Pir Sohawa to Loh-i-Dandi Trek, Islamabad

Total Distance: 6.4 kilometers Estimated time (Both ways): 3:45 hours
(Coordinates: 33 46' 07" North, 73 07' 19" East)

(Shaikh Muhammad Ali)

3D Google Map of the Trek: Elevation 3,712 - 2,865 Feet

The reason why I climb mountains is not an issue of geography. I am of the two worlds wherever I go and this is why I am so anxious to return to the mountains; sometimes to work through some of the conflicts churning within me.Shaikh Muhammed Ali
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Overview:
On the 15th of October 2011, being a Saturday; I took my family to Pir Sohawa in the Margalla Hills for sight-seeing and enjoying the mountain chill in the October weather. We ended up having lunch there. It was the first time that we noticed a small board which seems to have recently been erected by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) which mentioned a new trek from Pir Sohawa to Loh-iDandi.

(The trek from Pir Sohawa to Loh-i-Dandi) This gave me another reason to come visit this spot again and attempt the hike. Come the 22nd of October, 2011; Adil and myself decided to attempt this hike. Although I invited other colleagues i.e. Hassan Nasir Zaidi, Syed Wasim Hashmi, Awais Ahmed and Anees Sadozai but they all were preoccupied and thus Adil and I after saying our Fajr prayers around 5:45 a.m. and a quick breakfast set forth to this escapade. We passed through scenic views in the Margalla Hills while trying to capture them through the eye of my camera.

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(Panoramic view of the Shah Faisal Mosque from the Margalla Hills) Around 6:30 a.m. after passing the Islamabad zoo we had reached the Banyan Shade, a view point at an elevation of 3,300 feet at 6:56 a.m. and stopped to capture this view too.

(Adil posing at the Banyan Shade) At 7:04 a.m. we were on top of Talhar village and paused here too to take a picture.

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(A top view of Talhar village from Margalla Hills) By 7:10 a.m. we were at the starting point of the trek and after talking this picture started the trek precisely at 7:15 a.m.

(Adil and I at the starting point of the trek) Before attempting this hike, I had checked the weather forecast in the previous evening and the weather was predicted to be cloudy but since we had already made up our mind, we recited the Kalima and off we went. At the initial stages the trek was well laid out but as usual being a mountain terrain; the trek had changed pattern due to small landslides on the way.

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(We passed through this beautiful spot at 7:30 a.m.) By 8:00 a.m. we reached a spot which seemed like a dead end. On our left was a straight cliff which was almost impossible to attempt while on the right there was a steep fall. The only way forward was to go straight but it was descending too fast but seemed to be our only choice. My hunches told me to keep treading this path and within half hour with much difficulty we reached a pass between a rock and a hard place and the trek became visible again. We paused here to take a quick stop and had water around 8:29 a.m.

(We were here by 8:29 a.m. Rock and Banyan Vines)

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Around 8:40 a.m. we reached the point where there was a sign to take off our shoes since we were about to descend towards the cave of Loh-i-Dandi where Bari Imam spent 12 years in meditation and praying to God.

(On top of the cave of Loh-i-Dandi with Islamabad in the back drop) From this spot we descended towards the cave where Adil wanted to go for the last two years. We both went inside the cave one by one since the mouth of the cave is unusually small and it takes a lot of guts to get inside it due to the myths and legend surrounding the cave. We could see this view from this top although did not descend to the Langar Khana.

(The Langar Khana at Loh-i-Dandi)

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(Adil coming out of the cave) If Adils mother was here, she probably would have never allowed him to venture inside this cave but men being men, they always do what they got to do. LOL! Adil was overjoyed to visit this cave and was taken by its intrigue and splendor. We almost spent 20 minutes here before we decided to return.

(Adil posing next to the mouth of the cave)

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The trek on the way back was arduous and a tough call but since our car was parked at Pir Sohawa, we had no choice but to return there. We just stopped between the Vines and the Rock area for some snacks. To add fuel to fire, it started drizzling as soon as we started to return and were on the tough steep patch. We tried as fast as we could to get out of this area since it was not just steep but the soil was loose too and with rain adding to this landscape would have been disastrous at this juncture. It took us around 1:45 hours to get back to the starting point where we reached exhausted while piercing through chilly winds and a constant drizzle. We finally reached this spot at 10:40 a.m.

We took some more pictures of markers around us while enjoying the light drizzle.

(This particular spot is at an altitude of 4,000 feet in the Margalla Hills)

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I did not know that the Daman-e-Koh was 11 kms from here while the Marghazar or Islamabad zoo was at a distance of 15 kms from here.

(A new marker erected by CDA) The entire expedition took us around 3:45 hours i.e. 6.4 kilometers but we both took this in our stride and enjoyed the hike thoroughly. Good that we attempted this trek in October since it would get much chillier in November with scattered rain and making the hike much more difficult. On the way back we looked for a Chai Paratha breakfast but it had started raining and most of the Dhabas were closed and thus we finally ended up having breakfast at home. Nothing can beat the parathas made by Adils mother!

The Wandering Dervish

Shaikh Muhammed Ali

E-mail: dushkashaikh@gmail.com Cell: +00-92-321-5072996 th November 2011, 06:55 p.m. (PST) 13

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