I
along with my wife Charoo and daughters Tanvi and Tanya went for trekking to
Roopkund in May 2012. Selection for trekking to Roopkund was due to two reasons
(1) wanted to have different type of vacation than the usual ones (2) test our
body and soul. As we are not regular trekkers, selection of destination was
ticklish, we did not want to go for to simple trek as it would have defeated
the very purpose and also did not want to go for a tough trek because of lack
of trekking experience. After reading
blogs and some search on net, finally decided on Roopkund. We registered with
“Trek the Himalayas” (TTH) through their website for trek to Roopkund from
13/05/2012 to 20/05/2012.
Something about Roopkund:
Situated at an altitude of 4850 m (some say 5000m) in the interior of the Chamoli district, Roopkund is famous for the mysterious lake; it is full of skeletal remains which are believed to be 500-600 year old. The Nanda Raj Jat yatra takes place every 12 years in this region. Place is surrounded with snow peaks and way to it is through dense forests and grasslands. Much is written about this destination and I don’t want to repeat, you can clicks on the links given here for reading more. (Link1, Link2, Link3).
Preparation:
Trek is not easy by any standard; most websites who organize trekking to Roopkund rate it as moderate. In month of May-June, definitely it is a difficult trek for non-professional trekkers, in September it can be moderate. You cannot undertake this trek without proper preparation. Preparation must be in the form of jogging and gym, a brisk walk with few spurts of jogging for 5-6 km per day and for 30 to 60 days prior to trekking is must. One can trek for a day without practice but next day he will feel tired and will not enjoy the trek. Even those who feel they are healthy enough must prepare for at least a month prior to trek.
Other part of
preparation is clothing and equipments. One can refer to sites like TTH for
details. I must mention importance of footwear. It is most important item one
should not ignore. Shoes can be from Woodland, Head or Quechua. My Quechua
Forclaz 500 served me well. Another
items which get missed are good goggles (must for snow), trekking pole (normal
danda can replace standard trekking pole but trekking pole helps). It is
available with Wildcraft and Basecamp).
My Journey:
Boarded
Jehlum express from Pune at 17.20 hrs on 11/05/12 and after a tiring and
unpleasant journey of 29 hrs got down at Hazrat Nizzammudin station at 22.00
hrs. We had to further catch Ranikhet Express from old Delhi Railway station at
22.40 hrs, we were late and under tension as chances of missing train to Kathgodam
loomed large on our heads. Only alternative to Khathgodam, if we had missed the
train, was boarding a bus from Anand Vihar bus stand and go sitting for 8-10
hrs after grueling journey from Pune. My brother-in -law picked us up from
Hazrat Nizzammudin station and rushed to old Delhi station, where we reached
just 10-15 minutes before the scheduled departure of train, only to find out
that train is 45 min. late. Boarded
Ranikhet express; inside the train there were people of all ages and more than
50% were carrying trekking backpacks,
atmosphere in train was electrifying; people were talking about their holiday
plans. Most of travelers were going to Nainital and further on some excursion. We
reached early in the morning; we were supposed to assemble outside Kathgodam
Railway station; four of us and 6 other trekkers. I was informed that 4 out of
6 have backtracked and only two will be joining.
After Kathgodam our itinerary
for trek was as under:
Day 1- Kathgodam to Loharjung by road
Day 2- Loharjung to Didna Village
Day 3- Didna Village to Ali Bugyal
Day 4- Ali Bugyal to Ghora Lotani to Pathar Nauchani
Day 5-Pathar Nauchani to Bhagwabasa
Day 6- Bhagwabasa to Roopkund and return to Bedni Bugyal
Day 7- Bedni Bugyal to Loharjung via Wan. Bedni to Wan (trek), Wan
to Loharjung (drive)
Day 8- Loharjung to Kathgodam by road
Day 6 and 7 were slightly modified due to heavy snow in Bhagwabasa.
