Over the course of the day, the trail bent to the contours of the gorge, taking us through fragrant forests of deodar a Himalayan cedar tree and tall rai conifers, toward the snowy mountaintops that were our ultimate destination.

WSJ: Trekking the Har Ki Doon Trail in India's Himalayas

Huge Himalayan vultures wheel eye-level with the road, while tiny tits inhabit a range of vegetation, from conifers and cedars to broadleaved oaks and rhododendrons.

BBC: Apple harvest in the Himalayan foothills