Trip to Gomukh

2010-05-24T10:06:00.035+05:30

An excruciatingly detailed account of four first time trekkers' trip to Gomukh glacier.

The trip to Gomukh glacier was in the planning for years. The only problem was finding a suitable partner to accompany me on the trek. My efforts started seriously in 2007 when Rathin shifted from Dehradun to Delhi. The efforts bore fruit in 2009.

Rathin was very enthusiastic about making the trek but the problem was that in 2007 he was too busy and in 2008 I couldn’t manage to find time for the trip. However it started when he called me one fine morning of Jan 2009 and we finalized the plan in some 15-20 minutes. May 2009 it was to be.

Preliminaries

The first step was to scour the Internet for whatever information was available. I had been doing this since way back in 2006 but now my efforts were more serious. The net result was the following tentative itinerary:

Day 0	:	Leave from Delhi in the afternoon for Dehradun & stay the night at Dehradun
Day 1	:	Travel from Dehradun to Gangotri (about 3000 m above MSL) & stay night at Gangotri
Day 2	:	Trek from Gangotri to Bhojbasa (3800 m above MSL) & stay night at Bhojbasa
Day 3	:	Trek from Bhojbasa to Gomukh Glacier (4000 m above MSL) & back. Stay night at Bhojbasa
Day 4	:	Trek from Bhojbasa to Gangotri & stay night at Gangotri
Day 5	:	Travel from Gangotri to Dehradun & stay night at Dehradun
Day 6	:	Leave Dehradun by train and reach Delhi by noon.

Permits

Simple itinerary. Just go there and come back. Further research revealed that a permit was required to enter what was known as the Gangotri National Park. Gomukh glacier is a part of the Gangotri National Park. Actually the Govt. is making some serious efforts to protect the ecological balance of the Goumukh glacier. Only 150 trekkers are allowed every day to enter the area. In 2008 the permit was required to be obtained from an office of the Department of Forests, in Dehradun. However the procedure had changed in 2009 and now the permit had to be obtained from Uttarkashi. The format of the application was available on a blog written by someone who had actually been to Gomukh in 2008. Rathin faxed an application asking for permits for both of us. As there was no response forthcoming even after many days Rathin called the office at Uttarkashi and was told that the permits could be collected from Uttarkashi when we would perform the trek.

Companions

That done, Rathin told me that a friend of his, Laxman Singh, who worked in the NRSSC in Dehradun, was interested in making the trip with us and that we could use his Maruti Alto to make the trip. He had offered us that he would take his car all the way till Gangotri and we would share the petrol expenses. That would make matters very easy for us as the travel part would be taken care of. So our party of two converted to three. A few days later Rathin told me that another friend of his, Deependra, was also interested in making the trip with us and taking him would be a good idea as the petrol expenses per head would be reduced further. Initially I was skeptical towards the idea because, while I and Rathin had travelled earlier also and adjusted with each other very well, the same could not be said about anyone else. However later Deependra proved to be an excellent companion and the four of us gelled very well.

Shopping

Next came the shopping. I managed to procure a back pack from a neighbour, which my wife stuffed with every possible necessity, which could be used from dawn to dusk. It was her idea that we carried some matthies and biscuits. I rejected the idea of biscuits as they would be crushed enroute but took the matthies. Later they proved to be very useful and lasted all the way till Gomukh. Rathin suggested that we carry some nimbus for making nimbu-pani for the trek. Deependra was entrusted to bring the nimbus and I carried half kilo of boora (powdered sugar). Rathin took along a 250 gm pack of Glucose for energy. As our shoes were not trek-worthy, Rathin and I purchased Action shoes from a nearby shop. Rathin procured a brand new back pack made of parachute material from Sarojini Nagar Market, while Deependra did some research and procured a trekking shoes from Chandni Chowk. With this, our shopping was completed.

15.05.2009 Friday (Day 0)

I had already booked tickets for 15.05.2009 for myself and Rathin by 2055 Dehradun Janshatabdi, which leaves New Delhi at 15.20 hrs and reaches Dehradun around 21.10 hrs. Deependra also took the same train but his ticket was in a different coach as he had joined our trek party later.

I reached New Delhi station from my office by the Metro at around 14.50 hrs. Rathin reached there along with Deependra around 15.05 hrs in his office vehicle. It was a very hot sultry day with the temperature touching 40+ deg. Celsius. We occupied our seats in the same coach while Deependra went to his coach, which incidentally was in the other far corner. The train left New Delhi around 15 minutes behind its scheduled time of departure. Finally we were off, roasting in the dry heat coming from the roof of the coach.

