Nirvana in the Valley - Har Ki Dun

lonelyaztec

People,

I have just come back from a very fulfilling 10 day trek in Tehri Garhwarl..Har ki doon valley.

It was a Youth hostel trek..and route was Sankri - Juda Talab - Kedarkanth - Dhundha ( via Kedarkantha Peak ) - Talhouti - Lekhathatch - Seema - Har ki Doon - Seema - Taluka - Sankri.

We had 4 days of glacier - one day of snowfall on the way to Har ki doon - one day of Snow storm at Kedarkantha...it was an awesome experience.

Har ki doon valley looked liked Switzerland ( or may even better ) in the snow..it was gr8.

anyone, been there ?

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Aztec

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AvidTrekker

Been on the same route with same YHAI ppl in 2003. Great views, great camp sites. I was to go this year as one of the camp leaders, but couldn't make it...

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tok

We were contemplating this trek.

What is the weather like in July?

We will be bringing thermal fleece and windproof/rainproof shells, but will not be bringing snowgear for plodding in deep snow. (Snow shoes, crampons,iceax and so forth)

Can this be done with this type of equipment or is a more expedition type necessary with porters and so forth?

How cold does it get on the trail and can you trek below the snowline? No problemwith the occasional snowstorm,we have a great tent, but because we are less experienced in the Himalayas, we will limit ourselves to staying below the snow line.

rahul550

Ya, I was in Group - 02.

Also been upto Swargrohini Base, after some agreement with the Seema Guide - Gajendra Singh. He has also done BMC from NIM as my self so we got togather and without informationto the camp leader of HKD we moved up to the true base at 5.00 A.M in the morning. Covered the distance in one hour 15 min and got very close range snaps of the mighty peak. It was extremely cold there and the river streams were frozen solid (we could actually stand on them without breaking them) and see water flowing under the ice.
Wonderful experience.

Rahul

rahul550

Tok i would suggest a good feather Jacket and one or two ice axes will also come in handy.

July will definitely see a lot of showers/ hail/sleet below the snow line a good rain gear/ gore tex will be very helpful. It will be cold at the higher elevations of the trek. But that depends on what is your threashhold for definition: cold.

Rahul

lonelyaztec

Rahul, group 2 - did i meet u.
I was in group 1, which did the Bhook Hadtal at Seema, on return from Har ki doon.

rahul550

Probably,

I was wearing a maroon sweter and a local style scarf on the head with a large army chemoflage rucksack.

lonelyaztec

Avidtrekker,

Missed u this time.

Rahul,

Standing on frozen river, must have been awesome. For me, waking up in the morning, to the sound of the whistle was a pain. So, forget trekking beyond the given route. My legs r still swollen....and have not recovered.

lucky

Hi Lonelyaztec

I've been there in 1999. We took the traditional route. Taluka-osla-harkidoon-osla-taluka. It was june and it snowed at Har-ki-doon. Our tents sagged under nine inches of snow and we had to move to mandal guest house. Stayed one extra day at the place. You have aptly described the doon. But comparison with switzerland is out of place. I think each locale has its own unique flavour. To a culturally trained eye a santa in place of a trident has the capacity to invert the scene. There is a thread "himalayas vs swiss alps". It has some interesting revelations about comparisons.
This year we plan going back and beyond. Planning har-ki-doon-chitkul over Borasu-la. Let's see if it comes through.
The route you took looks better. Can you give details of places of stay enroute and how are they like. Degree of difficulty ?

Lucky

lonelyaztec

Lucky,

Forget the comparison....it is not meant to be taken in the literal sense. What i meant, it was like a picture post card.

i am told it snows in HKD valley every afternnon. It rained as i was trekking there, dunno if the other teams experienced snow fall.

Rahul,

maroon sweater, local type scarf.......like Dev Anand....
and army camoeflage bag...there were enough people in group 1 who would fit the criteria....

When ur HKD trek snaps r ready, post a pic...then, may be i will recognize u. Ok. :-)

rahul550

Ya sure. Just hold on to your boots.

lonelyaztec

Uttaranchal is great. It was a 10 day trek and the route was Sankri – Juda Talab – Kedarkantha – Kedarkantha Peak - Dhundha – Talhouti – Lekhathatch – Seema – Har Ki Doon – Seema – Taluka – Sankri..pretty long, starting with 4 kms on first day and averaging about 15 kms from day 4 on wards. Really tough and taxing on the body.

From Mussourie, 58 of us ( all in my group ) took the bus to Sankri. Sankri is at about 5800 feet about sea, and the route from Mussorie is scary. It was a mud tract, and the bus was inching in full throttle towards the destination, the 187 km ride took 8 hrs to complete. The entire trek was inside the Govind National Park, and it is a protected area.

I must say that we are a lucky team, as we had snow in most of the camps, had I been in a latter group, I would have seen less of glaciers, and more of flowers on the mountain slopes. Seriously, I prefer the snow to the flowers.

I must not call the entire thing a trek, It was a surprise for all the us, as we were expecting normal treks along mountain slopes and valleys. The entire affair turned out to be a mountaineering expedition, with ropes on all mountain slopes, and we secured with harnesses and carabiners to the ropes. Little was a little difficult for me, coz, thought I have trekked a bit in the past, I am not technically sound when it comes to trekking on glaciers. I slipped once for every 3 steps I took.

