The Swine Flu Escape: How a Civil Engineering Student’s "Study Break" Turned into a Life-Changing Trek to Muktinath (Feb 2015)

Hello WroldMappers, Today I want to share my trekking to Muktinath which i had done Back in February 2015.
when I was a third-year Civil Engineering student at MNNIT Allahabad, deep in my internal examination preparation. Suddenly, the college administration dropped a bombshell: due to the Swine Flu outbreak, all exams were postponed, and every student was requested to go back home until further notice.
Instead of heading home, my Nepali friends and I looked at each other and had the exact same thought: Why not go trekking to Muktinath?

The Packing & The Start:
Since we had no idea when the exams would resume, I decided that I would study after the trek. I packed my heavy engineering books, big towels, and all my clothes. They were all crammed into the trekking bag I had bought specifically for this moment. I was ecstatic! That very evening, we boarded a train towards Gorakhpur.

The next morning, we took a bus from Gorakhpur to Pokhara via Butwal. We stayed in Pokhara and hopped on a jeep to Ghandruk. When we arrived in Ghandruk, the locals were absolutely shocked. It was completely off-season, and we were just a bunch of students in improper shoes and inappropriate clothes-completely unprepared for a journey to Muktinath! We had no GPS, no proper camera, just our old mobile phones.

The Struggle Begins:
We were a group of five. Among us was Niraj Das (who was slightly on the heavier side) and Ravi (the ultimate sportsman with the best stamina). The rest of us were normal guys. I had a silly mission in mind: I have to beat Niraj!
We started the trek right after breakfast in Ghandruk. We had planned to stop 5 times a day, but within just 20 minutes, I was completely out of breath! I felt like I couldn't walk anymore. To avoid looking like a disgrace, I silently kept going, only to discover that Niraj wasn't stopping either! When he finally showed signs of tiredness and sat down,we all burst into laughter. We realized we were all dying to rest but no one wanted to admit it!

We kept resting more than we walked. Ravi, being a true sportsman, ran ahead to motivate us by shouting, "Come on guys, it's just downhill from here!" But the road only went uphill, and the downhill never came! I remember feeling so wrecked that I thought I would never go trekking again in my life. My bag was the heaviest because of all the books I was carrying, and it was killing me. Watching Niraj’s exhausted, twisted face when he rested made it even funnier. The first day ended near Tadapani; we were too tired to go higher.

That night, I had a weird dream that I was still walking up the hill. I woke up more tired than when I went to bed!

The Night Trek & Miracles:
On the second day, we headed towards Ghorepani but had to take a different route to Shikha. By 7 PM, we were still walking, and it was pitch black. We had no proper lights, just the weak flashlights on two of our mobile phones. I still get goosebumps thinking about it-we had to walk down a massive cliff in the dark with barely any light! I shudder to think what would have happened if we had fallen. We miraculously found a place to stay.
The next morning, heading towards Shikha, we missed the main trail and walked on a path so rare that few people in the world had likely walked there! Ravi was basically guessing the way. Niraj had completely given up by then, trailing far behind, and in an emotional tone, he yelled, "Go on without me, I'm done!" It felt terrible, but we had to keep going. We eventually found a bus and took it to Tatopani.

The Heavenly Hot Springs:
Our plan was to bathe in the hot springs at Tatopani. At first, the water felt too hot, but after days of trekking on aching bodies, it was pure heaven! I never wanted to get out. It gave us so much relief that I simply cannot describe it in words.

Jomsom & The Feast:
Next, we headed to Jomsom. We stayed at the famous hotel run by Kandel, who had married a local woman. We ate so much rice there that I think I ate the biggest bowl of rice of my entire life that night!
The next morning, we planned to walk all the way to Muktinath, but we managed to catch a jeep to Kagbeni and then walked the rest. The landscape on the way to Muktinath was absolutely breathtaking. It looked like a beautiful painting created by a master artist.

After the darshan at Muktinath, we started the descent. We found a shop and ate the most delicious apples I have ever tasted. Returning down the trail, it was already dark again, and we faced the same light problem. Niraj had stayed behind in Jomsom and was waiting for us. Ravi was in pain and completely silent. At a river bend, we got confused about which way to go-left or right. Our phones had no signal. We eventually had to ask a local for directions to call Niraj and tell him we were okay.

The Return:
On the final day, we made our way back to Pokhara, visited the city, and then parted ways to go back to our respective homes, completely exhausted but filled with unforgettable memories.

Looking back now, that impulsive decision to escape the Swine Flu lockdown turned out to be one of the greatest and most challenging adventures of my life. We had no proper gear, no plans, and way too many books in our bags, but we had a will to walk, a lot of laughter, and the majestic Himalayas waiting for us.
If you ever get the chance, do visit Muktinath. The journey is challenging, but the view is absolutely worth the pain!
[//]:# (!worldmappin -86.89440 lat -5.62500 long d3scr)