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Aristocat

No it wasn't. NIM was just the meeting spot where I met the agent. His name is Gokul Singh Gosain. I do not know his agency's name but he lives on the outskirts of Uttarkashi. His staff accompanied me on the trek and were quite good and efficient.

babuchand

thanks everybody.....

I am interested in this route...plz send more details.

actally as I have told earlier, i was taking 3 new comer s in a group of 6. and more over that we were doing this trek after madmaheshwar... so they were dog tired...at times unable to carry the luggage. for them we had to hire a porter. enroute 3 of us went ahead....I searched out the route at times and the 3 weak people came along with the guide. who was entrusted to take care of them.

and we heard at uttarkashi from returning trekkers that the route has been broken down recently due to massive rock fall and ice cracking...that proved to be true. what was earlier a boulder hopping across glacier and then a climb of 400m now seams life threatening for newbees. we heard terrifying sound of glacier cracking when we were walking on it....just after gomukh, in the rock fall zone nowadays continuous rock fall is happening.

heard of the initiative of govt to make a different route to tapovan by making a bridge on bhagirathi or a rope way to tapovan.... dont know abt their truthfullness.

I will load pics soon...may be in an week.

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Njoy

babu
visit : http://www.webmania.co.za/travelmania/babu/index.shtml

"The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget."

AvidTrekker

You started this minor controversy and the thread has 180 replies!!!

Now that you've huff'd & you've puff'd ..... how was it ??

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The Universe is an ellipsoid?... or a Spheroid?? If the sphere smiles... it becomes an ellipse. This IS Creation.

Aristocat

You are supposed to be an avid trekker and yet had nothing to say on the subject. Now it’s too late since the mods, in their eternal wisdom, have closed the thread. Still can’t figure out why.

Ya, I did huff and puff 'cos it was tuff. Still trying to figure if the grand views were worth it.

TREKorDIE

Congratulations babuchand



Are you kidding, Aristocat
How will you explain the views of Bhagirathi Peaks, at stone throw away distance? And Shivling, does it not just go up straight from Tapovan? Do you still think the "huff and puff" was worth or not?

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TREKorDIE:
" BECAUSE IT IS THERE ! ! ! "

Aristocat

Yes, the views are grand. Shivling, Bhagirathi group, Kedarnath, Meru and other peaks are really beautiful. But the terrain is inhospitable, the weather can be freezing, the walk extremely tiring. There's surely an easier way to enjoy such views.

TREKorDIE

NO SWEET WITHOUT SWEAT
This was a Road sign on the way to Sandakphu, just some distace before reaching. That is the TRUTHEST TRUTH for trekking.
[ I'm not just qualified to opine about mountaineers ]

Aristocat

No pain no gain too. But I have been told that you get equally spectacular views by flying into Jomsom from Pokhara in Nepal. No need to huff n puff.

AvidTrekker

Babuchand, I did this route in May/June 1996 with 24 young children [age 10 to 18]. I combined it with a dangerous portion from Dodi Tal.

The first leg you probably know...

Sangamchatti, Agodaa, Dodi taal, Darwa top, return. Till here it was the normal populated route.

After this, we did not turn right to reach Agodaa but we descended ALL the way down to the river. It took all day and the descent was a continuous 45 degree knee wrecking affair which ended at 5 pm. We crossed a small walk bridge over the river Asi Gangaa and camped at SatgaDii. Most of us were half dead.

Then the next day was the daunting prospect of the same 45 degree CLIMB for MORE than the original distance descended upto Dayaraa Bugyaal top [almost as high as Darwa top]. Naturally, I broke up the stage into two stages. The first stage ended about half-way up at and also where the trees ended. We reached at 18:00 hours with barely 15 mins of sunlight left. Even though tired, we pitched tents somehow. There was a Jammu Gujjar tending to his buffaloes at this height. It was called Moraa PaDaav. We plucked loongDoo bushes [vegiies] on the way & cooked and ate them in the evening in a Pulao.

Next day was the climb up to 3807m to Dayaaraa Top. Took a local Gujjar Guide for the next two days as this was untrod territory for our Agodaa porters and water was heard to be very scarce up there. We camped around 800 feet below the top, next to a small glacier, where the children had great fun glissading a 150 foot 45 degree slope for the better part of the evening. I saw to the food preparation. Our porters plucked local mushrooms from the sides of bushes which were cooked and eaten. The non vegiies among us said they tasted like meat. A local vegetable which looked like a cross between a cabbage and a cauliflower was also cooked and most of the children did not eat it after the first bite.

Next day, as we were starting up for the final 800 foot traverse thru a very narrow trail, we saw fresh footprints of a saambar stag [big deer]. Our porters tried to spot it [to hunt it down] and I am glad they didn't. We haven't come all the way to kill local animals and maybe endangered species.

The maidaan like Dayaaraa Bugyaal is Uttarkaashii's answer to the valley of flowers. We were there in May-end... so no flowers... only green grass as far as the eye could see. The meadow descended at a very gradual degree but it was a longish march down to the camp site of "chhaavnii" [which is no name coz it means "camp-site"] which had a poor trickle of dirty water as a water source around 1 km away. Since we had "completed" an unfrequented route, [which the NIM instuctors said even they had not been to] we celebrated with Gulab jaamuns [tinned] and danced away at a camp fire ....