The heat was unbearable till about Meerut and we had to keep the windows shut. But once we left Meerut around 17.00 hrs, the temperature suddenly dropped and thereafter the journey was quite comfortable till we reached deep into the Himalayas where the other kind of discomfort set in. The journey was generally uneventful except that Rathin kept shuttling from our coach to Deependra’s coach. I hadn’t met Deependra till then. Around 19.30 hrs the train started getting late and as by now most of the seats were vacant, Deependra came to our coach, with bag and baggage. When I met him the first time I felt that he was our type and would mix well with the rest of us.

The train reached Dehradun around 22.15 hrs. As it would not be possible to get dinner at the IIRS Guest house (where we were to stay overnight), we decided to have dinner somewhere around the station. The first restaurant we hit did not offer much by way of dinner so Rathin led us to another restaurant (Udipi) where we had a rather good dinner. Then we took an auto to the IIRS Guest House and settled in two rooms on sharing basis. Rathin and Deependra went for a walk in the serene surroundings while I had a warm shower and washed my clothes as I intended to wear them the next day as well. I didn’t know then that it was the last time I would wash my clothes in the coming week. By the time Rathin and Deependra came back I was fast asleep.

16.05.2009 Saturday (Day 1)

The journey proper began today. We had planned the previous night that we would leave early and have breakfast enroute to save time. Our goal was to cover the 275 km (approx) journey from Dehradun to Gangotri today itself. We got up early and were in the process of getting ready for the day’s journey when Laxman Singh arrived at 0630 hrs. Thickset, jovial, more enthusiastic than others, one can see at first sight that he is a great guy. A few minutes later, Guest House bills paid, fuel tank full, we were on our way with Laxman Singh at the wheels, towards Rishikesh. The 42 km journey to Rishikesh is through a rather dense forest land. Laxman Singh, native of Pauri, told us that one has to drive very carefully on this road at night as herds of elephants often came from the forests and blocked the road.

We bypassed Rishikesh town and took the road towards Chamba via Narendra Nagar. We had breakfast of Aalu Parathas & curd at some road side dhaba. The milk available there was slightly burnt to taste but somehow we managed to swallow it down. We also purchased some bananas and Kheeras and continued with our journey. The Kheeras ultimately lasted right up to Gomukh mainly because they were tasteless. We reached Chamba in the late morning but did not stop as we still had had a long way to go. The distance from Chamba to Tehri is around 21 kms. We stopped enroute at a shop for some soft drinks and to catch up with the Election news. The shopkeeper told us that the Indian National Congress was on its way to win a substantial majority of seats in the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections and that it had a clear sweep in Uttarakhand. We moved on after a short rest. Till now the terrain was rather smooth by Himalayan standards and the drive was much like the routine drives to Nainital or Shimla. The mountains were yet to reveal their beauty and loftiness. Soon we started nearing Tehri which is the site of the famous Tehri dam project. Here we took the first pics of the trip. The lake formed by the dam is a massive one. The water was appearing to be nearly stagnant from the height we were viewing the lake. Overall the majestic lake and its surroundings present a breathtaking sight.

After Tehri, the Himalayas started displaying their loftiness. The next major stop was Dharasu nearly 37 kms from Tehri. At Dharasu the road bifurcated and one part went towards Yamnotri and the other one towards Gangotri, our destination. Till now we were following NH 98 and at Dharasu we would leave it and take NH 104. We reached Dharasu around 13.30 hrs and took the route towards Uttarkashi, 28 kms away. The terrain was getting more and more rugged with lofty peaks and bottomless pits lining the roadside.

We reached Uttarkashi around 14.15 hrs and after a bit of asking around, found that the office of the Forest Department that issued the permits was located on a hill side surrounded by mountains and forests. The permits were and were handed over to us after proper identification. The whole exercise took around some 15-20 minutes. Overall I found that they were quite efficient compared to their Delhi counterparts. We had a quick lunch at Uttarkashi and set out for the remaining part of our journey. The temperature was quite cool and pleasant by now and the shining sun came as a respite. Uttarkashi is at an altitude of 3500 ft. (1000 m). Thereafter we travelled nearly non-stop passing Maneri, Mala & Bhatwari in the way.

The mountains were getting steeper by the minute. There was a lot of construction work going on in connection with building of water projects. For some part of the way the road was nearly non existent replaced by slush as the heavy construction vehicles had completely crushed it out of recognition. Somewhere between Bhatwari and Gangnani we had the first glimpses of snow over the mountain tops. It was nearly 15.30 hrs and the sun was on its downward journey. The snow shone to a brilliant white in the sunlight. You can’t get to see such glimmering white colour anywhere else in nature. It was shinier than the whites shown in detergent ads. We snapped a few pics but only one came out properly due to the large amount of UV radiation. We had tea at a roadside dhaba which was perched on a cliffside. The backdoor of the dhaba opened into empty space for a fall of a few hundred metres.

