Mystic Himalayan Trails

06/09/2023

The are a distinctive & lovely little group of birds that visit our Mountains briefly, during the Summer & Monsoon months. They feed extensively on flying & earthbound insects & worms. We often hear their beautiful song, in the foliage and trees around us. And if we are lucky, we sometimes even get to see them.

Image 1 - Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus)

Images 2 & 3 - Rufous-Gorgeted Flycatcher (Ficedula strophiata)

Images 4 & 5 - Ultramarine Flycatcher (Ficedula superciliaris)

Image 6 - Pied Flycatcher female (Ficedula hypoleuca)

Photos: Rahul Ogra

31/08/2023

ALPINISM, MOUNTAINEERING & MENTORSHIP

Todays post, is about bringing back focus on one of our core competencies as a respected Himalayan Outfit. Since our inception, nearly a decade and a half back, we’ve introduced scores of youngsters to the art of Alpinism & Mountain Climbing. Out of these, a majority have been school and college students from reputed institution, both in India & abroad.

The whole .himalayan.trails.manali team finds this especially rewarding; As training these youngsters in the intricacies of ‘Mountain Craft’ ensures that that our knowledge, gleaned from years of hard work and countless backbreaking climbing expeditions, does not perish. That it will be passed on to the next gen.

This is also our way of giving back. As it is our endeavour through these ‘Mountain Mentorship’ modules, to infect our trainees with the same love, sense of stewardship and intense desire to protect our Mountains and the Great Himalayan Outdoors, as we carry in our hearts and souls

These images are from a Mountaineering training module conducted for the IVY league - The Scindia School Gwalior. One of the leading boarding schools in India, some time back. This was followed by leading them to complete a successful summit on a difficult, nearly 6000 M high peak in the Kullu Himalaya.

26/08/2023

'I searched for God
and found only myself.
I searched for myself
and found only God'

- Rumi

Bodhisattvas, are not just celestial beings. Sometimes, you can encounter them in this realm too.

Sitting outside her Rebo* savoring the brief winter sun of the high Changthang - Evi* Phuntsok - a 93 year old 'Changpa' grandmother, chants the sutras contentedly over her yak bone rosary.

*Rebo - Is a thick Yak Wool tent used by the nomads of the high Rupshu - Changthang plateau as a dwelling during the harsh winter.

*Evi - Means grandmother, in the local dialect

18/08/2023

15/08/2023

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer,
it sings because it has a song."

- Maya Anjelou

An exquisitely beautiful Great Rosefinch (Carpodacus rubicilla), sings its morning melody, while perched on a Seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) bush.

For any queries pertaining to our Himalayan Birding Trips, you can drop us a mail on [email protected], or call on + 91 082196 60954

Photo: Rahul Ogra
(Changthang highlands, Ladakh. October 2021)

04/08/2023

"Returning home is the most difficult part of long-distance hiking and treking.
You have grown outside the puzzle and your piece no longer fits."

- Cindy Ross

At Mystic Himalayan Trails, we couldn't agree more. Curated 'Offbeat' Treks and Hikes are one of the best ways to commence a lifelong love affair with our Himalaya. This is our domain; And after two decades in operation, we can safely say that we've perfected our craft. Most of our trekking groups comprise repeat customers, who just don't even consider going with anybody else. Such is their trust in our expertise.

These pictures should be testimony enough. They are from an exclusively curated trek, which we organized for a group of our repeat overseas guests from the UK & Canada.

The objective was to explore the mesmerizingly beautiful (but less explored) alpine valley, leading up to the high altitude meadows of Khiksa Thaach and Bagdi Thaach. The highlight of this trail are long walks through dense Himalayan forests and breathtaking overviews of the great peaks of the Shigri, Malana & Dudhon Glaciers - Mt. Dharmasura, Mt. Papsura and Mt. Deo Tibba to name a few. (All in excess of 6000 M altitude)

For more details/info, feel free to talk to us
(mob) + 01 82119660954
(mail) [email protected]

Photo Credits: Mike Nelson (UK)

30/07/2023

- 26 x 8000 Mtr peaks
- All 14 x 8000'ers totally without bottled oxygen
- 4 new routes opened on 8000'ers
- 2 first Winter climbs
- Abandoned personal summit attempts twice to rescue imperilled climbers, not from his own team.

