over the top. They don’t even use mortar to stick the stones together, so they have to piece it together like a puzzle. He told Kirti he had 600 goats and some horses and lived with his brother.
Sites along the way
Along the way to the lake, we got a little lost but stumbled across the start of a stone hut that someone was building. I was surprised at how small the structure was.! I couldn’t imagine living in such a thing, but I guess they probably felt blessed to have a way to make a shelter.
We also discovered a herd of wild horses in a variety of colors. Not long after that, we befriended a lame dog we called Lucy. She was very sweet and managed to keep up with us in spite of her damaged front paw.
Closer to the lake, we found a field full of small stacked stone sculptures, often called cairns, ranging from about 8 inches high to a couple of feet. They looked like something out of the Blair Witch Project. Kirti said people build them for luck, so we decided to construct one of our own.
The lake
We finally reached the lake in the early afternoon. The beautiful blue water nestled in against the bare mountain peaks took our breath away. The tradition is to take funny pics of random poses in front of the lake, so we did exactly that.
Our intention was to sit by the lake for most of the day, relaxing and basking in its splendor, but the weather was taking another turn for the worse. A large cloud bank was moving in, and the temperature was plummeting. We had a long trek back to camp, and I was worried we might get caught in a storm, so we made the responsible choice to head back quickly. We did the right thing because the cold rain started within minutes of our return.
Heading home
It continued to rain for several days. The pass got very muddy, and the streams running over the roads became more like rivers. We said our goodbyes to new friends, both human and four-legged, and headed towards home. We were lucky to hitch a ride back to Manali with a kind couple in a robust 4-wheel drive. The bus would never have made it! Perhaps our stacked-stoned sculpture had brought us some good luck after all! It was an incredible trip and one that I will never forget!
