Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, May 17: After successfully organizing the popular Dalhousie – Chamba, Dharamshalla and Kullu-Manali Himalayan Trekking Programmes in Himachal Pradesh, the Tawi Trekkers J&K, is organizing ‘J&K Himalayan Trekking Programme’ from June 1.
About 1000 boys and girls in the age group of 10 to 14 years are expected to participate in the programme, which will be held under the chairmanship of Anil Goswami, Joint Secretary, Department of Home Affairs, Government of India.
The programme is being organized in the beautiful Moungri area of Udhampur district, north of the Trikuta hills, with the base camp at Youth Hostel Moungri.
The budding trekkers shall trek 5 kilometers to the sacred Shiv Parvati cave, where a fair is organized every year during May. The real trek will begin on the next day when the trekkers would enjoy the 12 km trek through calm and cool pines to reach the elegant undulating Saroli meadow. Situated at an altitude of 8120 ft the place commands a panoramic view of the Pir Panchal range in the North and North-West, Udhampur in the East and Jammu in the South. The trekkers would be imparted training in the art of rock climbing. The trekkers would also have interactions with the people to learn about the local culture and fauna and flora of the area.
The purpose of the programme is to provide a platform for young boys and girls to get a feel of outdoor life by offering them a low budget, besides inculcating spirit of adventure and love of nature in them, apart from promoting tourism. The programme will be organized in cooperation with the J&K Tourism Department, J&K State Sports Council, Mountaineering Association of J&K, Ibex Adventure Club, Samba, J&K Mountaineering & Allied Sports Club and Snow Trail Mountaineers, Jammu.
Everester Ram Singh, would head the Task Force Committee as the Field Director while Shawetica Khajuria, Sonam Sidharth and Nikhil Kumar will be the camp leaders. Ram Khajuria, General Secretary of Tawi Trekkers J&K is the Organising Secretary of the programme.