Happy Birthday to the legend - Denis Urubko! 🎂🎉🎉💪

(Pics from Denis's FB page)

14/01/2023

A truly remarkable exhibition 👇showcasing the magic of the Himalayan Landscape.
Really happy to see the media attention it has garnered. Kudos Srini (Srinivasan Periathiruvadi )👍👍👍

The profoundness and magnitude of the force of nature that beckons and makes human beings feel miniscule runs deep in the captures by photographer Srinivasan Periathiruvadi

10/01/2023

Introducing the
A versatile - wood fired - cast iron space heater that makes surviving the Himalayan winter, a whole lot easier.

For more intresting content and snapshots of life in the Indian Himalaya, please subscribe to our YouTube Channel:
https://youtube.com/

29/12/2022

CATCH EM YOUNG...
At Mystic Himalayan Trails, we strongly believe that you should introduce children to the magic of the great outdoors, early on in their life. 'Catch em young' is our dictum. Mother Nature really is the best teacher; Especially for Children of The Mountains. At this age, they tend to have great reflexes and an intuitive lack of fear, which helps them learn quickly.
And Winter truly is a great time to learn the skills needed to not just survive, but thrive in the Himalayan Backcountry.

Here are some fond memories from a really good winter two years back; When we got dumped on with some super powder, in the last week of January. My little girl was a little less than 5 years old at that time. Here, in these videos she is recieving her first proper ski instruction from her dad (in the first clip), and from her Harsh Chachu Thakur, who is also one of the best Ski Instructors around (in the second video).

By the third day (third clip), she was already able to ski over short distances and execute stop turns on her own. Here's hoping that she will strengthen her bond with the great outdoors even more in the coming years.

Mystic Himalayan Trails shared a post on Instagram: "- CATCH EM YOUNG... At Mystic Himalayan Trails, we strongly believe that you should introduce children to the magic of the great outdoors, early on in their life. 'Catch em young' is our dictum. Mother Nature really is the best teacher; Especially...

25/12/2022

The Mystic Himalayan Trails team wishes all you and your families:

MERRY CHRISTMAS 🎄🎅⭐

&

A HAPPY NEW YEAR. 🎉🎊❄️
(in advance)

11/12/2022

"Mountains are not Stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve,
they are the Cathedrals
where I practise my religion...
I go to them as humans go to worship.
From their lofty summits, I view my past, dream of the future, and with unusual acuity... I am allowed to experience the present moment.
My strength renewed, my vision cleared, in the mountains I celebrate creation.
On each journey I am reborn"

- Anatoly Boukreev

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN DAY, 2022!

(Leading the rope up to the summit on a 6000 M Western Himalayan peak)

11/12/2022

"Mountains are not Stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve,
they are the Cathedrals where I practise my religion...
I go to them as humans go to worship...
From their lofty summits, I view my past, dream of the future, and with unusual acuity... I am allowed to experience the present moment.
My strength renewed, my vision cleared, in the mountains I celebrate creation. On each journey I am reborn"

- Anatoly Boukreev

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN DAY, 2022

(Leading the rope up to the summit on a 6000 M Western Himalayan peak)

03/12/2022

-
اے طائر لاہوتی اُس رزق سے موت اچھی
جس رزق سے آتی ہو پرواز میں کوتاہی

علامہ اقبال-

Ae Tair e Lahoti us rizq Se Mout Achi
Jis rizq se ati ho parwaz mein kotahi

- Allama Iqbal

'O high flying - mystical bird - beyond our realm
better it is to die, than rely on a subsistence,
which would hamper the glory of your flight'

POETRY IN MOTION:
Bar Headed Geese (Anser indicus), take flight over the azure waters of the Great Lakes of the Rupshu highlands, in Ladakh.

These tough little wild geese, spend summer around the high altitude lakes and wetlands of Tibet and the Indian trans Himalaya. In winter, they often migrate to the lowlands of the Indian subcontinent.

