Trekking Essentials

Good to know, you are ready to get your backpack.

Backpacking has always been fun, I do always remain puzzled regardless of how experienced I am.

What do I pack? How much is too much?

I keep irritating my mother till the last minute to ensure if I have enough supplies for my trip. So, you are not alone, it’s very natural to forget small things while packing for your trip.

Trekking involves miles of walking on rough terrains and if you are not packed well enough for it, you are in for a rough time. Looking at the need of the hour, I have prepared an in depth list of all the essentials and trekking gear you would require for your trip.

So, without wasting a minute more, let’s list down 10 trekking essentials you need to be carrying:

1. Rucksack / Backpack (with Rain Cover):

Rucksack is the most essential item on the list. Rucksack will basically carry your whole trip inside it. So, choose a bag which is durable, has breathable & adjustable shoulder straps and a waist strap for load stability.

For a 3+ Day trip, I strongly recommend a bag with a minimum capacity of 55 liters. The longer the hike, the more likely you are to encounter unpredictable weather, you will get more tired, thus will require more changes. A bigger bag with extra space for all your equipment will give you peace of mind.

2. Camp and Sleeping Bag:

Carry your hotel room with you.

If you’re planning to invest in a tent, ensure that it is rain and snow proof, has a mosquito net, aluminium poles, double stitching and roof vent with zippers.

Also invest in a good sleeping bag. Ensure it has an insulated covering with a light weight quilt, that can be zipped.  Do look at the temperature rating, filling, zippers and inner quilt layer. 

3. Plastic Sheet and Yoga Mat:

Not mandatory to have a tarp under your tent but it is highly recommended, as it can prevent holes and tears from appearing at the bottom of the tent, also prevents moisture from the ground to soak into the tent.

 

Yoga mat or sleeping pads is one of the most important trekking essential. It provides you with adequate padding and insulation while you’re sleeping, so to keep your body temperature stable.

4. Knife and Torch:

The Swiss Army Knife is always the popular choice among the Hikers and is among the most important trekking essentials; it is compact and can be easily carried. Also, when you’re hiking, do keep a hand/head torch for nights. Keep extra batteries for emergencies... continue reading 

A flight above the clouds- Paragliding in Bir Billing

Adventure is an exciting, unusual and hazardous experience.  Who wants to live their lives in the comfort zone? Maybe many.

But I want to live a life that exhilarates and excites me. A life where passion becomes my bread and excitement becomes my sweat. My bucketlist is full of adventurous adventures and I keep adding more to it. Just to put a tick to one on my list, I planned for paragliding in Bir Billing..

Me and my companion boarded a bus at night around 9 PM and reached Mandi early in morning. The valley of Joginder Nagar where Bir village is located, was about 80 kms away from Mandi. We boarded the bus from Mandi to Bir at 8 am, the bus dropped us at Bir road around 11 am. The place generally remains busy and crowded but fortunately we managed to ease past it. We started looking for homestays around the area which are not very difficult to find. suddenly between our hunt a kid with a pamphlet came running and asked us if we were there for the Paragliding. We acknowledged his query, and he started his pitch. The pitch was aggressive and compelling at the same moment. We were convinced, it was then when he picked my backpack and started walking.  He took us to the one in charge, who apparently was also the flight coach/trainer. On initially pitched INR 5000/- we got a good discount and we settled in at INR 4400/- for two which also includes videography on GoPro. Paragliding in Bir Billing is for 15 to 30 mins which include take off from Billing at the altitude of 8020 feet. We left our bags in a shack shop and hopped on a car which took us to the summit point.  We were absolutely pumped and ready to spread our wings. During the journey till the summit we started discussing the flight and how it is going to be, which scared my partner to bits. Somehow we managed to pull his pants up and reach the summit. We got down of our car, the guide started preparing us for the jump. We got our kits and gears, which made the moment more exciting. We started walking towards the starting cliff, it was a long green steep slope. Other aviators were discussing strategies on how to take off and land while some were busy checking their kits.

