foot loose

2008-10-14T15:30:00.000+05:30

Treks

Amarnath

Itinerary

Char Dham, Bhawishya Badri, Kalimath, Kali Sila

Kedarnath → Vasuki Taal

Memoirs

Indrahara pass : Oct'08

Jamunotri, Gangotri, Goumukh, Tapovan

Itinerary

Panch Kedar

Tapovan

Treks (continued...)

Valley of flowers

Treks with YHAI

Sandakphu

Trip photographs

Saurkundi

Trip photographs

Sarpass

Treks planned for future

Adi Kailash

Itinerary

Bike trips

Manali → Leh → Srinagar

Miscellaneous

Rafting down Trishuli

Memoirs

Snorkeling in Phi Phi Islands

Memoirs

Indrahara Pass diary

2008-10-14T15:27:00.010+05:30

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.

Day	Time	Place	To / Description	Height (Casio)	Distance	Mode
0	20:00	ISBT, Delhi	Dharamsala	1365m	511km	Bus
1	7:00	Dharamsala	Mcleodganj	1655m	10km	Taxi
	7:30	Mcleodganj	Dharamkot. 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.	1810m	2km	Auto
2	8:00	Mcleodganj	laundry, 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...
3	7:30	Mcleodganj	Dharamkot			Auto
	8:10	Dharamkot	Triund. 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
	8:55	Golu Devi	temple & shop.	2010m	2km	Trek
	10:30	Magic point	mid point... tea...		3.5km	Trek
	13:30	Triund	it 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!!	2690m	3.5km	Trek
4	5:30	Triund	wakeup... 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...
5	6:50		start for Indrahara pass...
	7:12		water point	3135m
	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... :)))
	12:24	Indrahara pass	mist 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
	18:00	Lakagot
	18:50	Snowline cafe	We 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...
	20:00	Triund	well 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!!
6	9:00	Triund	We 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...
	13:00	Dharamkot

Indrahar pass trek

2008-09-22T21:20:00.005+05:30

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

Height

Distance

Mode

Delhi

Mcleodganj

1770m

511 km

bus

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

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

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.

Adi kailash yatra

2008-09-20T17:38:00.000+05:30

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

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.”

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:

"The best period is Mid Sept to Mid Oct and late May to June.
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.
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

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

2008-07-05T01:30:00.003+05:30

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

Sarpass' 08 : SP24

2008-06-30T18:54:00.010+05:30

Here is a log of Sarpass trek with YHAI. Reporting May24, 08. Photographs

Day

Time

Place

Altitude (Casio)

To / Remarks

Day 2	08:30	Kasol	1515m	Acclimatization walk to 1725m
	13:30			Back to base camp for lunch
	16:30	-18:30		Bag inspection/deposit
	19:30			Dinner & camp fire

Day 3	08:30			Checking out of base camp...
	09:00			Caught the bus to Barsani (1915m) via Manikaran (1675m)
	11:15	Shila Gao	2005m	Tea...
	13:00		2190m	Lunch stop...
	13:30			off again...
	14:30	Guna Paani	2245m
	15:00			welcome drink
	15:30			raining... some hail stones too..

Day 4	09:00			heading for Faul Paani
			2335m	Lunch stop...
	15:30	Faul Paani	2550m
	19:00			Dinner... it started raining, & things are getting messy & slippery...

Day 5	08:30			Start for Zirmi
	12:00		2720m	Lunch stop...
	14:30	Zirmi	2950m
	16:47			Pressure : 705mb
	20:00			Great camp fire...

Day 6	09:00			Start for Tila Lotni
	12:00		3375m	Lunch stop...
	15:30	Tila Lotni	3670m
	16:45			Atmospheric pressure : 647mb
	21:20			Atmospheric pressure : 647mb. Rock steady!! we have a great camp fire & a calm uneventful night. I had heard many a horror stories about this camp site!

Day 7	06:00			Start for Sarpass
	10:13	Sarpass	4000m	Traversing Sarpass... I recorded the highest altitude here at exactly 4000m according to my Casio PRG50 watch. Pressure : 618mb
	16:30	Biskeri	3245m	Flowers & green!! and just an hour back we were passing through ice cold rain & hail and I had lost sensation in my feet!
	19:45			Atmospheric pressure : 680mb

Day 7 : Got up really early today, thought we would be moving by 5am considering today's was the longest stretch and weather over passes is so unpredictable after 3pm. But it is 6am by the time we start walking up the green slopes. The sun is bright & shiny, and it had been a good peaceful night. The temperature inside the tent recorded a comfortable 9 degrees and the sleeping bags have been good enough. The guide points out the route we are to take, and it passes through the deep lap of virgin white...

The other day I had caught Romy bhai bragging on the phone in his Lucknow style "we are standing on the mountain, and the mountain is below our very feets!". I think he is trying to impress someone as usual. uuuummmm... one has to be nuts to take panga with the mountains. I mean, u do that from the safety of your home na... Today perhaps is going to be the day of his enlightenment...

Slowly we reach the snow-line and rest for a while, catching the view. Amit bhai has mild headache, i think it is more due to cold & early morning walk then anything else. Sunieta has the same problem.

The first steps in the snow is always so much fun. Tejas has even made an ice-creme cone out of it, poured fruity over it and eaten! But it is a vast expanse out there, i heard a full day's walk... slowly we watch them disappear over the horizon. We 4 are keeping the tail end - Amit bhai, Romy bhai, Sunieta & me. The weather has been clear, except for a few patches of clouds, nothing too dense to strike fear in the heart. And barometer has been holding steady all through the night so at lease till mid-day things look cheery.

I have that moment frozen in my mind. Lost in those undulations of the hills, whiteness all around...the enveloping sky... like a soft cocoon... like being in the cozy lap of mother nature, peaceful, not a thought in mind... just absorbing... eyes wide open...

then came the mother of all slides... i reasoned with the guide knowing no reason will work... the only comfort is that the channel is deep cut and if i can just keep myself pressed deep enough i could avoid possible spill, roll & multiple somersaults... i have realized that my fear comes from the sense of loss of control, and yet i do enjoy once i am in the thick of it.

