Trekking in the mountains of the Uttarakhand Himalayas is unexplained and romantic, and Lupine Pass trekking is no exception. Trail alpine forests, snow-capped mountains hiding and seeking with us, hiking pastures across passes. Everything is very impressive and attractive. After finishing the loop Kund trek, Lupine Pass was on our bucket list and finally, our desire to go trekking in May of this year came true. By the way, this time Lupine Pass trekking was the first trekking to cross the pass, so I was a little excited this time as well.
Day 1: Dehradun – Dhaula
On May 24, 2016, we left Dehradun for our trekking base camp, Daura. In Dehradun, we met a Trek colleague for the first time. We were 20 years old. The first meeting was a little disturbing to our hearts, but as the days went by, we all became a great team and even better friends!
After a long bumpy ride, we arrived at Dawla. Dawla is a picturesque place with a large wooden canopy around it. Our tent was set up next to the clear Lupine River. The rest of the day was spent getting to know the trekking leader and other members of the team. There were mainly members from Chennai and Bangalore, members from Pune, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Surat, and members from Kolkata.
Day 2: Dhaula – Sewa
The next morning we all got together refreshed and ready to start trekking. The next camp was Sewa, a trail 11km from Daura. I started trekking to Sewa. The first day of the hike is always exhausting. As soon as most of us were panting, we covered the distance. Nevertheless, we quickly found the rhythm and walked without major problems. Around noon, I arrived at Sewa and was greeted with a warm lunch. I stayed with my host family in Sewa. Sewa was a small, sleepy settlement, and the most important building in the village was a temple. The temple was an excellent example of Kinnauri architecture. At that time, the temple was closed. According to the villagers, idols are common in the surrounding 12 villages, and they move to each village every month. That was the unique thing we heard!
Day 3: Sewa – Jiskun
The next day, I left for Jisukuon from Sewa. First, there was a downhill that reached the Lupine River. Here you will quietly cross from Uttarakhand to Himachal Pradesh via a small wooden bridge over the bubbling Rupin River. This is one of the highlights of the day. Next, I followed the uphill to Gosling. There is a difficult part here. It was a road and I had to hike a dusty road for about 6km. We often saw cars passing by us! After a few hours of painting on a dusty road, I finally arrived at the village. Then it was another uphill road to the village of Jiscoon. But as soon as I got to Jisukuon, I wasn’t tired when I saw the village and homestay. We were welcomed by a beautiful stone and wood host family.
Day 4: Jiskun – Jhaka – Udaknal
The next morning, our trek started again through an uphill path to the village of Jaka. Jaka is the last village to Lupine Pass. Along the way, I met a lot of elementary school students who welcomed me with a loving “Namaste”. Jaka is also called a hanging village, and the village seems to be hanging on a cliff. It was another way from Jaka through the woods to the next campsite, Udaknar. It was a lovely campsite with a view of the cliff.
Day 5: Udaknal – Dhanderas Thatch
The course of the next day was very different from the previous day. We followed the path of the shepherd. I also met several shepherds with a flock of sheep. There were so many sheep and I kept wondering how they were watching! At one point, they felt they were alchemist Santiago looking for new ways and new things.
Dhanteras Thatch to Upper Waterfall Camp on Day 6
The next day’s trek was relatively short as we moved from Dandelas Thatch to the Upper Waterfall camp. Climbing requires climbing a waterfall. After climbing several snow bridges, I arrived at a campsite along the Lupine River. When we saw this campsite, we were speechless.
Day 7: Upper waterfall Camp to Rata Pheri to Rupin Pass to Ronti Gad
The last day or summit day started a little earlier. We hiked uphill until we reached the snowline at Rastafari Camp. At this point, I was asked to wear microspikes. At this point, the meadows that were our friends at the time are lost and we find ourselves amid a vast snowfield. Overall white, you can first get a glimpse of the Rupin Pass, a small ridge of the Dhauladhar Range.
Day 8: Ronti Gad – Sangla
The last day or summit day started a little earlier. We hiked uphill until we reached the snowline at Rastafari Camp. At this point, I was asked to wear microspikes. At this point, the meadows that were our friends at the time are lost and we find ourselves amid a vast snowfield. Overall white, you can first get a glimpse of the Rupin Pass, a small ridge of the Dhauladhar Range.