The sun was going down fast when we finished our tea and set out towards Jhala. It was getting clear that we would not be able to make it to Gangotri on that day because driving in those mountains was not possible during the night time. Also Laxman Singh was nearing exhaustion and any attempt to make it to Gangotri would have been foolhardy. So we settled for halting for the night at Harsil which was 26 km before Gangotri. Harsil is a beautiful cantonment town. As we left NH 104 to take the road towards Harsil it felt as if we were entering an entirely new area. The town is a very tiny one, nestled between high mountains on all sides. There aren’t more than 100 houses, scattered in the Bhagirathi valley, and on the cliff sides. The Bhagirathi river has been divided into some 5 channels each some 20-25 metres wide. We were told later that this was done to tame the fury of the river and to avoid floods. We reached the town, crossing one channel of the Bhagirathi over a small bridge built by the army. In fact we saw later that all channels are spanned by such suspension bridges.

However when we reached Harsil we did not wait to admire the natural beauty but started looking for accommodation for the night. The GMVN Guest House asked for Rs. 1200/- a night but said that he had only one room vacant which could accommodate only 3 people. Neither the price quoted, nor the accommodation provided, suited our purpose so we went to a private hotel who agreed to let us a room for the night for Rs. 500/- after Laxman Singh bargained with him in what was probably Garhwali. The room had a double bed which could accommodate three persons, plus a small bed, which one person could sleep on.

The hotel staff also agreed to provide hot water at Rs. 20/- a bucket. We ordered two, one for Laxman Singh’s bath and the second one was shared by the rest of us to wash our faces and feet. Washing anything else would have been unwise for the rest of us because the temperature was falling fast and was around 8-10 degree Celsius as the sun was going down. Leaving Laxman Singh to relax the three of us left to hunt for food. After looking for some time we found a small dhaba which provided rotis and lauki vegetable with some rice. I took a pack of bhujiya and somehow swallowed the rotis with its aid. The rotis were burnt again. Not a good day food wise. Incidentally no mobile phone except MTNL/BSNL showed network at Harsil. So much for the Airtel ad about network connectivity even in the mountains.

After the meal, the three of us went for a stroll while Laxman had his dinner. It was already quite dark when we crossed the suspension bridge over one channel of the Bhagirathi. The incessant sound was mysterious and soothing at the same time. It gave me the goose bumps to think that this sound was continuing incessantly for the past thousands of years and would continue till the glaciers of the Himalayas existed. As it was getting cold we spent a few minutes on the bridge and then went back to the hotel. Laxman had joined us by then and we went to bed early as we had had to leave early the next morning. We had ascertained from the dhaba across the street that he would provide aalu-ke-parathas at six in the morning. The three of us slept on the double bed and Laxman took the separate bed. Sleep did not come easily to me as it was a foreign place for me but nevertheless I slept somehow.

17.05.2009 Sunday (Day 2)

When I got up around 04.30 hrs in the morning it was very cold and I decided to sleep on for some more time. When I woke up next, after half an hour, both Rathin and Deependra were awake but still under the warm mattresses, discussing God knows what. Taking advantage of their discussion, I got to use the toilet first and soon the caretaker of the hotel was knocking our door with a bucket of hot water. The water was really hot and I enjoyed the bath. As I was the first one ready, with my things packed, I went to the dhaba across the street to get him started for providing our breakfast. We took a few photographs of the snow covered peaks visible on all four sides. After a good breakfast of aalu-ke-parathas and omelets, we were enroute for Gangotri, nearly 30 km away, by 06.30 hrs.

The route was breathtakingly beautiful and in the morning sunlight it appeared divine. The road was on the mountain side, some 100 metres above the flowing river. One peculiar thing that I noted was that a few rocks by the road side were very nearly round as if they had been eroded by the flowing river. But they were some 100 m above the river level. Historically the Himalayas have been a zone of intense seismic activity so it is possible that rocks eroded by the river in some bygone era had been pushed up this high. The route till Gangotri, passing through Lanka (not Ravana’s) and Bhairon Ghati, was uneventful and we reached Gangotri around 07.30 hrs.

The car was parked on the roadside next to numerous other vehicles, mostly Qualis & Sumo Jeeps, and we had a cup of tea each at a nearby dhaba. We purchased bottles for bringing back Gangajal from Gomukh. Gangotri onwards even the MTNL/BSNL mobiles stopped showing network so I talked home and said my byes. After leaving our non essential luggage in the car, we started on the trail which began just next to the spot where we had parked the car. At this point I made a crucial mistake of carrying most of my luggage, instead of dumping it in the car. After moving a few metres I realized that I did not have any woolen cap. As we had not come very far from the market I went back and bought one in the market for Rs. 50/- (after some bargaining). It turned out later that it was a good decision. When I joined the others I found that Deependra and Laxman had befriended a sadhu baba sitting on the mountain side, who was giving them some tips for the trek. The baba told us that if you felt short of oxygen during the trek all you had to do was to pluck an herb called Ganga Tulsi and smell the leaves after crushing them between your fingers. The herb grew in profusion along the trail. It was a pungent smelling herb and its smell would have made garlic smell like roses. Finally, after years of planning and the herbs in hand, backpacks on back, four trekkers embarked on the great trail to Bhojbasa, 14 km ahead and 600 m upwards. The time was around 08.00 hrs.