Each place here has a history behind it. Loharjung is place where Goddess
Parvati had ‘Jung” with demon “Loha”,
Ghora Lotani is place from where horses (ghora) come back (lotna) as
there is not enough grass after this point, Bhagwabasa is place where Goddess
Parvati used to leave her lions (baghs)
and proceed on foot from here to
Himalayas, Roopkund was lake created by Lord Shiva so that goddess Parvati
could take bath and get ready after her fight with demons before proceeding
with him to Himalayas. Pathar Nauchani is place where stones are in dancing
position as dancers were converted to stones by the curse of Goddess Nandadevi
(though stones are not actually visible). This truly is a heavenly trek.
Day 1- Kathgodam to Loharjung
Mandar and Ankit joined us and we proceeded to Loharjung by road, it takes grueling
10 hours to reach Loharjung through narrow but beautiful road with pine trees
throughout the route. En route one can visit Baijnath Dham Temple. During this
tiring journey, you can enjoy tea, snacks and lunch at number of small but
beautiful Dhabas. On the way we met a couple, who were regular trekkers, they
informed us that they are also returning from trek to Roopkund but could not
cross Kalu Vinayak due to snow. Our hearts sank as it looked that we may also
have to short close our trip. We reached Loharjung at 1800 hrs. In Loharjung,
our place of stay was a nice “Patwal Lodge”. On reaching there, we were greeted
by our team leaders/guide, Mr. Sandeep Rawat and Mr. Sandeep Jhakhar (Two Sandeeps,
they will be referred as Sandeep(R ) and Sandeep(J)). After tea, we sat for a
briefing secession; they explained some facts about destination, precautions to
be taken, rules etc. Thereafter we had extraordinary tasty dinner.
Our
team for the next day consisted of four of my family, Mandar, Ankit: Sandeep(R
) and Sandeep(J): Cook Mahesh and his helper Suresh: Gajji Bhai with his
horses.
Our Team |
Professional trekkers
always take pride in carrying their own backpacks. For novices like us, it is
better to take some assistance. I requested Sandeep(R ) for a horse to carry
our luggage. I decided to load major portion of our luggage on horse and carry
very light three backpacks (no back pack for my wife). Mandar and Ankit decided
to carry their full backpacks. Sandeep(R ) also arranged trekking poles for all
of us on our request. We had a nice sleep in a comfortable lodge.
Day 2- Loharjung to Didna Village
Got up at 5.00 am with hot morning tea, freshened up and got ready for some exercise at 6.00am. Thereafter we had a nice breakfast of Aloo paratha and Dalia. We started our first day journey at 8.00 am after a small Puja. There was another group of three trekkers who were also going to Roopkund but via Wan (via Wan is difficult trek but one day is saved). Trek was on a fairly marked trail that descends through mixed forests.
Got up at 5.00 am with hot morning tea, freshened up and got ready for some exercise at 6.00am. Thereafter we had a nice breakfast of Aloo paratha and Dalia. We started our first day journey at 8.00 am after a small Puja. There was another group of three trekkers who were also going to Roopkund but via Wan (via Wan is difficult trek but one day is saved). Trek was on a fairly marked trail that descends through mixed forests.
Rhododendron |
Didna Village |
In the evening our trek leaders gave us display of some rope tricks, how to make a stretcher from rope, how to carry some one injured with help of rope, types of knots etc.
Mandar and Ankit had lot of problem in carrying their heavy backpacks today, I advised them to redistribute their luggage and carry one backpack with them by turn and load one on horse hired by me: which they did and were comfortable in rest of the trekking.
Day 3- Didna Village to Ali Bugyal
We
started the trek at 7.00 am after exercise and breakfast. Today’s trek was to
be a little longer. Didna was supposed to be our last brush with society for
the next few days. There is no village after Didna. We walked through dense forest of OAK trees
for about 5 hours. Trekking in dense forest was really blissful, It was a
moderate continuous ascent through dense forest but suddenly at 12.05 hrs trees
ended and in front of us was a green carpet, kms long and wide.
