Tapovan - part 2, Kalimath, 4-Dham:Gangotri-Jamunotri-Kedarnath-Badrnath, Vasundhara falls, Bhavishya Badri

Trip to Tapovan & 4-Dhams undertaken between Oct 10, 2007 and Oct 29, 2007.

Day

From

To

Time

PHOTOGRAPHS

Mode

1	Rishikesh	Uttarkashi	10 hrs	Oct 10, 07 : Started 8.30am reached early evening	Bus
2	Uttarkashi			*	Night stay

* Halt for the day... recovering from a bad cold... Sky is blue... yet there has been snow fall just a couple of days back... waiting for the lungs to clear... wondering if the weather will suddenly turn bad and Tapovan will go out of reach again...

Spent the day visiting Nichiketa taal. Some acclimatization... for return journey from Chawrangee khal (height 2310m) to Uttarkashi found no buses/jeeps after 3.30pm... a helpful person gave me ride on his bike... an interesting personality... we exchanged phone numbers, and promised to do a trek together...

3	Uttarkashi	Gangotri	4 hrs	Clear day... Started around noon and reached early evening	Jeep
4	Gangotri	Bhojwasa	7 hrs	Clear day... no signs of clouds or snow... Started at around 8 am at a slow pace and reached around 3pm after a few stops here & there and lunch at Chirbasha... lots of guides around it seems, the only question is whether u can trust them!	Trek
5	Bhojwasa	Goumukh -> Tapovan	5 + 4km : 3hrs	*	Trek

* : Bright & sunny! Shall i spend the night at Tapovan at -10C, that is the question... Last year i had backed out at the last lap on seeing the condition of the route. But since then much water has flown under the bridge... i have walked hundreds of kilometers, on all kinds of surfaces... yet the doubt remains. Anyway i decide to play safe and lighten my backpack by leaving the sleeping bag behind.

Started at around 8am and reached tapovan at around 11am! Wow!! that was easy... there appears to be 2 trek path almost parallel to each other in that last climb of 200mtrs. If the guide wants to scare u and earn extra tips he will take u through the scary slope where the danger of a slip & fall is very real...

I have my first sugar tea there, in a year... I bow to Him for his mercy...

After much soul searching i decided to spend the night at Tapovan. The guide was very helpful, he assured me of getting sufficient blankets/quilts from Matajee... Matajee said there was still time to retreat and go back to Bhojwasa!

So we crept inside the shelter by 6pm... dinner comprised of khidri & the pumkin vegetable that i had helped peel & chopped in the afternoon... it was a moonlight night and surely there will be lots of shooting stars out there in the sky... but frankly i was not up to it. Survival was foremost in the mind pushing away all other thoughts! we spend the night inside that shelter with temperature at -6C... the temperature outside recorded around -10C at 6am in the morning.. with all the clothes i was wearing, i needed to keep twisting & turning to keep the blood flowing! I think i managed to sleep for a couple of hours...

7	Gangotri	Uttarkashi		Met another interesting person... didn't even realize when the 4 hours passed... sometimes when he spoke i could almost hear myself talking... it was kind of a weird feeling... set me thinking... we part at Uttarkashi after tea/snacks...	Jeep
8	Uttarkashi			Lazing around...
9	Uttarkashi	Barkot		*	Bus

* : "Aap fauji ho?" The girl sitting next to me asks.

"nah... why u think so?" i ask her.

She points at my back pack.

"So u think i am a fauji just because i have army shoes & have a backpack?" I tease her.

"personality bhi to faujio se hai..." she laughs

Her friend has fled away with a Nepali guy. "pasand apni apni" she laughs...

She is from Uttarkashi but is still loyal to Barkot where she had lived earlier... so she won't cast a vote in favor of one and against the other when i asked her which town she liked better!

"dekha... maini kaha tha na hamara barkot pura sahar hai" she admonishes me as we enter the town... i agree grudgingly... it has a university too...

"aap se mil ke aachcha laga" i tell her as we part.

