Think of the Himalayas, and you don’t iimmediately think of Uttarakhand, if at all. Nepal springs to mind, and maybe Sikkim and Bhutan. But the Indian state of Uttarakhand has everything that those more familiar places have in terms of scenery, and it has unique features such as the beautiful hill station of Nainital, with its spectacular lake, and in the Himalayan foothills, it boasts of two of Hinduism’s most sacred resorts: Haridwar and Rishikesh, on the banks of the Ganges.
My son, Alan, and I went on an eight day trek in Uttarakhand in October, and fell in love with the place. The advantage of trekking in a lesser known region is that you have the trail pretty much to yourself. We passed through villages many miles from any road, and encountered villagers for whom a foreigner is still a novelty.
It was a demanding trek, with many very steep climbs, but very rewarding. It was a fund-raising trek on behalf of the Himalayan Education Lifeline Programme (HELP)
To see more photos and, maybe, reward our effort with a small donation to HELP, please go to my JustGiving fund-raising page: www.justgiving.com/jcoleman
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