Oct 14, 2008

Contents

Treks
Amarnath
Char Dham, Bhawishya Badri, Kalimath, Kali Sila
Kedarnath → Vasuki Taal
Indrahara pass : Oct'08
Jamunotri, Gangotri, Goumukh, Tapovan
Panch Kedar
Tapovan

Treks (continued...)
Valley of flowers



Treks with YHAI

Sandakphu
Saurkundi
Sarpass



Treks planned for future
Adi Kailash

Bike trips
Manali → Leh → Srinagar
Miscellaneous
Rafting down Trishuli
Snorkeling in Phi Phi Islands

Indrahara Pass diary

Prologue :
"what are you doing with that rope?" mummy is sounding alarmed & looking at me straight from across the hall.

"nothing... just trying out a knot..." i say. she stares at me. "This plastic rope will certainly not take his weight in case he is getting some funny ideas..." I can practically hear her think... she soon turns & walks away...


I been planning for this trek which involves pitching & staying in tents, & some expertise in trying knots would be helpful. In particular i had heard that some patches are extremely narrow. So i had this rope looped around my mid-section as i fumbled with various knot types, promptly forgetting one as i try the other...

Photographs

The seeding :
I had been thinking of doing Adi Kailash for a while. But all discussions showed that i would be needing a tent & kitchen for the last sector in both Adi kailash & Om Parvat section. And it required about 20 days to do it leisurely & properly. Not willing to join KMVN tours, i wanted to do it alone, and time had run out in the process of concretising the idea. With limited time in hand, I fell upon the idea of doing Mcleodganj & Indrahara pass. I was hoping to pass a relaxing week in Mcleoadganj, away from the hustle/bustle of Kolkata puja season.

The beginning :
"aapke niyat thik nahi lag rahi bhai..." Amit is calling on phone, he just saw the Indrahara pass itenirary on my blog & is getting distracted. I had not called him, knowing last trip been a long one and he really must concentrate on his career. But the wanderlust bug has bit him pretty hard, so help him God! He says he can squeeze in possibly. I am thinking, two is better & cheaper than one... especially Himachal Pradesh is quite commercial, not at all as friendly & economical as Uttaranchal.

Trip notes:
I give here the height as per the readings of my altimeter watch. I think it needs to be re-calibrated & is showing around 200m below actual. Yet the reading are good for relative heights study.

DayTimePlaceTo / DescriptionHeight (Casio)DistanceMode
020:00ISBT, DelhiDharamsala 1365m511kmBus
17:00DharamsalaMcleodganj1655m10kmTaxi

7:30McleodganjDharamkot. Met the other group from Orkut who were going with Jango guide. They were supposed to be a big group of 28, but the final count was just 4!!

Rajesh says, everyone backed out in the last moment... hummmm.... i wish them all the best... After a futile visit to all the trekking agencies i return back to Mcleodganj. Amit joins me at 1700hrs, his train being 2 hrs late.
1810m2kmAuto
28:00Mcleodganjlaundry, Bhagsunag temple, Dharamkot, a visit to Regional Mounteering institute & fixing the guide, and a stroll towards Dal lake... to be greeted by a kitten, & dark clouds...


37:30McleodganjDharamkot

Auto

8:10DharamkotTriund. our new guide is Dinesh, he is the cousin of Dilip who was originally to guide us, but sprang Dinesh on us at the last moment.

Trek

8:55Golu Devitemple & shop.2010m2kmTrek

10:30Magic point mid point... tea...
3.5kmTrek

13:30Triundit is warm & sunny... plenty of people around... many foreigners... Tea 10/-, food 50/- per plate for what u would get at 10/- on the streets of Kolkata! quite sub-standard & expensive...

I have eaten much more wholesome food at much much remoter places served with much more care... these people are out to fleece the tourists...

We see this tent right next to Lalu's dhaba.

"Is this the person from Bombay? slim, boyish?" I ask Lalu dhabawala.

"Cinematographer?" he asks.

i nod my head in affirmation.