"thank you..." she says shyly and she blends away in the crowd, taking a small part of my heart away with her... i wonder how much of it is still left, pumping blood in my body... I been scattering it like this for over three decades now!

	Barkot	Hanumanchatti			Jeep
	Hanuman chatti	Janaki chatti			Jeep

10	Janaki Chatti	Jamunotri -> Damini-> Janaki Chatti	5km + 3km + 8km?	I met this guy on the way up... said he was from Har-ki-doon and had been through most trails around here as a porter. Well, soon we were discussing whether to do a day trek to Sapt Rishi kund or Damini... So i ended up seeing Damini... and before that is the last camping site coming down from Bali pass... good view... nice locale...	Trek
	Janaki Chatti	Barkot	50 km?		Jeep
11	Barkot	Srinagar			Bus
12	Srinagar	Gauri Kund		A dip in the kund... not so warm in the evening...	Bus
13	Gaurikund	Kedarnath	13 km	*	Trek

* : Started out early with another hot dip in the piping hot waters of Gauri kund... And tea... aalo paratha mid-ways at Rambara... reaching Kedarnath around 2pm... I could easily have a darshan & return back, people were hiring ponies to do the journey & escape from the cold! Yet... after spending a night at -10C i am not so worried abt -2C... offering puja here is always so pacifying to the mind & soul... the place had a different attire this time... a virgin white scattered all around... Looked beautiful... i decide to buy another monkey cap...

14	Kedarnath	Gauri Kund	13 km	Wanted to take another dip in the hot kund... but need to move ahead...	Trek
	Gaurikund	Sonprayag			Bus
	Sonprayag	Triyugi Narayan	12 km: 30 min	The evening aarti at the temple is worth visiting... full of devotion and care... the locale is serene & peaceful... afternoon u will find only one way jeeps.. if you wanna return back the same evening u will need to reserve one... or trek back...	Jeep
15	Triyugi Narayan	Sonprayag	5km / 2.5 hrs	A 6' wide village road through forest & villages... the last stretch of perhaps 1km is on metalled road, the shortcut trail this last 1km was overgrown with thorny bushes... perhaps there is another way...	Trek
	Sonprayag	Guptkashi			Jeep
	Gupkashi	Kalimath	12km: 30min		Jeep
	Kalimath	Kali Silla	5km : 2 hrs	Steep uphill... 6' wide path, but washed away at one or two places. Started late at 1pm not realising it is really 5km steep climb! Reaching around 3.15pm	Trek
	Kali Silla	Kali Math	5km : 1.5hrs	*	Trek

* : Started at 3.45 after milk at the shop a little down on the way. two local boys walk down with me, i think they r happy for the company in the forested path... for that matter, even i am... the trail is kind of lonely & densely forested at places... the younger one keeps asking me if i was not scared walking up alone... and brags how he is going to blind the tiger if one attacks them :) they leave me midways as their village arrives... hereon the path is more open & clear...

Pushing myself now... can feel the strain on the knee... but must reach kalimath by 5pm... before it gets dark...

16	Kalimath	Guptkashi		Started out at around 8am...	Jeep
	Gupkashi	Rudraprayag			Bus
	Rudra prayag	Joshimath		Met two interesting people... our paths will crisscross for the next whole week & beyond perhaps...	Bus
	Joshimath	Badrinath		Reached late evening... darshan after a dip in the hot water kund...	Bus
17	Badrinath	Mana	3km	Another dip in the hot water kund, darshan & then breakfast. Afterwards we kinda strolled towards Mana... and then it was too late.. all the jeeps coming from Badrinath side were full... so we walked all the way...	Walk...
	Mana	Vashun-dhara Falls	5km + 5km		Trek
	Mana	Badrinath	3km	We got a nice chauffeured car for 30 bucks!	Jeep
18	Badrinath	Charan-paduka	1 km +1km	Great view... I wish i had gone that side in the moonlight night and took the snap of Neel Kanth... but then i was not carrying a stand either...	Trek
	Badrinath	Joshimath		*	Jeep

* : Difficult to get a conveyance at 9am... better to catch a bus before 6am.

