 Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 29: Continuing its momentum towards conduct of series of 1-day treks Tawi Trekkers J&K, one of the most active trekking clubs in the country, organized a reconnaissance trek from Mantalai to Naina Devi temple. The group of 14 trekkers was led by a senior member Sushil Singh and included Advisor of the club Ram Khajuria; President, Shawetica Khajuria; Patron of District Mountaineering Association, Jammu Vivek Chauhan; Executive editor, Sportsline, Sanjiv Sharma; mountaineers Shashi Kant Sharma & Shilpa Charak; senior members Navneet Gupta, Seema Kharyal, Binderpal Singh, Anu Sharma, besides Akash Deep Sharma, Ajay Thappa, 12 years old Eshani Singh and 4 years old Aadheesh Sharma.
Starting the 5 km trek from Mantalai, about 55 kms from Udhampur, the trekkers enjoyed beautiful panoramic views of the sacred Sudhmahadev and Mantalai areas while ascending the bridle trail. The trekkers were awestruck by the beauty of nature when they suddenly entered a dense and dark forest which continued for about 2 kms. The trekkers were in for another pleasant surprise when a sprawling meadow appeared before them on reaching the top point of the trek, a tranquil place surrounded by lush green deodar forest at an altitude of 7200ft. It was an ideal camping place with tap water and a community hall. After having darshan of Naina Devi Deity the trekkers had a well deserved rest and the much needed heavy refreshment. The trekkers adopted a short but very steep route in the dense forest on their return trek to Mantalai.
It is pertinent to mention here that this trek was a part of the exhaustive reconnaissance being carried out by the club to explore the possibilities of making Jammu region an all weather hub of soft adventure activities like adventure camps/ picnics and short heritage treks. |