It was difficult to believe our eyes that suddenly forest ended and grassland started without any gradual transition. It was grassland of Ali Bugyal. We received a grand reception from nature in the form of an unending green carpet studded with small yellow and purple flowers. Tree line is a line of trees beyond which trees don’t grow due to unfavorable climate. Height at which tree line will fall varies from place to place: can vary from 2500m (in parts of Europe) to 4500m. But trees ended so suddenly that a clear line of trees was formed.
Tree Line at Ali Bugyal |
Flowery Carpet |
It was difficult to believe our eyes that suddenly forest ended and grassland started without any gradual transition. It was grassland of Ali Bugyal. We received a grand reception from nature in the form of an unending green carpet studded with small yellow and purple flowers. Tree line is a line of trees beyond which trees don’t grow due to unfavorable climate. Height at which tree line will fall varies from place to place: can vary from 2500m (in parts of Europe) to 4500m. But trees ended so suddenly that a clear line of trees was formed.
Scenery
from top of hill looked very stunning and on the way we could see Himalayan
snow clad peaks of Chauhkhamba, Hathi Parvat and Neelkhanth Parvat. Here we
experienced a mild snow fall. My daughters, Mandar and Ankit saw snow fall for
the first time in their lifetime. Soon snow fall stopped and sky became partly
clear. View of green carpet was further decorated by white sheep grazing on this
carpet. One herd which started running down on the slopes gave us an extraordinary
sight. Enjoying the scenery, we moved at a leisurely pace and reached our camp
site at 13.25 hrs. There we were greeted with a hot cup of tea by our cook, Mahesh
bhai. After lunch roamed around in
beautiful area, unlike Didna there was plenty to enjoy. Views of Nanda Gunti
and Trishul peaks from camp site added to beauty of the place. It was turning
to be cold as clouds were now nearing us. At this point another cup of hot tea
coupled with steaming pakodas made our evening. Later in the evening we enjoyed
Hailstorm (soft balls as good as snow).
I have seen hailstorm in cities but you can see hails for a very short distance after which sight is obstructed by buildings, bill boards etc. Here white hailstorm in background of green carpet for kilometers was a treat to eyes. Hailstorm was for only 10-15 minutes, we wished it to be longer.
When the hailstorm stopped we lit bonfire using sticks collected and carried by the commandos on the way. Out of 6 of us in the group, four youngsters were normally ahead with Sandeep(J) and we two oldies were trailing with Sandeep(R). Four youngsters termed themselves as commandos.
I have seen hailstorm in cities but you can see hails for a very short distance after which sight is obstructed by buildings, bill boards etc. Here white hailstorm in background of green carpet for kilometers was a treat to eyes. Hailstorm was for only 10-15 minutes, we wished it to be longer.
Bonfire With Soup |
When the hailstorm stopped we lit bonfire using sticks collected and carried by the commandos on the way. Out of 6 of us in the group, four youngsters were normally ahead with Sandeep(J) and we two oldies were trailing with Sandeep(R). Four youngsters termed themselves as commandos.
By
the time we had dinner the weather suddenly changed for better and we had a
clear sky above us. In my memory I had never seen the stars so clearly; stars
appeared to be too close to us. We also spotted a moving satellite! This was
our first night in sleeping bags on the floor.
We
only had to do bit of trekking but support staff has to set up tents, cook
after reaching camp site: there hard work in such a cold climate sometimes
gives you a feeling of guilt. Water availability at Ali Bugyal is also very poor;
about 1 km down there is place where water was trickling: water had to be carried
on head from this place for cooking. Camping place is also limited that is why
bigger groups normally go to Bedni Bugyal where there is plenty of space.
Sandeep(J)
measured temp. at about 21.00 hrs, it was 1 degree and at night it was sure to
drop sufficiently below zero. Today height gain was substantial, from Didna at
2600m to Ali Bugyal at 3300m, a gain of 700m.
