Walking in the clouds

Standing there, at the edge of the narrow, wild grass carpeted pathway, I looked down into the valley. For few seconds I searched for the bottom but could not find anything; a vagabond cloud had thinly veiled the bottom and the valley appeared to be a through gateway to the inner world. More out of habit than necessity, I searched for known words to describe what I felt. Somehow, the words didn’t come; perhaps, the experience was not entirely unoriginal. I took a step backward from the edge and continued upwards. There was more to be experienced on the way.

Located to the west of the Himalayas, the Valley of Flowers is exactly that: brimming with blooms of all kinds, shapes and sizes. It is known for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and outstanding natural beauty. A haven for rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, brown bear, blue sheep and the snow leopard, this place has a great landscape which, in turn, complements the rugged mountain wilderness of the Nanda Devi National Park.

Govindghat, the sangam of Alakhnanda and Lakshamganga riveers, is known for its religious importance. Govindghat is the base town for the religious palce Gurudwara Hemkund Sahib, and the Valley of Flowers National Park.

It was still dark. The air was laden and hinting rain. There, in the early morning silence, I could hear my footsteps hitting the graveled, narrow lanes of Rishikesh. From a distance, came the sad, lonely song of the river. Soon, I would be by her side.