I enquire a policeman for the way to Bhawishya badri which i planned to visit next morning. He checks with his sub-ordinates...

"Where u from?" the constable staring at me, speaking in broken english.

"Kolkata" i say.

"no no... u are not from Kolkata." he informs me.

"how can u say that? Kolkata is a big city and not everyone looks alike..." I am kind of upset.

"no no... u r not from Kolkata" he informs me again.

"well, i am not going to prove it to you even though i can do that in just a couple of minutes. next u will say i am not even an indian!!" i tell him.

the senior interrupts and instructs him to give me the direction. which he proudly gives me in his broken english again... i bow & thank them both and walk on, wondering... even simplicity can be a problem sometimes...

19	Joshimath	Tapovan & 4km beyond	13 km + 4km	Well travelled road, but difficult to get a conveyance in the morning on a holiday. The head for the trek to Bhavishya badri is another 4km further down.
	Tapovan	Bhavishya Badri	5km:2hr + (5+2) : 2hrs	6' wide trail. starting at 11 am. On the way up the path looked deserted & forested, a snake crossed my path and sent me searching for a stick to browse my path before stepping on anything! on the way down it was all concrete steps... there are two trek routes down from the village midways... the concrete steps are harsh on the knees, but more habited... reached down by 3.15pm, don't want to walk another 13km down to Joshimath from Tapovan! That way i will make it to town after 8pm...	Trek
	Tapovan	Joshimath	2km + 13 km		Jeep
20	Joshimath	Haridwar		Oct 29, 07	Bus

Panch Kedar (19 June, 07 - 1 July,07)

Following is the trek plan for the Panch Kedar undertaken mid-June to mid-july. Actual trip abandoned mid-ways before Kedarnath due to health conditions of the group and mosquito ("mora") bites.

Trip Photographs

Trip Itinerary :

Day	From	To
1	Rishikesh	Joshimath		10 hrs	Bus
2	Joshimath	Helong		13km:45min	Bus
	Helong	Urgam		8-9km	trek
	Urgam	Kalpeshwar	2134m	2km	walk
3	Urgam	Dumuk		14km:7hrs	trek
4-5	Dumuk -> Panar->	Rudranath	2286m	18km:8hrs	trek
6	Rudranath	Anushaya devi		18km:7-8 hrs	trek
	Anushaya	Mandal		5km:1 hr	trek
7	Mandal	Chopta	2900m	40km	bus/jeep
	Chopta	Tunganath	3810m	3-4 km: 2hr	trek
8	Tungnath	Chandrashilla	3679m	4km:1hr	trek
	Chandrashilla	Tunganath			trek
	Tungnath	Chopta			trek
	Chopta	Ukhimath		35km	bus/jeep
9	Ukhimath	Uniana		15 min	bus/jeep
	Uniana	Gaundhar		9km	trek
	Gaundhar	Bantoli		1km	trek
10	Bantoli	Madhya maheshwar	3289m	9km:5hrs	trek
11	Madhya maheshwar	Buda Mahadev		1 hr	trek
	Madhya maheshwar	Bantoli		10km:5hr	trek
12	Bantoli	Guptakashi		17km:6hr	trek+jeep

Abandoned sector :

13	Guptkashi	Gauri Kund			Bus
	Gauri Kund	Kedarnath	3584m	14km:7hrs	trek
14	Kedarnath	Gaurikund		14km:7hrs	trek
	Gauri Kund	Guptakashi		33km	Bus
15	Guptkashi	Haridwar		182km	Bus

Trip Notes :

Day 1 : Rishikesh -> Joshimath : Bus at 7 am, reaching around dusk

Day 2 : Joshimath -> Helong ->Urgam<->Kalpeshwar: Joshimath to Helong is a short 13km or 45 minute bus drive. A motley group of shops and houses mark Helong, the road head to Kalpeshwar. Start early at 7am.

Day 3 : Urgam -> Dumuk : Dumuk : comes from the sound which was produced when bhagwan shankar smashed his locks on the ground. There is a rest house with food & lodging.

