GoreTex Runners or Hiking Boots during monsoon in Himachal?

aroundtheway

I'll be in India for 12 months. Starting out in southern India, doing volunteer work in a forest. Then I fly up to Himachal Pradesh with a stop in Sikkim on the way. I'll be in northern India beginning February and will spend the rest of my time in the Dharmasala and Baijnath areas. Will GoreTex runners get me through the monsoon or do you suggest I bring my hiking boots? I don't anticipate doing heavy trekking, but I do want to enjoy hiking while there. I'll also have my Chacos for when it gets warm and for my work volunteer work in southern India.

dzibead

In the monsoon, I wouldn't recommend hiking boots at all!!! The Chacos are the things to wear in a downpour. I don't think you'll need hiking boots at all if you aren't trekking, unless you need them to protect your feet while you're doing your volunteer work (but it sounds as if you think the Chacos will be fine for that). Regular walking/running shoes should be fine for routine hiking.

What's your route from south to north? You say you're going to fly from somewhere in the south to HP (what airport?) with "a stop in Sikkim on the way". Hm-m-m. Going to Sikkim won't exactly be "on the way" to HP. Sikkim isn't "on the way" to anything else in India -- unless you're coming from Bhutan or Eastern Nepal It'll actually be a big detour - but one well worth taking, IMHO. Are you planning to fly from wherever you are in the south to Bagdogra, and then go by bus/taxi up to Sikkim?

aroundtheway

Flying from Chennai to Kolkata, then Kolkata to Baghdogra and then bus to Sikkim. To get to Himachal, I'll fly from Baghdogra to Delhi then take a bus from the Tibetan colony there. I'm stopping in Sikkim before Himachal, so for me, it's a stop along the way to getting there.

dzibead

That's definitely the way to do it. An alternative for the "Delhi to Dhasa" leg would be to take the overnight train (the Jammu Mail) to Pathnakot and then a bus or taxi to McLeod Ganj. It's more comfortable than the bus from MT ... and you've gotta do at least one train journey while you're in India ... it's part of the "Indian experience"! The drive from Pathankot to McLG is also quite nice. Just a thought ...