Who would think Danish mystic Alfred Sorensen, musician Bob Dylan, pioneers of the Hippie Movement and Swami Vivekananda would have anything in common? No actually they don’t. They just all fell in love with the same quaint village nestled in the beautiful Kumaon hills. Kasar Devi is an enigma of sorts. Unimpressive at first sight, impossible to forget by the time you have finished your trip. I’d often wondered what it was that attracted a saint in search of peace, a musician looking for inspiration and a bunch of people looking for a high to the same place? So when a few friends suggested we do the eight-km hike from Almora to Kasar Devi, I lapped it up. (For those who don’t want to walk, a bus or a taxi ride is also possible).