Written by: Ushna Khan
Posted on: April 22, 2020 | 
| 中文
Spinkhaur Lake (photo credits to Farooq Umer Seeru on instaram)
If you are thinking of taking a break from the hustle and bustle of city life and want to escape to the sanctuaries of the north, Kalam is a terrific option. Kalam is a popular tourist destination close to Swat, where you can find the serenity you seek. And the Spinkhor Lake located in Ladu village is an idyllic destination. Hidden within the valley, Spinkhor Lake is a majestic beauty that sits amongst green mountains at an altitude of 3190m. By a stroke of luck, I happened to visit this relatively underrated lake with my friends in the fall of 2018. To date, the journey remains vividly etched in my memory.
We left Lahore on Thursday night, and travelled via GT road towards Swat. On the way, we stopped at Mardan for a quick breakfast at Pamir Hotel, and moved towards the town of Bahrain. Dark clouds started covering the sky and even though we sped on, rain soon poured, forcing us to halt for a while. We had our lunch at a riverside restaurant called Hotel Pilot; I am not sure if it was the weather or the view, but I have never enjoyed “alu gosht ka salan (meat and potato curry)” more in my life.
The Town of Bahrain (photo credits to the Karakoram Club)
Forgetting to check the weather forecast was a grave mistake as rain slowed us down. By the time we reached Ladu, about 19 km ahead of Kalam, the sun was setting. Our jeep drivers awaited us; we had booked beforehand as the coaster could not go further on the dirt track. I was personally glad to see nothing but the darkness, because it obscured the perilous path we drove through for 1.5 hours.
By 8pm we made it to our campsite, which had been shifted to the remains of an old hotel, now that our original campsite was soaking in rain water. There was plenty of wood available and our kind porters helped us light a bonfire while we ate the canned food we had brought along.
The Campsite at the Abandoned Hotel (photo credits to the writer)
Clear blue skies greeted us the next morning as we woke up at 7am, to change into our hiking gear and head forward. Even though it was a September morning, the weather was quite chilly, and I packed my beanie, gloves and waterproof jacket into my bag. As our guide, Zahid Bhai, started walking towards the foot of the hills to our east, we all naturally fell into a queue and trekked for the next 4 hours.
For about 30 minutes, the path went across a plain but rocky field, and we could easily keep up with him at a brisk pace. It was only when the trek became uphill that we struggled to follow. The first 20 minutes were probably the toughest, as we trekked up a steep hill covered by alpine trees. Breathing heavily, we moved forwards until our legs became accustomed to the routine, and our heartbeats calmed down. Once we got used to this rhythm of climbing, the trek ahead was absolutely beautiful, mainly due to the constantly changing terrain. The valley was quiet and calm, as if time had paused. The only sound we heard was of our own footsteps.
Treking to the Lake (photo credits to the writer)
As we moved higher, the rain from previous days had made the soil wet and the slopes had become slippery; we struggled and helped each other with the climb. Moving higher, there was a film of snow covering the shrubs and grass. I was only getting accustomed to the ethereal layer of white, when the landscape changed once again, and there were boulders which we had to climb and jump across. After that, there was another hour-long climb through rolling meadows, till we finally descended to the lake itself.
From the top of the hill, Spinkhor looked like an emerald nestled right in the heart of the valley, as it dipped to make room for this beautiful body of water. I remember sitting on a rock, dipping my toes into the ice-cold glacial waters and gazing across the snowcapped landscape surrounding us.
The Green Lake and Snow-Capped Mountain
None of us wanted to move, but after spending an hour, we hurried back to reach our campsite before sunset. Our guide had bought vegetables and meat in Kalam, and at night we feasted on Chicken Karahi (curry). As we huddled around the bonfire that night, the locals joined us, and we spent a long time chatting. They told us about the other lakes in the Kalam valley like Kharkari Lake and Kandol Lake, which are along the same path as Spinkhor.
Ladu Village (photo credits to the Karakoram Club)
Our weekend at the Ladu village gave us many memories to cherish and stories to tell, and the farewell was heart wrenching. But we returned home knowing that, after experiencing the splendid beauty of the Kalam Valley, we would soon revisit to trek to another of the mighty lakes.
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