"yeah... are you the one he met in the bus? He said you would arrive yesterday!" Lalu queries...

Well we lost one day due the guide problems.

I ask about his where about. It appears that he went to Lakagot with his camera. He is into Cinematography and came for shooting for all apparent reasons, though, to be frank, we have our doubts :)) See Dhruv... we got your
secrets... lol...

I had met this guy at ISBT bus-station & we landed up next to each other on the bus seat. We then parted at Dharamsala as he wanted to take some snaps. We met again at Mcleodganj in a couple of hours as i was searching around for a hotel and he was in a hurry to reach Triund.

It appears that he walked up alone, somehow took a wrong diversion and ended up in a dense jungled dead-end. He considered pitching his tent there, but then decided to try some more and retraced his steps back. Once on the right path he decided to push ahead, and reached Triund after a 12hr trek with a back-breaking load!

He then pitched his tent in the dark, crawled inside... half a bottle of rum was emptied before sleep mercifully took over!! The next day never saw him, he spent it inside that tent, sleeping & recovering...

hummm... little did i know that we will ourselves deviate & get lost on the way down!!
2690m3.5kmTrek
45:30Triundwakeup... it is a bright morning...



10:20
Start for Snowline cafe



12:10
Snowline cafe. It is a dhaba really. tea 10/- for small glass, food 70/- per person. The owner is Jay Chand jee. He has a 2-person tent which he hires out for 400/- to 500/-.

Somber, he appears to be nice and enterprising person, and gave 5/- discount on biscuits to some Israeli boys and telling them they should consider staying here... "no police... no people... no problems... you can do whatever u want..." i think i saw a glint in his eyes :)))

Besides the tent, you can stay at the dhaba also for 100/-, though he said he would let us sleep for free if we stayed with him on the way back. But that has some dire risks if the rumors are right!! It appears that this person is into drinking and is liable to throw u out of his shop/shelter in the middle of the night if his mood so swings after a serious bout of drinking... just what i heard, nothing confirmed... On the way back we did see him drinking... he didn't invite us to stay...
3015m
3km


16:30
back from a hike to a ridge above the cafe, and now walking to Lakagot with packed dinner



17:20
Lakagot. We had heard at snowline cafe that there are plenty of people, at least 9, camping at Lahesh cave. So we decide to camp out at Lakagot. Our guide had revisited Triund to bring back the tent he had left behind... 3040m


19:00
great camp fire... one Zen buddhist monk with his 3rd wife & one French couple... the chapatis warmed over the red hot coals are crispy & delicious... where are those days when we had these wood stoves in our homes... i still remember the 1st day when cooking gas entered our home, decades ago...

We also prepare some Upma for next morning...



56:50
start for Indrahara pass...



7:12
water point3135m


8:00
Lahesh cave : it can easily accommodate 10-12 people in the dry section. otherwise it is big enough for 20...3320m


11:45
crossed 4000m as per my watch... last hour has seen an interesting discourse & disclosure on Amit's part... hummm... don't worry... it goes to the grave with me... :)))



12:24Indrahara passmist is rising fast from the wind-ward side and the valley below is engulfed... but the Chamba side is still clear... and a week old snow is scattered around... not much of breeze...4120m


13:30
start for Lakagot



18:00Lakagot




18:50Snowline cafeWe pass by the snowline cafe in dark under our flash lights... the guide exchanges greeting with Jaychandjee... no invitation for us to stay the night... he is deep inside by the fire, in his own private world...



20:00Triundwell it was more like a survival night! nothing dramatic though... just darkness & shadows... forest and hints of possible eyes watching us... after reading Jim Corbett's Man-eaters of
Kumaon i have got less scared of wild animals... To think of him walking around with a broken gun as a boy!

we walked.. and sung... and tried to shoot in night modes... and it was long before the solar panel lights of Triund came into view...

