Mcleodganj Part 2: The Hike to Triund

Introduction

I’m a once-or-twice-a-year hiker who tries to include at least one trip to the Himalayas every year. Barring 2014, I've managed to achieve this since 2012. My write-up on the trek from Mcleodganj town to the Triund ridge might not appeal to seasoned trekkers. But for folks like me who are beginners, amateur trekkers, or simply contemplating a hike in the Himalayas – like my wife who accompanied me last Wednesday, Dec  21, 2016 – this might serve as a reasonable advisory. For quick facts about Triund, scroll down to the bottom of this post.

The Tibetan Institute for Performing Arts
on the way to Dharamkot

Points to Remember

Intensity and Duration: The Triund trek is categorised as a full-day, easy-to-moderate trek in most guidebooks and on websites. For first-timers, however, it is slightly more arduous. Having said that, if you start early enough, say by 7 am, you can reach the ridge by noon and climb down – which is more daunting than the climb, but definitely faster – and reach Mcleodganj before sunset. Some trekkers like to start late and camp at Triund for the night. Many hike further up to Snowline cafe the next day and onward to Indrahaar pass, which is not for amateurs I've heard. This write-up is only about a day-trek Triund and back. However, I repeat, start early, and don't plan to leave Mcleodganj in the evening after you descend from the ridge.

That trough-like formation right in front of the grey-white peak
is the Triund ridge; as viewed from Mcleodganj.

Food and Availability: There’s a makeshift café called Sunil’s Chai Shop on the ridge that sells basic food, chai, and water, and also provides tents on hire for a reasonable price. (This month, in Dec 2016, a tent for two cost Rs. 700). There are two or three other cafes too; they look like little Mongol tents with mostly blue plastic sheets for a roof. We spotted several blankets laid out within these shops as well. I think you can sleep in them if you don’t feel like braving the cold in a nylon tent.

Sunil's chai shop at Triund

There are several makeshift chai stalls along the way too, including Magic View, which boasts that it has provided refreshments to trekkers since 1984. All the stalls provide water, bottled and canned juices and sodas, and basic food such as Maggi noodles, rice and dal, and bread-egg-butter-jam; even Nutella. Of course they charge a lot more than normal shops do on the plains. A bowl of piping hot Maggi noodles, for instance, could set you back by Rs. 80. However, understand that these stalls have to haul these wares up the trail on the back of pack animals. As far as I know, there’s no rope way or helipad, no secret road or railway to ferry goods up the hill. Hence the premium on foodstuff. If you still think you’re being swindled, feel free to carry enough food and water to last you for a day at least. You could bring packed sandwiches or rolls, steamed momos or goodies from the many fantastic bakeries in Mcleodganj. You could ask the stalls for hot water, which you could pour into your Cup Noodles. Or buy Snickers and Bounty bars from the local stores in Mcleodganj at MRP. 

Another chai shop at Triund

Clothing: CARRY enough warm clothes; don’t WEAR them all. A nice rucksack is a good option, but strap it well to your shoulders and around your waist. Please don’t carry sling and hand bags; they’re a nuisance once the trail begins and when you might require your hands to climb. Only have strolleys? Please buy a nice backpack in Mcleodganj. There are several nice stores in town. And for your own good, don’t wear heels! You’re not going to a discotheque or a pub. (We spotted a girl in pencil heels in Triund!) Wear clothes that you’d be comfortable in. It becomes really sunny and you could get sunburnt, so apply a good sunblock cream, and wear hats and caps and sunglasses as needed.

Preliminaries: Even if you haven't climbed a hill ever, if you've had moderate exercise of some form or indulged in a sport, you'd be in good stead on this trek. Don’t drink alcohol the previous evening. I made this mistake in Nov 2013 and I took six hours to reach the top, severely dehydrated and exhausted. Whereas on this trek in 2016, we hiked up in four hours! Like all other endurance sports, alcohol dehydrates and debilitates you severely. And don’t carry a lot of booze up to Triund, if you plan to camp overnight. It's not as if the world is going to end and you’ll never descend to the plains again. 

Maggi noodles and chai

Stay hydrated, but don’t drink too much water. The same rule as in a marathon applies over here. Too much water will weigh you down and make your kidneys work overtime, which is not a nice thing for you while you’re on the move. Two mouthfuls of water every 30 minutes is good enough. Fruits and nuts are nice when you go trekking, but not watermelon and papaya! Why carry rocks in your bag? And don’t carry plastic bags! Even if you do - oh, you incorrigible, obstinate you! - bring them back with you!

Mcleodganj to Gallu Devi Temple

Mcleodganj square: Hotel Asian Plaza in Mcleodganj
at the mouth of Dharamkot road

The “road” to Triund begins at Mcleodganj square. You have to take the Dharamkot road at Pizza Hut and Hotel Asian Plaza, but the real “hill trail” begins only at Gallu Devi temple. Almost the entire stretch, from the mouth of Dharamkot road at Jimmy’s Breakfast Café to the top of the ridge, is an uphill climb; steep at several places with a few flat stretches. Even from Mcleodganj square, the road climbs sharply past the Tibetan performing arts institute, all the way up to Dharamkot. If you don’t want to exhaust yourself by walking all the way from town, you could hire a cab or a rickshaw to Gallu Devi temple, but I’m certain they charge a lot. (Though I don’t know how much; never asked.)

You know when you reach Dharamkot when you spot a water treatment facility with its huge concrete water tanks and a little eatery on the left. The road to Triund is on the right, behind the water tanks. As you go along, you’ll see graffiti on the walls: Way To Triund.

See the trail going right? That's the road to Triund.