Day 4 : Dumuk -> Panar : One can also spend the night at shelter here which is open during Yatra Times (sometime in may till Diwali may be) and hot food is available

Day 5 : Panar -> Rudranath : The shrine is the location of the ‘mukh’ or face of Shiva. The temple provides splendid views of Hathi Parvat, Nanda Devi, Trishul and other peaks.

Day 6 : Rudranah -> Anushya devi -> Mandal: Start after Breakfast at the dhaba at Rudranath around 7am . Breakfast can also be had a little ahead on the route where a shepherd has made a temperory shelter.

Anushaya devi : Bhagwan Datt's (Brahma/vishnu/Mahesh) mother. Basic lodges accomodation / food. Atri Muni's cave, curtained behind a waterfall, comes before one reached Anishya devi.
Instead of staying at Anushya devi, it is better to climb down to Mandal and stay at “Bhagat Bist's hotel directly opposite the archway claiming Anushaya Maata mandir marg” which is much cleaner, cheaper & with friendly service.

Day 7 : Mandal -> Chopta : conveyance frequency kind of workable, a bus at around 11am or 12pm

Chopta -> Tungnath :Shiva's arms. Weather quite cold. Good accomodation. Can stay at Kalikamli wala Ashram which also serves hot food.

Day 8 : Tungnath ->Chandrashilla->Tungnath->Chopta->Okimath: Start early for viewing the sunrise, may be 4am. At Okimath, stay at GMVN or some guest houses near Bus Station.

Day 9: Ukimath->Mansuna->Jagashu->Raoli->Uniana->Ransi->Gaundhar->Bantoli: A bus at around 11am (reconfirm the timings!) goes to Uniana besides the normal shared taxies. Some delivery jeeps also ply on this route from Mansuna. But overall the frequencies are not so good. So need to check & plan ahead. Stay at Bantoli, about ½ km after confluence of rivers near Unyan, good rooms .

Day 10 : Bantoli (1800m) ->Khatara(2100m)-> Nanu(2350m)-> Makhouma->Kun chatti (2780m) ->Madhyamaheshwar(3120m) : Start morning, reach evening. Naval of Bhagwan Shankar : Slight height. Attend night puja, morning puja. The shrine is 30km from Guptkashi and is approached by a trek through the famous Sidha Peeth of Kalimath. Unparalleled scenic beauty and incredible landscapes distinguish the distance from Kalimath to Madhmaheshwar. Chaukhamba, Kedarnath and Neelkanth are visible enroute. (The route to Kalimath diverts at Uniana).

Day 11 : Madhyamaheshwar <-> Buda Madhyamaheshwar
Madhyamaheswar -> Bantoli : Can proceed to Uniana the same day if group is fit. The single bus leaves for Uniana at around mid-day. In the evening one may need to book a jeep.

Day 12 : Bantoli -> Ukhimath : The trip abandoned from here on due to health conditions of the group and mosquito ("mora") bites . Returned back to Okhimath and the rested at Rishikesh. better to carry some insect repellent cream/ointment while trekking.

Trip log: coming up....

Goumukh/Tapovan- Part 1 (02 Nov - 12 Nov'06)

It was beginning of November when I started again for the Himalayas. The news from all sources confirmed a blizzard line condition & snowfall with sub-zero temperatures. My original plan to visit Goumukh / Tapovan had got delayed by one month and winter seemed to have progressed fast in the mountains.

Under the circumstances, may be I could manage two of the five 'Panch Kedars', or may be go up to Chopta, Chandrashilla most certainly being out of bounds.

I had decided to go to Uttarkashi and check the conditions there. At least i would be able to pick some small treks, may be visit Nechiketa taal, or Dodi taal. And I wanted to visit NMI and check out their basic course in mountaineering. And the temptation of visiting Vishwanath Temple was quite strong. I had missed it during my last trip. And there is a huge "Trishul" in front of the temple, sunk in the ground, whose base can't be traced. And yet one can shake it with the pressure of the tiny finger!!

