Look up the word profound in a dictionary and you will find the meaning to be ‘complete’. A mountain which is mythical and breath taking, a trail that will recite history in verses, a river that rages on against all odds, a forest that is an enchantment in itself, a night sky that will take your breath away holding a billion stars in its arms.

Har ki dun is one of the oldest trails in the Himalayas. Located within the Govind Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarkashi district (Uttarakhand), this trek is one of the most amazing treks to be done in the Garwhal Himalayas. The trek starts from Taluka village in the Sankri range of the Himalayas and ends at Sankri village which is also the base camp for the trek. Often referred to as the “Valley of gods”, the trek is an amalgamation of different views and terrain with the river Thamsa flowing almost throughout the trek. I did the trek for the first time in November 2017 and was taken aback by the sheer beauty of it. Although I was carrying many fun things to do but you do not need music or games to pass the time on this one, just find yourself a comfortable rock, lean in and allow the mountains and the valleys to do the rest.

Going through the forests on the Har ki dun trail I could not help but imagine how the Pandavas felt while ascending on this trail. It must have been a profound sense of joy which I felt too. It’s almost as if the trees are talking to you and the streams are telling you age’s old tales of bliss and harmony. Nature is indeed the very thing that gives us back what we ever dreamt of. Sit on the river side and let your feet feel the flow of that crystal clear water and you will never forget how amazing and simple your childhood was.

There are amazingly picturesque wooden bridges that keeps popping every now and then, I still remember while standing on one of these bridges the thought crossed my mind that natural beauty besides being so profound can also be a bit intimidating. Trust me, if you could just sit on top of the rock that overlooks the Swargrohini Mountain and the valley besides it, it will take an earthquake to move you from there. I really do not have the perfect words for that spectacle of a view; I reckon the best of the poets cannot do justice to it either.

Ruinsara lake was another one of my favourite places on the trek, the alpine birds were so pretty that my eyes were glued to them all the time, I guess that is the thing about alpine lakes, they make you feel attached and affirmed. While heading back from the trek I crossed a village which was pretty old, I was overwhelmed by the hospitality of the local people and it didn’t take me long to figure out why mountain people are so humble towards everything. To this day I still remember that while leaving sankri I had tears in my eyes and I promised myself that I wold be back again, I mean that was the everlasting impact that this particular trail had on me, and as promised I did return after 2 years in 2019.