Heavy Snowfall in Shangarh & Tree Camping - The Narnia of Sainj Valley

Have you watched the movie Narnia? If you have, then you get the reference. But if you haven’t, then you better Google the photos and you will understand it. Though Narnia is a fantasy and doesn’t exist, Shangarh looked more than that. The day I arrived in Shangarh, the village experienced heavy snowfall. It almost felt like a winter storm which I had previously only seen in Hollywood movies. Nothing of that sort in India! That heavy snowfall in Shangarh was the first of my life; though I had experienced snowfall in Nashala a couple of days before I arrived in Shangarh.

There were no lions like Narnia. But the giant trees were white. The mountains were white. Everything was white. I started to walk towards my destination and the snow started to paint me white. I was turning white, my hair, my eyebrows, my beards, shoulders, bag, everything where the snow could settle. That was something I had been longing for… This was my fourth trip but my first snowfall experience in Shangarh.

Though it had started to snow before my arrival. I was in the cab heading to the village and that’s when I got to know that it was snowing. I got super excited. One Shangarh is my favorite destination, second, it was snowing, and third, it was snowing in my favorite destination. I felt Shangarh welcomed me with heavy snowfall. I had the ‘snow-crown’ all over me. And that was the best welcome I received. Wonderful! Right?

Walking Through the Heavy Snowfall in Shangarh

At first, I used an umbrella to avoid getting into the snow. But then I realized it wasn’t the best idea. So I packed it back and walked openly on the road, the kind of thing which had gotten a snow cushion. Every step I was taking felt so soft. Though I hadn’t decided where I would stay, I was thinking of heading to TreeStays. Every path that I had known or walked over, the heavy snowfall had covered it, leaving a lot of confusion and mess. It was hard to navigate across in such a condition.

The snow didn’t look like it wasn’t gonna stop anytime soon. So, I quickly started moving around, taking the trail and faint footsteps, hard to tell if those were of an animal or human being. People were inside their homes and weren’t planning to move out in this heavy snowfall of Shangarh. It wasn’t the first day of the snow though, it was probably the last. It was the first week of March and the last snow of the season. It had snowed a lot before, continuously, since January, and February is the peak month of snowfall in Shangarh and Sainj Valley

I had a laptop in my backpack and a mirrorless camera. Though the backpack was water resistant, I was still a little concerned. Moreover, my jacket was all wet and dripping. My boots were all wet and drenched and I had no extra pair of boots with me. I did have an extra pair of socks but I need extra boots. It was cold on the bus. Passing through several trails and trying to figure out which way to follow, I got lost at some turns and that consumed some extra time. Also, I took a long way which wasn’t a good idea but I couldn’t figure it out since everything was snow-covered.

And when I got injured in the snow

I was just walking in the snow, trying to find the path. At one place, I thought that that must be the way to the other side. I reached over there, took a step ahead, and damnnnn… I was four feet down in the snow. I was sweating badly so I didn’t feel the pain. I somehow managed to come out of the dig, carried myself again, and started walking. Then I again saw some footsteps and followed them to reach a safer place.

After a lot of struggling and roaming around in the snow, I made it to TreeStays. I met Viju bhaiya and asked him for a tent. After putting my luggage inside, I came out and sat close to the bonfire area. That was when someone told me that I was injured. I had blood over my face. I took out my phone, turned on the front camera, and checked. Yes, I had blood on my face. Later, I found out that I didn’t have any scars on my face but the blood came from the wound I had on my hand. I must have tried to wipe out the sweat on my face and that’s how I have got blood there. I took off my boots and put them closer to the fire hoping that the fire would dry them. I somehow looked at the lower back of my left leg and found a huge wound on it. It was large, almost 15 cm.

The heavy snowfall in Shangarh cost me a lot. I didn’t realize if I was injured and I didn’t even feel the pain. After sitting around the bonfire for a while, I again set my foot on the snow. I was hungry and headed to Cafe Stories n More. This time, I took the easy way, the motorable way. Though it was slippery, it was better than the one I took. I sat there, sipped coffee, and munched on some snacks and maggie. Some good music, thick snowfall, Butter & Fly… It had started to get darker and also the snow wasn’t in a mood to stop. I made up my mind to go back to TreeStays. There are no street lights in Shangarh. So, at night you are on your own. Get yourself a torch!

Walking in the snow at night is again a risky affair. One, there is not enough light. Second, you never know if you’re gonna fall or walk. And that too in such treacherous paths of Shangarh! There is beauty everywhere, no doubt. But the heavy snowfall in Shangarh is a dangerous beauty. The roads get blocked so it gets cut off from Sainj for some time. It snowed the whole night. I could hear the snow falling on my tent. At times, the snow from the trees over the tent would fall so hard and loud that it almost felt like thundering.

Tree camping in heavy snowfall in Shangarh was a unique experience. I wanted to do normal camping also but time didn’t allow me. I had to come back to Delhi and that was the end of my ten days long trip to Himachal Pradesh. The next morning was such a beauty. The sun had come out and the warmth had spread everywhere. It stopped snowing but the snow from the trees had started to melt off. So, it gave a similar illusion as if it were snowing.