KAGHAN: THE UNSEEN RHAPSODY – Last PART
There was also a group of four friends from Lahore who had just been back from the lake with booty of four golden trout that they have managed to catch despite strict laws against fishing. I had my supper made out of dried meat that I provided to the local cook. The night turned out to be the coldest of all nights that I have encountered in my years of travelling. I had camped at a distance from the hamlet. I was first offered a blanket from the hotel owner but I declined.
The temperatures dropped with each passing minute and a dense fog started to settle over the area. I kept fighting the cold in my sleeping bag but soon gave up and sheepishly asked for the blanket that I was offered earlier, although much to my disappointment – it barely helped. The next morning I woke up to find that the blanket was completely soaked with the moisture that has somehow managed to sneak into my tent. My breakfast was a chocolate chip cookie that I washed down with a hot cup of tea before I and mussadiq took off to our final hike to Dodipit. I dumped most of my baggage inside the tent and carried over only the camera and the binoculars.
The valley often echoed with the hoot of the golden marmet which is found in abundance in the valley. The only source of food that it probably relied on was the trout from the Dodipit. I starred at it in envy for all the delicious food that it cherishes everyday and that too with several courses.
We reached Dodipit in about two hours. It was like falling in love at first sight. Although it was the end of June but most of the lake was frozen and only at the discharge end there was water flowing from down below the ice. Dodipit, undoubtedly, is the most magnificent jewel in the crown of Kaghan valley. I sat there for almost an hour trying to absorb the silence all around it and engraving the invaluable sights and sounds in my memory. It was most definitely an arduous task to reach the lake but it surely was worth every step taken towards it.
……….The End………..