With these thoughts in my mind i slung the rucksack over my back, clutched the hand bag and stepped on to the train to Haridwar.

And then i saw a trekking group getting into my compartment. It was a pleasant surprise to know that they too were aiming for Goumukh/Tapovan. So i was not the only desperate person around!! They had missed the best season due to office leave problems. Here began my loose association with that group, which would see us sleeping together, eating together for the next 7 days.

The train reached Haridwar late and all the buses to Uttarkashi had departed. So we stayed together at Haridwar and I showed them around. I have been to Haridwar a couple of times earlier and i have walked practically all its streets. I like Haridwar for its choice of food, the hustle & bustle in the market, the varieties of people and yet you feel peaceful here, no rush.. kind of relaxed & tranquil...

After lunch we took the bus tickets. No direct buses were going to Gangotri in this time of the year, we booked the seats to Uttarkashi. That evening we saw the evening Aarti of Gangajee and then hiked to Mansha devi temple.

We retire early after dinner as we need to catch the bus early in the morning. I have got two aaloo parathas packed for the bus journey. During traveling i always try to pack some food where ever possible, one needs to be maintain sufficient energy levels...

We reach Uttaranchal in the afternoon. I was hoping to stay here and look around, i got a lot of time in hand so i am in no hurry. For that matter even this group has got 2 weeks and yet some of them are anxious to reach Gangotri. We found that normal transportation to Gangotri had stopped, no buses plying in that route at this time of the year. The Gangotri settlement being more or less shutdown with most people having moved down to Harshil or Uttarkashi. Only Dandi Aashram was open and we could stay there, that was our hope & beacon...

We hire a vehicle and set out a bit late in the afternoon after lunch. The boys had been hungry and a couple of them over stuffed themselves which naturally overflowed during the ride on the bends & curves:) In a while sun went down and chill set in. The canvas flaps of the Trax fluttered and cold air blew in as we sped towards Gangotri... It was full moon and ours was the lone vehicle on the road.

As night set in and cold started making its presence felt everyone started feeling uneasy... what if Dandi Aashram is closed? The driver had warned us that he would just drop us at Gangotri & flee back! The idea of spending a shivering night in the open in sub-zero temperatures is not a very comfortable one. We have everything to cook food except Kerosene to lit the stove!!

Finally we decide to spend the night somewhere en route, where ever we can find a hotel open. So we found Dharali. The hotel was warm & cozy, the rooms had wooden walls, floors & ceilings. After some searching the cook was located and he cooked rice & vegetable for us. Served hot it tasted delicious.

Being a stranger with this group, I had decided to go for a single room and landed up in a room of concrete & plaster by the river side. It was mid-night when i wake up to find myself cold & freezing. Since i had a sleeping bag, i had given away my quilts to the driver. And now at this unholy hour of the night i was suddenly worried whether the new sleeping bag would suffice or whether i was going to freeze to death!! Anyways, i find something to cover myself some more and soon i am asleep... The lesson learnt was never to sleep alone in freezing temperatures, more people means more warmth...

We wake up early in the morning and watch the sun rise as tea is brewed in the kitchen. It appears that "Ram Teri Ganga Maili ho gayee" (the movie with Mandakini in the controversial bathing scene...) was shot here. we go to see that temple. It is by the river and is sinking because of a loose ground. Every night the water rises inside the temple courtyard, and then recedes in the morning taking all the offerings & flowers away, leaving the temple clean.

After tea/biscuits (no biscuits for me as i am given up sugar for a year, i dig into my stock of cashews) we start off to Gangotri and reach there early.

There are two persons standing in the parking area, apparently from a lodge nearby. so may be one lodge is open still. Rest of the town appears deserted. We reach Dandi aashram after taking a unnecessary detour with nobody to show us the right way. Menu boards dangle over shuttered restaurants, claiming all kinds of delicacies!! I wonder how the town would look earlier in the season bustling with people, the temple bell tolling and aroma of tasty food in the air... BSNL has a tower here, but it is also shutdown for the winter. We are already cut off from civilization...