Amit bhai head for the dhaba as me & guide do the tent. As we will walk back after meal,
Amit would have a fit of shivering as fever hits him... it has been one tiring day... he hits his sleeping bag straight as i settle down and am in two minds about finishing the Agatha Christie book under my headlamp light...

Thus, laying in our crampy 4'x6' tent, I heard the following dialogs :

21:00hrs : voices outside our tent. They appear to be a group of 5 boys from Punjab who have driven up for a night out in their car and are now enjoying Triund.

Teasing each other : "what! you never ever had a night out?"

Two hours passes by. the same group is passing by our tent again... now the voices are sounding a little desperate...

23:30hrs :

one voice: "this dhaba wala charged us 500/- for the food! it is robbery!!"

another voice:
"now think of where to spend the night. i am freezing... no rooms are available, no tents either... "

another voice :
"let's sit by the fire & the night will pass"

another voice :
"let's burn a mashal and walk down to Mcleodganj"

Well, it is a forested walk and i wonder about the safety of that suggestion.

third voice : "hey look, there is a light in that tent. shall we go & check if it is available?"

Amit talking to me:
"bhai, switch off the light..."

i switch off the light and hear the uncertain footsteps... then slowly they fade away in the distance...

Next day morning: having tea & snacks at Lalu's dhaba before setting out on the trek.
me : " what happened to those 5 boys? they didn't have any place to sleep

Lalu (the dhaba wala)
: "Well, 7 people were sleeping in this place". He is pointing to the 8'x6' floor space of his shop.

Lalu : "somehow i got them a few blankets from the shepherds." he says as if he had done such great social work.

I forgot to ask him how much he charged them that, for nothing comes free in this small patch of land!!



69:00TriundWe paid off the guide, and started walking down to Dharamkot. Somewhere in between we took the wrong diversion and landed up in an abandoned village! hummm... it was kinda dicey... we would rather reach some road head in another town perhaps, rather then walk all the way up again...

well, luckily this was a shortcut path actually, and the abandoned village was not abandoned at all. Here the monks lived in solitude, no amount of hollering would being them out! As i explored ahead i met a lone guy coming up and he confirmed the way...




13:00Dharamkot



Sep 22, 2008

Indrahar pass trek

Following is a trek plan through Indrahar La from Mcleodganj. The trail has stunning view among forest & rhododendrons. Indrahar La provides great view of Pir Pinjal & Greater Himalayan ranges.

Day Place To Height Distance Mode

0 Delhi Mcleodganj 1770m 511 km
bus

Day 1 : local sights, arrange for guide...

2 Mcleodganj Triund 2900m 10 km trek

3 Triund Laka Got 3350m short
walk

Laka Got Lahesh Cave 3590m 9 km trek

4 Lahesh Cave Indrahar Pass 4300m


Indrahar Pass Chatru Parao
12km trek

5 Chatru Parao Kuarsi 2747m 15 km trek

6 Kuarsi Machetar 1795m
trek

Machetar Chamba
16km bus

Best time : Open between September-November
Accommodation : Simple rest house at Triund. Possible shelter at Shepherd's camp at Laka Got.
Option 2 : Can make a 3 day trip to Laka got & back to Mcleodganj if time is a constraint.

Sep 20, 2008

Adi kailash yatra

Following is a trek plan for the proposed Adi Kailash yatra. The info has been compiled from various sources including :

http://www.kmyatra.org/adi-kailash.htm
Orkut discussion thread 1
Orkut discussion thread 2

Day Place To Height Distance Mode

0 Delhi Haldwani/Kathgodam

train
1 Haldwani Dharchula

bus

Day 2 : Extra day at Darchula for permits etc...

3 Dharchula Tawaghat-> Khatiya-Bagar / Gorbadhar / Magnti Nala

Jeep


Malpa 2018m
trek
4 Malpa Budhi 2740m 8 Km trek
5 Budhi Garbyang -> Gunji 3500m 17 Km trek

have to climb steep chhiyalekh top...

6
Gunji Kalapani->Navidang 4246m 16 Km trek
7
Navidang Kalapani 3600m 8 Km trek
8
Kalapani Gunji 3500m 8 Km trek
9
Extra day...