Walking briskly we covered the first couple of kilometers in good time and reached what is known as ‘Konku Gate’, around 09.00 hrs. It is a wrought iron gate blocking the trail with no way around. Here, the permits which were obtained in Uttarkashi were checked and we had to deposit a fee of Rs. 80/- each for entry to the Gangotri National Park. Our luggage was also checked for cellophane wrappers and plastic bottles. An inventory was made of the non bio-degradable items and we were asked to deposit an additional sum as security, which was refundable on the return journey if we produced the items listed in the inventory. A very good move actually, by the Govt. of Uttarakhand, to keep the natural beauty unspoiled by the human hand. At this point Rathin realized that he had lost his official ID card. After a search of the entire luggage did not yield the card, he decided to go back all the way to the dhaba at Gangotri, to search for the card. This was the second mistake of the day. Although he covered the to and fro journey very quickly, it was around 10.00 hrs when we left Konku Gate for the onward journey, still without the missing ID card.

Walking the trail was getting tougher by the step mainly on account of lack of oxygen and our stops for rest became more frequent. The Ganga Tulsi was a relief but only to an extent. A whiff of the crushed Ganga Tulsi leaves cleared the mind of exhaustion but was no replacement for good old oxygen.

We took some pics of the beautiful surroundings, the snow covered mountain tops and the river flowing a few meters below the trail. We also had opportunity to take pics of a herd of mountain goats called ‘Bharal’. These animals had the remarkable ability to climb a sheer cliff face of crumbling rocks at 60 degree gradient. These goats are known to attack travelers if disturbed. We learnt this the hard way, when Laxman threw a few stones to attract their attention, for getting a good pic. Somewhere enroute, Laxman made a makeshift walking stick for me from the branches available by the trail. We continued walking but the journey was taking its toll on me. I was exhausted and the breakfast of aalu-ka-parathas suddenly did not look like a good decision. Our stops for rest became more and more frequent. At one point we passed a fast flowing stream on a wooden plank 6 inches wide.

After walking for a few kilometers, at around 12.30 hrs, I decided that I could go no further, and fell down like a sack on a grassy knoll, exhausted and thirsty. We had already finished our supply of water and had not come across any stream for quite some time. Then I realized what was wrong. I had forgotten to take my daily morning tablet for hypertension. I took out the tablet from my backpack and swallowed it, and then realized we didn’t have any water. Swallowing a tablet without water is an interesting experience. The tablet just sticks to your throat and refuses to go either down or up. Fortunately my tablet was a small one and sat peacefully where it had stuck. A few minutes later, saliva and a few dregs of water left in one of the bottles, helped it on its way down.

I was psychologically reinforced by taking the tablet, and we started once again. Five minutes later we came to a waterfall with clear water and I drank my fill. Bottles filled, we were again on the trail but by now the bright sunlight was hurting. The mistake of wasting time at Konku Gate was taking its toll, and by now everyone was feeling the exhaustion. Rathin and Deependra were the fittest among us but now they too were feeling tired. At one point I got the idea of abandoning the trip and asked the others to continue. I thought that after sometime I would somehow start back for Gangotri. However the others turned down the idea and took my luggage to help me walk faster. Laxman was in a slightly better condition than mine, but the two of us were delaying Rathin and Deependra who were still maintaining a good pace. In fact they both walked rather fast to keep us going. Around 15.00 hrs we crossed a broad and fast flowing stream and took 15 minute rest. The entire route we had kept meeting returning trekkers, who kept assuring us that Chirbasa was just around the next corner. But some structures now visible a few meters away, indicated that we were indeed very near Chirbasa. Reaching Chirbasa meant that we had completed nearly 10 km of trekking and Bhojbasa was only another 4 kms ahead. A few minutes later we limped into Chirbasa, totally exhausted. There is a forest department office at Chirbasa and the staff is kind enough to offer tea to the exhausted trekkers for as less as Rs. 10/- a cup. I’d have gladly paid ten times the amount for a cup of tea. The tea tasted heavenly and we had a light breakfast of matthies. Here we met a trekker (a bank officer) returning from Bhojbasa. We commented that he had left quite late from Bhojbasa and asked if he hoped to reach Gangotri before nightfall. He then told us that he had started from Gangotri at 06.00 hrs in the morning and was now returning to Gangotri after visiting the Gomukh glacier. He had actually already walked 26 kms till now and hoped to cover the final 10 kms to Gangotri within 3 hours. He also told us that he was slowed down because he was wearing his leather shoes instead of his regular trekking shoes. There is no end to miracles in the Himalayas.

