Spiti Expedition – Day 3 (Rakcham – Chitkul – Kalpa)

I woke before my alarm and took a shower. We were leaving for Chitkul by 8 am. Before that, I had to find the waterfall which was calling to me. I got ready by 5:30 am and put on a jacket and woke up Karthik saying that I’m heading out. No one was awake at the hotel, I went past the gate and took a left, and walked towards the direction of the water roars that I heard on the previous day.

Some of the villagers were also walking in the same direction, I was so thrilled to see the beautiful mountains which surrounded me. I put on my hoodie and kept my hands in my pockets to keep it warm. I was capturing each and every detail of the mountains. Some were covered with snow, some were covered with trees, some were getting the first rays of sunlight.

After each step, I could hear the roaring sound getting closer, then I saw the bridge and the river flowing ahead of me. Water was so white that it seemed like milk. I stood at the bridge having a soul orgasm (The river, its roaring sound, first rays of sunlight at mountains, wind chill). 

There was a narrow trail to climb ahead along the river bed and the next thing I did was climb those tracks for some time and reached a place where there was only a river and thick trees all around. I went and sat down on a boulder. I was so happy that I took this trip, I thanked God by saying a prayer. I don’t know how much time I spent there, the time just went by.

When I climbed down, I saw some bikers standing on the bridge and Karthik posing on their bikes. The bikers were doing a Spiti expedition on bikes and were on their way to Chitkul. By now it was around 8 am and Karthik suggested heading back to our hotel and we did that.

On the way, we could see trees covered with hay and were wondering if it is something of a ritual. When we reached the hotel our host was standing out and we enquired about it to him. He said it is not a ritual and people are drying the hay for winter. During the winter the entire area will be covered with snow and they won’t be able to get out of the house for months. When we asked about the hotel, He said during winter the hotel will remain closed only.

After breakfast, I was standing outside the hotel and decided to take a small walk, and this time I took a right. There were several small children playing around. The house’s architecture was completely different from what we see in Kerala. Then a shepherd went past me with cows. I was admiring the houses and suddenly heard shouting. The shepherd was making the cows climb the mountain with his sound and the cows were climbing very well. 

I went back to our hotel, By now everyone was down and getting into the traveler. Our next destination was Chitkul but my mind was still at the waterfall I found. On our way to Chitkul, We could see beautiful places alongside the Baspa river. Chitkul is the last village on the Hindustan-Tibet border. We tried to take a reel at the border and it was a flop. Then we headed back to the Chitkul village. From the village, we could trek down to the Baspa river and we all started to descend.

There was something about that place, The view we had was amazing, everyone was taking pictures, Some went along the river bed and spent some time walking and taking photos. Everyone was having their own alone time and it was amazing to spend time with people who don’t ruin your lone time. I was blessed with amazing co-travelers.

The trek up was a bit difficult for everyone, after reaching the top everyone was trying to catch their breaths. After taking some rest we took a tour of the village and resumed our journey to our next destination Kalpa. We stopped at Reckong Peo for lunch which is the capital of the Kinnaur District. After lunch, we resumed our Journey our next destination was Suicide Point, Roghi. We went to the village and decided to walk back to Suicide Point which was like a 1km walk.

On our small walk to suicide point, Sonali and Avinash were energetically talking about the Kedarnath trek. I asked Juhi about her Meghalaya trip and especially about the Nongriat village and Rainbow falls which is my favorite place in Meghalaya. Apparently, she covered both places in one day itself. Spending some time at the suicide point we left for our Hotel in Kalpa. When we reached the hotel it was sunset time. From the hotel, we could see the last rays of sun hitting the mountain. It was a view worth living for and we could see Kinnaur Kailash from the hotel.