So after futile convincing, without further ado, i let myself go. And it was more than any roller coaster i ever rode in my life! (there been only two times in fact. One time i got on it thinking it was a toy train. And before i realized, it had taken 3 twists & 3 loops!! I still have the photo, teeth clutched & a frozen wide grin... The second was more routine kind. It was a rusty affair, and speed looked safe enough...)

Well, that guide had really pinned me down, so i was more like a log going down hill at god knows what speed. It was kind of a blur at one time as i find myself forced against the left edge of the shallow channel (the channel made from numerous people having slided down that slope) and i know where Romy bhai had made the mistake and landed face down, all dazed... he didn't move for quite sometime. and he remained dazed for the rest of the trip that day:))) kind of a zombie... resigned... sad... knowing this day will perhaps never end... wondering if he will ever see his son again... his trumpet lay ignored that night...

there... Sunieta comes down in style... and Amit bhai... all perfect landings... Tejas comes down shooting video... Gaurav is sliding way beyond, some body please stop him... Saudamini is looking positively thrilled...

well that was quick & it was over before one knew it... but people are gathering down below... another slide? crazy... but now that we are into it... kya karne ka hai... I knew what was in store when i opted for this trek after dilly-dallying for a year. no, it is the tea point, we have our tea... most of the group has departed.. and guide walks away telling us four to hurry up...

uuummmm... at tea i had thought the worse was over. In a way it was over in that slide is what i feared most. but then what remained was a pretty long long walk over vast expense of snow-field. But then it was enjoyable. great views... the path was clear & been walked on for days... hence less dangerous in that respect. And yet at places it was slippery from the snow being stamped repeatedly into slippery ice. So i slipped at one place, the weight driving the hiking pole deep in to ground & anchoring me... The guide rushes in, throwing his ice-axe at me to help myself extricate out. but i got a good anchor, and manage to stamp myself out, in reckless mood i joke with the guide saying how far can i slide, knowing fully well it is a steep slide & there can be a semi frozen lake below... ready to swallow & be unperturbed yet...

So i ask the guide how come people manage this trek on a routine basis. About 2000 people having done this trek through YHAI this year. Not being an easy trek, i mean. And YHAI treks u know, anybody will join. The field director was saying that once they had a newly married honeymooning couple reporting, having thought that this was a holiday package!! They had quite begged to be released.. hehehe...

And out came the reply that sometimes the whole group breaks down on those icy slopes & cry... uummmm... no wonder i have seen such brave smiles...

Till now the going has been good. but then it got cloudy, foggy and snowing.. it was a mild snow... as long as the wind remains down things are cool... fresh snow is good to walk on, and it would not rain here to make things slippery. I see worry cross many a face as people start putting seriously effort into their walk. Things are no longer as rosy & everyone is scrambling for safety, and yet u can't scramble on those slippery foot-holds...

Another slide... a minor one... waiting for the guide to bring me my bag stuck on the slide in-between.

For a moment i see desperation fly through Saudamini's eyes... and then she is over it.. fear is such a thing, let is fly away and u r better off... cling on to it and u can be raving mad...

And we walk down and reach the tea shop, soaking wet... the ice still filling every nook & corner of our bags... Amit bhai & Romy bhai joins us... Romy bhai goes for the omelette, nothing like hot food to bring cheer back into one's life!

After a quick tea, soaking wet & loosing body heat fast, we press ahead... and as we cross the shallow waters, the strong breeze & snow is finally upon us, lashing us from the behind, almost horizontally. And soon i can feel my feet below the knees going numb... but we walk on, absorbing it all... knowing safety is just around the corner... knowing we are going miss it once it is over.

Day 8	09:20			Start for Bandak Thatch
	15:30	Bandak Thatch	2865m	nice meadows... great location... ideal for relaxing & unwinding... long walks...

Day 9	08:00			Start for base camp
	13:30	Manikaran	1675m	A hot refreshing bath... & hot jalebis...
	18:00			Start for Kullu
	20:00	Kullu	1210m	Pressure : 876mb

Valley of flowers - trek plan as done in mid Aug'07

2008-06-27T23:45:00.012+05:30

Best season is monsoons when maximum blooming occurs. But monsoons is synonymous with landslides in Himalayas, which can quite destroy any travel plans. The delay can last anywhere from 2 hrs to 2 days!

Note : Due to rains, sometimes the gates at Joshimath can get delayed. Due to this we had proceeded to Badrinath first, and then once the weather cleared we came to VOF. But catching an early morning bus from Badrinath for short distances is difficult as they prefer long distance customers. We waited from 6am to 9am then paid double fare to a shared jeep to reach Gobindghat by 10.30am.

Here are some photographs from the trip including map of VOF : Photographs

Day

Place

Height

Distance

Mode

Day 1	Haridwar/Rishikesh
Day 2	Rishikesh/Haridwar	Joshimath	1874m	253km+ 35km	Bus

Buses start early in the morning if one wants to proceed directly to Badrinath first. Or catch a 9am bus to Joshimath. Check the timings at TGMOC (Tel no.01334-265008). One can also catch a shared jeep from Rishikesh for Joshimath or else to Srinagar & switch there.

Day 3	Joshimath	Gobindghat	1828m	22 Km	Bus
	Gobindghat	Ghangaria (Gobinddham)	3050m	13 Km	Trek

The Gurudwara at Gobindghat provides free cloak room facility. The trek is a bit strenuous at stretches, but i did do it in about 4-5hrs with a light day bag, having unloaded my heavier backpack on to my companion's pony...

Day 4	Ghangaria	Valley of flowers	3850m- 3962m	4km +	Trek
	Valley of flowers	Ghangaria		4km +	Trek

Start early so u may explore further in the valley. Nothing strenuous, quite an easy walk. Some ice/glacier bridges at earlier portion of the route possibly. Nothing is available inside the valley, so better to carry a picnic pack.

