Gangotri to Kedarnath via Ghuttu

Morning all,
KPS Sharmas's book "G&K:A Trekkers Guide" has a route for the above trek, has anyone done this? From Malla, the route comes down through Chuna Chatti, Jhala to Ghuttu; then up through Panwali to Trijugi Narayan, Sonparyag, Gaurikund then the traditional trek to Kedarnath...
Ive not ben able to find anything on this; its a rather long alternative to Audens Col, which from what i gather, is a mini expedition needing guides & climbing equipment (i want to do as much as possible solo)
Many thanks!
Neil

There is a route from malla to sahsratal and from there Kedarnath crossing the Mayali Pass. But this is to long and may need assistance.
In this forum I read someone travelled from budhakedar to kedar via ghuttu, panwali kanta.

Thanks HT!
Yes im looking at a way from Gangotri to Kedarnath without having to do anything too technical but i fear no such way exsists
Just took a look at your blog, very nice...so you went smt like Ghuttu-Kharsali-Masar Tal-Vasuki Tal-Gaurikund? Im guessing the Mayali Pass is somewhere near Masar Tal? Is there no direct way down from Vasuki Tal to Kedarnath (or didnt you plan to visit there)? And (finally...!) guide absolutely required?
Sorry for all the questions...
Many thanks!
Neil

Hi, i have done this trek. It is not difficult and is well worth doing.You can start from lata or malla. I had just one porter/guide who carried everythig and cooked as well. Though if you did want to carry your own stuff you could do it without a guide.To make it harder and probably more scenic you could go via Sahastral but you will need an experienced guide and a porter as you will have to mostly camp and carry all your food.

Attached below is an ideal plan


Day From To Mode Distance, km
Day 1 Uttarkashi - Lata 1478m Belakh 2439m Trek 13
Day 2 Belakh 2439m Budhkedar 1542m Trek 10
Day 3 Budhkedar 1542m Bhairon Chatti 2493m Trek 13
Day 4 Bhairon Chatti 2493m Ghuttu 1630m Trek 16
Day 5 Ghuttu 1630m Lower Panwali Kantha Trek 9
Day 6 Lower Panwali Kantha Panwali Kantha 3433m Trek 6
Day 7 Panwali Kantha 3433m Maguchatti Trek 9
Day 8 Maguchatti Triyuginarayan 1982m Trek 5
Day 8 Triyuginarayan 1982m Gaurikund Car
Day 9 Gaurikhund 1982m Kedarnath 3583m Trek 14
Day 10 Kedarnath 3583m Gaurikhund - Sonprayag Trek 14

You can cut one day off by doing Ghuttu to Panwali in one day. But this is probably the toughest section.

10 of us from Chennai are trekking in October

Krishnan

Thanks for the replies guys!
Captain, i take it you didnt do the Sahastral route...how is the standard route for scenery/mountain views?
and KRN, did you consider the Sahastral route, and also the possibility of heading north from Ghuttu and crossing the Mayali Pass?
Finally have you got any tips for maps?
Many thanks!!
Neil

Hi, i am hoping to do Sahastral this year, by all accounts it is much harder than mayali pass and it is very difficult to find a knowledgeable guide. There are many guides for Kedarnath via mayali. As i mentioned earlier you would need porter and guide for sahastral whereas you could probably meet up with several groups who will be doing Mayali pass though you will need a tent for at least a couple of nights.
You probably can go from malla or lata to ghuttu ,panwali and on to kedernath without a guide. Happy trekking!

Thanks Neilus. Yeah, Mayali pass is close to Masar tal. There is a direct route from Vasuki tal to kedarnath. Actually, vasukital can be done in a day from kedarnath.
@Captain: happy to know that you are going to sahasratal this year.I will be heading towards himachal pradesh.May be we meet in coming years.Happy journey.

Hi, Himalayan trekker, nice to hear from you.I to have thought about other areas for trekking but i cant seem to tear myself away from Garhwal there is so much to see and much that is still rarely visited once you get off the beaqten track.Anyway hope you have a great trek and maybe our paths will cross again one day, i hope so. Captain Kit.

Thanks again guys!
So youre familiar with each other? Cool, how did you meet?
Ok, so i think i can strike Sahastral off the list...man, im confused! Basically, it will be my first time in Garwahl, i plan to be there for a month, the whole of October. First stop will be Gangotri-Gaumuhk-Tapovan; visiting Kedarnath and Badrinath are also very important, so obviously public transport will be involved; having been to India before i know that meticulous planning is often doomed to failure as things rarely go as planned ( ), so im trying to keep things flexible; on the "possible" list are Kedartal, Auli-Kauri Pass-Tapoban, Milam Glacier...then some shorter stuff like Chorabari Tal etc...basically, one long trek and lots of shorter ones!
My tent, sleeping bag and mat all together are less than 4kg so i really would like to be as self sufficient as possible, but then again i may be limiting my options by not wanting to use guides, and of course it might be dangerous as well...
As you seem to know the area quite well, any advice would be really, really appreciated!
Many thanks!!
Neil

Yeah,I met Captain Kit on the way to Mayali.He is a nice person really in love with garwahl.
Neilus,Kuari Pass is a wonderful trek and you can do it alone.Do Madamaheswar, Rudranath you will love the trail.

Hi, Neilus, you could break your journey to Gangotri at Uttarkashi where you could do a very nice trek to Dodital then over to Dayara bugyal and then Barsu which is very close to the Gangotri road. Its a very scenic trek with good views of the Himalayas.Would take about 5 days depending on your walking speed and would help to get you acclimatised (Dayara is around 4,ooom) Then you could go to Gangotri and tapovan. On the way back the start of the trek to kedanath is on the same road at Lata. this would take around 7 days. Glad to see you are a lightweight hiker though remember it can get below freezing at around 3,500 m in late october so if you have a down bag bring it,i always do.Also for getting up to the big pilgrimage places it is often not much dearer to go by a share jeep than a public bus. All the best, Captain Kit.

Brilliant, thanks guys! Feels good that my plans are taking shape!
Yeah Dodital was the first option i looked at but i dunno, it looked very forest-y (kinda like Slovenia where i go very often!) but im gonna reconsider as like you say, will be good acclimatisation and should put some gas in my legs...where are the best views on this trek Captain?
You also said smt about meeting up with groups, what is the chance of bumping into other trekkers that you might wish to team up with?
Thanks for the info on Mayali HT, good to know its do-able solo...but i assume you mean from the south and not from the Gangotri side, which from what ive read needs guides, ropes etc...? Its easier from the Ghuttu side yes?
Phew...sorry about all these questions guys!...but i really appreciate your help, many thanks!
Wishe y'all a nce weekend,
Neil

The views are lovely all the way to Dodital as although you are walking in woodland for a lot of the time the path is on the edge of a steep valley and you can see for miles. The other side of the valley on the top is Dayara bugyal. This is a high mountain meadow which covers many square kilometers with wonderful views of the Himalayas.The chances of meeting groups of trekkers are very high at the time of the year you are going and on the roots you have mentioned.

Great, thanks Captain...Dodital back on the list of possibilities!!
If you dont mind, something else is troubling me, in all the 100s of threads ive read theres hardly been a mention of it...water!! Is the water from lakes/rivers safe or do you need to treat it? Or are there plenty of springs? Or can you just grab some from the small hamlets you pass through...?
Cheers mate