The weather gods were merciless, just when we were about to get to the almost 80 degree steep climb to the Kedarkantha peak at 12700 feet, we had a rain fall / hail storm. My fingers were freezing. The ropes provided the much needed support.

We walked on dangerous ridges, a wrong step would have taken me to the bottom of the cliff, and even bones would be tough to find. The entire ridge route seems tough, but, as I started climbing, I realized there was sufficient places to move on. I just went forward thinking of just the next step ahead of me. I turned back once to see, when I had crossed already. I was climbing the glacier that was nearly vertical with ropes. Tough with rain and the winds. And all that, I felt really good as I standing on top of Kedarkantha.

The next days trek / mountaineering to Talhouti was a adventure. All of us secured with harness and carabiners to ropes pegged into mountain slopes. It was nearly 12 kms on glaciers. First it was on sides of the glacier, then, uphill , then downhill, and the entire thing was tough, and I remembered God more that day, than any other day. The climate helped. Couple of my team mates slipped below, but, were safe as they were anyway secured. At the end of the day we felt extremely thrilled to have completed the most risky and technically demanding part of the trek.

The rest of the days were a cake walk, walking through rivers sides, up hill, downhill, tough on the body, but, easy to negotiate. Temperatures went sub zero on three days and nights. I was wearing all my wollens, it was not sufficient, but the sleeping bags were good. I did not brush teeth was 3 days, used center fresh instead in the mornings, and used toilet papers. Coz, every time I put my hand into water, my hands would get rigid and would seem like it is a frozen ice block. I would have to warm it was 30 mins to feel any sensation.

Har ki doon is a very beautiful valley and here it snows every afternoon. The valley looks very normal with dry thorny bushes, but, when it snows, and it does snow heavily here every day, it becomes like a Christmas / new year post card. The experience was awesome.

All of us forgot what date and what day it was. The only thing on the mind was to watch out the next step, lest u go down, whether it is rain and snow. It was a good proposition. Imagine the group leader giving us pep talk in the snow / rain.

Lunch was never really problem. Though we pack lunch for the noon in the morning, as Har ki doon is a popular trekking route, there are several maggi / egg omelette / chai / frooti shops on the way. We could have what we wanted.

The trek brought me close to lots of people with like minded tendencies, and would try my best to maintain friendships with them throughout. There were people of all age groups, 15 to 45 yrs age.

After the trek, we split a Mussorie. Most of us stayed back at Mussorie for a day for local sight seeing and for rest.

After my sojourn, I took the flight back to Bangalore and I have reported at work as well. Haridwar and Rishikesh were so close to Dehradun, I must have planned to visit them as well. But, was really tired to even think on those terms. Will plan them some other time, along with Badrinath and Kedarnath.

The scenery was soo beautiful, and all camp sites gave a view of the medium and higher Himalayan ranges. We were still trekking at the lower level ranges. I started feeling home sick, and wanted a good home made chai ( with the right amout of sugar and milk ) and desperately needed a hot water bath.

I must make a special mention of the camp site locations. Kedarkanta, Dhundha, Talhouti and Har Ki Doon valley camp sites were the most beautiful places I have even seen in my life. I witnessed the most beautiful sunset drama at Kedarkantha. Dhundha and Talhouti had not water…and the camp was surrounded by glaciers. Mid-way during the trek between Dhundha and Talhouti, we got to a point, so high, that I could see snowy peaks below me, and all around me. It was awesome. It would not be possible to see these places as a tourist. Once has to trek to get there. I wish I spent more time in Sankri Village. I went through the village one day, and I was falling in love with the place – the jungles around, the sound of the gurgling sound of the river flowing beneath, the laughing kids, and the mountains surrounding it. Picture perfect.

Now that I am back, I feel I am little wiser. Coz, on the top of mountains, I usually get philosophical and start asking myself questions like – who I am, what I am, what is my purpose, karma, what am I doing here, what is my destiny, what is there a purpose to the whole thing, purpose of my life, etc…get more confused, but at the end i am happy that I actually got to the top of the mountain, if not anything else.

I have already decided I am going trekking again, next summer, higher than this year. Trekking is addictive.

If any of you wish to go on a trek organized by Youth Hostel Association of India. http://www.yhaindia.org

Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam also organized a lot of treks in Uttaranchal.
http://www.gmvnl.com/

Almoraboy

hi,
which month did u undertake this trek in??? and how much snow was there? and overall how were the photography opportnities??

i am planning a trip to uttaranchal in feb end and march. so i need to sort out the places where it would be possible to go. looking for some good snow and photograph opportunities.

cheers,
prashant

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babuchand

hi aztec,
did u went with youth hostel india / in which month????

it seems a good deviation from the normal har ki doon tek....via the kedarkantha peak.....12700ft does not seem to be much but the slope u portray....nice achievement.......huu????

and with a group of 58 with u ...its time u chnge your blog name......

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jyotipg

Lonely,

Nice description..
thanx for posting..

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