Back in Landour

This afternoon we returned from our week long trek higher in the Himalayas. What a trip that turned out to be! Our hike took us from the beautiful village of Agora up to Dodital, a small lake high in the mountains fabled as the birthplace of Ganesh, a key figure in the Hindu pantheon.

Once we reached Dodital, we stayed there for three nights, and used it as a base to explore higher in the mountains (reaching a peak elevation at Darwa Top of around 13, 600′). The status of the lake as a holy site extends to the forest around it, in which grazing of livestock is prohibited. This contributes to an awesome amount of biodiversity that we got to see and enjoy – plants, insects, and especially birds (so…many…birds).

We had a fair amount of afternoon rains throughout the trek, but spirits stayed high and we had some great class discussions this week, crammed into small and awkward spaces out of the rain.

And with a night in the village both at the beginning and end of the trek, we got a good window into some of what mountain village life is like in this remote corner of the world. The guides, cooks, and mule drivers that supported our trek all week were also awesome (and all from the village of Agora), and conversations with them also added much to our experience.

I’ll add a whole slew of pictures today to give you a sense of this experience. It’s hard to summarize quickly!