Kanshian to Butti Top(3300m)

[emmaar]

So, dear going to recall the time which we have spent on the trek and enjoyed a quality moments in this NEW PLACE FOR US TOO.
For those who wish to do this trek in coming days, we will try our best to provide much available information here. Right now some note able points for those who wish to do it right now

• People are friendly and curious for visitors. So, always respect their feelings towards us.
• If you go to the valley don?t pollute it with your belongings/wrappers/polythenes/packaging material.
• It is a continuous steep ascend all the way to the top
• We can rate it moderate and you can compare it a slightely harder than Makra.
• Butti top provide a splendid view of Makra and Musa ka Musalla, Kashmir, balakot etc.
• At certain places you have to stay in the mosques (musafar khana) and can avoid camping
• This trek can be done with a guide only as there are certain points from where one can de track from the original trek
• If you have a weapon with valid license then it will be good otherwise asked your guide to arrange and keep with him. It is a precautionary measure and not to be considered as a threat, as it is not a tourist area and in off season many criminals may hide them on high mountain there.
• Water is available on the trek till Patha meadow?means almost till to the top
• Best season to visit this place is End May to September
• It is not a deserted place and you can find many a settlements on the way till top in the season
• There are two routs at the start of the trek
• One which goes through Naka Kisana is a steep one and which skip Naka Kisana is more steep L. We used Naka Kisan route on ascending and avoid Naka Kisana on descending.

[emmaar]

• They never see tourist in their area, so it is hard for them to understand the meaning of our visit in their area. Most of them have a self understanding that we are government/forest officials so at different occasions they request/ask/advise to
• Some persons requested us to open the schools for them
• They asked us to complete the ongoing road construction to their areas so not only they get benefit from it but we can also avoid such a tiring walk (TREKKING) into the hills
• Most of them asked about our survey which we supposed to be taken into the area
• So, when we came back after the trek almost the whole village have known about us that ?WE ARE THOSE TOURIST WHO CAME ?

[emmaar]

We were three members on this trek.
Amer Waseem Raja @waseem14pk . He is an experienced trekker and we always like his company to be a part of us. He is here with some of his already done trek and we can show the highlights in his intro:)
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/17065665508" title="amir by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7621/17065665508_6ca5d5167e_c.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="amir"></a>

[emmaar]

Faraz Azam @faraz74. The main initiator behind this discovery. I always forced him to be part of our team....despite the fact of his busy busy and busy life
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/17065880650" title="faraz by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8771/17065880650_d6e274c102_c.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="faraz"></a>

[emmaar]

And here is me
Muhammad Rashid @emmaar ...who has taken the charge to introduce this new place to Pak Wheels family:)
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/17252885381" title="rashid by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8814/17252885381_d21fe16221_c.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="rashid"></a>

[emmaar]

Now it became our routine to start late night form our cities on public transport and reached early morning to near our starting destination. Same was here . Me and Faraz left FSD at 11 and Amer Left Lahore at 10:15. We reached early morning to Mansehra and then hire a taxi and reached to Bala kot.
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/17250625862" title="DSC_9782 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7587/17250625862_7d363162b0_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9782"></a>

[emmaar]

Qari Ahmad Rashid sb, was in waiting for us. As usual We did our breakfast there. Do a short shoping...indeed very short;)
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/17064819860" title="DSC_9783 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7694/17064819860_9470445a9d_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9783"></a>

[emmaar]

Shoping may include some breakfast eatables, Chapaties for dinner but it took almost two hours. then at last going to left Balakot
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/17250624192" title="DSC_9785 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8757/17250624192_8396b6fb66_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9785"></a>

[emmaar]

Our jeep about to leave us at Kanshian or slightly ahead of Kanshia. So, as per our google earth plan we are going to Kanshia.
Wiki pedia says.
"Kanshian (Hindko: کانشیاں) is a village located in Mansehra District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is a village of Union Council Garlat of tehsil Balakot to the south east of the Balakot city. It is a beautiful hill station but unfortunately a neglected potential tourist destination. It lies in the series of mountains connecting the Neelum Valley in Pakistani-held Kashmir to the Kaghan Valley."

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/16629903534" title="DSC_9789 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8811/16629903534_a1dd21f8ab_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9789"></a>
It is about 10km from Balakot. There are two approaches from Balakot to Kanshian
From Hassa Bridge which is about 4km before Balakot on main Mansehra /Balakot road
From Garlat road on which we went for this trek. Both the roads meetup at a single point after a few km.
Picture taken at the start of Garlot Road

[emmaar]

The stream of Kanshian beside our jeep trek
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/16632162683" title="DSC_9790 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7628/16632162683_f81d63eff3_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9790"></a>

[emmaar]

After a few minutes of ride. The greenery on the sides of road going to attract our attention
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/16632161863" title="DSC_9791 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7726/16632161863_c629629bcb_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9791"></a>

[emmaar]

Our ride was passing through the narrow village streets with green fields along side
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/17066156329" title="DSC_9792 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8794/17066156329_b1b43f3278_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9792"></a>

[emmaar]

The road from Balakot to Sobrian was under construction.
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/17044957547" title="DSC_9793 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8692/17044957547_07cf336a28_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9793"></a>

"Before 1985, the only way to get to Kanshian was on foot and then a dirt road was built. People use to go there on foot carrying their luggage or mount it on mules, horses and donkeys, they specially kept for the purpose. After the construction of dirt road, the same process is there to this day in small hamlets of the village. People of Kashmir used the same path to reach the market in Kanshian for known times till they got connected to Muzafarabad by road."

[emmaar]

After gaining some altitude the valley was going to open its views. MKM in the back ground
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/16629894664" title="DSC_9796 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7676/16629894664_b9a42099d3_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9796"></a>

[emmaar]

Crossed a fair number of running stream. Here we stopped our jeep and estimate the difficulty level as there were a couple of ascent/sharp turns
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/17250613912" title="DSC_9803 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8685/17250613912_9ccccc5d6e_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9803"></a>

[emmaar]

Kamal he..Some people used to be sleep in jeep ride too
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/17250629502" title="DSC_9804 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7626/17250629502_eae434cdca_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9804"></a>

[emmaar]

An area which have red color of its soil
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/17250605262" title="DSC_9806 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8739/17250605262_6351f65a6e_c.jpg" width="800" height="525" alt="DSC_9806"></a>

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/16629884184" title="DSC_9807 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7727/16629884184_f35942a8f4_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9807"></a>

[emmaar]

It is a Kanshian. Vally at far right is kanshian and up left is Nakka/Kisana
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/16629883164" title="DSC_9811 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8699/16629883164_68f3c9f176_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9811"></a>

[emmaar]

Passing by another village...under the trees
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/17066137979" title="DSC_9815 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8817/17066137979_af88d8844b_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9815"></a>

[emmaar]

Just keep this into mind..it was just start of the season and such a greenery....wonderfull
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/83515974@N07/17252357775" title="DSC_9817 by hmrashid, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8816/17252357775_745a66246c_c.jpg" width="800" height="530" alt="DSC_9817"></a>