We left Chirbasa around 16.00 hrs for Bhojbasa 4 km ahead. It was the same story again with the added twist that the sun was going down fast. Trekking after sundown, is not possible as the trail itself is very faint at places. Plus, further ahead, the trail was by a mountainside known for its land slides. Still the scenery was very beautiful, although none of us was in the mood to appreciate it. After we had trekked for nearly one and a half km from Bhojbasa, help came in the form of two mule wallahs returning from Bhojbasa. They offered to take two of us to Bhojbasa for Rs. 600/- while we stuck to Rs. 500/- . They left and we dragged ahead.

After we had proceeded further for some 15 minutes we heard one of the mule wallahs yelling behind us that he was ready to take us to Bhojbasa for Rs. 500/-. Laxman & I got on the mules and loaded all the backpacks on the mules. We left Rathin and Deependra behind with a small bag containing essentials. Two minutes later we heard Rathin yelling and running towards us, waving frantically. He had come for the torch which was in his backpack. That done, we were on our way. I still think that it was a wise, though expensive, decision to take the mules, because both Laxman & I were delaying Rathin and Deependra. Plus we also took all the backpacks and they were left with no luggage to carry which increased their speed even further.

Mules are very sure footed animals. I was watching the mule ridden by Laxman, going ahead of me, and noticed that essentially the mule walks only on a 12 inch wide strip and is one of the safest means of transport on the mountains. The mule wallah informed us that very rarely does one lose a mule in the mountains and that too only in the rainy season. The mules dropped us a few hundred meters from Bhojbasa around 17.30 hrs. The sun had all but gone down and the weather was suddenly becoming very chilly as the wind had picked up. We walked down the last few meters to reach Lal Baba’s ashram at Bhojbasa. As we dragged ourselves into the ashram, one of the senior sewaks saw us and immediately directed the other sewaks to give us seats and hot tea. We washed our faces in near freezing water, which came through a pipeline connected to a mountain stream. The piping hot tea and 10 minutes of rest revived us. We were led to a dormitory like room by one of the sewaks. It had a low sloping tin roof and layers of mattresses were spread in the entire length of the room. More importantly there was no shortage of mattresses in the room for snuggling into. One window in the room was sealed with a plastic sheet. There was no light there when we reached, but one of the sewaks provided us with a few candles and a matchbox. We learnt the next day that they had a portable generator for emergency purposes. The charges for the accommodation plus food was Rs.200/- per day per person, which was paid in form of a donation to a trust.

A few minutes later one of the sewaks came and advised all the trekkers that food was ready to be served. I was worried as still there was no sign of Rathin and Deependra. I asked the head sewak if food would be available for late comers as two of us would be arriving soon. He assured me that there was enough food for all and no one slept hungry. The sun had already gone down when I spotted Rathin’s orange coloured towel, which he had draped around his neck like a muffler. Also he was wearing my sweater (which he had taken alongwith my luggage) and I was shivering in the cold. Still no sight was better than seeing both of them resting just beyond the spot where the mules had left us. I tried to signal them to come immediately but they appeared to be too exhausted to move. Later on they told us that they had nearly got lost on the trail after the sunlight had reduced, and they had followed the mule droppings to Bhojbasa.

Dinner was a special occasion at Lal Baba’s ashram. We were seated in rows after washing our hands again in the freezing water. The chief sewak explained to us that getting food to this remote area is a very difficult job and so no one was to waste any food. This was translated by one of the Indian trekkers into English, for the benefit of the foreign trekkers. There were trekkers from various parts of the world including a group from Japan. Next we were asked to pray with our eyes closed. One of the sewaks started chanting Shri Ram-Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram and we started repeating the mantra with our eyes shut. When we opened our eyes out plates were filled with chapattis, potato curry with soybean chunks and Arhar dal. The simple food was simply delicious, perhaps because we had eaten very little during the day. Rathin and Deependra arrived when we were midway through the meal. After we had eaten, we picked up our plates, bowls and spoons and washed them in the freezing water.

We went to the allotted room and immediately fell into the mattresses. I took two to keep warm. We were joined sometime later by Rathin and Deependra after they had had dinner in the second round. We talked for some time about the day’s trek and the next day’s trek. When I went to sleep my last thought was that I would accompany them the next day only if I had the strength and will power, to undertake the remaining portion of the trek. Sleep comes easily when you are really tired.

