A Magical Journey to Roopkund

          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

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.

 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. 

Rhododendron

One important plant is tree Rhododendron, it is an evergreen small tree (10-12m) with a showy display of bright red flowers. Locals make juice from these red flowers and claim to be of medicinal value.  It is an easy trek and we reached Ruan Bagad, also called Didna pul, at 09.45 hrs, an iron bridge across the famous Neel Ganga River. We crossed the river rather than crossing over the bridge. From here the climb to Didna starts. After steep ascent, first batch reached Didna at 11.55 hrs and last at 12.30 hrs. Today trek was easy and there was negligible height gain. We started from Loharjung which is at 2500m altitude and reached Didna which is at 2600m altitude. Trek was first coming down, then ascent after crossing Neel Ganga.

Didna Camp

Didna Village

After a cup of tea, we roamed around the camp site which was a dormitory. Then after lunch there was hardly anything to do as Didna is a small sleepy village. In the afternoon rain started and caused anxiety in our minds for rest of our trekking. Rain is most difficult to handle during trekking as all clothes get wet even after protection and cloths are in limited numbers. However we were in our camp, played cards for some time.  
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.

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.

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. 

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. 

Chota Kalu Vinayak

Enroute to Kalu Vinayak

 We crossed this patch to reach Chota Kalu Vinayak. Ah! What an achievement! But our happiness was short lived as we could clearly see what lay ahead of us. This was the last and most dangerous snow patch before we touched Kalu Vinayak. Again it were our trek leaders who first helped the commandos to cross and then all of them cheered hard as we the VIP's crossed it. Finally a major hurdle was cleared.



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

It was a great panoramic view. WE spent some time here for rest and watching sheer beauty. Trishul looked best as it was so near that one feels he can jump and touch it.

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

soft our leg was frequently going inside the snow by 1-2 feet. The trail towards Bhagwabasa through snow was enjoyable and once in a lifetime experience. The two forest huts which seemed quite close from Kalu Vinayak, now appeared to be playing hide and seek with every turn. Commandos batch reached Bhagwabasa at 12.00 hrs and VIP’s at 12.35 Hrs. Camp site was full of snow all around, and both the  forest huts which were booked by TTH for us, there was in fact no place to pitch additional tents because of snow. Here all around
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.  

IGLOO

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.

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

Ours being the first group to reach Bhagwabasa in 2012, the route onward was indiscernible. In other words our trek leaders made their own path! Kudos to them. For this purpose they were well equipped with required trekking and safety equipments like snow axe, ropes etc apart from their vast experience and expertise. Staying back was rewarding in a way as watching them from the camp make their way through what seemed impregnable terrain and guessing their probable course was no less exiting. We literally saw our group turning into a file of miniature stick figures. At this point we remembered Ankit’s binoculars which we had forgotten to borrow. After an initial hitch for 5-10 minutes we could not resist ourselves from digging out the binocular out of his bag. But binocular also showed us the trail of dots moving and resting.

Team Going to Roopkund

Mandar @Roopkund Wali Maggi

As the miniature stick figures further degenerated into dots, we shifted our attention to the scenic paradise around us. The weather today was not clear, but fortunately it wasn’t snowing much. While me and my wife were lost in the virgin beauty of the mountains, our trance was interrupted by Mahesh Bhai informing that he is heading towards the group with their breakfast of what the commandos later nicknamed “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

They performed a small puja over there. Since the weather was not very friendly today, they started back soon after a small rest and reached Bhagwabasa by 12.30 pm. For the first and the last time during the entire trek VIPs welcomed the trekkers at the camp site. After rest and lunch we started back at 2.30 pm. The weather was turning hostile for the first time during the entire trek. It had started snowing nonstop and the presence of clouds was not very encouraging as parts of the stretch from Kalu Vinayak to Pathar Nauchani were steep snow slopes capable of tricking us. But the excitement of successful trek and fear of weather increased everyone’s speed and we reached Kalu Vinayak in record time. After a quick puja at Kalu Vinayak temple we started descending. The snowfall had partly stopped now and the steep snow slopes now seemed to be friendlier than on their first encounter while ascending. We crossed one such snow slope by sliding down. It was sheer fun! The weather had now turned friendly and the commandos reached the camp at 5.15 pm and VIPs at 5.35 taking all the possible shortcuts. On the way we saw the spots due to which Pathar Nauchani got its name.

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                                                                         

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

Some of the points which I would like to highlight: 

1. 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|
   
2. Prepare yourself physically; even healthy individuals need to train themselves for at least one month.
3.  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.
4.  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.
5. Trek is demanding, don’t undertake it even if you have small ailment, if you fall sick you are in danger.
6.  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.
7. 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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