Day 5	Ghangaria	Hemkund sahib	4329m	6km	Trek
	Hemkund sahib	Ghangaria		6km	Trek

This is a pilgrim route. Ponies are available. This section is a bit strenuous, 5000 feet climb in 6km. Shops at regular intervals on the way. Watch the bunches of Brahmakamals & the delicate blue poppies besides boulders. There are no sleeping arrangements at Hemkund and one is advised to leave by 2PM to make it back to Ghangharia by nightfall.) Many people take a dip here in the lake.Have khidri & tea at Gurudwara langar.

Day 6	Ghangharia	Gobindghat		13km	Trek
	Gobindghat	Badrinath			Bus

Make note of the Joshimath gate timings so u know what time the buses will be passing though Gobindghat section. The walk from the Gobindghat market area to the main road is a bit longish, may be 1km.

Day 7 : Badrinath darshan & sight seeing... (Vashundhara falls 5km + 5km trek)

Day 8

Badrinath

Haridwar/Rishikesh

Bus

Catch an early morning bus, say 5.30am, reach by evening...

Proposed trip plan for June 08 : Part 3 : Amarnathjee

2008-05-17T20:58:00.010+05:30

May be we can do Amarnathjee also? i wonder... this will be my third time planning... Here is the modified plan:

Day

From

Height

Distance

Time

29	Kargil	Drass		62 Km
	Drass	Zoji La ( timings...)		-
	Zojilla Pass	Sonamarg		56 Km
30	Sonamarg	Baltal		15 Km
	Baltal	Domail		2 Km	trek
	Domail	Barari Marg		5 Km	trek
	Barari Marg	Sangam		4 Km	trek
	Sangam	Amarnathjee Cave	3880m	3 Km	trek
	Amarnathjee Cave	Possible to spend night somewhere near ?
31	....	Baltal		14 Km	trek
	Baltal	Sonamarg		15 Km
32	Sonamarg	Srinagar		84 Km
33	Srinagar	...sight seeing...

34	Srinagar	Udhampur	172 Km	NH1a
	Udhampur	Pathankot (Punjab)	139 Km
35	Pathankot	Ambala (Haryana)	281 Km
36	Ambala	Muradabad	300 Km
37	Muradabad	Lucknow	350 Km

Food : At Domail, 2 kms from Baltal, free langar(community Kitchen) facility is available. The trek from here is very steep and therefore needs caution and care. Some tea-stalls are available at Brarimarg and Sangam top.

Provisions : Essential rations are available at fair price rates from the specially established Govt. Depots at Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panchtami, Numerous wayside tea-shops and small restaurants are set up by private parties. Firewood or gas can be obtained at Chandanwari, Sheshnag (Wawajan), Panchtami and near the Cave.

Accommodation : Good tented accommodation with allied facilities are set-up during the Yatra period by the J&K TDC as well as private parties. These are provided on the basis of payment of rates fixed by the State authorities. Facilities for booking of such accommodation will be available at the base camps.

Chandanbari route, though more beautiful, will require more days :

30	Srinagar	Khanabal-> Pahalgao		94km:3hrs
31	Pahalgam	Chandanbari	2895m	16km	bus/jeep
	Chandanbari	Pisu Rising	3377m	2km	trek
	Pisu Rising	Seshnag	3352m	10km	trek
32	Seshnag	Mahagunus	4276m	4.6km	trek
	Mahagunus	Vayujan			trek
	Vayujan	Panchtarani	3657m	8km	trek
33	Panchtarini	Amarnath Cave 3880m		6.4km trek	trek
	Amarnath Cave	Panchtarini		6.4km trek	trek
34	Panchtarini	Baltal		14km / trek	trek
35	Baltal	Pahalgam
36	Pahalgam	Srinagar		94km / 3 hrs

Anatomy of a Head Lamp

2008-04-10T10:06:00.013+05:30

This blog post has been shifted to another location at http://sk-technical.blogspot.com/2008/04/anatomy-of-headlamp.html

Proposed trip plan for June 08 : Part 2 : Bike trip to Manali-Leh-Srinagar

2008-04-07T16:40:00.009+05:30

Information & tips on Manali-Leh-Srinagar route compiled from various sources including the following internet sites:

Leh Official site : http://leh.nic.in/

Road condition description : http://www.bikenomads.com/wiki/index.php/Leh#Road_status_2

Other links:
http://www.bikenomads.com/wiki/index.php/Leh
http://www.indiamike.com/india/ladakh-and-zanskar-f31/all-about-ladakh-t4912/6/
http://jayansr.blogspot.com/2007/05/riding-to-leh-this-summer.html
http://www3.utsidan.se/corax-e/routes/zmanleh.htm
http://www.outtheresomewhere.net/?page_id=90
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g297625-s5/Leh:India:Dining.Scene.html
http://www.bcmtouring.com/travel-guides/ladakh-travel-guide/manali-leh-travel-guide.html

Day

From

Height

Distance

Time

17	Extra day...
18	Manali	Mirhi (breakfast here...)
	Mirhi	Rohtang pass	3987m	51 Km
	Rohtang pass	Gramphu		14 Km
	Gramphu	Khosar		5 Km
	Khosar	Sissu		16 Km
	Sissu	Tandi (last fuel point)		18 Km
	Tandi	Kylong	3350m	11 Km

Total :

115 Km

19	Kylong	Jispa		25 Km
	Jispa	Darcha		7 Km
	Darcha	Deepak Tal (lake)		11 Km
	Deepak Tal	Patseo		3 Km
	Patseo	Baralacha La	4880m	27 Km
	Baralacha La	Serchu	4253m	36 Km

Total :