10
Gungi Kutti
19 Km trek

bit difficult...

“From Gunji, walk along the banks of the river Kuti, to reach Nabi, which has a temple and almost hidden spring in the beautiful mountain standing behind the village. In many places, the river Kuti is completely covered by snow. 11 Km ahead is the PWD hut at Nampha from where the view is as breathtaking as it is Kashmir and the Swiss Alps.”

11 Kutti Nampha (PWD hut)/ Jonglingkong 4572m 14 Km trek

Difficult, lots of up/down...
“walk 14 Km, first to the left of Kuti and then to the right, to reach Jonglingkang (4572m). The river Kuti and its bridge will probably be under a thick blanket of snow. Jonglingkang is called Chhota Kailas (6191m) while its small but beautiful lake is called Parvati Tal. The reflection of the peak in the really fascinating”

12 Jongling kong Kutti
14 Km trek
13 Kutti Gunji 3500m 19 Km trek
14 Gungi Budhi 2740m 17 Km trek
15 Budhi Mangti-> Dharchula (700m)-> Didihat 1850m 34 Km bus
16
Nainital 1938m 267 Km bus

17 Extra day...



18 Extra day...




Advises:
  1. "The best period is Mid Sept to Mid Oct and late May to June.
  2. Narayan Ashram is fully road-linked from the Panch-chuli east side, but the road is landslide-prone in September . Route : Dharchula->Tawaghat->Sobla->(right bifurcation between Khet & Sobla villages)->Pangu->Sosa->Narayan Swami Aahram : Total 61km.
  3. Inner-line permit for Adi Kailash & Om Parvat is a must - keep one working day for that purpose at Dharchula. Take photos and identity cards with photocopies to the SDM office."
Accommodation : Except Navidang and Jolingkong, accommodation and food is available.
  • Joligkong & Navidang : possible shelter with ITBP camp
  • Kalapani : one PWD rest house
Reaching Darchula from Haldwani/Kathgodam in one day (about 300km):
  • "Reach Haldwani in the morning, may be 5.30am. Catch a Pithoragarh share jeep at the station compound. It goes via Almora (90km). Total distance about 208km- total time about 7-8 hrs.
  • Catch Pithoragarh to Dharchula share jeep - it takes about 4 hrs. Distance about 91km.
  • On return journey from Dharchula, jeeps for Pithoragarh are more frequent than jeeps for Didihat."
The following map is located at http://www.kmyatra.org/images/adi-kailash-map.jpg


Jul 5, 2008

The bike trip diary : Manali, Leh, Srinagar & around : May/June'08

Ver. 02 : will be updating here a little bit at a time over this week...

Here is the travel diary of the bike trip me & Amit finished this month between May-June'08. It was an extraordinary experience. Photographs

Day Time Place Altitude (Casio) To / Remarks Bike Km

Day 0 20:00 Howrah
Train to Banaras
Day 1 11:00 Banaras
Checked in at Hotel

15:00

Temp : 35 degrees. Visited various temples

18:00

Boat ride with Hajaari Majhi alias Kallu. Ganga Aarti darshan.

Day 2 04:50

Wake up

06:00

Kashi vishwanath Darshan

09:10

Train to Lucknow

16:00 Lucknow



Day 3 05:00

Wakeup

06:40

Chandrika devi darshan

09:00

back to town

20:00

Railway station. Packing bike off to Chandigarh for 1000/- . The concerned person is not around, and we need to drain off all the petrol. Bike's mile meter is showing 15447kms. 15447

22:30

Sweaty & tired... but finally on board the same train...

Day 4 11:00 Chandigarh 415m
1 hr late, but there finally. Getting the bike, loading our 40Kgs of luggage & off we go. But the bike sputters off. No petrol u see! Get 325ml for 30/- from a mechanic, but it is so impure the bike makes all kinds of noise. Amit is getting tense. This is just the beginning and bike already problematic, he is thinking... He just wants to escape Chandigarh, but in a while petrol dries off again, this time very close to petrol pump. I get 5ltrs in a can... and off we go. Now no problems, bike is back to its cool self.

