sallam:
since i had seen the picture of Tikkai Lake in Mr. Amir Rashids poster of Kalam Lakes (which i am sure many of us have seen by now) Tikkai lake (which he has mentioned as Tikki Lake) had been on my to do list. last weekend i got a surprise opportunity to execute my age old plan and as i had already talked to a guide in Utror it was easy planning. My friends and colleagues Abdullah and Huzaifa also wanted to accompany me on this trek. i was a good opportunity to finally c Desaan meadows and Spinkhor lake as well. So on the 25 of august we started our journey on Adullah's Alto 2004 model at around 2.45 pm and reached Kalam by midnight.... stayed in hotel Noor Palace for Rs 1200 per night three bed room. it was a good hotel with running hot water as well....next morning 6 am we let for Utror in our own vehicle and reached by 7.30....am. got our guide Hameed (rs 2000 per day) and left in jeep for Utthal Bridge. we also got a porter for luggage to be shifted to desaan meadows at Rs 1000. the jeep took us far beyond our intended destination for rs 1400 and we started our trek at abt 10.15 am... it had started to rain by then and raincoats were out.......
Desaan Meadow Trek:
the trek to desaan meadows culminated at Abshaar Banda (Khor Banda) which was at an alt of abt 3200 m. we reached there at 1 pm. the trek runs through some dense forest and then through cultivated meadows loaded with turnip. the first cultivation highland we crossed was Molaat and next was Chaprah. after this the semi tractor/mule track becomes a proper walking trail with astounding views of the opposite valleys..... our destination greeted us with hospitality as expected and Mr Hazrat Ahmed our host offered a hut and fresh food (makhan and lassi wala shahska ) to us ...
desaan meadows are not a typical flat ground rather a large slope but the specialty is the view from here... the ventire valleys of upper kalam can be identified from here easily and also the Thalo pass (doteer pass) is clearly visible with its jeep track as well.. kumrat mountains are also evident in the background....
Trek to Spinkhor Lake:
after a short break at the banda we proceeded towards spinkhor lake at 2.30 pm and reached at 3.45 pm along a pretty much level trail... the view of the lake was breathtaking and very unique as it was from a ridge above it... i dont think any pics of the lake from this angle are available on internet so this was a new addition to the lake's arsenal..... we sat there for half an hour enjoying the view and fruits. left at 4.15 pm and reached back at 5.00 pm.... the night in the hut was a good one for sleep while it rained and thundered around....
Trek to desaan Lake and Tikkai Lake via Desaan Top:
the next day was a true vertical experience....... starting at around 9 am after hameed had confirmed the existence of the lake (there was still lot of doubt as desaan was a big area and lake cud be anywhere). the trek however posed some challenges as it was not a defined trek as locals dont even go there.. the lake is a sort of a crate lake on the top of a mountain with a unmed pass on one side and huge nala on the other... the trek to the top was good 700 to 800 meter ascend to the Top we named Desaan Top. from here at abt 4100 m ASL the views become even more clearer with clear shots of Falaksar mountain and thalo pass which was now lower to us.... we reached desaan top at abt 11.30 am, ahead of the top was a whole new world with rocks and boulders. a path was to be set. after toiling for abt an hour we saw a glimps of a lake.....hurray the team said but not me .. it was definitely not Tikkai Lake. from a high ridge we could c a unique and large lake (later enquiry proved that this lake has no name so i named it Desaan Lake). but here both Hameed and my team members were doubtful of another lakes existence and thought this was it. there was no sign of a lake near by and a dead end awaited us ahead. there was no nala coming from anywhere.. my team wanted to turn back but i gazed and glanced around because this was not the lake in the poster pic. suddenly to my right across a rocky slope i saw a mountain range which mimicked the pic. i suggested that we give it a shot and as we had time left we proceeded ahead... Thankx to Allah Almighty that we were right and as soon as we climbed that mini mountain i saw deep blue waters...... Dand Ishta??? i said to hameed and he acknowledged. Tikkai (which means tukra or piece) was a piece from heaven indeed. covered from all sides it is truly secluded and concealed. only a smal tap like outlet exists and no significant souces are there. Crystal clear blue water with pin drop silence was our prize............ we ha our full there and returned to our hut at abshaar banda in a relaxed desend at around 6 pm..... another good nights sleep and lots of rain........
Journey Back:
our original plan was also to cover Godar Lake but that was qiute far away from our location in Desaan so we decided to skip it and return to Utthal Bridge ....after biding farewell to hazrat ahmed we embarked on our return journey at 8.15 am and reached utthal by 10.30 am.. got fielder car from there bak to utror (@Rs500) and started off towards home and reached at around 10.30 pm without any issue (sukar Allah Tala Ka)..
GPS cordinates of the main spots
[h=1]Abshaar banda = 35?26'52.9"N 72?27'57.9"E[/h][h=1]Desaan Top = 35?26'52.9"N 72?27'57.9"E[/h][h=1]Desaan Lake= 35?26'52.9"N 72?27'57.9"E[/h][h=1]Tikkai lake = 35?26'52.9"N 72?27'57.9"E[/h]
also a google map image of the route......