Kuari Pass Trek (Lord Curzon Trail)

Kuari pass Top

When nothing in life makes sense, when you feel lost in the polluted urban jungle which you call home, then you have to go back to your roots, the wilderness from where your species evolved. That place, those mountains from where you truly belong.


After another difficult year , I decided to go for another Himalayan trek in the last week of October 2021 and my destination was Kuari Pass which lies at 3876m height (from sea level) in the Garhwal region of Himalayas ,Uttarakhand.


It was an autumn season in the Garhwal Himalayas and the entire trail was coloured in green , brown and golden colours. You can only see snow above 4100 meters at various mountain peaks that surround you through out the trek.

Among clouds above tree line


Some of the peaks that takes your breath away during this trek are Mt. Dronagiri (7066m), Mt Kamet (7756m ), Mt Nanda Devi (7816m) and the nearest to Kuari pass, Mt Pangarchulla (4575m). You feel their presence like a shadow through out the trek.

Mt. Dronagiri, Mt. Kamet and Nanda Devi behind
Pangarchulla Peak , lies in the same trail of Kuari Pass


The trek starts from Dhak Village in Joshimath (about 513km from New Delhi) and from there the entire trail is a steep ascend. The trail takes you through beautiful Deodar and oak forest called as Tali . From your camp in tali forest , you ascend above tree line, walk through golden bushes and various ridges to reach Kuari pass summit. And from there you return back to your camp in Tali forest.

Dhak Village


From Tali forest camp you then trek to magnificent Tali Lake and descend to Auli via Gorsan Bugyal, a breath taking green meadow. From Auli you finally return back to Joshimath via ropeway which in itself a breath-taking experience. The entire duration of the trek is 4 days.

Tali Lake


The entire trail is covered in snow from December to march and since this trek was firstly explored by Lord Curzon during British rule, it is also known as Lord Curzon Trail.


The Glistening forests , the shining bushes, walking among clouds and the stunning view of the lake were the hallmarks of the entire trek. Camping in the middle of a Himalayan forest and the stunning milky way galaxy watching you from above during chilly nights , is an experience that you will never forget.


These wilderness pushes you towards your roots, which is free from all tainted thoughts you have spoilt yourself with. And when you finally get to know what wrong you have done it is often too late.


So travel, trek to these places and see yourself correcting yourself with each heavy breath you take during the ascend.


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Among the Clouds

Garhwal Himalayas

High above the mountains,
They come to greet you,
For what you have done,
The obstacles you’ve overcome !

Your sweat against adversities,
Your tears drenched in equanimity,
Together they come to hail,
With the clouds they all sail !

“O mighty soul! I bow to thee,
For the pain you’ve gone through,
Your bruised feet and mighty will
Those clouds sang, a sight to behold!

©2022 Piyush Singh


The following pics are from my recent trek to Kuari Pass in Garhwal Himalayas, Joshimath Uttarakhand ( about which I will write soon). It was like a fairy tale, the clouds greeted us when we were descending from the summit . It was a mesmerizing, poetic moment that took away all the pains we have gone throughout the ascend.

I hope you guys equally enjoy this….

The Magic of White

Sissu

Life churns in the lap
Of the wilderness of white.
My heart savoured the
Glistening spectacle of white!

My body shivered in
The icy breeze with delight.
As my soul got drenched
In the magic of white !

©2022 Piyush Singh


These moments were captured by me in the extreme cold condition at Sissu , Himachal Pradesh ( -5 or -7°C). I was completely mesmerized by this face of nature and it was tough to take the photo with my bare hands, the cold was cutting through my bones. But I was adamant to capture these moments by  testing my limits.

I hope you guys equally enjoy this…

Goodbye 2021, Let’s begin again

Don’t curse yourself,
For all the disappointments.
Don’t blame your self ,
For all the things which
Weren’t under your control.
Don’t shed tears ,
For the people you lost this year.

