Travel junkie goes up north.

The year 2014 will always be special to me as it blessed me with a treasure of memories. My favorite one, without a doubt, is my trip to the northern areas of my country -which are also known as "the untouched paradise of Pakistan". Our journey started with a 32-hour train ride from Karachi to Lahore, which took longer than usual as we had chosen the cheapest tickets available. After bearing the torturously dry and hot winds of the deserts of Sindh at 42 degree Celsius, we finally reached Lahore and then took a bus to Islamabad, from where the journey began. The most pleasant memory, that still brings a smile to my face, is perhaps the first glance of the snow covered mountains of Naran. Coming from such a hot and dry climate this seemed to brighten up all our tired faces. After touring around we finally came to our hotels and disparted for a good night's sleep for the next morning held the greatest expedition of my life.This was the 5 hour long trek to Lake Saif ul Muluk, located in Kaghan Valley. As it had snowed a few days ago, there were no clear paths to get to the lake by the jeeps, like it is usually done. Hence we had to quickly get in gear and prepare for the unpredictable turns and edges of the trails. It was almost 2 degrees and we being karachiites (residents of Karachi) were shivering with cold. The lake is located at an elevation of 3,224 metres and the scariest part for us was to cross the enormous glacier on our way. This was the point where a few of my friends started screaming and many people turned back. I on the other hand, was determined to cross the glacier albeit with tears streaming down my face. Our tour guide even offered to carry me on his back, as the path was at the edge of the glacier and was only wide enough to place one foot at a time, while also being covered with slippery ice. I profusely refused the offer and went on, striking my ankles at each step, in order to prevent falling. A lot of people had started crying and saying prayers by this time, while the rest tried to protest to go back. But in the end we unanimously decided to continue. I have to admit reaching the lake gave me such a sense of accomplishment that I had never experienced before. This experience taught me how to overcome my greatest fears, and while I was enjoying the feeling, we were told it was time to go back as it would snow any minute now. Hence we rushed back to the ground, taking slides on the glaciers which brought a smile to everyone's faces.