18.05.2009 Monday (Day 3)

I woke up around 05.00 hrs and found that Rathin was also awake, there was no sound from Deependra & snoring sounds from Laxman, both of whom were sound asleep. Brushed my teeth in the freezing water and decided against shaving that day. Soon we were all up enjoying a piping hot cup of tea provided by the Ashram kitchen. By then I had decided that since I had come all this way, not going to Gomukh would not be a good idea. Besides we had to trek only 8 km to and fro, which was manageable inspite of the reduced oxygen. After all I had trekked nearly 12 km yesterday before hiring the mules. Also we would not have to carry any luggage which could be left at the Ashram.

There was sometime before breakfast would be served so we took the opportunity to explore the surroundings. The other habitations consisted of an all weather climate monitoring station called Automated Weather Station (AWS) run by the Department of Science and Technology. Sometime later Rathin had befriended the official incharge of the station and we were taken to a short tour and shown the facilities available at the station. The official later informed us that in winter the place had snow 6 feets’ deep. Apart from the station there was a tourist accommodation run by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, which provided both rooms and tent accommodation, though at an exorbitant price.

Breakfast was a hot bowl of Daliya cooked in milk. Second helpings were permitted and we made full use of the fact. We left the ashram for Gomukh glacier (4 km ahead and 400 meters higher), at around 0830 hrs. We were carrying the minimum possible weight and I had only my clothes (I intended to take a bath at the glacier), my camera and the boora and nimbus. One kheera had survived in Rathin’s bag, and went all the way.

The initial portion of the trek was very arduous with lack of oxygen as we had to climb a stiff gradient of about 30-40 degrees. Rathin suggested that we breathe with both nose and mouth wide open. That turned out to be a good idea as it increased the oxygen supply per breath. We stopped after every few steps to gulp down the oxygen. Maybe if I had done this the previous day, the trek would have been a different story and I’d have been richer by Rs. 250/-. We met an experienced trekker negotiating the incline. He said that he had trekked to the Pindari glacier last year but this particular stretch was turning out to be stiffer. It reassured me that, I am not the only one finding the trek difficult. After we had completed that climb, the rest of the path was quite easy to negotiate, most of the way. Probably we had climbed most of the 400 meters on that stretch itself.

I was in a rather good mood, for finally this day I was about to reach Gomukh in a few hours. The sunlight was bright but not hurting. We saw the magnificent Shivling peak on the way. It stands separated from other cliffs in the form of a Shivling covered with ice year round. The view was magnificent. All the hardships that one faces in reaching this far, appear to be insignificant before the sheer beauty of the place. The beauty cannot be captured on camera - still or video. It can only be experienced by seeing with the eyes. The thrill one gets on absorbing the scenery cannot be described. If you make a 360 degree turn you see snow clad peaks everywhere, as if you are in a huge bowl carved by nature with the mountains forming a snow covered rim. The Bhagirathi flowing incessantly making its gurgling sound, is a constant companion along the entire route.

Covering the four km trek today was a cake walk compared to yesterday, except for the initial stretch. As we were nearing our destination we came to a plain stretch of land, circular in shape like a dust bowl, bounded on all sides by a hilly rim some 20 meters high. After crossing the dust bowl, and climbing its rim, we could see some marble like rocks some 500 meters ahead. The Bhagirathi appeared to be coming out of the marble rock like enclosure. I told Deependra that this was the famous Gomukh glacier and he refused to believe me. He was probably expecting some majestic ice fields and this was clearly a big disappointment for him. The glacier was covered with dust covered ice and did not present a very attractive picture at this distance. Rathin and Laxman stopped to rest while I and Deependra ventured nearer to the glacier.

We had reached to the level of the river and the trail further was at the level of the flowing water. After a little rock climbing we reached very near Gomukh – the cave from where the Ganga emanates. For the first time we saw the true majesty of the glacier. There were a few other people there already including one glaciologist who informed us that it was one of the biggest glaciers in the world and went on for some 40 km inwards into the mountains. Only the river was between us and the glacier wall. We were standing in what could be described as an amphitheatre of ice with the river flowing outwards rapidly. I had expected that the flow would be slow as the river originated here but to my surprise the flow was quite fast even here. The water appeared to be coming out form a hole at the base of the ice cliff at a fairly good speed. It was freezing and chunks of ice were floating in it. We took a few photographs of the glacier. By this time, Laxman and Rathin had joined us. Chunks of ice were breaking from the glacier and falling in the river at regular intervals. The glaciologist informed us that sometimes the chunks of ice broke up on the rocky base at the other side of the river and came towards where we were standing, at high speeds. Such pieces could hit anyone on the opposite bank and injure them seriously.

