Day 2 – Chandigarh to Narkanda
I was already up at 6 am and got ready quickly all excited to hit the road. I went down with my bags and had a good breakfast with the group. Post breakfast, I headed down to the basement to bring the Thar to lineup with the other participant Scorpios. The convoy also has another Thar for Float, two Scorpios for roving and sweep, a Getaway 4×4 and Scorpio as service vehicles. A doctor along with full medical supplies including oxygen cylinders was also on board. Hari’s father came to flag us off and we all came together to say a prayer before starting our journey. The expedition began with Hari leading the convoy in his Mahindra Legend followed by the rest of us. Each SUV in the convoy was equipped with radios that were used to communicate between the teams and the lead. We would be covering 170 kms to our first stop at Narkanda. An 8 am start meant that we could breeze through the city and the Float vehicle driven by rally champion Sunny Sidhu meant that we could proceed through the toll gates without a bother. As we drove further, the roads deteriorated but nothing could stop the Thar or the Scorpios and we just chugged along dodging everything from people to animals, Hari intimating us before hand of the upcoming obstacles.
After a short snack and tea break we reached our lunch stop in the afternoon at the Wildflower Hall, a beautiful property by the Oberoi Group. It is located at Mashobara on the out skirts of Shimla and is spread over 22 acres. The view of the pine trees all around is just breathtaking and was the perfect setting for lunch. Unfortunately, we had to have lunch in the main dining hall due the sudden rain showers. I had stayed at the Wildflower a few years ago and it was a fantastic experience. We reached Narkanda early evening but before heading to our hotel for the night, the crew decided to take us to Hatu’s peak situated at 11,152 ft. The climb uphill was steep and narrow so 4×4 low came into play. Crawling speeds meant we took a while to get to the top. All the effort was worth it because the view from the top was just beautiful. We also paid our respects at the Hatu temple and enjoyed hot tea and coffee with biscuits admist the chilly weather. We then descended down hill to reach Tethys Ski Resort, our abode for the night. Situated at 10,000 feet, it is surrounded by forests and also offers a view of the Hatu hill. Everyone checked into their respective rooms and got together for an evening around the bonfire with drinks, music and chatter. This was followed by dinner before crashing for the night.
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