Gaumukh-Tapovan Trek : June 2009

vardhan.harsh

Dear All,

I wish to share my experiences and photographs to one of the beautiful treks i've ever been on. The one till Tapovan this year in June.

You can visit the journal here:
http://www.indiamike.com/india/journal.php?do=showjournal&j=9 558#e712

You can see some of the photographs here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vardhan...7621052987113/

If you are planning to do it, i would highly recommend this trek.

Thanks
Harsh

tilak2909

very nice pics harsh,

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vardhan.harsh

thanks buddy.

muralikrishnag

Hi Harsh
Very nicely detailed trip. I am planning on doing the similar with my cousin till Gaumukh (Sept 22-23)
22nd---Gangotri--Bhojbasa (night stay)
23rd----Bhojbasa--Gomukh-Bhojbasa-Gangotri.
Does this look ok to you?Are there clear,easy paths from Gangotri to Gaumukh?

Do you have any contact information of your guide Kanak? I wasn't planning on a guide but it seems like a good idea based on your report.

regards
murali

muralikrishnag

Hi Harsh,
Another question I had for you was..did you need to use any medicine (like Diamox) for high altitude sickness?

regards
murali

vardhan.harsh

If you are a nature lover, i would strongly recommend you to change your itinerary (if you can ) to include Tapovan as well. It is worth it.

Otherwise your itinerary looks perfect to me. The path to Gaumukh is a well-marked trail with absolutely no chances of getting lost. It is the only trail there, and follows Ganga on the way up. So there is no chance in heaven of getting lost.

We took a guide because we had planned to cover both Tapovan and Nandanvan, which without a guide is difficult to do, due to shifting nature of the path to Tapovan over the glacier( & Nandanvan). He also doubled up as a porter and was kind enough to carry our tent for us. So, if you are just planning to go till Gaumukhm, i dont think it would be necessary to take a guide, still if you feel like it, you can contact Kanak Pal Rana on : +91 - 96900 75259. (by the way do tell him that i gave you the reference, it's always nice to keep in touch with him and this way he would).

As for diamox, we didn't use, although we did carry it. But we didn't need it. Partially so because my wife and I have been on high altitudes quite a lot of times, and the walk gradually adjusts the body to that altitude levels. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to carry them with you, as some i had to give some of those medicines to people up there, who needed it at that time.

debajyoti

Hi vardhan.harsh,

Nice pictures..

I want to know whether it required/essential to bring sleeping bags and blankets if we stay @Lalbaba Ashram in the 1st week of October;

Debajyoti..

vardhan.harsh

Thanks Debajyoti,

No need to carry sleeping bags / blankets if you are planning to stay at Lalbaba Ashram at Bhojbasa. They provide mattresses and quilts over there (obviously they would not be in pristine conditions, if you are ok with that).

Do check the weather conditions before you leave. Last week, heavy snowfall in upper reaches / rainfall in lower lead to landslides / drop in temperatures in Himachal (dunno about Uttarakhand).

captain kit carson

hi love your blog and pics. infact ihave just booked a flight onthe strength of it. hope to be in gangotri 11 october. i have been to kedarnath a couple of times and suffered from altitude sickness both times. you mentioned diomox is it possible to buy this in most chemists or only somewhere specialised? thanks again captain kit.

vardhan.harsh

Thanks,

Diamox is very easily available at all chemists, here in delhi.

captain kit carson

thankyou for your prompt reply...keep on trekking. captain kit.

sdsudarsan

wonderful man... great photos and expression of feelings Harsh!

Kudos to you and your better half.