A Trek to Remember - Sissu Waterfall Near Manali
Incredible trek experience, Energized us, Unlimited selfies, Fearless voices.
I must inform you before you read ahead that we experienced none of the above said emotions.
Not because this waterfall can’t justify these adjectives. It very well can and do for people but not for us!!
See, It can be a breathtaking experience — As long as you do hiking here and there, somewhere? sometimes in a year? >10K daily steps? ok, walk at all?? :|
If not, read ahead and giggle along.
We included:
Myself (~5K daily steps, Approaching mid 30’s, Impulsive) — Least Fit, #CanDoAnythingAttitude W/O Risk and Skill Analysis.
My husband (~7K daily steps, 35+, Yoga doer but risk averse) — Good Fit, Cautious and Likes to Plan ahead.
Our son (6 yo, Steps? — One can just wonder, Over Enthusiast, Does not understand the fact that one can die after falling from a mountain) — Most Fit, No Caution, Nothing.
We planned this trip 70% and left the rest 30% to explore. Stayed in Solang Valley Resort, visited Manali city, Unlimited Gorgeous Cafes, Rohtang(Amazing experience ONLY if some tips are followed), did numerous activities (Big Swing, Zorbing, Zip Lining, Bungees, Paragliding). So you see we were pretty much on fire.
Came the last exploration day and after discussions with our hotel manager, we decided to go to Atal Tunnel and visit Sissu in the Lahaul district and adjoining areas if time permits.
I remember asking our driver about the waterfall and its trek feasibility. His reply was no fuss one-liner. He said, “Yeah, You can do it. May take 15–20 minutes in total.” See the casualness in his response? Even my cautious husband was relaxed.
In this picture, is the mighty waterfall, standing tall and you see climbing it looked easy too. My optimistic brain started assuming, that there must be a well-defined path leading to it laid down with exotic roses, and oh a Maggi point in between to complete the experience.
With a wide grin on my face satisfied with my assumptions, we started. To reach the base of this hill, one has to do zip lining(we were experts by then).
We started the trek- Kid leading the way, my husband just behind and I already was panting (5 minutes into the trek, not proud!) at two slopes down from both of them. But see it was fine, expected and not risky till then.
And then It started becoming difficult, with Steep altitudes in between and no defined path. Just small rocks and big rocks and one has to visualize a path.
The distance between me and them increased to non-hearing range and I signalled them to keep going. I called my husband then and told him to wait at some definite flat surface for me. He said, Richa, it’s not looking easy further and suggested stopping. I said totally! and then immediately said Let’s see when I reach up to you! (#Don’tGiveUpEasily silly attitude of mine).
In reaching up to them, I took the help of young blood to pull my hand on some steep slopes and profusely thanked them later. I didn’t mind them giggling or anything. I was just happy to move ahead.
My two boys were indeed waiting at a Maggi point (At Least something was correct). The kid was beyond excited about this whole thing and was munching already. I gulped down a lot of water to regain some breath. We decided to have Maggi on our way down.
To our shock, we got to know from some locals there that a girl in her 20s fell down the waterfall in icy valley few weeks back from that time.
We thought to be moving together but it’s not easy to control the speed of 6 yo on such a terrain. So we decided that I will follow up with them. People around us were looking at our kid randomly and then it struck us that he is the only kid and that too city-kid in this whole goddamn trek, wearing Crocs and not shoes (wow!) and a reckless attitude on his sleeves.
This mere thought was enough for us to not climb further. We could very well see the waterfall now and were on the foot of the mountain directly leading to the waterfall. So it’s like a base hill (from where we started) that leads to a point where another mountain on which the waterfall is, starts. Now this mountain was completely arbitrary.
We, typical Indian parents, started scaring our child now (yes, force doesn’t work well on new-gen kids). Explaining to him how we were not prepared for this and could fall (showing him the icy water beneath). Both of us said similar lines to him and he looked at us and said “Papa Zindagi isiliye to hain na ki hum jiye aur na dare!!” (Life is to live fearlessly). My husband instantly looked at me for he knew that those were my words. I just looked down with a slight smile and my mouth ziplined.
We started further with a refreshed zeal with a pact to climb the waterfall mountain up to some extent. We grouped with people moving forward (Most in their teenage).
Here I am bummed to not have any photos. I was carrying a sling bag and both of our phones were tucked inside now. (We wanted to be completely hands-free). I mean I cannot imagine taking a selfie at any point further in that trek. There was no resting place besides that earlier Maggie point. Everything else was a mountain, a steep slope and a valley beneath.
We somehow climbed up to a point using separate ways. They were together, and I was with a bunch of college-going kids. I reached up to them with fear I cannot write here and somehow managed to sit on the mountain. If you see the mountain surrounding the waterfall, it’s a slope. Anything that kept on it was falling unless you sit in a pit. I did that exactly.
We could feel the chilled water now and the mighty sound. Many were standing up, clicking selfies and some were fools too, going way too far with selfies. We just sat there with the kid in between both of us figuring out in mind, separately, about how to go down now!
I saw a woman of my age going down the trek and she was literally crawling. (I was triumphing inside that I am better than her!)
After spending some 15–20 minutes sitting and feeling water splashes, we decided to get going down.
And Boy!! On all the slopes we climbed, Getting down is another skill level (multiple levels ahead). If you look down, there is no path and a valley. All the path that you climbed onto is a blur and mere rocks. My husband looked at me and said you can’t lag much behind now.
A person from a little far was maybe observing us. He asked loudly in his native language about where are we from! I said Delhi and he burst into a laugh. By then we knew that he was a local. I immediately called him near us. He came to us in a jiffy (like in a video game, hopping from one rock to another). We could smell alcohol too. But to hell with that. Abhishek asked if he is going down and if he could help us a bit with the kid. He agreed and decided to climb again after dropping us to safe terrain.
On the way, he told us that it takes him 30 minutes to climb up and down the waterfall (Remember what the driver said?) and made his opinions very clear about city people who somehow climb and then cannot get down.
I was a little behind them crawling down way slowly. But this person with us gave me confidence that we are somewhat safe now.
After a few minutes when climbing down became difficult, Abhishek waited for me which irked that person to some extent. I remember hearing my husband’s voice from two slopes down “I cannot leave her too far bhaiya!”. I reached them and that person was with us till we reached back to the Maggi point.
We thanked him for his selfless help. My husband tried to give him some money (Which I signalled him not to do, Not everyone wants or helps for it and it hurts their sentiments but in our position, It was the least we could have done). He didn’t accept and we bid goodbye to him.
Now we were not afraid of the steep slopes below Maggi Point and in no time reached the base. I took the task of warning people on the way about the difficulties ahead. One person, in particular, was crawling to climb. I told him not to go further. I had to tell him.
People on the way were applauding our kid and he was over the moon ready for another trek.
We ziplined back and reached our car (3 hrs we took in the whole trek), settled in and decided to go back to the hotel and skip other nearby visits.
That 2 hours car drive back to the hotel, I will always remember. It was a feeling of accomplishment, fear and remembrance. I was so-so happy that all three of us were alive. It was a silent drive. No music, No talking, No sleeping. Windows down and three of us looking outside.
I remember having a splendid meal that night as if it was my second life.
Cheers!
-Richa.