Next day was a relaxed day thru thick forest and we reached Bhatwaari on the highway around 15:00. Proceeded to Malla Rest house.

Now starts the traditional route thru which many old timer pilgrims used to walk upto Kedaarnaath.

Malla ---- Belak Khaal ---- Boodhaa Kedaar ----- Ghuttu [ghuttu is a road head, hence you can reach this direct, if you wish to avoid the 3 day walk]

Ghuttu ---- here many of us got water borne diarrhoea and two children collapsed on the way to the next camp site of gawaaNmaaNDaa. They had to be carried up on pony back.

The next day two more children were "ill" psychologically as they too wanted to sit on the ponies. They were also indulged. Reached Panwaali KaanThaa [10,800 feet] around 2 pm... which was the most beautiful campsite of the whole trip and probably one of the best that I have ever seen. Decided to have one rest day at this beautiful place just to enjoy the view and take pics to our hearts content. It hailed with very strong winds all night and is the only occassion that I actually prayed to God for saving all my children. We were in a huge 20 man tent. In the fierce wind that prevailed, the tent would have just torn off and blown off and we would be without shelter for the rest of the trek. Luckily nothing happened as such. Only damage was that most of us were awake all night scared of what might happen.

After this incident, I have never taken anything bigger than a four man tent. After this, on other treks; I have faced even more severe winds, but the local 4-man A shaped tents have held fast... and I have slept!!

Next morning we all came out groggy and bleary eyed. We had fallen asleep in a sitting position at 5 am and woke up to the brilliant sunshine at 7:30 am. It was a white carpet all over. NOT snow but hail. We kept on slipping and rolling on the hard marbles of hail stones. Eventually, camp was lifted late at 9:30 and we trekked further.

Now the trek was on a narrow strip of path with steep drops on both sides. Practically level at around 10,000 feet for nearly four hours. A high point on this ridge was 3912 m or 12,831 feet. Crossed Kinkholaa Khaal [Pass] on the way. Camp reached at Maghu Chatti [9890 feet] and another night of high winds. We slept nevertheless coz none of us had slept the previous night.

After this, I see the moon phase and plan it in such a way that I never cross a high pass on a full moon day. [our two bad nights were full moon] I plan it in such a way that we cross the high pass on the second or third day after the full moon. After this new scheduling, the problem has never occurred at high meadows again. It happened also at Pin Parvati Pass this year, but we got heavy rain when we were lower down and got absolutely clear weather on the Pin Parvati Pass crossing day!!!

Later I discovered that Harish Kapadia also follows this scheduling based on his own many many years' experience. I have let out a real secret here. Hope everyone can benefit from it.

From Maghu Chatti onwards, clear weather and clear days.

Maghu Chatti to Triyuginaaraayan on the road and thence to Sonprayaag. Stayed at the rather expensive rooms of GMVN at Sonprayaag. [children pleaded for one day of luxury] The children hogged food in a proper restaurant [at GMVN RH itself] as if they were eating after six days!!!

Next day more indulgence. No walking. Bussed it to GauriiKund. This is the standard base for the Kedaarnaath pilgrims even today. Route up was crowded, as all pilgrim trails are. Its a two day walk up to Kedaarnaath, which is the highest of the four chaar dhaams in the Himaalaya.

Have mentioned the significant highlights of my trek of the old pilgrim route to Kedaarnaath with the rarely trod trek to Dayaaraa Bugyaal as a bonus. Hope it helps you people in some way.

TREKorDIE

You can see more spectacular views on Discovery/ National Geographic channel or in net.
IMO,It is the physical presence of self at that place, at least once in a life time, that matters, not just a glimpse of the place from anywhere.

TREKorDIE

Thanks Avid,for sharing that real secret.

Aristocat

In Jomsom, you are very much physically present amidst high mountains, as good as being at Tapovan/Nandanvan but without the need to trek up there.
Moreover one need not carry anything as food and accomodation are readily available there.

TREKorDIE

yes, that's a great thing in Nepal, hotel and lodges are on popular trails.
I don't know the details of your Jomsom trip..........most probably it was : Pokhra- Jomsom- Muktinath- Jomsom- Pokhra. If so,then you missed Marpha, Kalopani and Tatopani. What about the view from PoonHill?

But again, equally spectacular trail like Dhaulagiri Circuit- Frech Pass- Hidden Valley or Kanchenjungha Base Camp trek in Nepal are not tea house trek. You have to carry everything in those route.

So the end line is: No sweet without sweat.

Aristocat

No, I have not been to Jomsom. I was only referring to it as a place where you can get spectacular mountain views without the need to trek in and out. You can just fly in and you are in the midst of the mountains.

Someone like Avid should be able to shed more light on this.

AvidTrekker

Am madly im Love with the Himaalaya.... especially the very quiet lonely parts, which are reachable by trekking only.

As you see, I am heavily biased.... so I did not post any comment in the original 180 reply thread. The independent unbiased human within me also says that Aristocat has a valid point of view. If he and other people are happier going up by chopper or plane or whatever.... they will get the views. But they will miss the sense of achievement. And, for purists like me... they will add to the noise! [this coming from a guy in mumbai who can hear his neighbour's TV volume every night!!! ]

But then, someone will argue that its a very base or primitive "sense" of achievement, something like what cave man used to feel....

In that case.... I am a cave man.... not fit to enter such arguments.