Kumrat Valley and Katora Lake a Travelogue

[lastsoul]

Thanks smileb4u.

We passed through a narrow stone laden trail, used by locals as well as their cattles and then started ascending in to the thick pine forest.

[lastsoul]

There are two clean water springs on the way.
This is the first spring.

Here I refilled my empty water bottle and prepared Tang for the route.

[aghaabbas]

Thank you Agha,

In fact, it was not tourist season, and there were no visitors. Even in the jeep in which I traveled from Dir to Jandrai, all passengers were local except me. Perhaps due to this, I was treated as a guest by every body. Even the Driver of this jeep was reluctant to take charges from me. He said you are a guest, but I forced him to take jeep charges. Reluctantly he said, OK. give 350. Then I gave him 450. (usual charge per person is about rs 400). So Raja never asked for any thing and treated me as a guest. In the end when I was leaving for Atror, I gave him some amount ( enough I think), which he very very reluctantly accepted.

Thanks for reply.....

[f_ind1]

Awesome Clicks

[lastsoul]

This forest is in itself a great place to visit. I have seen such huge collection of old pine trees in very few places like Naltar and Fairy meadows.

These trees looked like characters of some Alien Movie or an Ancient World.

I walked slow and enjoyed the haunting feel of that thick dark forest.

[f_ind1]

Kamal ki photography ki hai

[f_ind2]

Awesome Pics

[lastsoul]

So, we kept on walking and gaining height slowly in this never ending forest.

[lastsoul]

Thank you f_ind1 for this heart warming appreciation.

On this track, I met few people, locals who traveled between Jandrai and their homes in the banda. I stopped by them, had brief chats. They were simple, welcoming and helpful people.

The forest continued as well as that 35 to 40 degree ascent.

[lastsoul]

I had a good pair of shoes and a bad pair of legs, not the best combination in the mountains. Shaukat Ali told me that soon there will be plain area, that never came, except for the last 200 yards.

Initially the ascent was difficult, but gradually I settled on a pace. It was, climbing 10-15 steps and stop for 5 seconds, catch the breath, and climb again, (yes it was climb....30-40 degree).
It was not tiredness, but that thin air. At the height of 8 to 9 thousand feet, there is less oxygen in the air, so breathing is like panting, and heart is running like a race horse.

So aim is to control your heart rate and breathing, by going slow, these are mountains not plains, they deserve a different treatment.

[lastsoul]

Taking rest between the stones.

[lastsoul]

After about three hours we reached this first clearing.

[lastsoul]

buffaloes, enjoying the beauty of the area.

[engineermali]

Nice trip ........... Bytheway are these areas safe ?

[Xoofi]

Nice trip ........... Bytheway are these areas safe ?

Yes Ali bhai.

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[engineermali]

Yes Ali bhai.

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That's Good Sufian Bhai ........... But why every one is carrying AK-47 ?

[Xoofi]

That's Good Sufian Bhai ........... But why every one is carrying AK-47 ?

Norm

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[lastsoul]

This was a large flat area, with beautiful scenes all around. We stopped here for few minutes, took rest, and few snaps. then continued our ascent again in to the forest, though it was less steep now.

[lastsoul]

Now the forest was less dense, ascent was less steep and valley was more wide open. Here we saw a group of about ten people coming down. They were 2-3 visitors from Okara, while rest of them were locals from Dir. They stayed in Banda for two days and were now going back to Jandrai and Dir. They told that I have covered most of the track and rest of it is less difficult.

[lastsoul]

on our way, up in the forest, we met light rain showers but no heavy rain. These sloping narrow trails can be slippery with heavy rain.