The Shipton-Tilman series continues!” remarked a fellow trekker alluding to the virginal terrain and testing trails the great explorers had encountered. We were trudging up the steep path to Kobri top. Climbing from 2,000m the previous day we were now touching close to 4,000m. The ascent was punishing on the legs, yet awe-inducing in the sheer scale and density of the surrounding wilderness. From  amidst tall cedars, gnarled oaks and fragrant fir emanated euphonic bird song, and the possibility of wildlife sightings at every bend. Our trespass felt even more offbeat as we were the only trekkers on the trail—a group of six with a vast support crew in tow!

Above 3,500m, trees gave way to rolling meadows  with a variety of flowers. And still higher was the realm of rock, ice and strong winds where the elusive snow leopard kept an eye out for ‘blue sheep’, while raptors circled above. The wooded expanse of the Tirthan valley below, the lofty peaks standing guard all around, and the steep, almost 1,000m drop to the river below were the highlights of our eight-day cross-valley trek in the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP).

Formed at the turn of the millennium, the GHNP lies high in the remote recesses of Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district and is no ordinary wilderness. The park is one of the few remaining protected areas in the western Himalayas and represents many distinct plants and animals, some found nowhere else in the world. Six of the seven Himalayan pheasants can be spotted in this park alone. The highly endangered Western tragopan is the park’s symbol. Hemmed in on three sides by towering peaks and impassable ridges, the GHNP is a naturally protected biodiversity hotspot ideal for some great wildlife sightings. The park has spectacular bird life, with almost 68 resident and 50 migrant species being sighted here. Four major rivers—the Tirthan, Sainj, Jiwa nala and the Parbati— originate here and many beautiful trails lie within. The scenic beauty of the park is a complement to its biological richness.

I am no garden person. In fact, picture perfect settings tend to leave me cold. But give me a mountain wilderness speckled with blooms and I am almost reduced to putty. You could say I am snobbish but I think I am just plain spoilt. Spoilt by places aloof and wild and virginal, where nature wields a magic wand with no particular order, yet displays an uncanny method in all the riotous madness!

Walking through the vast expanse of the four-kilometre-long Dhel meadow was one such magical experience on our trek. Crossing over from the Rakhondi ridge, the vast spread of the meadows almost instantly wrapped us in their fold. Dwarf rhododendron shrubs gave way to fields of flowers —cocky white and purple anemones, dramatic green fritillaries, their beanpole stems topped by showy, bell-like flowers alongside dashes of virulent petunias. The path itself was a welcoming walkway of flowers but the vast expanse of the meadow called for further exploration and we dived in to discover a greater hand at play. Bright purple primulas fought for space with yellow marsh marigolds among several other exotic flowers—and this was not even the prime flowering season. The lower forests too held unspeakable secrets in the dense undergrowth. The hypnotic veil of the cobra-like arisaema with zigzagged snakeskin hood, which folds back on itself and throws out an entrail much like a sting is every bit the quixotic cobra lily. The mid-altitudinal range threw up exotic fern fronds and fields of irises under canopies of spreading horse chestnuts while the higher-up alpine region lay encased with dense cushions of alpine herbs and junipers. The sub-alpine zone of birch, stunted fir and rhododendron bushes just about capped an enriching forest experience. A quaint wilderness that is best left as untouched as found.