109 Km

20	Serchu	Nakee La	4903m	43 Km
	Nakee La	Lachlang la	5065m	11 Km
	Lachlang la	Pang	4500m	25 Km
	Pang	Moore Start	4752m	7 Km
	Moore plains	Moore plains end	4660m	40 Km
	Moore plains	Taglang La	5360m	17 Km
	Taglang La	Rumtse		30 Km
	Rumtse	Miru		15 Km
	Miru	Upshi	3432m	15 Km
	Upshi	Karu		14 Km
	Karu	Thiksey		18 Km
	Thiksey	Choglamsar		10 Km
	Choglamsar	Leh	3505m	6 Km

Total :

251 Km

21	Leh	...sight seeing...
22	Leh	Chang La	5288m
	Chang La	Pangong Lake	4419m	150 Km	9hrs
	Pangong Lake	Spangmik
23	Pangong Lake	Leh		150 Km

24	Leh	Khardung La	5602m	37 Km
	Khardung La	Khalsar	3018m
	Khalsar	Diskit	3144m
	Diskit	Hunder		7 Km
25	Hunder	Leh	3245m		5-6hr
26	Leh	...extra day...

27	Leh	Nimu	35 km
	Nimu	Alchi	10 Km
28	Alchi	Saspol	10 Km
	Saspol	Khalsi -> Lamayuru	44 Km
	Lamayuru	Mulbekh	53 Km
	Mulbekh	Kargil	32 km

Total :

184 Km

29	Kargil	Drass	62 Km
	Drass	Zoji La ( timings...)	-
	Zojilla Pass	Sonamarg	56 Km
	Sonamarg	Srinagar	84 Km

Total :

202 Km

30	Srinagar	...sight seeing...
31	Srinagar	Udhampur	172 Km	NH1a
	Udhampur	Pathankot (Punjab)	139 Km

Route : Manali - Rothang Pass - Keylong – Jispa - Darcha - Sarchu - Pang - Rumtse - Upshi - Karu – Leh : 475km

Day 18 Manali -> Kylong (115Km / 6Hrs) : Leave morning. Mirhi is a good place to have a breakfast of Aaloo parathas. The landscape changes once you cross Rohtang Pass. The road then drops to Gramphu and then splits, one going to Leh, the other going to Spiti Valley. Khosar has a few dhabas. Opposite Sissu look for a spectacular hanging waterfall. At Gondla see the ruins of a 7-storey 'thakur' fort dating back to 1700's. At Tandi, the road forks with one along Chenab river going towards Udaipur & Trilokinath temple 35km away. Kylong town is the capital of Lahul and Spiti. Visit Khardong Gompa.

Day 19 Kylong to Serchu (109Km) : Leave Keylong in the morning. Darch is a permanent settlement and is the start point for the trek to Padum in Zanskar. Dhabas offer basic food. Deepaktal is a nice place to camp & explore around. From Patseo it is a long winding climb up to Baralacha La and then a short descent down to Bharatpur City. Scenery changes dramatically as one crosses the Great Himalayan Range into the arid regions of Ladakh. Campsite at Serchu, situated on the banks of River Bhaga. It is cold & miserable at Sarchu.

Note : Tent camps at Sarchu are expensive, Bharatpur 30km from Sarchu for cheaper tents. Try 'Kathmandu Cafe'

Day 20 Serchu to Leh (251Km/9hrs) : Leave early morning, through Nakee La & Lachlang La through 20Km of Gator Loops (road coiling up the mountain). From the pass swoop down to Pang for lunch, then passing through Moore plains (biggest and highest Plateau on Earth stretching 40 Kms), Taglang La (2nd highest motorable road & 2nd highest temple in the world), reaching Upshi along a spectacular ravine. From here the dusty but well paved road follows the Indus river, passing villages. Reach Leh by evening.

Day 21 Leh : After breakfast, visit nine-storey Leh Palace and Shanti Stupa. Lunch & rest.

Leh Notes : carry a torch, warm clothes & sleeping bag.

“German Bakeries : best place to get some nice bread that´ll stay fresh at least two days, for the trek or bus.”
“Gezmo-german bakery on Fort rd is a good place to eat and to carry a packed lunch from them is a good idea. On your way to Pangong or Khadungla there are no places to eat, if your lucky you might find the tea stall open at the army camp where they serve some hot Maggie!”
“German Bakery - ironically run by a Sardar! Located in Leh Bazar. Baked products, - croissants, breads are quite good. When you're going on full day or overnight trips to other places, drop in to the bakery in the morning and pack up stuff for lunch. The yak cheese and bread roll are a great combination to munch at one of the numerous check points you encounter.”

“Web wallahs : lots of other internet places in Leh. These two places also had Photoshop,on their computers, and made CD´s from the camera.
Tashi´s Diner : great budget place, one of the few that stay open in the winter. Web wallah upstairs.
Dzomsa : Laundry services, safe pressure boiled water (BYO bottle), apricot juice (Mmmm... chuli chu), dried fruits for the trail and more.”

Day 22-23 Leh <-> Pangong Lake (150km/5-6 hrs one way) : Early morning B/F and leave for Pangong Tso through Changla Pass. This is third highest motorable road in the world. Pangong Lake is the highest salt water Lake in the world, 130Km long, and is shared by India & China. Enjoy the beauty of lake, blue & green in color with dun mountains in the backdrop capped with snow. Permit is only upto Spangmik 7km along south-western shore, do care to visit it for the view. No facilities here. Better to return back the same day or try accommodation at Tangtse. Back to Leh by same route.

Note : No petrol pumps on the way so get your tank filled up to cover 300+km

Day 24 Leh -> Khardung-la -> Khalsar -> Deskit -> Hunder : A trip to Nubra Valley which starts from Khalsar. Nubra means green, and it is also known as the valley of flowers. A permit is required, 20/- per day of stay per person, and it allows visit only up to Hudur & Panamik.

After breakfast drive to Nubra Valley via Khardung La (Highest Motorable road in the world, 18,380 ft) reach Hundur by afternoon, rest of the day free for exploring Deskit & Hundur Villages or one can leave for two hump camel safari in sand dunes at Hundur Village. Night stay at Hundur.