Day 4- Ali Bugyal to Ghora Lotani to Pathar Nauchani
Getting up at Suresh Bhai’s call for tea was now becoming a habit. The first thing I did after having tea was to come out of the hut and gaze at the sky. The sky was clear-a very positive and encouraging sign. By 7’o clock everyone was ready for morning exercise. Warming up in the beautiful green Bugyal was an experience in itself. After exercise and breakfast our group started the trek at 8:30 am, as the trek from Ali Bugyal to Pathar Nauchani is a short and moderate trek. We have to go on other side of the ridge. On the way we passed over Bedni Bugyal and could see Bedni Kund. Bedni Bugyal looks like a poor cousin of Ali Bugyal in terms of beauty. The commandos with their Sandeep Jahakar sir were well ahead of us. In a away Sandeep (J) became commando’s leader and Sandeep(R) guided the senior citizens (me and my wife). Thanks to his patience with our speed and frequent short rests (chotta recharge as the commandos called it.), Sandeep(R ) kept us engrossed in local folk tales, his experiences as trek leader on previous treks. We had started missing the lush green beauty of Ali Bugyal but not for long.We soon had our first experience of walking on the snow as there were some snow patches which had to be crossed. These patches acted as training ground for us. Both the leaders taught their respective groups the nuances of walking on the snow. These snow patches will disappear in a week’s time. My wife was pretty exhausted by now and had started asking Sandeep (R ) for a long rest. She was told that next turn was the resting site .True to PAHARI culture next turn never seemed to come! She was on the verge of revolting, we saw our commandos taking rest. What a welcoming sight it was! NEXT TURN was actually within our reach. Finally we reached our resting place where we were welcomed by the commando’s team with snow balls and we were given a new name VIP s (you can easily guess the reason). This is the place called Ghora Lotani.
Getting up at Suresh Bhai’s call for tea was now becoming a habit. The first thing I did after having tea was to come out of the hut and gaze at the sky. The sky was clear-a very positive and encouraging sign. By 7’o clock everyone was ready for morning exercise. Warming up in the beautiful green Bugyal was an experience in itself. After exercise and breakfast our group started the trek at 8:30 am, as the trek from Ali Bugyal to Pathar Nauchani is a short and moderate trek. We have to go on other side of the ridge. On the way we passed over Bedni Bugyal and could see Bedni Kund. Bedni Bugyal looks like a poor cousin of Ali Bugyal in terms of beauty. The commandos with their Sandeep Jahakar sir were well ahead of us. In a away Sandeep (J) became commando’s leader and Sandeep(R) guided the senior citizens (me and my wife). Thanks to his patience with our speed and frequent short rests (chotta recharge as the commandos called it.), Sandeep(R ) kept us engrossed in local folk tales, his experiences as trek leader on previous treks. We had started missing the lush green beauty of Ali Bugyal but not for long.We soon had our first experience of walking on the snow as there were some snow patches which had to be crossed. These patches acted as training ground for us. Both the leaders taught their respective groups the nuances of walking on the snow. These snow patches will disappear in a week’s time. My wife was pretty exhausted by now and had started asking Sandeep (R ) for a long rest. She was told that next turn was the resting site .True to PAHARI culture next turn never seemed to come! She was on the verge of revolting, we saw our commandos taking rest. What a welcoming sight it was! NEXT TURN was actually within our reach. Finally we reached our resting place where we were welcomed by the commando’s team with snow balls and we were given a new name VIP s (you can easily guess the reason). This is the place called Ghora Lotani.
Team at Ghora Lotani |
All through
up to Ghora Lotani, snow clad peaks of Chauhkhamba, Hathi Parvat, Neelkhanth Parvat,
Nanda Gunti and Trishul were visible as it was clear day. Here we met one of the
three gentlemen who had started the trek with us from Loharjung but via Wan. He
was returning back from Pathar Nauchani due to AMS. After sufficient rest and
enjoying snow clad peaks our group started moving. From here we have to gradually descent to
reach Pathar Nauchani. On the way we met the other two gentlemen of the
same group who started with us but via Wan; they were returning back as they could not cross
snow patches just before Kalu Vinayak. This
certainly dampened our spirits. Sandeep(R ) told us not to be bothered by others
experience, “we will go up to Roopkund”, was his confident voice. His
motivational and confident talk cleared all our doubts and we all were
determined to give it a shot.