The aashram is spacious but few people around. No food also. We repack our rucksacks with the essentials, leaving behind extra stuff in a locked room. We leave by 10am in the morning for Bhojwasa. Gangotri is already 3140 meters and we are heading for 3792 meters at Bhojwasa with almost no acclimatization...
Couple of us lead the way, stopping by the closed Gangotri Temple to offer prayers. As we wait for the rest of the group, we see them higher up in the hills, apparently they have found another way... We catch the steep flight of stairs by Temple's side...and reach them soon...

After a couple of hours of trekking we are just making 2km/hr with numerous stops for rest & photo sessions. We got to cover a total 14 km. At this pace we will reach Bhojwasa by night, and I am afraid that when the sun goes down it is going to be very cold.

Once we reach the first deserted tea-stalls I decide to push the pace and in a while i am all alone. The sun is bright and the trail is clear along the long valley. At places I can see herds of Deers grazing with the dominant male staring at me bleary eyed. I must say that these were a pretty healthy bunch, you don't see such types in the Zoo...

Trekking solo has its risks... At one place i am definitely uncomfortable and break a stick from the pine shrub to defend myself, just in case :))


These are just deers, on some routes the possibilities of bears & lions is also there. May be i should get myself a good folding knife, not that it is going to be any good... still... at least better than bare hands & nails to defend oneself...

I reached Chirbasa by 1.45pm. The trail came & disappeared in this square clearing with metal skeletons of deserted tea shops. This place is quite wooded. One concrete shed is there is the center. I have my snacks and look around for the trail going to Bhojwasa.

I find it hidden behind a outcrop of rock. I am not at all sure... but there are many foot-prints, they are my only guide... i wonder... yet it is no point waiting for the rest of the group, i might wait & wait and they may not appear also... (it appears that by this time three of the boys had given up and were walking back to Gangotri and one boy was running up & down ferrying the message between the two separating groups!)

The last couple of kilometers to Bhojwasa is landslide prone & kind of tricky. At places the 12 inch wide trail was overrun by landslides, and one misstep would see u down a few hundred meters... kind of crazy to be alone under such circumstances. I realize what it means when they say making your way through... And then at one place the narrow trail is broken, a chunk had just broken away and u see the abyss below... one side u have the mountain, the other side a sheer drop and in front a hole and an outcrop of rock blocking your way. hmmmmmm... kind of tricky. I takeoff my backpack & swing it, and it lands safely on the other... it could as easily have rolled over the edge... Then i gently jump across. The soil holds... and i am home free...

After more than an hour's trek, I finally cross the bend and am glad to see the tiny settlement of Bhojwasa as the sun prepares to slide behind the mountains. There are two guys sitting there waving their hand to me and shouting something.

It appears that they want me to circle around the settlement and come down their side. I spend a few moments wondering. I am dead tired carrying my 10kg backpack across 14 km and every meter counts. I wonder if there is a broken bridge somewhere in between which won't let me take the easy path down & across. Anyway, it will be worse if i go down & then have to climb back again. So i take the long detour.

They have got a log fir burning, and i take their permission to share the heat. As i sit on the burning log i feel a bit guilty, feeling as if i am sitting on a burning body. I wonder about my conscious, someday it might freeze me to death! One guy brings me hot tea and i share my sweets with them. It appears that they belong to some Government Department office there (a fiber cabin with a couple of rooms and a toilet). One of them also doubles as guide. We been desperately looking for a guide but had not found one in Gangotri. He said he will take us to Tapovan in the morning & bring us back by evening.

I feel better, may be i will reach Tapovan after all!! There was a group of Spanish staying at the aashram whom he had taken to Tapovan that day. On checking with them I found them happy & satisfied and told me that view at Tapovan was quite fabulous... I take my leave and head for the Lal Baba Aashram and take a room for myself and rest of the group, conditionally on their arrival of course.