We stayed there for nearly an hour and had our fill of nature’s beauty. Around 11.30 hrs we started the trek back to Lal Baba’s Ashram. We then discovered that the plastic bottles that we had brought all the way from Gangotri were pinched by someone from where we had left them. After traveling about 100 meters where we were quite safe from flying chunks of ice, we decided to take a bath in the freezing waters of the Bhagirathi. The sun was shining bright and there was hardly any breeze that morning so taking off clothes was not much of a problem. The problem was to spill the first glassful of freezing water on the body. Rathin was the first to do so and I joined him soon. The first splash of water is really painful but once the body temperature falls, one really loses the sensation of coldness. Next I splashed a glassful of water on Deependra who was standing partly naked, and reflecting like Hamlet on whether ‘to bathe or not to bathe’. The glassful of water did the trick and his decision was a swift one, as he took a hurried bath. Laxman was already wearing his clothes by then, after having effected a quick ‘shantijal-type’ bath.

After the bath, we had a light breakfast of the lone surviving kheera and used up the remaining nimboos & boora for nimboo paani. After a brief rest, we started back towards Bhojbasa. Sometime later Rathin and Deependra had left us far behind and were trekking rapidly towards Bhojbasa. I and Laxman were trekking at a leisurely pace and thoroughly enjoying the panorama. It was around 1400 hrs when we reached Bhojbasa and found that everyone had lunched before us. Lunch was hot arhar daal and rice. Rotis and aloo subzi was also available but I gorged on the daal and rice with a dash of aloo subzi.

As I was dead tired I went to our dormitory and entered the mattresses and was soon taken over by sleep. When I woke up in the evening around 1700 hrs I found Rathin, Deependra and Laxman playing a limited-over cricket match with a few locals and ashram sewaks for a 10-rupee bet. As it turned out, the last 20-ball over by Laxman Singh, cost them the match and the money. After tea we went for a walk to the riverside and sat down for sometime listening to the sounds of the river and the wind. It was suddenly becoming very cold and a glance towards Gomukh glacier showed there it was snowing there. We stayed there for sometime and then came back to the ashram. I skipped dinner and went to sleep early around 20.00 hrs while Rathin and Deependra went to the DST weather station, which also had a DISH TV connection, to watch an IPL maych. We had already decided that next day Rathin and Deependra would leave early after breakfast by trekking while I and Laxman would take mules alongwith all the luggage.

19.05.2009 Tuesday (Day 4)

Next day I woke up quite early around 06.00 hrs. Sometime later we were all ready for the return journey after breakfast. As decided earlier, Rathin and Deependra were to make the return trek on foot while I and Laxman were to return by mules carrying nearly all the luggage. Rathin and Deependra left around 0800 hrs while I and Laxman sat waiting for the mules, who were to arrive around 10.00 hrs from Gangotri. We had a long talk with the staff of the ashram and a gorkha from the Indian Army regarding the mule service. We learnt that the mules were owned by contractors and were operated by local lads who were paid a pittance by the contractor. The minimum rate for the journey was fixed at Rs. 800/- per mule and the money went to the contractor. Now I realized that the onward part journey that we had performed on mules was done on the sly by the mulewallahs and none of the proceeds went to the contractor. This explained why they had dropped us a short distance before Bhojbasa as they had feared that someone would spot them and complain to the contractor.

The first mules arrived by 09.45 hrs and after some haggling we settled for two mules for a sum of Rs. 1500/-. By 10.15 hrs we were on our way back on the mules with the luggage. The return journey was very comfortable because once you get used to traveling on mules you really get a chance to enjoy the scenery. Crossing of the various streams that came in the way is a little scary as sometimes the mules stop midway the stream to drink water. We reached Chirbasa around 11.30 hrs and made a brief stop for a refreshing cup of tea. The mules covered the rest of the journey rather quickly and around 13.15 hrs we were at the Konku gate. Since we had become rather friendly with the staff at the gate they refunded our deposit and let us pass without the check. 15 minutes later we dismounted from the mules and took down a flight of steps which led directly to the Gangotri temple. On reaching there we found the Rathin and Deependra had already had a bath in the river and were waiting for us. We washed our faces in the cold waters of the Bhagirathi and after a brief rest went to visit the holy Gangotri temple. Unfortunately the gates of the temple were closed for the noon and we were not able to get a darshan of the deity.

