I had the privilege of travelling all the 29 states of India, and even the opportunity to hike/trek all over India. As far as my hometown Haflong is concerned, I have only attempted a few hikes here...just five. Here is an account of one of my recent hikes in Haflong.
Some months back, a newspaper article ( https://www.barakbulletin.com/en_US/the-air-crash-50-years-back-on-this-day-and-my-journey-to-find-the-debris-a-special-write-up-by-subimal-bhattacharjee/ ) about an air crash site in the Barail Mountain promoted my friend, Monali and me to attempt the hike. The article intrigued me and I Googled for more info, but alas even Google couldn't find any other reliable source of info besides the said newspaper article I already mentioned at the start. The search proved extremely futile.
Monali, Mebarika (another friend of ours), and I met at a restaurant on 10 December 2020. Being from Jatinga, Mebarika knew some guides who could take us to the crash site. She called up the guides in our presence and enquired about the rates (charges) for the trek to the crash site. 14 December 2020 was fixed as the trek date.
Monali and I arrived together at Mebarika’s house in Jatinga on the evening of 13 December 2020. The warm and friendly family of Mebarika were our host for the night. Of course it wasn’t the first time I was staying at Mebarika’s place. It was almost like my second home. It is winter obviously and the night was chillingly cold. We huddled around the charcoal laden stove to warm ourselves as the evening passed chatting away merrily with the family members. The three guides also came to meet us. They are John Rupsi, Marbot Dome, and Beli Rupsi. They are from Jatinga itself; and Mebarika knew them personally. The guides informed us about the details regarding the nature of the trek. Since it was a whole day trek, so they suggested we ought to start early in the morning. If we started early at the crack of dawn, then we would be able to return by nightfall. Sounds right!!! After a hearty dinner, we retired for the night.
We woke up at the crack of dawn, around 4:30 a.m. It was extremely cold and pitch dark. Monali and I quickly freshened up. We packed the necessary stuff such as water bottles and eatables in our respective small backpacks. The previous night Mebarika prepared food (boiled rice, fry fish, fried potato bhaji, and chutney) for us to take during the hike. She prepared tea and snacks before we left her place. We are so grateful to Mebarika for her kind hospitality.
We next arrived yet another smaller stream. The guides filled their empty water bottles with the clear stream water. We crossed a ginger cultivation area growing on a hilly slope. We noticed trees laden with moss and flowers; whose names we hardly seem to know. The forest life fascinated us. The forest was abuzz with the sounds of twittering birds. It was pleasing to the ears.  |
| the guide filling up the water bottle |
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| a fallen tree trunk |
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| ginger cultivation in the slope |
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| flora of the Barail Range |
We arrived at a point at the trail from where our guides pointed at Jatinga…far far away. A huge tall tree greeted us as we trekked further on. The base of the tree is incredibly wide. My friend and I hugged the enormous trunk of the tree. We became the tree huggers! Have you ever hugged a tree? I highly recommend you to do it.
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| trees of Barail Range |
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| tree huggers |
The narrow trail was getting steeper and difficult. The loose gravel didn’t help either. My converse shoes failed to properly get a firm grip over those loosely held soil; and made it tougher for me to walk. Fault was entirely mine. I should have chosen my trekking shoes. I had to literally grab at nearby plants and leaves to climb. I was practically crawling at some places. When we arrived at our third rest stop, I realized we were joined by a few folks who were on their way to work in the “jhoom” fields and bring back firewood from the jungle. Now for the uninitiated, “jhoom” is a term given to a form of cultivation where a patch of slope is cleared in the hill/mountain to grow vegetables and fruits. It is not environment friendly.
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| the hike trail |
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| the hike trail |
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| a group photo |
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| hiking through the steep trail |
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| hiking through the steep trail |
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| trail route carpeted with fallen leaves |
A little after a few minutes of climbing, we were relieved to find the steep incline has turned to level ground for a few metres. It was a respite from the constant steep climbing. Then the trail began to go downhill for a few metres; and finally we landed at our fourth resting spot. A beautiful vista greeted us in the form of the mighty Hempeupet Peak (2nd highest peak in Assam) that silently and majestically faced us.
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| view of Hempeupet Peak |
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| view of Hempeupet Peak |
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| view of Hempeupet Peak |
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| view of Hempeupet Peak |
It was 9: 30 a.m. It was 4 hours of trekking. My friend and I were hungry. We decided to have our lunch here. Extremely thankful to Mebarika who prepared and packed our trek lunch the previous night. It was boiled rice, fish fry, potato fry, and chutney. One of the guides offered their pork curry. Fatigue increases the hunger, obviously. We absolutely cleaned every morsel of the meal. Our hungry mouth and our equally hungry stomach were satisfied with the happy meal. LOL!!! There is a different feeling of having meal during the trek in the mountains. Oh yes, we made absolutely sure to not litter the place. You should as well! Making themselves comfortable nearby, the three guides had their joints and chewing their precious tamul -paan. We spent around 30 minutes here. The guide informed us that we have to cover another two hours of trek before arriving at the crash site.