Paragliding in Bir Billing

We finally reached the top and started waiting for our turn to make the jump. The guides started instructing us of the safety measures, after doing his basic chores of keeping the gliders and harness in position, checking for the damages, inspecting for holes and patches and checking the direction of the winds (which apparently should not be coming from the side we were facing).

At that the moment, I too got scared. My heart started pounding heavily. My partner was having serious doubts after he saw others making the jump. His heart was in his mouth. Somehow we managed to brave up and got all geared up. We were ready to run down the steep slope for the flight. There comes our turn to make the run, my partner started running like a bull and upon reaching the cliff he made the jump. For a moment I thought... Read More

Journey to "The Floating Island"

Journey to The Floating Island - A trip Prashar Lake 

Prashar Lake

Prashar Lake is situated at height of 2730 mt. Surrounded with Dhauladhar ranges and sloppy meadows, this lake gives you the feel of heaven. The floating island in the lake keeps on revolving and changes its position in different seasons which is quite unique. The lake depth is unclear as of now, not a single diver could determine it so far. But you need special permission for a dive as it’s a fenced lake and you can’t just jump inside for fun.


Every year there is a festival in which Saints/Sadhus/Rishis from all over the country come here and meditate on the little island. There is still a descendant of Prashar family who is taking care of that stick with which Sage Prashar struck the deep hole in the lake and he can be approached at the nearby peak. It is also said the level of lake remains the same, constant, even in heavy monsoons. We further trek to ...

The Hidden Tunnel in Nahargarh Fort !!!

Hidden Tunnel in Nahargarh Fort !!!

Walkabouts to Rajasthan !!!

With a pocket low on cash, heart full of rush and a bike ready to take me anywhere, I get ready for an unplanned journey to the land of Maharajas. It was 4.30 in the morning and I was all set with a saddle bag and a journey mate. Trance of a stormy trip, an untouched spot in our map, we decided to move our asses to a hidden tunnel in Nahargarh Fort.

No scepticism, first spot was Jaipur. With growling stomach and flat asses we completed an undone mission by attacking famed Rajasthan special paranthas. Time of putting pants on one legs passed away, it was a time to move with relentless and fierce determination to sail through two not so gorgeous destinations. We geared up, kicked start our bike and with strong conviction we mates touched down to an international waqf an Islamic Mortmain “Ajmer Sharif Dargah” and then to Hindu Sacred place “Pushkar” a town bordering the Thar Desert on the very same day.

The land of medieval temples didn’t impress us much and after a long walk across the lonely streets at night we managed to find evil-looking lifeless hotel, for a modest tariff of 400 bucks. After a not so thrilling day and dead tired asses, hoping to have a better tomorrow we slept like babies. Without snoozing the alarm we were up after the first bell, it was finally the time to step on to Raja Jai singh’s empire. The thunderous sound of our bike uplifted our soul again. We rushed to Jaipur after seeing a glimpse of desert early in the morning. Local rathore lads, whom we met during our last trip, were ready to take us to our destination. We started for Nahargarh Fort, a well known tourist place and a regular set for our Bollywood movie producers. It’s a haunted residence spooked by the ghosts of then maharajas and their peasants. The fort acted as a defensive ring for the city, which is also covered by forest which acted as an adobe for tiger, known by the name of Sudarshangarh. It has a hidden tunnel inside, tunnel long enough to scare the hell out of anyone. It’s not allowed to enter the tunnel because of security issues. The tunnel has it’s own ecosystem with wild animals and murky water which will cover your shoes easily.

The forbidden place was covered by police. We stood at a distance for few minutes, took our time and waited for the right moment to make our move and somehow managed to get to the spot without being spotted by the police. For a moment, all the craziness was gone and we had no time to think, we took a long breath and jumped into the hole, it was a pitch dark cave with tangles of thread of spider web and murky water. There was something sinister about that unfamiliar place. We walked for a while with flowing sweat and dry lips, the cave was pitch dark which made one of the mates leave us and go back. It got difficult for us to move ahead with two phones left and one with almost dead battery. The cave was long deep inside with no visible end, we hand to bend down and crawl further without uttering a sound. After 1.5 Kms...