The village far below is Sari, the roadhead for Devariyatal. This picture is some 4 kms and 1000m above it. We were trekking for adventure when we heard the magical sound of a Garhwali sound floating through the pure Himalayan air.

One of the best parts of the trek and journey was the endlessly unfolding vistas of far villages and fields, that seemed like magical realms from afar.

Sari Village

This was in mid December, and in the morning, there was a light spattering of snow on the ground and on our tents, but when the sun rose, it was crisp and pleasant, and as we walked we had to shed layers.  As a counterpoint to the highland lass, here we are solemnly trekking along a rather nice track, though it was pretty steep, complete with trekking sticks. It’s about 10 am and we’re walking through the oak and rhododendron forests on the way to Chopda from Devariyatal with Pawan and others from the inestimable White Magic.

Oak forests