Pathar
Nauchani was a brilliant campsite and offered great views all around. It was an
easy day and we reached Pathar Nauchani at about1.30 pm. Commandos as usual
reached at 1 pm. Relaxed and got time to acclimatize. Our trek leaders gave
some basic training to junior members of the team as to how to walk in snow.
With snow on all around valley, we enjoyed the evening with hot soup and
popcorns.
Few
locals were looking for something deep down the valley, on enquiry we were told
they are looking for “Keeda jadi”. A
insect (Keeda) grows under the snow, when snow melts this keeda dies; before
death this a grass like objects comes out of its mouth which it plants in the
ground: this object almost resembles the grass and is difficult to spot. This
object is called “Keeda jadi” and is believed to have medicinal value. Each
piece costs Rs. 100/- in the area. This is collected by traders and is smuggled
through Nepal to China where it is sold at the rate of 2.5 lakh to 3.0 lakhs
per Kg.
Normally
horses go up to Bhagwabasa and come back after dropping your luggage. But due
to deep snow all the luggage was to be carried on backs. So an exercise was
undertaken to separate all luggage which could be left at Pathar Nauchani. Minimum
ration, essentials like sleeping bag, mats etc were to be carried. Even it was
decided to carry one plate per two persons to reduce the load. Evening was too
chilly and temperature in the night must be sub-zero.
Day 5-Pathar Nauchani to Bhagwabasa
Today everyone got up both apprehensive and determined. Enjoying morning tea while still in the sleeping bags was fast becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. This is the day when we had to make a steep dash to gain altitude to Kalu Vinayak on snow patches. None of the groups before us had been able to reach Kalu Vinayak, so we were obviously skeptical. After the daily routine of exercise and breakfast we started at 06.50 hrs to a steep ascent to Kalu Vinayak. We were joined by a group of three trekkers from BHEL with their trek guide named Mohan Bhai, a very energetic person. Steep slope had many snow patches which appeared impossible to cross. The first few patches turned out to be not at all risky as they appeared from Pathar Nauchani as the narrow path adjacent to the snow slope was not visible from down below. Sandeep(R) as usual kept us occupied with his interesting talk. I think he sensed the fear in my wife’s mind. After each snow patch we crossed, we asked him whether it was the one of those difficult patches visible from camp site. At last we reached the place from where the previous trekkers had returned. Here we were joined by BHEL trekkers. This patch was a very long and steep slope-really scary. One wrong step and you would have an appointment up there in the sky. This could only be crossed because of hard work of Sandeep(R) and Sandeep (J), who were moving back and forth with full energy. They quickly tested the snow and made the possible route for us to follow.
Today everyone got up both apprehensive and determined. Enjoying morning tea while still in the sleeping bags was fast becoming a necessity rather than a luxury. This is the day when we had to make a steep dash to gain altitude to Kalu Vinayak on snow patches. None of the groups before us had been able to reach Kalu Vinayak, so we were obviously skeptical. After the daily routine of exercise and breakfast we started at 06.50 hrs to a steep ascent to Kalu Vinayak. We were joined by a group of three trekkers from BHEL with their trek guide named Mohan Bhai, a very energetic person. Steep slope had many snow patches which appeared impossible to cross. The first few patches turned out to be not at all risky as they appeared from Pathar Nauchani as the narrow path adjacent to the snow slope was not visible from down below. Sandeep(R) as usual kept us occupied with his interesting talk. I think he sensed the fear in my wife’s mind. After each snow patch we crossed, we asked him whether it was the one of those difficult patches visible from camp site. At last we reached the place from where the previous trekkers had returned. Here we were joined by BHEL trekkers. This patch was a very long and steep slope-really scary. One wrong step and you would have an appointment up there in the sky. This could only be crossed because of hard work of Sandeep(R) and Sandeep (J), who were moving back and forth with full energy. They quickly tested the snow and made the possible route for us to follow.
