Karachi to Kumrat: An All-Girl Memorable Trek!
By Paras Ali
Travelling with like-minded girls, all with a shared passion for adventure and discovery, was a tempting idea. After seven years of trekking experience of mountains over 5,000 meters high, I started posting my travelogues online for the adventure travelling community. I talked to many young women who had never gotten the opportunity to travel. Whether it was the lack of permission from their families or not having the necessary budget and resources, they had never been able to travel despite having the passion and drive. I, on the contrary, had the privilege to travel all across Pakistan all my life. That’s when the idea popped up in my mind: I wanted to take these girls along on a trek. This happenedin themonth of June, 2019.
I spent the days excitedly mulling over the thought and mentally going through the itinerary and logistics of an all-girl trekking group. I wanted to plan a trekking expedition that would be easy to materialize as well as challenging and enjoyable for everybody. I researched some moderate-level treks and decided on Kumrat and Katora Lake, a valley in KP. It would be our first group trek.
Many people said that Swat was a conservative locality and a women-only group would not be welcome. But the only thing I could think of was, well, why not? This is our country too. The people are always nice and helpful to mixed groups and families; and we were seven strong women, who could take care of ourselves. So, putting all hearsay aside, we decide to travel.
We went from Islamabad to Mardan to Dir and then to Thal. At one point, we were stopped by Police at a chowki. The policeman was concerned about our safety because we didn’t have a male member accompanying us. Somehow, I managed to convince him that we don’t need any male members and that we will travel on our own. We reached Thal at five in the morning and found the weather chilly. The jeep guy (our next ride) was there waiting for us. He took care of our luggage, and it took us another hour to reach the Kumrat Forest.
There are mostly tent hotels in Kumrat. We took one large tent and ordered our breakfast. It was like a dream: we were sitting in a cozy tent on the bank with a breath-taking view of the river Panjkora, surrounded by woods. We had our breakfast of anda paratha and tea and started our journey to explore the forest in the jeep. The tracks were quite rough, so only local cars and drivers are recommended. After 20 minutes of a bumpy ride, we reached a waterfall.
We had a brirf photo session session. You will find plenty of waterfalls in the Kumrat Forest and the nearby valleys. At a close distance, there is a spot called Kala Chashma (black spring). It is a plain where the river is quite wide, surrounded by snow-capped peaks. And, there was a tea stall too. We came back to our camp, had food and slept early.
The next day posed the real challenge - the trek to Katora Lake. A jeep takes you back to Thal, and from Thal to Tikai Banda takes around three hours of jeep track. We left our jeep there and took out our hiking sticks, filled our water bottles with ORS (very helpful in treks), and started trekking.
The initial few minutes were exasperating. The trek was steep and we all were breathless due to the elevation. Our bodies were not used to the surroundings and conditions there but after sometime we found the going not too difficult. The three-hour trek brought us face to face with entrancing natural beauty. Walking in the midst of a forest, we came across plenty of fresh water streams. The view got more stunning as we climbed higher. Our destination and night stay were at Jahaz Banda. You can find many hotels here, it’s a huge plain (actually a mountain top) with wonderful views around. Some of our members stayed here while the rest of us went for a trek further to a waterfall. TheJahaz Banda waterfall is one of the most scenic and gigantic waterfalls I have seen. It was freezing cold in the month of June due to the elevation. Later, dinner was followed by a bonfire and tea made the perfect ending of the memorable, thrilling day.
Next morning, we resumed our trek with high hopes. Our members were down with headaches and nausea. However, chocolates and dry fruits helped a lot in overcoming this height sickness. After an hour we faced a huge glacier, which we had not anticipated. It was extremely difficult to walk on an inclined snowy mountain. We took help from our guides. We all had waterproof shoes but even then, walking was a tough proposition due to the slippery snow.
It took us five hours to reach the lake. And it was the crowning moment of our lives – the magnificent view of the crown-shaped mountain in the background of a semi-frozen lake. It’s a bowl-shaped glacial lake and hence is called the KatoraLake at an altitude of 3,505 meters. We had tea there, and spent some time to enjoy the majestic beauty. But it was late already and we had to reach our hotel back at Jahaz Banda before sunset. We followed our own footsteps in the snow while walking back. A few of my friends took horses and rode to the hotel. We were all tired but happy as the trekmarked an achievement for all of us.
After having heard everyone say we, women, can’t do this, we were even more determined to prove them wrong. We enjoyed each and every moment coming back to civilization. We celebrated, danced, and had the time of our lives. Four of us were wives and mothers, so it was a refreshing week for us, remembering our carefree days. I believe there is no harm in taking some time out of your daily routine for yourself, even if you are married or you have kids. We get life only once, so don’t care what people say, just do what makes you happy. – The News
