Off the beaten track

jyotipg

Pasting trek info by Keith Virgo.
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The kumaon himalayas are little-known to the outside world. This year we embarked on a trek up the Dhauli Ganga River to the valley which lies
beneath the five peaks of the Pancha Chulli range. The trail is relatively easy, following a traditional trading route between Tibet and India frequented by the Bhotia people who live in the villages along the trail.

We decided to travel in the last week of September, at the tail end of monsoon, in order to avoid the extreme cold that can otherwise
dampen spirits in camp. The coincidence of the earlier start and the late ending of the rains meant carpets of alpine flowers and villages
bustling with local farmers harvesting their crops of buckwheat.

After a tortuous 10-hour bus ride from our base near Almora to Dharchula (800m), a small town along the Nepal border nestled in the deep
valley of the Kali Ganga river, we set off via jeep to New Sobla village. The road, which followed the Dhauli Ganga River, was at its monsoon
best, strewn with waterfalls crashing over the dirt road, landslides and mud.

In New Sobla we were joined by our mules and muleteers and set off up a track that climbed steadily to Dar village and continued to Bungling (2200m), a friendly and thriving community of Bhotia farmers, traders and weavers. A long section of the harrowing trail to Bungling consisted of a narrow ledge cut into the sheer rock face of a steep-sided valley — we
named it the “Bookshelf.” Glimpses of snowcapped hills raised expectations of the days ahead.

After losing a day in Bungling due to heavy rain and landslides, we decided to trek to Baling in one day. Under a cloudless sky, we set off to
Urthing, walking through alternating grassy slopes and groves of chestnuts, oak and alder; wildflowers were in abundance (such as the little
blue clover and dwarf asters) and there were even wild raspberries to eat.

The trail climbed gently above the narrowing valley of Dhauli Ganga through a forest of deodar and pine to Nangling (3,100m), which houses some interesting carved monoliths. The trail then climbed more steeply up the next 6 km to Baling (3200m), where we decided to camp in the grounds of the abandoned school.

From Baling to Duktu the trail passedthrough fields in which Bhotia families were busy harvesting buckwheat before the onset of
winter and their migration down to warmer climates. The views up the narrow valley to the snowy peaks of Chhota Kailash became increasingly tantalizing as we entered the broad terraces of the Duktu valley, with its patchwork of buckwheat and amaranthus fields and the deeply incised Dhauli Ganga River.

From Duktu, the trail heads up the valley towards the small temple at Dantu (3350m) and the full splendor of the Pancha Chulli peaks and glacier. Each peak is named after one of the five husbands of the Goddess Droopadhi, with the highest standing at 6437m. At the Dantu temple snow-capped peaks of Pancha Chulli to the west, Sipu to the north and Chhota Kailash to the east.

There are four options for further exploration. One can press on to the north on the Tedang trail to view the Sipu range, or cross the river to
explore the neighboring village of Son, which lies below Chhota Kailash. Alternatively, one can contour along the left bank of the stream that
drains the Pancha Chulli Glacier. We took the fourth option, walking up the trail from Duktu towards Pancha Chulli Base Camp. This is a steady climb through open thickets of paper birch and deodars, with grassy slopes and shrubs of azalea and juniper, as well as masses of fungi! There is a prominent rock (at about 3700m) from which to sit and gaze down at the glacier.
At the end of the day, we reluctantly returned to camp at Baling. Had time allowed, we would certainly have camped for at least two nights in
this fantastic valley — anyone considering the route should definitely plan for a longer stay. The return journey, by the same route, is full of delightful scenery, with frequent glimpses of snow-capped peaks, wildflowers at their best and fields bustling with families harvesting their crops.

Apart from two trekkers from the regional capital, we were the only “outsiders” we encountered on the journey; indeed, it is likely
that few other Westerners have been on the route since the Indo-British Pancha Chulli expedition of 1996. This made it a very personal trek for us, we hope that the difficult access will preserve the route for only those serious trekkers who will appreciate and preserve the beauty of “our” valley.

Keith Virgo, a UK-based rural development
consultant, worked on a watershed management
project in Uttaranchal between 1992 and 2001
and has undertaken six treks in high hills of the
region.

himadventures

Good One !

Good post jyoti and I personaly wishes to visit this region...I happen to be a solo trekking before becoming a mountaineering instructor and then joining himadventures.

Thanks..you gave me a 'lust' to be there !