MY TRIP TO FAIRY MEADOWS
I packed, unpacked, repacked, and unpacked again. Then I packed one more time and got it right. Last year, my sister told me she was going on a northern university trip. I couldn’t let her go alone, not just because I care about her safety (hehe), but because it sounded amazing. She was originally heading to Kashmir, which is beautiful, but I convinced her to change plans and register for Fairy Meadows instead. I was completely obsessed with this decision.
The bus ride to Islamabad was full of strangers. My sister and I only had each other, which felt isolating at first. The first few hours dragged by scrolling through phones, watching series, staring out windows. When boredom really set in, I complained to my sister, who told me to interact with the other people on the bus. That’s when I started talking to the tour guides and discovered I genuinely enjoy getting to know people and their stories. The conversation made the journey fly by. Around 6 in the morning, I finally fell asleep and didn’t wake up until 4 pm, right as we arrived in Islamabad.
After resting for a few hours, my sister and I explored Islamabad, and I fell in love with it immediately. The city is beautiful and surrounded by gorgeous mountains. Seriously, how could anyone hate mountains? I absolutely can’t. The next day, we drove from Islamabad to the base of the Fairy Meadows trail. The landscape changed as we climbed: green valleys turned into rocky paths, and the air got colder. By the time we reached the trailhead, I could feel the altitude already. Fair warning: the trek itself is 5-6 hours of hiking uphill.
FAIRY MEADOWS
We woke up early with music blasting in our ears, and I was buzzing with excitement. Getting ready with the mountain views in sight and my favorite songs playing in the background: that was the moment I knew this trip would be unforgettable. Then we set off on the hike with people we’d just met, which felt risky, but as a mountain lover, I’m willing to push my limits for moments like this.
Within the first few hours, my legs were screaming. I seriously considered taking a horse ride to the top. But who would I be if I gave up? I didn’t. Instead, I hiked the whole way, made friends with random strangers, got into mischievous moments, and had my sister by my side the entire time, which made everything better. Some of these new friends reached the top before me and waited for me at Fairy Meadows. That’s how my “mountain family” was born.
The hike involved countless photo stops, eating fries at random points, and taking breaks whenever I needed them. My favorite part was the river: so cold and pure I could see the rocks at the bottom. When I finally reached Fairy Meadows, the first thing I saw was the meadow itself: grass so green it didn’t look real, mountains towering above it, and my new friends cheering as I arrived. We stayed in cottages that night, and the next day we had another trek: Beyal Camp.
BEYAL CAMP
The hike to Beyal Camp was shorter but somehow even more stunning. The views kept changing with every step: one moment surrounded by trees, the next above the clouds. We stopped for noodles somewhere on the trail, and honestly, they tasted like the best meal of my life, probably because I was exhausted and the mountains were making everything taste better. The trek down took about 2-3 hours.
Coming back to Islamabad felt surreal. I sat on the bus looking at photos on my phone and realized something had shifted inside me. The exhaustion, the struggle, the moments when I almost quit: they all felt like proof that I could do hard things. My sister fell asleep on my shoulder, and I thought about how grateful I was that she changed her mind about Kashmir. For anyone thinking about doing this trek next year: bring good shoes, pack way less than you think you need, and be ready to make a mountain family. Oh, and the mountains won’t judge you if you complain about the climb. They’ll just wait for you at the top (hehe).