Chota Kalu Vinayak |
Enroute to Kalu Vinayak |
And surprisingly we landed at Kalu Vinayak at 10.00hrs, sharp.What a scene it was! The top of the hill was full of snow, some 5-6 feet deep. For the last one hour or so, the scary snow slopes had deprived us the pleasure of enjoying the natural beauty. But all was compensated now. We went Ecstatic NATURE WAS AT ITS VERY BEST -VERY SERENE AND VERY BEAUTIFUL. We all performed puja at the temple before proceeding towards Bhagwabasa.
Kalu Vinayak Temple |
Kalu Vinayak temple, at an altitude of 4440 m was under the snow except for top two feet: which too was excavated a day before by locals. View of snow peaks from Kalu Vinayak was the best, all big peaks of Chauhkhamba (four peaks of 6854m, 9274m, 7058m and 7138m), Hathi Parvat(6727m), Neelkhanth Parvat (6597m), Nanda Gunti (6309m) and Trishul (three peaks of 6008m, 6690m, 7120m) were visible in clear, zero cloud day. It was told to us that there are very few rare days when all the peaks
are visible.
Nanda Gunti and Trishul |
Further
journey was a gentle decent to Bhagwawasa on deep snow which was visible from
top. Distance was only about 2 Km. but speed became too slow due to deep snow throughout
the route. As our group was the first to go beyond Kalu Vinayak this season,
trek was also not marked except for some foot marks of locals. As snow was too
Way to Bhagwabasa Camp |
there was snow and only snow. Snow was melted on stoves to make water for cooking and drinking. Lunch was Khichri, dinner was Dal Chawal and even next day lunch was Khichri as minimum ration was carried.
On
reaching Bhagwabasa all our fear, tiredness, anxiety vanished magically. Everyone
was lost in the beautiful surroundings. What we saw and experienced there is
impossible for me to describe in words. It was much much more beautiful than
what I had anticipated. Soon lunch was served.
Evening was spent making IGLOO
followed by photography session. Today we had early dinner and slept early as
next day had to be a day of long and tough trekking. As we and BHEL group were
the only trekkers there, it was decided that both the group would start
trekking together tomorrow. This gave the advantage of having 3 experts in one
group.
IGLOO |
Day 6- Bhagwabasa to Roopkund and return to Pathar Nauchani
Today was to be a very long and exciting day. All woke up at 4:30 to the welcome call of morning tea. All the trekkers were ready to start by 5:30, the excitement of conquering the snow palpable. The call “come on commandos” by Sandeep (J) further boosted the confidence and determination to hit the target. After a brief strategy planning by our trek leaders, the commandos along with BHEL trekkers started their mission at5.30 sharp. It is preferable to trek in the snow early morning when snow is still hard. As the sun sets in, the snow starts melting and your feet starts sinking in. Me and my wife stayed back as decided by us previous evening. Reason was that speed of trekking on snow of my wife was too slow last day and so it would have been difficult for her to keep up with the rest of the team, as it was a long trek to Roopkund and back and then to Pathar Nauchani (earlier full day trek). As everyone else, even supporting staff was going; I also decided to stay back with my wife.
Bhagwabasa Camp |
Team Going to Roopkund |
Mandar @Roopkund Wali Maggi |
Our wait ended when our dots reached Roopkund at 10.36 am. FINALLY they made it and became the first group to reach Roopkund in 2012.
