A hike in the eastern Himalayas

June 10, 2023, Saturday

It was the month’s second Saturday and a school holiday. There was an opportunity to go on a day-long hike and we grabbed it. It was an overcast day, large misty clouds passing through the mountains throughout the day, not allowing a glimpse of the sun yet sufficiently spreading its light around – and wetting the mountain slopes and the forest floor with intermittent mild showers. It was a pleasant, palpably healthful hike amidst the mist and clouds, up and down a mountain passing a few little villages. The air was pure and cool with an occasional breeze sweeping away the slight pains of hiking. Every now and then the clouds cleared up to allow mesmerising views of high mountains resplendent in the mist in shades of pleasing green, adorned with dense rainforests, and pine forests at higher altitudes. Where we were heading was the last point in this region near the India-China border that has any road connectivity. Pausing the hike and taking a good look at the magnificence of unbridled forests crowding the mountains on the other side was, simply, transcendental. Before me rose a geological marvel, so gorgeously graceful. And gorgeous it literally is: deep, large gorges formed over time by ravenous rivers plunging down steep slopes, gushing into the abyss of a valley. It was also a vivid education in a bit of natural history: rocky earth crust that rose up to form the Himalayas eons ago has been subject to the dogged forces of weathering over many many millennia turning rock into soil that raises penetrating dense forests. The might of the soaring forested mountains is immense soaking up the viewer in awe and admiration, and offering an enduring sense of peace and tranquility while promising a taste of wonder and the thrill of adventure. One only hopes the few such remaining forests remain undisturbed by human techno-power.

In the misty company of clouds