At Dharamkot, the “good” road ends. From here, the unpaved and uneven mud-road, full of rocks and stones and mud, winds through the cedar and pine forests up to Gallu Devi temple. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself on the road deep inside a forest. You aren’t lost if you’ve stayed on the road and climbed the uphill bends. You’ll see the occasional pickup truck or SUV or auto rickshaw trundling up and down the mud-road kicking up dust and making you contemplate going back to your hotel room. Take heart and carry on. This is only the beginning.

There’s a little café and, well, a little shrine, at Gallu Devi temple. (I think the café is called Sun and Moon Café.) There’s also a cement cistern, like a miniature swimming pool or bathtub in front of the café. The trail begins here; you’ll see markings on some rocks indicating the direction to Triund. There are fantastic views of the Dhauladhar hills over here. 

Sun and Moon cafe and Gallu Devi temple behind which begins the Triund trail

Nice views behind Gallu Devi temple. My shadow as I click the pic.

A rock with a blue arrow indicating the beginning of the trail

Gallu Devi Temple to Magic View Cafe

From this place, the trail alternates between rocky stairs-like formations to leaf-and-mud mountain trails to no conspicuous path or trail at all, especially where you come across huge boulders that lie in the path of cascades, which certainly have streams running down during monsoon. The landscape changes from forests to rocky lees and cliff sides, but the trail keeps climbing all the time. At several places, you’ll encounter points where the trail narrows to the width of one burly man. It’s a sheer drop or at least a furious plummet at such places, although most of them offer a fantastic vista of the Kangra valley, of Mcleodganj itself, shrunken to the size of Lego blocks in the haze at this distance.  

Most of the trail is rocky and uphill

Mules coming down from Triund

Path to Triund

Along the lower reaches of the trail, they’ve now erected fences to prevent accidents. A marble plaque, dedicated to trekker Prag Bhasker Sahars Budhe, still exists, at the spot where I had photographed a kite soaring at close range in 2013, but it’s now chipping off at the edges.

We stopped at Magic View café where the wife bought a Gatorade and I had tea. The Triund ridge still hovers high above our heads. “Is the trail better now?” wife asked. “Oh yes,” I lied. The trail gets steeper and worse from here.

Plaque dedicated to a trekker who fell from here

Magic view cafe comes up

The view from Magic View cafe

The trail at Magic View cafe

Magic View Cafe to Triund

After a point, technically less than 700 meters from the ridge, the grey-white peaks behind the Triund ridge disappear. At this point, you also lose the will to live. You curse yourself for embarking on such stupid endeavours. You find yourself completely out of breath, but you find enough strength to curse the hills, curse the bludgeoning sun, curse the still air and the deafening silence. 

Can get really quiet and still and unnerving at the top

Can you spot a trail or path?

Okay, here it is!

But there’s no alternative other than climb to the top. (Obviously, you don’t want to climb down from here, after coming so close to the ridge.) Your knees scream, your thighs burn, your back and your backpack-bearing shoulders weep. It is at this point that you have to stop doing what is the most difficult thing to do: stop thinking. Offer yourself a promise, however fantasy-like or fake it might be, and pursue it, and keep going.

Lonely at the top

Some house-like structures just above Magic View Cafe

It’s when you see the grey-white peaks with the previous season’s snow streaks that you realise you’ve finally reached the top. In a far contrast to the surroundings, you also see the head of a bottle green signboard that reads: Appeal, followed by instructions to keep Triund clean. You’ve made it to Triund, probably your first trek in the Himalayas, maybe even the first trek of your life!

Finally!

View of the ridge at the ridge

When you earn your Maggi

Relaxing at Triund

Bidding goodbye to Triund and beginning the descent

Climbing Down

If you plan to return to Mcleodganj the same day, begin climbing down no later than 2 PM. Climbing down is tricky; remember not to run or gambol down the hill. You could inflict serious injury to your knees and end up limping or, worse, not be able to walk at all! There are no helicopter evacuations or rescue teams here, and not many people will have the strength to carry you back to town. At least when you descend the hill, you breathe normally unlike the climb up to the ridge, so pace yourself accordingly.

Look closely at the top of the hill, where there are no trees.
You'll spot a little white structure. That's a temple, and beyond it is Snowline cafe.

At a reasonable and safe cadence, you should be able to make it back to Mcleodganj in under 3 hours, arriving in town for a hot cappuccino or ginger honey lemon tea and lovely views of sunset. Don’t hit the bottle just yet. Take a good warm shower, eat good food, and then relax with a peg or two, just about enough to lull you to sleep. Your aching limbs will do the rest to ensure that you sleep well. 

Quick Facts about Triund

Height: 2842 metres or 9324 feet above sea level

Distance from Mcleodganj: Approximately 7.5 kilometers or 4.66 miles, almost entirely uphill.

Terrain: Rocky and unpaved; continuous climb while going up. 

Trek intensity: Easy to moderate with several steep inclines, especially in the last couple of kilometres.

Best time to go: I trekked both times in November and December at the onset of winter.

Climate: The air is clear at the start of winter. Definitely gets cold at night, and is colder and freezing from Jan to Mar. Summer months, the trek could be really hot. Monsoon might be fun, but you'll have to watch out for landslides.

Food and water: Available on the trek and on the ridge in little cafes. Bottled water, basic food such as packaged noodles, biscuits, canned and bottled sodas and juices, biscuits and chips, rice and dal, bread and jam and eggs, Nutella in some places, milk tea and coffee.

Accommodation: In tents mostly, available on rent at a reasonable price. No restrooms; the grand outdoors under the open sky (and preferably behind designated, isolated boulders and cliff faces).