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Getting lost amidst the flora of Dzukou Valley, literally!
In the far northeast of India, the sun rises early, very early, even during the coldest days of December when the days are supposed to be short. It was 2017 and Instagram was still short of visuals from Dzukou. At around 4 am, I was already out of my tent and ready to head to Dzukou Valley. I hadn’t researched enough to include Dzukou in my four-day itinerary. I had arrived in Kohima via Manipur only a day earlier to watch the Hornbill Festival.
My trip to Kohima started from Korba in Chhattisgarh where I was working back then. I had taken four leaves and planned a tight trip, zipping two train journeys to reach Howrah and then a flight, that landed me at Imphal. I spent two days in Manipur and proceeded towards Kohima on the third.
To enter Nagaland we require an Inner Line Permit, available online on the state portal. I got the permit easily two weeks before the journey. With all things set, I was ready to visit Nagaland. I bought a bus ticket for a journey from Imphal to Kohima. Kisama village, the venue of the Hornbill festival, was just 20 km from the Manipur-Nagaland border. Kisama village is 12 km from Kohima, so we reached there much before entering Kohima. The day was spent photographing the Hornbill Festival.
The revelation of new information at the camp set me towards Dzukou. My backpacker and hitchhiker soul told me to find adventure. It was this adventurous spirit that was going to cost me a lot later. Another major problem was that I wasn't carrying enough food and water. I knew that I wouldn’t find any shops on the trail. But I was staying at a camp on a hillock in Kisama village. There were no shops around, and at the base too, shops were not open at 4am.
So there I was, early in the morning, trying to hitchhike to the far end of Kohima city. I walked until a nice lady, probably being driven from Dimapur in a cab, decided to give me a lift. Sadly, her journey ended after a kilometre. But the cab driver agreed to drop me at the trekking point for Rs 800. On a whim, I decided I wouldn't pay for the ride, as it would kill all the buzz I had about hitchhiking in Nagaland. So, I decided to check the cab ride and proceed towards the Dzukou trek point on foot.
It was 6.30 am when I reached the Zakhama trek point. There, I met a guy from Bangalore who had arrived at the trek point on his bike. I could not keep pace with his speed. I had already walked about three or four km on foot at 1,600 m. I know it was not much but it took my breath away, especially since I have spent so much time in the plains. At the stairs, I met guys from Germany. But soon, they too disappeared, as I trailed behind photographing and observing the dense forest covered in frost.
Soon I started to feel tired and hungry. I remembered how yesterday, I was not keen on having rice with pork curry for dinner at the camp. I had already eaten the same in the afternoon and wanted to avoid the rice. However, another traveller advised me to eat rice as it would give me the energy necessary for today's trek. I took his suggestion and had the rice. It was my last meal, at 8 pm, and now it was 8 am. I haven't had anything since I started my expedition. Though I did have two packets of biscuits, I wanted to save them for later. Low on energy, I was trekking slowly. But I was really excited and distracted by the diverse flora around me.
I was sure that I would see the valley soon. But things didn't turn out that way. By 8.30 am, I reached a dried-up stream, laden with boulders. At this point, the trail disappeared. I looked around to figure out if there were any faint trails nearby. The bushes were thick and deep, and no trails were visible. I thought I took the wrong trail and went back to realise that there were no diversions anywhere. This is when I realised: I could be lost. There were no signs hunting in the right direction, not even any plastic trails.
It already sounded crazy in my head, but unfortunately, I got into more misadventures. I decided to climb up the boulders of the rapid and find out if I could figure anything out once on top. The climb took a considerable amount of energy and time. I reached the point where the boulders ended. However, all I could see around me was a dense forest.
Thankfully, the GPS on my phone was working, and I could see where I was in the middle of the forest. But it did not show any trails or routes nearby. I was receiving signals on my Airtel sim too. I texted some friends and told them that I was in this amusing situation. While they got worried about my whereabouts, I assured them that I knew my way back. Though in my mind, I did want to proceed ahead.
Having realised that it was not a good idea to go through boulders, I decided to climb down. But sometimes, it’s easier to climb up than to get down. Making small steps, protecting myself from slipping on the rubble, I tried my best to crawl down safely, taking breaks for biscuits and water. By noon, I was where I had started.
It was then that I had to decide whether to continue looking for the trail or head back to Kohima. Proceeding towards Dzukou would have meant spending another hour or so climbing, and four more hours to return. Time was not on my side. The sun sets by 4.30 pm, and it gets pitch dark by 4.45 pm. It would have been a nightmare to make my way back through this dense forest infested with all kinds of reptiles. So I decided to return.
It was sad that I could not see Dzukou despite being a few km away. But it was the most sensible decision that I had made in the entire day. Much closer towards the end, the guy from Bangalore was making his way back after having seen the valley and spent a few minutes there. He told me that the trail was just across the dried course of the waterfall, and it took him about an hour from there. I had already consoled myself on my failed trek, planning to return to Dzukou later with a better plan.
Back at the camp, I told my story to my fellow travellers, and they concluded that it was all fine if we ended up having the adventure. Yes, I did have an adventure but lacked a sense of accomplishment.
I did accomplish trekking to Dzukou valley, two years later.
In 2016, my friend Bala and I realised that we like travelling together, and I proposed the idea of seeing Nagaland together. Though Bala did not remember it, not having taken our conversation seriously back then. This wish of mine too came to reality, after this trip. I completed the trek with Bala. We took the trail from Visvema. This route is through an even denser forest with multiple rapids. However, having friends by your side keeps your spirits high.
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