Note : One way traffic across Khardung La
morning traffic : Khardung La -> Nubra
afternoon traffic : Nubra -> Khardung La

Distances in Nubra Valley:
Diskit -> Hudur : 7Km (west side)
Diskit -> Sumur -> 38Km/1.5hrs (east side)
Sumur -> Chamshen : 6Km/30 minutes
Chamsen -> Panamik : 14Km/30 minutes . Hot springs at Panamik are believed to cure rheumatism and other ailments.

“one day, we made an hour long trip on the backs of bactrian camels (god, did they stink!) which took us from hundur to diskit and back after a visit to the impossibly-situated monastery (diskit gompa) perched on the top of a hill. the climb was well worth the effort - the views across the valley to where the shyok and siachen rivers meet were stunning. the journey past the glacier-fed indus on one side and the high Himalayas on the other was a memorable one.”

Day 25 Nubra Valley -> Leh : After breakfast proceed for Deskit Monastery and Drive back to Leh by same Route by crossing Khardungla Pass.

Day 26 Leh -> Alchi : Morning after breakfast leave for Alchi after Lunch Leave for Alchi Village. Visit to Alchi Gompa. And evening full at leisure in exploring the village of Alchi. “Magnetic hill (7km from nimmu towards leh, look out for mandir on left, works only for iron bikes!”

Day 27 Alchi ->Lamayuru->Kargil : After Breakfast leave for Lamayuru (Oldest Monastery on Central Ladakh Region) enroute where you can view a spectacular view Mountain Ranges and Moon landscape & Giant Maitreya Buddha on a way To Kargil at Mulbekh. Reach Kargil by evening.

Day 28 Kargil -> Srinagar (202Km) : Leave early in Morning for Srinagar by crossing Drass (2nd Coldest Inhabitant Place on earth), Zojila Pass, Where you have a Spectacular View of Kargil War Famous Peaks (Tiger, Tololing and Other Peaks), Sonamarg (Know as The Meadow of Gold), reach Srinagar by afternoon.

Notes :
1. Zoji La : Restrictions on traffic movement. Closed between 4pm to 4am, and fully closed once a week for maintenance. One way system for buses, Leh to Srinagar buses must cross the army post on top by 5am, so need to start by 1am from Kargil. If unlucky, you will be riding in the opposite direction to the trucks! Bad road for 20km on either side.
2. Leh -> Srinagar : 434km (NH1) : A total of 48 km is unaccounted for in the above distance chart between Leh to Srinagar.
3. Petrol pumps only at Khalsi & Kargil. No Petrol in Zanskar & Nubra valley.

Day 29 Srinagar :
Day 30 Srinagar -> Pathakot (311Km)
Day 31 Pathankot -> Ambala (281Km)

Poposed trip plan for June'08 : Part 1 : Sarpass

2008-04-07T16:34:00.001+05:30

First leg of the bike trip. Ride to Kasol and trek to Sarpass before beginning the journey to Leh.

Day

From

Height

Distance

Time

0	CCU	Lucknow				Train
1	Lucknow	Muradabad		350 Km		NH24
2	Muradabad	Chandigarh		350 Km
3	Chandigarh	Kulu	1220m	200 Km		NH21
4	Extra day...					Join YHAI Surpass trek
5	Kulu	Kasol		42 Km
6	Kasol	Guna Pani	2438m	5 Km	5 Hrs
7	Guna Pani	Fuaal Pani	2896m	6 Km	6 Hrs
8	Fuaal Pani	Zrimi Thach	3353m	7 Km	7 Hrs
9	Zrimi Thach	Tila Lotni	3810m	6 Km	6 Hrs
10	Tila Lotni	Sarpas-> Biskeri Thach	4206m 3353m	9 Km	7 Hrs
11	Biskeri Thach	Bhadak Thatch	2438m	10 Km	6 Hrs
12	Bhadak Thatch	Kasol				Road head-> Manikaran :1737m->Kasol
13	Kasol	kulu	1220m	42 Km		YHAI camp break.
14	Extra day...					Bijli Mahadev Temple
15	Extra day...
16	Kulu	Manali	2050m	32 km		Sight seeing

Kasol : An open glade by the banks of the river Paravti. Clean white sand separates the lush green grass from the waters. A good spot for trout. Himachal Tourism has a Tourist Hut here.

Manali :

Hadimba Temple : Hadimba or Dhungiri temple in Manali is one of the most important temples in the region. This four-story wooden temple is located in the middle of a forest called the Dhungiri Van Vihar. Winding paths through forests and glades of whispering Deodars form the setting for the majestic wooden temple of Hidimba Devi in Manali. The motorable road is shaded by Chestnuts, Chinars and tall deciduous Deodars. This forested backdrop enthrall one’s spirit and refresh one’s mind all along the uphill path.

Vashist Springs (1,982m) : At about half an hour’s brisk walking distance from town, there are sulfur springs-gush, hot and medicinal - emerging out of the mountains at Vashisht. Here, in a bath complex with a restaurant and a beautiful view, couples can soak in the privacy of their own sunken bath, warming all kinds of ailments out of their systems.

Jagatsukh (6-kms) : It is one of the biggest villages in Kullu district. About 6-km from Manali, Jagatsukh is famous for its Shiva temple that is built in "shikhara" style and nearby is the old and interesting Devi Sharvati temple.

Arjun Gufa (5-kms) : On the left bank of the Beas, 5-km from Manali near the village of Prini, is the 'Arjun Gufa' or the cave of Arjuna. In here Arjuna practiced austerities to get Pashupata Ashtra or weapon from Lord Indra.

Beas Kund : Further ahead is the Beas Kund. The tiny roundish igloo like stone hut shelters the Beas Kund, the very source of the holy river Beas. Water flows at the source of the river like a spring, so clear and icy cold that it almost numbs the fingers. All around is the rocky terrain with very little vegetation. A few mules graze around while all and sundry try to brave the wind on a clear sunny day.