Your day may end today,
But with the hope to see
A new sunshine tomorrow!
Your tears may flow today,
But Not without sowing
The seeds for tomorrow !

Let’s begin again,
For the people who
See you as their only hope !
Let’s care for the ones,
Who wait for the Angels,
From the sky above !

Let’s begin again and do it once more !

©2021 Piyush Singh


Happy New Year Readers


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The Year of Losses

It is the inherent quality of humans to look for something to cheer about but there has been very few things to celebrate this year.

One year ago I wrote about the horrific year which had gone by because of pandemic, little did I know that a much bigger storm awaited us. The Delta variant brought us on our knees, exposed our health facilities and took away many of our loved ones.

I lost few of my relatives and I have seen their families finding it difficult to get back on track. It is a testing time for entire humanity but ‘hope’ is something We would never forget even on our death bed.

Each of us is bruised right now,
But that would not hinder us
From finding our feet once more,
To stand again and look for sunshine

I am not expecting anything in the future or in the upcoming year and it would be more prudent to stay in this moment a bit more and feel each second which is going by in joy.

Lets make our ‘now ‘ as beautiful ,as joyous as possible. There is nothing we can gain with hate and we would never know how much time we have. So our each act is extremely crucial and can make a difference in a positive way in this world.

Let’s be responsible and do it together….


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Breathing Happiness

Suppressed by your own fears,
Shaken by the jolts of failures,
You’ve carried this load
Far too long .

How long can you live like this?
Injuring your soul with frustration,
Melting your life
with every second !

It’s tough to rise from this muddle,
Try to Squeeze your grit one more time,
Hold this ground and
Push for the sky above !

Breathe your life With every step,
Breaking all shackles of your mind.
Find your joy on the path above,
Breathing happiness of a free sky !

©2021 Piyush Singh

Until the smoke turns weak

Underneath this skin,
Something deep within,
A fire burning ruthlessly,
Brewing the missing pieces .

Rebuilding the hope
Which was shattered
Long ago ‘cause of fear,
‘cause of loss of someone.

Keep breathing in the fog
Until the smoke turns weak
Until the suffocation loses
The battle against your will !

©2021 Piyush Singh

Flickering Dreams

Your dream may look bleak,
It may burn with hopelessness
But those embers will not die,
It has a purpose to fulfill.

All those fears in the depth
Dig them out with your Will
Start again from the dust,
Become a blizzard in the dark

Your dreams are not alone,
Let them find others , unite
And roar like a raging river
Shattering obstacles of the path !

Never stop believing,
Like a flickering candle light
Fighting the mighty dark and
Shimmers with a melting heart !

©2021 Piyush Singh

My Journey Within


I am trying to reach there,
But my emotions are feeding me .
It’s waging a war against my true self,
Obstructing my way to my inner self

The more I identify with my mind,
The farther I get away from me .
The more I let my emotions drive,
The lesser I feel my valuable life

It was then I Decided to let it go,
felt life in the stillness around ,
shattered my ego stuck in illusory time
Finally found myself Beyond my mind!

©2021 Piyush Singh

A 20 Year old Dream

It all started with a reason, the twin towers were blown apart giving bruises to America. They decided to end this forever war giving hope to the world and innocent people of Afghanistan .

They pushed those demons, freed that land giving dreams to the people of Afghanistan. But they decided to leave ,maybe for a broader plan which we are not able to see.


Afghanistan is still a child who barely walked when….so much to say through this poetry

“They lifted me from the rubble
Of my doomed fate, a small child
Shivering with chaos around”,
My mother told my tale of hope.

A long nightmare ended ,
The reveries glowed with promise
To stay forever around,
When the Angels arrived, saved my life

I grew with those dreams ,
Limping through smoke of the past.
Freeing my motherland From
The shackles of those demons ,at last

But when it was time ,
To walk towards light,
They decided To leave
with our dreams in their heart !

Why they left us
In the hands of those demons?
Maybe there’s a reason in the darkness,
They want Us To find in time !

©2021 Piyush Singh