13:15 Ropar / Roopnagar 355m
Lunch somewhere near Ropar, the trip is on!! but Amit's hiking pole is lost somewhere... We went back a few kilometers to search, but in vain... he will be missing it all through the trip & sing songs of longing... :D

14:15

Off on the road again...

17:00

Tea...

21:15

Dinner...

22:30 Mandi 775m it is late... We had decided not to drive in the night, and yet the road has been good & we were advised to go ahead and halt the night at Mandi.

Day 5 10:30

Had a nice sleep. Got up late. Check out & head for Riwalsar.

12:00 Riwalsar 1315m Checked in at K.D. Gompha

13:00

Temperature : 27.5 degrees

Day 6 07:00

Tea/pratha & an army haircut!

09:15

off to Mandi

10:02 Mandi 775m Breakfast & petrol tank top up 15696

11:10

Off on the road again... to bhuntur...
15720

14:43 Bhuntur 1100m Tea... 15783

16:00 Kasol 1515m Parked bike @20/- per day for 9 days.

Reporting to YHAI base camp at Kasol for Sarpass'08 trek. Group SP-24 : Day 7 to Day 14.

Day 15 06:00 Kullu
rest day...


Day 16 07:00 Kullu
Wakeup.. packup...

10:30

Checkout

11:00

breakfast

11:25

On the way to Bijli Mahadev

12:15 Dharat
Trek starts at Dharat. Distance to cover 2km+

14:15 Bijli Mahadev 2380m well, a tiring climb.. no one would be believe we just completed Sarpass!!

14:50

returning back...

15:30 Dharat
pick up our bike...

16:30 Kullu
lunch...

18:00

kinda late to start for Manali... but the road is good...

19:45 Manali
it is too crowded for our comforts! Peak tourist season... we decide to move to Vashist

20:30 Vashist
Checked into hotel...

Day 17 08:00

hot bath at sulphur spring.

11:30

To Manali for sight seeing... tank topup 15958

18:00

Bike servicing at Vashist


Day 18 08:00

D-day! kinda late... checked out & start bike to find a broken Kick spring!! aahhhh...

09:30

mechanic takes his own sweet time waking up! Repair is done... and then the bike kind of slide while turning & the font brake lever is broken!!! ummmm... wo bhi change hua... so we finally get to start at 9:30am... in between we have our tea & biscuits...

11:10 Mirhi Dam 3165m breakfast at last!


Rohtang La 3850m



Koksar 3075m



Sisu 2965m


17:00 Gondhla 3160m Got the broken carrier of the bike welded. Tea...

17:50

start out again. No more welding shop before Leh

18:15 Tandi 2855m Tank topup... heard that the working hours here are erratic! 16074

18:40 Keylong 3050m night halt...

Day 19
Keylong

Another rest day... 16084

Day 20 07:30

start for Sarchu

08:40 Jispa 3160m


08:55 Darch 3230m breakfast... 16112

11:50 ZingZing Bar 3900m start of ZingZing bar... 16139

12:43 Baracha La 4695m
16160

13:00 Bharatpur 4510m maggie... 16166


KillingSalai 4400m
16179

15:00 Sarchu 4145m Lunch & rest. Night halt. 16193

Day 21 07:30

Start out for Leh...

09:35 Nakee La 4720m
16239

09:55 Risky Nala
Tea break at Risky nala alias Whisky Nala alias Brandy nala. We did not know, but this place is prone to flash floods.. and many a vehicles have been washed away!! 16244

10:30 LachulungLa 4850m
16251

12:00 Pang 4290m
16275

15:35 Tanglang La 5150m Sri Krishna temple 16341

17:30 Rhumtse 4070m



Upshe 3385m a late lunch...
16404

20:15 Leh 3430m finally some stability! Our home for the next 4 days... 16455