Rohtang Pass : There is a beautiful Dasohar Lake left of the Pass. The Pass, which provides the only access to the Lahaul Valley, is open from June to November each year. Snowfall is, however, unpredictable and blizzards can close the Pass even during this period. Here one sees the majesty of the mountains at its height and splendor A few km away from the pass is the Sonapani glacier and, slightly to the left are the twin peaks of Gaypan-jagged pyramid of rock, snow streaked and snow crowned.

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

2007-11-08T21:40:00.007+05:30

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

Day

From

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)

2007-05-14T00:09:00.005+05:30

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)

2007-01-03T16:41:00.010+05:30

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.

2006-09-29T11:47:00.000+05:30

Trip plan for Jamunotri - Gangotri - Goumukh - Tapovan :

Sector	Depart	Distance	Arrive	Time		Height	Mode
Dehradun-> Mussoorie		32 km		1 hrs			Bus
Mussoorie-> Ranachatti		125 km		8 hrs	1^st Night		Bus
Ranachatti ->Hanumanchatti		8 km		---			Jeep
Hanumanchatti->Yamunotri		6 km		3 hrs		3225m	trek
Yamunotri->JanakiChatti				2 hr	2^nd Night		trek
Janaki Chatti -> Rana Chatti		6 km		1.5hr			trek
Rana Chatti -> Uttar Kashi		100 km		4 hr	3^rd Night	1150 m	Bus

Sector	Depart	Distance	Arrive	Time		Height	Mode
Uttarkashi -> Gangnani	earliest	43 km		-	Hot spring		bus
Gangnani -> Gangotri		57 km		5 hr	4^th Night	3140 m	bus
Gangotri -> Chirbasa	5 am	8/9 km		3/4 hr		3606 m	trek
Chirbasa -> Bhojwasa		6 km		1/2 hr	5^th Night	3792 m	trek
Bhojwasa -> Goumukh		4 km		2/3 hr		3892 m	trek
Goumukh -> Tapovan		5 km		3 hr	6^th Night	4463 m	trek
Tapovan -> Gangotri	earliest				7^th Night	3606 m	trek
Gangotri -> Uttarkashi		100 Km		5 hr	8^th Night	1150 m	bus
Uttar Kashi -> Haridwar		200 km			9^th Night		bus
Uttar Kashi -> Rishikesh		155 km					bus

Kedarnath - Vasuki Taal (Sep, 2005)

2006-04-14T16:18:00.007+05:30

Sep, 2005: A Journey in Himalayas - starting from Haridwar:

During the trip i meet this sanyashi (monk). He was on his way to Kedarnath, hoping to meet his colleague there who had preceded him a couple of days earlier. He was a simple unsophisticated person, just as you would expect someone who had left his home early in childhood to become a sanyashi. He says parental consent is essential for entry into the ashram, but he did not elaborate on it. I liked him for his innocence, his simplicity, his eagerness to talk & discuss. And when the seat the next to me became vacant on this hilly drive out of Haridwar to Gaurikund, i was happy to invite him to sit near.

On the same bus i also came across these 3 musketeers (not carrying any muskets ofcourse). They been touring this area for a month now. They were attempting a very difficult task to visiting Kedarnath and then catching their train back from Haridwar in 3 days time. Earlier during the month they had trekked to Amarnath, which is around 35Km in the ice region deep in the himalayas. And then to Vaishnav devi, which is another 11km uphill walk, and now here they were. It looked like a pretty long marathon to me.

For myself, i prefer to enjoy the scenery. So on reaching Gaurikund i had a difficult time deciding whether to stay with Sanyashi and enjoy a bath at the hot water pond and catch some sleep before attempting the 14km trek, or to just rush with these three who seem to be knowledgeable about the place and wished to cover half the distance before night fall. Left to myself, i had been warned not to venture out after 4pm, as it gets foggy all of a sudden, and a rain can mean sliding rocks. Kedar in the local tongue mean rocks. This is a place of rocks & streams. Anyway, i cast my fears aside and decided to push ahead.

Starting the trek:
And as we started, there started a drizzle, i reached for my backpack, and found that i had lost my umbrella. Now i had no energy left to go downhill 1 km at over 20 – 30 degree incline and get it from the boot of the bus and mostly it would have been futile anyway. The drizzle ebbed away as we climbed and we made good progress. We reached the mid-point in record 2.5 hrs, and by then the mist had covered the tiny settlement. NTPC has brought electricity to this region, but right now it was enveloped in darkness, they seemed to have a problem at the generating station downhill. We found a place to stay and my companions got busy in the kitchen helping the cook preparing dinner in the light of candles, and i found the luxury to change relaxedly. My sweater was soaked with sweat, dripping... I had weighed my back pack at 10 kgs. I needed to make it lighter for the rest of the route, already my shoulders were raw and my back not so happy. And the hurry in this arduous climb has taken its cost. I decided to go for a flexon (Paracetamol & ibuprofen combination or something like that i think), my joints won't move tomorrow otherwise. I wonder what it does to my liver & kidneys...

Nearby the river Mandakini flowed with fearsome furiously. Like a hundred lions roaring at a time. Part of the mist comes from the water splitting into a million droplets as the river hits the rocks & boulders on its meandering way down. Looking at it here I could not have even imagine that latter on in the trip i will walk across it, so calm and quiet it is at its origin. Looking back, i feel it like an awesome beauty and yet scary in her intensity & wildness. All through the way the scenery is breathtaking, we were surrounded by virgin mountains & lush green valleys. Mid ways it had turned cold, and i had to put on sweaters.