Finally at Top |
Day 7- Pathar Nauchani to Lohajung via Wan
It is a long journey back to Loharjung via Wan. For going up to Pathar Nauchani from Loharjung we took three days and now this three day journey was to be completed in a single day. We started at 0730hrs and reached Bedni Bugyal by 0930 hrs. Now we were again in green carpeted area leaving snow behind us. This is the beauty of this trek; scenery changes every day. The path up to Bedni is simple. Now from Bedni it is steep decent to Wan through oak forest; meadows ended in few minutes. The trek went down the Rhododendron forest in a steep descent to Neel Ganga. From the river, it takes about half an hour to climb to the ridge above Wan village. From there we had to cross Wan village to come to a place where vehicle will be carrying us to Loharjung (10 Kms). Throughout the day it was steep decent, our knees were paining and toes became sour. Crossing Wan village looked like crossing a continent; it looked unending. Finally we reached boarding point at 1715hrs (commandos of course reached much earlier). It is an hour’s drive back to Loharjung. Again went to beautiful Patwal lodge and straight into the beds for rest.
In
the night photographs taken by all of us were shared with the help of Sandeep(R
)’s laptop.
Day 8- Loharjung to Kathgodam
Day 8- Loharjung to Kathgodam
We
started back at 8.30 am for Kathgodam ; a long 10 hour journey. Sandeep (J) was
ready to go to Didna with next group of trekkers. The same journey when going
towards Loharjung looked so exciting and enjoyable was now uninspiring. No one
was looking outside window much but was engrossed in thoughts of Roopkund trek
which could be completed by novices like us. Today journey seemed too tiring
and long. We reached Kathgodam at 18.30 hrs. All of us went straight to Railway
rest house which is at Railway station and did the most desirable thing; took a bath. Last time I took bath was
at 0830 hrs on 11/5/2012 and now it was 1930 hrs of 20/05/2012 i.e. 227 hrs back!
This will perhaps be a record of sort for me.
We
boarded Ranikhet express to Delhi to end a 8 day long trek. We all
were tired and some part of the body or the other was in pain. It was a
plethora of cuts and bruises and memories for a lifetime!!!.
We
thank God for the best possible weather during the entire trek, both Sandeeps
and TTH support team (Mahesh, Suresh and Gajji Bhai), Mandar and Ankit for
wonderful company. Looking forward for another trek with TTH.
Some Good Clips
Herd of Sheep at Ali Bugyal
Hail Storm at Ali Bugyal
Panoramic view at Bhagwabasa
Ankit Sliding Down the snow
Panoramic view at Bhagwabasa
Some of the points which I
would like to highlight:
- From various blogs on net, most advised dates were from 1st of June to
20th of June or after the monsoon in the month of September. Due to my
own personal reasons I had to opt for mid may. After trekking I can give
suggestions regarding date selection. Trek cannot be undertaken before
mid may because there is too much of snow en-route. From mid May to end
of May it is difficult for people who are not regular trekkers because
you will find lot of snow en-route, however advantage is that there are
no rains in this period (can be snow fall but moderate snow fall is
better than rain) . First half of June is perhaps the best time. Then
after rains, September is suitable, in this period you can see bones
and skulls in the lake which are not visible in May - June as Roopkund
Lake is frozen. Each period has its own merits and demerits|
- Prepare yourself physically; even healthy individuals need to train themselves for at least one month.
- Don’t ignore shoes (purchase best ones). Purchase shoes at least a month in advance and beaten down. Other ignored items are good goggles and waterproof gloves, which are essential in snow. Trek poles help and save your back, normal “danda” can also work but trek pole is better.
- Camera batteries discharge quickly in cold weather. Carry extra batteries. I failed to take sufficient number of photographs for want of battery. Batteries can be kept warm in your sleeping bag at night to enhance their life.
- Trek is demanding, don’t undertake it even if you have small ailment, if you fall sick you are in danger.
- For novice trekkers it is better to carry only essentials like water, some eatables, rain jacket, fleece jacket, camera etc, rest of the load can be on horse, which can be shared by 5-6 trekkers. Experience trekkers of course love to carry their own backpacks.
- Read about destination as much as possible at various sites on net; read number of blogs and watch videos on youtube. Wide reading gives you fair idea of destination and difficulty level, relying on one blog for information or only from one site may be either misleading or insufficient.
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