We had lunch of Karhi and rice at one of the dhabas and it was simply delicious. After lunch we got back to the car and a few minutes later were on our way back to Harsil. We reached Harsil around 17.15 hrs and checked into the same hotel that we had taken on the onward journey. As Laxman was tired he stayed in the room while I, Deependra and Rathin decided to explore the town. The Bhagirathi has been divided into several channels as it crosses the town of Harsil. Someone told us that it was done to protect the town from the fury of the river when it is in spate during the monsoons. The channels of the river are spanned by several suspension bridges. As we had some time before looking for dinner, we decided to explore the area as far as possible. A dog belonging to the hotel owner started walking with us as if accompanying us as a guide. After crossing all the channels of the river we found that there was a small village occupied by people of Tibetan origin. We kept walking along the central road of the village. On both sides of the road, we saw houses made of wood and stone slabs. Overall it was very fascinating to walk along the road because it looked as if we were walking through a place cut off from the rest of the world by its remote location.

As we had eaten lunch quite late in the day I decided to skip dinner and had a light snack of veg momos and some chowmein. The hotel owner informed us that there had been an accident on the road somewhere around Uttarkashi. It dampened our spirits because if we got caught in a jam it would delay our program seriously. As we were quite tired of the exertions during the day and we had a long journey ahead the next day, we went to sleep early.

20.05.2009 Wednesday (Day 5)

Next morning we woke up early as we had to cover a rather long distance of around 300 km back to Dehradun. After a quick bath we left Harsil around 06.30 hrs foregoing breakfast. The early part of the journey was rather quick and enjoyable. Although there was the fear that we were heading into a traffic jam due to the accident on the previous day, the surroundings were such that you can’t help enjoying the trip. We had breakfast at Bhatwari and learnt there that the accident vehicle has since been removed and the road ahead was clear. But there was another problem that we were short on fuel and the nearest pump was at Uttarkashi. However we reached Uttarkashi in the afternoon only to find that there was a long queue of four wheelers at pump as this was the last pump on the road towards Gangotri. However there was no queue at the station catering to two wheelers. Laxman had an idea and he purchased a 5 ltr can from a nearby shop and got 5 litres petrol filled in the can from the station meant for two wheelers. With fuel in the tank we left Uttarkashi towards Dharasu.

We crossed Dharasu around 13.30 hrs and Laxman proposed that we visit New Tehri town which had come up after the old Tehri town went under the waters of the Bhagirathi when the Tehri dam became operational. Though it involved traveling some extra distance as the new Tehri town is situated very high up, still we decided to go for it as Laxman had promised that the view of the Tehri dam was simply magnificent from above.

The new Tehri town looks very beautiful as you approach it. The houses have been constructed by the Govt. in a very orderly fashion along the mountainside. It looks like an ideal retreat if you wish to spend some time in peace in the lap of nature. We got some more fuel to last us till Dehradun and had lunch around 15.00 hrs at a local restaurant in the town. Then we went to have a look at the dam from the top. It is a truly magnificent sight to see the earth filled dam. The road on the dam looked like a thin black line drawn on the dam and slowly tapering downwards in a zigzag manner. Behind the dam is the massive lake formed due to the water stopped by the dam. The water has risen to a height of around 250-300 metres in the lake. In the middle of the lake was a small hillock rising on which there is the palace of the erstwhile Raja of Tehri. Someone informed us that the small hillock seen in the middle of the lake is actually the peak of the submerged mountain on which the palace had been built. During the monsoons, the height of the lake increased even further to submerge the palace.

We left after 15 minutes as we had to reach Dehradun the same day. The journey thereafter was tiring and eventless and we crossed Chamba and Narendranagar and moved towards Rishikesh. By then night had fallen and from the hills we saw the glittering lights of Rishikesh which looked like a huge swarm of fireflies had dotted the mountainside. We bypassed Rishikesh and headed towards Dehradun. Once we had left the hills Laxman gave the wheels to Deependra as he was quite tired after driving the entire day. We reached Dehradun around 22.00 hrs. I dropped down at the Railway station as I intended to take the morning Shatabdi Express to Delhi, while Deependra and Rathin went to the NRSSC Guest house as they had intended to visit Dehradun the next day. Laxman of course went back to his home. I didn’t have dinner as we had eaten quite late in the afternoon and I wasn’t feeling hungry. I stayed the night at the Railway Officer’s rest house at Dehradun next to the Railway station.

21.05.2009 Thursday (Day 6)

The train left Dehradun around 05.10 hrs so I was at the platform by 05.00 hrs. Got onto the train armed with two local newspapers and spent the time reading them end to end till I reached Delhi around noon.

The sheer joy experienced in the entire trip cannot be described in words, and I am writing this at the end though. The sights that I have seen remain etched in my mind and a glance at the photographs of the trip revives many great memories.

What next? Somewhere during the return journey, Deependra had suggested a trek to Valley of flowers and Hemkund Sahib. Laxman had jumped at the idea and his parting words, when he had dropped me at the Railway Officers's rest house at Dehradun were,- “So next year Phoolon ki Ghati and Hemkund, pakka?” “Sure”, I replied.

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Just Walking Around

Trip to Gomukh