Next morning the trio is up early at 4am and busy preparing their breakfast. I say i am in no hurry, i will start after 9am. I am stiff and upset. After 15 minutes i decide to ask for hot water to take bath. And by the time i am ready, aaloo parathas & tea are served. We start out at 5am, and it still looks night. The 3rd person in this group is an elderly Bengali, while the other two r in their 30's. And he finally started to feel the strain. So what followed in the second section was lots of coaxing, frustration and head-shaking :) It was a test of human endurance watching him make it to the top. But certainly i would advise him to get rid of his friends, otherwise he may not be so lucky next time... :)

On the top we parted, they had to visit the temple and rush back, I wanted to unpack & freshen up. Latter on i roamed about in the small settlement and covered all in a couple of hours. On discussion at the lodge i came to find that there were two mountain lake in these regions, worth visiting. One is 3km trek, and the other is Vashuki Taal a 8km arduous trek. At the temple i meet the sanyashi again, and he was happy to have found his companion. His colleague is a bit of a contrast to him. This guy seems world-wiser and slightly smug. And he seemed upset to get this extra baggage :) He says he been to Gandhi taal and the place is beautiful. But he cautioned me against going to Vashuki taal alone. Said very risky. The cook at the lodge is a youth and he says he will be happy to be my guide. I am happy to find such generous help. I naturally assume he is saying Gandhi taal which is 3km away.

The trek to Vasuki Taal:
Next morning we start a little late at around 9am. We buy some milk sweets on the way, as we expect to back only late in the evening. I ask him where we are going and he replies nonchalantly “Vasuki taal” . I am a bit shocked, a bit scared, but happy with a wide smile on my face. This is god's country, and he leads here. I carry an extra pair of trousers as it is supposed to be colder uphills.

That trek turned out to be a dream come true kind. At places we cut across virgin mountains without a trail to be seen. And it was a true nature's garden at places. The ferns drooping under heavy mist, the sunflower covered hill side, the carpet of tiny red flowers on the grass, the majestic mountains. This is fairyland. In the distant i see a snow covered mountain with its top a human head. You can see the clear eyes, and sharp nose and mouth. Like the lord commanding over the region. That place is beyond reach, my guide tells me. It is like a magnet which pulls everything down, once a helicopter ventured in that region and was lost for ever. Beyond that lies China on the opposite side. Below, the whole region is a floating land, u walk there, u sink. Across this was the gate to heaven, it is said.

Midway i met the two sanyashis again! They had also decided to use the day to visit this holy place. The 1st one couldn't make it, and returned back after a while. He is not used to walking he says. After a little chat i carry on, leaving them at their measured pace.

We reach the mountain top, have our snacks with the clouds, and climb down the other side. Now my guide informs me that there has sightings of bear & lions in this region. Well... I am already into it... no need to panic, i tell myself. I can't fly back, i can't hide, screaming will only attract them. So we move on. There are no human being for miles in these mountains except us two and the sanyashis with their guide somewhere unseeable. The water bottle is empty and he fills it at the stream he knows it is drinkable.

I find a lonely Bramha Kamal growing in a nook ( a mountain flower considered to be very pure), and decide to pluck it on the way back. And then we are standing on the lake. This is deep, like a deep valley filled with water in fact. If u slip in, u r most likely gone. They have put markers with rocks all along the banks. We decide to circumnavigate it. I find a trickle of a stream coming out of the lake at the other end, and i am informed that this is the beginning of the furious Mandakini. I am amazed. Here it is so quiet that my camera clearly catches the trickle of water. I suppose u can hear the proverbial pin drop.

And then on the opposite end i sit to do my chanting. And i feel the fire on my face. Like the whole lake is boiling. I get a bit scared. In truth, i am still scratching the surface of meditation and devotion. I got a long way to go. I wonder if i will ever be able to come here alone and spend a few days by myself, in this bare region without a shelter, the breeze sweeping the valley clean, no humans, no food, may be no fire also. But this is what many sanyashis do, here they find a cave and take the final samadhi in the quiet, unknown to the civilization. This is The Himalayas, the sacred mountains. Here is where the Saints have come for thousands of years to seek truth & enlightenment. These mountains have witnessed them all, nourished them, and delivered them. I feel gratified that i have felt a glimpse of the majesty.

The trip back was grueling. It grew dark & foggy and we could not see the landscape to assess our position. If we are lost then it will become a question of survival. I make the mistake of joking abt it with the guide, and his face creases with worry. One must never create doubts in such circumstances, it can shake a person's confidence. Who knows he may have fear going back? I regret that remark. We were very much on track as i found spots where i had taken photo graphs all along the way. And the trail had not bifurcated any where.

But it surely was a much longer trip going down. I kept walking, putting one foot ahead of the other. We were both worn out, and any slip would be disastrous. We were in no position to reach out & regain balance. And any rain would mean we would have to hold fort for the night out in the wilderness. It was cold. My guide latter said he had not felt this tired before, and i think that must reflect on me, somewhere his spirit must have got dampened. I need to be more careful in future. I also need to give a bigger tip next time, though he said he did this for free for the lodger customers. I made up by paying the lodger more. When we reach town, the lodge manager had already spotted us coming down and started the cooking. We were getting late and they had got worried. That cold night i slept with another flexon. Liver & kidney issues notwithstanding, i need to walk down tomorrow. I am worried about the 2nd sanyashi whom i had crossed high up in the mountain & i prayed for him. If there is rain in the mountains, he will be in trouble.

On to Badrinath:
The next day i start my trek down early after tea. Midways, i have my potato stuffed parathas. They are my favourite by the way. I have survived on them for days during my China trips. And i can have Potato tikkis for breakfast, lunch & dinner. I make tikkis the size of a paratha, that way i utilize the full hot-plate, and have ample to eat :) i let it roast & shrink to half its size, turning a nice brown. Then i sprinkle ginger & green chili & white & black salts and lemon juice, yummy.... my mouth waters at the thought. Previously that would also include roasted rings of browned onions and raw chopped onions, but now I have stopped eating them. Also boiled potatoes half cut and roasted on tava. Garnished the same way. Basically anything related to potato is good...