In the dark (no electricity, the aashram has a single solar rechargeable lantern) I open my sleeping back and slid in pulling the aashram supplied quilt over. I miss my torch which I had modified to use white LED just before i embarked on this trip, but on checking at Gangotri i found it was not working anymore. In a while the shivering stops and i am warm & cozy... The rest of the group arrived after an hour or more. I hadn't checked my watch what time i arrived, the rest of the group arrived around 5pm. And they were tired to the bone and cold. One by one they all crept under the blankets & lay still for a long time...

Dinner was a torturous affair at 7pm with nobody willing to get out of the warmth. We had a simple hot meal in the aashram kitchen over some small talk. Next day we had a 5km+4km trek to Goumukh & Tapovan, and i was worried. The groups energy level was pretty low and the lack of acclimatisation had made its contribution.

I really wanted to go and told them that i would go alone if necessary. Rarely does one get such chance & lovely clear weather. After some discussion & popping painkillers everybody decides to try for Goumukh at least. There after people not feeling well could return back and the rest free to carry on to Tapovan.

Next morning we answered nature's call in nature... The river flowed lovely, having just melted from the glacier near by... some ice still floating and some sticking to its banks...the breeze was steady and cold, having just kissed the icy peaks & carrying the chill in its womb... the sky was a clear blue... We could see the glacier in a hazy distance and a little further Tapovan beckoned...

Well it was all nice and beautiful until one exposed one's bottoms... and the hands froze as soon as pulled out from the warmth of the gloves... Unloading oneself in an experience to remember:))) I must remember to carry warm water next time...

Anyway, after breakfast & tea we set out at 8am in the morning, after the frost on the track having melted. We walked slowly to Goumukh and prayed at the small open temple there.

And we moved on, nobody remembered to return back from here, the issue never arose. Soon we are trekking on the glacier but it look like solid rock. Lots of debris, dust & rocks are strewn across and ice is hidden at most places. Yet it is very much a glacier and u can see the rock solid ice jutting out at several places.

One person who visited this place earlier had commented that he could hear Mother Ganges flowing below, but i didn't even get a hint.
Soon we are across and the going gets tricky. We are walking on a a loose crumbling mountain. One mis-step and one would find one's head banging across rocks on the way down. After a while the guide declares that we have now reached the last & most treacherous stretch (last 150 meters climb). Here he tells us how a foreigner slipped and fell to death.

I think he was scaring us! He suggests we return back as the group was not fit to attempt a climb to Tapovan and return back the same day. If a few of us are willing to climb then we will need to spend the night at Tapovan. what to say... time is such a flirty thing... drag your feet and suddenly it is too late... the lack of acclimatisation had finally started showing on some very ashen faces...

And before we vote, we find that a few members of the group has turned tail and started walking back!! The possibility of getting lost in this place without a guide is just about a certainty and the consequences unthinkable.

We decide to take a rest, have snacks, click some photographs and walk back...

At Goumukh the guide left us to return at our easy pace. Here on the trail is very clear and doesn't need a guide. Some more photography session...

Well, anyone wanting hot lunch had better scramble to the aashram before 2.30 which was the deadline for lunch at aashram. Pretty soon the whole group had disappeared behind the hills and only us two seniors(meaning in 30's! rest of the group was early 20's) walking at a slow pace. When we reach aashram it was well past 3 pm and a delicious 'khidri' was ready to be served...

The next day we returned back to Gangotri Dandi Aashram to find the three deserters extremely well kept & looked after!! They had managed to get kerosene & made 'khidri'. But then Aashram's Swamijee had returned followed by a flock of devotees and a truck load of food stuff and sweats. And finding these three kids in his aashram, he had pampered them with lots of sweets & food stuffs...

"what a shame...not just nose... i lost my neck..." rues a boy, feeling ashamed for abandoning the trek midways and seeing us back with wondrous experience & sights.

We collect our stuffs. The driver has also arrived as promised. We start at 2pm and have a nice hot bath mid-ways at Gangnani hot water spring. After a nice lunch there we set out again & reach Uttarkashi as darkness sets in.