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| delicious homemade lunch |
We resumed our trek after the much needed rest. There came a point during the trek where the non-existent trail was hanging on to the side of the slope. One misstep and you would be tumbling down below. It was extremely precarious. It was scary. We walked in a single file holding each other’s hand. A little later, another beautiful vista opened before us as the distant mountain ranges greeted us. Since the weather was hazy, the mountain ranges were enveloped in a dreamy haze. Though I admit it made the view of the mountain ranges hazily beautiful.
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| bamboo plants in the forest |
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| the precarious trail route |
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| view of the Barail Range |
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| view of the Barail Range |
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| view of the Barail Range |
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| view of the Barail Range |
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| view of the Barail Range |
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| view of the Barail Range |
After enjoying the view, we resumed with our trek. Two of the guides already went ahead of us down the mountain slope. My friend, I, and the third carefully followed the non-existent trail. What can be said of the trail is sliding down the mountain slope that is carpeted with the fallen leaves; hanging on to dear life by grabbing the branches and stems of the nearby plants. The two guides who went much ahead of us made it easier for us to follow the trail by the cut mark they made on the trunk of the trees. The “cut mark” acted as the trail sign. It was an adventure sliding through this particular stretch. Phew!!! Finally after what seemed like an eternity of sliding through the slippery mountain slope, we arrived at the last leg of the trek.
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| notice the cut mark on the tree |
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| plants along the trail |
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| the non-existant trail |
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| non-existant trail through the forest |
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| deep and dense foliage |
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| fungus growing on a tree trunk |
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fungus growing on a tree trunk
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fungus growing on a tree trunk
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fungus growing on a tree trunk
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| the trail to the crash site |
We were now at the bottom of the slope. The tall trees towered above us. I could instantly feel the drop in temperature here. My bare hands felt much colder here. The place must have been a small stream once upon a time. It was dry ground now. Small pebbles and rocks were all over the ground. A small stream with very less water was flowing on one side. I kept wondering where the source of this stream is… May be it is coming from high up in the mountain. Big fallen trunks overgrown with moss crisscrossed on the ground. We walked passed the moss laden trunks and the rocks; climbed a few steps further and at last we arrived at the crash site. It was 12:00 p.m. There were rocks literally all over the place. The place is a narrow gap between two sides of a mountain.
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| dense foliage |
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| fallen tree trunks laden with moss |
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| moss covered tree trunks |
We noticed one part of the aircraft lying silently on the ground. It was covered in dirt ad mud. It was all twisted and mangled. The steel looks good in condition. Another part of the same kind was buried under the ground near it. A few wires were protruding from the buried one. I must admit I have absolute no clue which part of the aircraft these were and what these were called. I tapped to check if the parts made sound. Only later did realization dawned upon me I shouldn’t have touched it.
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| debris at the air crash site |
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| debris at the air crash site |
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| guides having their lunch at the air crash site |
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| debris at the air crash site |
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| debris at the air crash site |
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| debris at the air crash site |
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| debris at the air crash site |
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| a group photo at the air crash site |
The guides, on the other hand, made themselves comfortable on some rocks perched on a higher position, to have their lunch. Monali and I busied ourselves in exploring the place and taking pictures of the place. The green canopy of the forest trees hindered sunlight. There was pin drop silence. It felt eerily quiet. And yes, the place felt extremely cold. Moments passed away in the stillness.
One of the guides changed the position of the one lying on the ground. We urged him not to change the position, but still he did it. I felt it was totally uncalled on his part for not paying heed to us. My understanding was that the sanctity of the crash site shouldn’t be messed with, desecrated, or disturbed. Hence I felt quite uneasy when one of the guides changed the position of the piece.
It must be mentioned the guides are quite familiar with the place and they frequently come here. They are used to this place. We stayed for an hour here. We left the place by 1:30 p.m. The guides informed us that there are a few places higher up in the mountain, where the burial site for the crash victims is located including some more parts of the plane lying scattered elsewhere. But we didn't hike to the place.
Oh well, my hip joint started paining while returning...prompting me to hike the return journey slowly and slowly. The pain was sharp. Looking at the situation, the guides decided it would be for the best if they took turns to carry me till the end of the hike or else my slow pace would hinder the progress and we would arrive quite late. Hence I was given a piggyback ride by each of the guides. I am extremely thankful to our guides.
It was 6:30 p.m. by the time we arrived at Jatinga village. All of us were exhausted. We proceeded to Mebarika's place where she was waiting for us. We had refreshments and rested for a while at her place. Then we dispersed for our respective homes.
It was a long and tiring day for Monali and me. Both of us enjoyed the hike and we were delighted to explore a new corner of our hometown. There is so much to see and explore in our small hometown specially the many trekking trails and hidden gems that we rarely hear about.
Things to keep in mind:
1. It is a moderate trek. Some parts are extremely steep and difficult.
2. You have to be physically fit to attempt this hike.
3. It is a whole day hike. So, take note of it. It is advisable to start at dawn in order to end the hike by dusk.
4. Wear proper shoes and proper clothes.
6. Take water to drink and eatables to eat while hiking.
7. Do not litter while hiking.
8. Do not hike alone. Taking along a guide is recommended.
9. Respect the crash site.
Thank you for stopping by!
Hiked on: 14 December 2020
Content and images are copyright of thehaflonggirl (Hema Hazarika).
Amazing view ❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading it. I appreciate it. 😊
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