Today is your first day of Trekking  starts from Taluka, a village 12 km away from Sankri.  There are shared vehicles from Sankri to Taluka.Taluka is a small village with concrete houses. There are a couple of dhabas where the food is very basic.  You may find intermittent Bsnl/Vodaphone network here – if you are lucky. The trek starts from the wall adjoining the forest office. It is the very same trail used by the villagers of Osla, Gangaad and connects to the trail of the famous Har Ki Dun trek. The trail hugs along the river valley of Thamsa. The river stays on your left while fields are on your right.  A kilometre into this level walk along the river, you enter a mixed forest of Chirgoza Pine, Maple, Horse Chestnut. 
After 3 kms of walking along, you will come across a concrete bridge. Once you cross over this bridge, you enter the clearing known as Bhida Ka Thatch. From here,  take an upward right turn to reach Dhatmeer village. The climb to Dhatmeer is on steep but properly paved trail. you will be surprised to see that all the gates are closed during day time! All the villagers work or have their properties at Taluka and they only return by night. While crossing the village, spot a small temple dedicated to Lord Someshwar. After Four kilometres walking along this trail, you will find a small temple with four natural water sources flowing in front. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. You have entered the village of Dharkot is a tiny pristine village . Almost all the families are from neighbouring village Gangaad. They grow their crops here. These villagers usually to Gangaad during winter as the snow deposit is much greater here. Stay the night at Dharkot in one of the homestays.

From Dharkot, the trail will ascend southeast towards Batgoera  the full panoramic view of Dharkot village. Continue along the trail as it enters into the forest interspersed with multiple clearings while walking into the trail. Some of the clearings are private farms. There are plenty of water sources along the way. Though the trail is mostly clear, it may pose a challenge after monsoon because of huge vegetation. During autumn, the vivid colours of leaves will fill your eyes with astonishment. Ensure that you follow the trail keeping the view of snow-capped peaks in the front. There may be some Shepherd huts on the way which make you wonder how these people survive in these locations. There are multiple stream crossings on the trail. On one of the streams, there is a wooden bridge to cross over.Finally we arrived at Batgoera a huge clearing in the middle of the forest. This is the grazing ground of cattles and also the camping ground of Shepherds aka Gurjars. It is almost 200 metre wide and around 400 metres in length with an exquisite view of snow laden mountains all round. The top of HKD and Hata peak are visible on the north eastern end of this clearing. Proper water source is available.

The sun rise from the Hata peak. The trek today will take you above the treeline with stunning alpine settings all the way to Rashi. From the campsite, you enter into a forest composed mostly of Abies Pindrow. The trail remains flat for most part as it weaves through the jungle. walking a few kilometer in the jungle, you will come across a clearing with a single tree at it’s center. The tree is a wild Jambul the most loved by Himalayan bears. This is an ideal place to rest. The forest walk continues till the trail meets it’s end at a river crossing. This river is about 14 metres wide and doesn’t pose any challenge for crossing.  Climb out from the river to reach the treeline, There are high chances of getting lost as the way is east uphill but it is not possible to climb the wall at this point. Follow a trail towards Bhitri Gadi where there are a couple of big rocks. These rocks are seen from the river. when you reaching the big rock, climb uphill towards north, following the only available water stream. It’s a steep climb of 100 meters but also rewarding. The new landscape greets you at top Rashi.  The campsite is about 500 metres downhill from this point. From the campsite, on your west, witness the sun setting on the ranges of Himachal Pradesh. On your left will be the valley of Bhitri Gadi and behind you, will be the mighty mountains. Batgoera campsite is below you, shaped like an arrow on the hill. This will be the coldest campsite of all. The night temperature might dip well below zero at night. It is imperative to layer up immediately after reaching the campsite. The water source can be found in stone structure made by shepherds.

Today trek begins with an upward climb towards north east. It continues on a grassy slope and reaches a boulder section.  After you cross the boulder section, the walk begins along the ridge. The ridge walk continues for a kilometre after which you reach a high point called Rashi Top.  From here, you will get a panoramic view of the Har ki Dun Valley with the Osla village underneath. Spot the ranges of Himachal behind the valley. On the other side, you get a downward view of steep valley. The descent from Rashi Top is the scariest part of the trek. It’s a vertical descent with bounders and occasional grassy patches. The gradient is almost 65 degrees Snow will pose a great difficulty on this stretch. Proper steps will have to be made before keeping the feet down. In this section, you will be descending and then ascending on several occasions. After reaching the 4th gully, there will be the final ascent to reach another high point name Swargaronini View Point. From here, peaks like Swargarohini, Har Ki Dun, Hata, Kedarkantha and the ranges on Chanshal, Bharadsar, are visible. Towards the south east lies the Maldaru base camp.

The trek walks through a flat path meandering through a water stream initially. The last one kilometre goes through rocks and boulders. Even between the rocks, the trail is properly paved and quite easy to undertake. One can feel the thinning of air. At the neck of the mountain, you will be surprised to find bed of Brahmakamals during autumn. They are in such huge number that for a moment you will not believe your eyes. The Maldaru lake as a form of a goddess.  The water is crystal clear and takes on a shade of blue under clear sky. If you happen to climb to the shoulders of one of these, you will see the Swargarohini and other Gangotri ranges. It is very cold at this place,  so jackets are a must. After spending a few hours here,  descend through the same trail to your campsite.  Wind up your campsite to leave for a long descent. Journey from here is a long, continuous descent but highly rewarding. The jungle is on full bloom during spring  In autumn, you will observe the vivid colors of dry leaves.  The forest is full of Silver Birches, Abies Pindrow, Maple, Oak. We spotted a lot of Monals, Woodpeckers on the way. After descending half way through, the Osla village is front of you. Once you  reach base of this trail,  At Seema, there is  a big suspension iron bridge from where you can see the ancient Osla village. Make sure you take pictures! It is about 2 kms from Seema bridge to Chilurgaad. 

The last day of trek and the easiest one. The trail will go along the existing Har Ki Dun trail. This is flat trail with Thamsa river flowing along. Be ready to cross paths with friendly villagers. Greet them with a ‘Namaste’ and they will surely ask you to come to their homes for tea. The trail will be covered with colourful trees such as Spruce, Pine, Abies Pindrow, Seabuckthorn. You will also come across another ancient village called Gangaad.  The trail ends at Taluka where you will be again taken back to Sankri.

The official ending to your mesmerising Maldaru trekking. As you travel on the same path from Sankri to Dehradun, the excitement at the start of the journey finds a way to settle down with a set of unforgettable memories as you head back to home.