The first overnight trek I took was at the age of 12, in May 1969. Five of my classmates at Woodstock School and I decided to hike down to the Aglar River. It was a long weekend, so we headed off on Friday from the top of the hill in Landour. After a steep descent of about 7 km and 1,200 m in altitude, we pitched our tents in a fallow field next to a small footbridge. Saturday was spent swimming in the river, trying to catch rock lizards and eating peanut butter sandwiches and chocolate bars.
India
From The Latest Issue: Footnotes From The Himalaya
Fifty years of trekking reveal the Himalaya as a living archive of memory, myth, landscape, and transformation through time
Stephen Alter
1 July 2026
Misty forests blanket the hills of Mussoorie and Landour Photo: Shutterstock
Misty forests blanket the hills of Mussoorie and Landour Photo: Shutterstock
CLOSE