I collect my 3 kgs of books from the lodge, these i had carried in the trip in the hope of doing some studies. I have just quit a job and i need to find a new vocation. At 36, it is a bit scary to start from scratch. I tell myself, i have done this before and i can do it again. Life is not about getting cowed down and complying. It is about striking out in a new path, perils notwithstanding. But i can feel the stress just at the thought, and this is supposed to be fun. I am trying to learn what i have enjoyed most, databases and programing.

As i put on the now heavier backpack and step on the path, there i find the two sanyashis again!! The first one is dragging his feet and second one upset and feeling burdened. We talk for a while. Soon i start feeling cramped and i need to flex. I walk faster and then break into a run, the falls of my feet resounding as i bring them down hard to gain grip running down the slope. I run the thin line between running and tripping over from the momentum. It is exhilarating, with my 10kg back-pack giving me the necessary extra traction on the ground. There, i have just eaten away a kilometer and more. i find a bench under an over hanging rock & sit waiting for my companions. People around me seem recharged, more enthusiastic, their limits suddenly extended, thresholds raised a wee bit more. My face is flushed and beaming, as i feel the blood rush into my entire body, giving me a sense of well-being. The 1st sanyashi joins me, then the second. Soon we are upfront and the 2nd sanyashi is trailing :)

Latter on we will re-meet in Badrinath, and hiking to see the Vashundhara falls, and the 2nd sanyashi will tell me that seeing me has encouraged his colleague, taken away his fear of hiking. I feel happy. I see he is wearing hiking shoes instead of the leather slippers. A sure change of attitude :)

At Vashundhara falls:
On reaching the falls, the first sanyashi one is not ready to return, he wants to prolong the pleasure of view after a 3 km hiking in the hills. Just 5 minutes of the breath taking view after two hours of labour ? He surely feels not so pleased . We walk down and he joins us slowly. It will be dusk soon and we need to move.

Saving Brahmacharya:
The 2nd sanyashi has now become more open to me. And he recounts his bus experience. He had got his seat in the bus and then a lady came & sat next to him. That got him worried, being a sanyashi & a brahmachari(one vowed to never involved with a women) he has learned to take precautions. The Hindu literature says a man near a women is like a pot of ghee (milk fat) in front of fire. So knowing human weakness, a brahmachari needs to be diligent in not encouraging that desire. He says he started chanting a mantra. That one is very sure to relieve u of any impending doom he says. And then he started to another chant and was happy when the lady found another vacant seat :)

Sexual desire is the most potent of all desires. Even Brahma has fallen, so has Shiva. Narada fell too. Vishwamitra was a smaller incident compared to these. Earlier i would think of them as weak, now i think of them as mighty worriers felled by Vishnu, the mightiest of them all, the creator, the source of all, the mother & the father, the beginning & the end. Let no one be proud of achievements & encourage ego. ego thou r banished, i shall have nothing to do with u. You took Ravana, the most learned one.

Sep, 2000 - Rafting down Trishuli

2006-04-14T16:11:00.001+05:30

I had joined a Japanese language institute linked with the YMCA. Somehow i been fascinated with the Japanese culture (for that matter Chinese too) and when i got the opportunity, i enrolled for a three months session. We had Japanese volunteers teaching us & it was nice.

The teachers proposed a rafting trip down Trishuli, and we all seconded. Everything got fixed quickly and they contracted professionals for the boats & guides.

Trishuli is a fearsome mountain river connected with many a stories. Every year a few trucks disappear into it after sliding from the highway above. It looks quiet & unassuming at places, yet it is over 50 meters at places. And the under tug can swallow up rafts!

One story i heard was that this newly married couple came from India and went rafting. The wife somehow fell over and could not be found again. The husband returned home a widower.

So the guides told us repeatedly that this is not a game. It is adventure, so life can be at stake - follow the instructions strictly. And then he gives us the rudimentary vocabulary of rafting. The boats r inflated using ancient foot pumps and the first one departs. We take the second one and get tossed in the water before we know it.

And then i feel the loss of control and the panic hits me... i look back and the banks r far away, with tumultuous water in between. this is crazy... who would risk life like this? we hit the rapids and the thrill runs through my body. I hit the floor of the boat, hooking my feet to some anchor, hanging over the side, paddling furiously, shouting, co-ordinating... there is a fury, there is a trill, a challenge to face... where is the fear? it got lost somewhere in the rush of things. perhaps this is what Alexander felt in a battlefield... The boat hitting the rapids, then rising uncontrollably, but somehow surviving... the bolder is right on our path, it will tear the rubber surely, but the water miraculously glide us around it, the floor of the boat is just thick rubber, i wonder how it support us all...

And then it is over, and the girls are laughing uncontrollable. one is clutching on to my pants still and finds it very funny. We have a quite spot and am still in a reckless mood. I slide over... the tug of water is strong, almost pulling me under the raft. I don't know swimming, and i am entirely at the mercy of this life vest. seeing me, three more venture out. I try to pull myself out and suddenly i feel too heavy. another person helps me rise. In a while we will be reaching our destination. All along the Trishuli runs a highway, and every few kilometers r small settlements with restaurants selling the fresh catch of the day from the river, fried and sticked... I have left non-veg food quite a while back. I make do with beaten rice & chola (chik peas/grams)...

When i get back, i tell my family. They shake their heads, knowing the time to stop is long passed...

foot loose

Contents

Indrahara Pass diary

Indrahar pass trek

Adi kailash yatra

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

Sarpass' 08 : SP24

Valley of flowers - trek plan as done in mid Aug'07

Proposed trip plan for June 08 : Part 3 : Amarnathjee

Anatomy of a Head Lamp

Proposed trip plan for June 08 : Part 2 : Bike trip to Manali-Leh-Srinagar

Poposed trip plan for June'08 : Part 1 : Sarpass

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

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

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

Kedarnath - Vasuki Taal (Sep, 2005)

Sep, 2000 - Rafting down Trishuli