What makes them truly remarkable, is that they are the highest flying birds in the world. They often have to cruise at altitudes of àround 8000 mtrs or more, on their annual migration. They have often been observed flying over Mt. Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world at 8,481 Mtrs (27,825 ft); and even (anecdotally)over Mt Everest, which at 8,848 Mtrs (29,029 ft), is the highest mountain on the face of the Earth.

30/11/2022

An overview of the Drang Drung glacier in Zanskar. This 23 km long river if Ice and Snow is the origin of the Stod, a major tributary of the Zanskar river.

Easily approachable on foot from the Pensi La - a 4,400 M hig pass that connects the Suru and Zanskar valleys of the Western Himalaya, this great glacier, which also happens to be the second largest glacier in Ladakh,is difficult to miss on the road journey from Kargil to Zanskar.

19/11/2022

-
THE WHITE WALKER

On the Frozen Tso Moriri (lake), in bone chilling temperatures of around - 27 Degrees Celsius.

(Rupshu - Changthang highlands, Ladakh. February 2022)

Photo Credits: Srini

19/11/2022

THE WHITE WALKER

On the Frozen Tso Moriri (lake), in bone chilling temperatures of around - 27 Degrees Celsius.

(Rupshu - Changthang highlands, Ladakh. February 2022)

Photo Credits: Srini

18/11/2022

Out on the hike today...
The calling card of a big cat 🐾
In our neck of the woods.

From the size of the pugmark and the depth of the indentations, a male Leopard (Panthera pardus). It seems the recent spell of snow is driving him closer to human habitation, in search of easier prey.

I worry for him. Knowing the evil that lurks in the hearts of men.

14/11/2022

"Winters firstborn snow
dots the soul with magic'

- Anjie Weiland Crosby

23/10/2022

Happy International Snow Leopard Day!

At Mystic Himalayan Trails, we simply can not imagine the Himalaya without it's Snow Leopards.

The Grey Ghost of the Mountains doesn't just rule our rugged highland home, but our hearts as well; As the emblem of our Himalayan wilderness.

Known variously as Shen, Shan, Irbis, Him-Tendua, Saeh and Ounce throughout its mountain realm, the Snow Leopard(Panthera uncia), is perhaps the most beautiful and enigmatic wild feline found on our planet.

There are only a handful of people, who've ever witnessed this 'Phantom of the Snows' stalk and hunt it's prey. We are privileged to be amongst those chosen few. Although we couldn't film the actual hunt (since it was over quickly, before we could even set up our camera gear), we were granted ample time to capture the elusive ghost cat on its kill. And for that... we are very grateful. 🙏

Video: Rahul Ogra.

(Video shot near 'Thang' in the Kibber WLS, Spiti Valley. Indian Himalaya. February 2018) - Please watch in Landscape mode.
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For more information about our upcoming Snow Leopard expeditions (Jan - March 2023), please feel free to DM us. You can also email us on [email protected].
Or call us on + 91 8219660954
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07/10/2022

'The two most powerful warriors are patience and time'
- Leo Tolstoy

A Kashmir Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), waits with single-pointed focus for quarry, on the waters of the Nigeen lake (Srinagar, Kashmir)

Known as 'Koltoonch' in the Kashmiri language these beautiful little birds, with their luxuriantly colored plumage, are the subject of much lore and local parables.

29/09/2022

A family that plays together stays together...

One of the things we absolutely love to do as an outfit, is to introduce youngsters and their families to our Mountains. And to the healing attributes of Nature.

Of late, we've been taking a significant number of 'Big city corporate culture weary peeps' - on introductory day hikes and short treks into the Indian Himalaya. For quite a few of them, it proves to be a life changing experience. The Great Outdoors often work their magic on the families. Fostering a deeper sense of togetherness and an appreciation for the many gifts that Mother Earth provides all of us with.

It is especially rewarding for us, if we are able to engender a love for the Mountains and Mother Nature in the children. As this often blossoms into a long term bond with the Great Outdoors for them.

For further info. on these family treks and hikes, please feel free to DM us, or drop us an email at [email protected]
You can also call us on + 91 8219660954