Dagri Bangla - One day hike in December with patches of snow.

“Dagri”, means “land of leopards”.
Build in 1899, is the oldest of the forest departments huts in kpk. Its total area is 11,016 sq feet and covered area is 9,792 sq feet. It has 3 rooms, 2 washrooms and kitchen and huge living area. It was severely damaged by the 2005 earth quack. Hence it was passed on to heritage ministry to preserve due to its historic value.
“Dagri Bangla” is located in a preserved forest which at some point was known for its wild life. Now the number of animals have gone down but like an old wine, the place keeps on increasing its charm and attracts more and more hikers.
You can camp outside the building or inside if it rains, snows or very cold outside. There are rooms which can provide safety from wild animals….. aww
This was my second trip to the place, my first one, back in June 2021, included one night stay at Sunday night. And that means I was all alone there except for the wild animals.

Read more about my solo night at Dagri Bangla here.

https://karakorumdiary.wordpress.com/2021/07/30/night-at-dagri-bangla/
It was a pretty simple day hike. We got off the vehicle at the forest check post at Nathia Gali – Namli maira road. A quick hike to Miranjani saddle with couple of snow patches. From saddle we saw magnificent Nanga Parbat, due to clear atmosphere it looked very close but we were in such hurry that I did not bother to get my binoculars out. I did not take my binoculars out during whole day. We did not even go towards Miranjani summit to save time.
Trek ahead is mild descend with over a dozen snow patches most of which were turned into ice and slippery. Of Corse there is not water on whole trek except for Miranjani Saddle where a local was selling water and other refreshments/snacks.
We reached Bangla around 1 PM and spent 30 minutes there and started our return We dropped the idea to visit “Phalkot Meadows” as it required another 250 meters ascend and we were losing day light. From the Meadow Saddle to Miranjani Saddle, wind was very strong. All of us got our jackets out and heads covered.
There was no rainbow but there were 7 colors in the sky. Normally on cold days, sky turns pink/red in the evening at horizon. As we started our final descend from Miranjani Saddle, wind slowed down and it turned out to be a slow winter evening with red and orange sky and sun shimmering behind the pine trees. Forest was now red.
Last 30-40 minutes were in dark as we reached back at the parking at 6:30.

A few quick notes.
1. Always carry at least 2-3 liters of water.
2. Start hike as early as possible. (We started at 8:30, but I recommend 7:00)
3. Don’t stop anywhere for more than 2-3 minutes except for if exhausted.
4. Carry torch lights and hiking sticks
5. Always check weather to see if it might rain but do carry wind breaker jacket no matter what.