Off to Roopkund end of October

Dilliwala

To answer this, I need 3 bits of info:
1. What time does your flight from Mumbai arrive?
2. What time does your flight for Dehradun leave?
3. What's your Plan B if the first flight is delayed so much that you wud miss the 2nd?

Sadanand Kamath

I don't see any advantage in terms of saving time by flying Delhi-Dehradun.

The flight to Dehradun lands at 5.00 p.m.and by the time you reach Rishkesh, it would be 6.00 in the evening. Obviously, you can not reach Lohajung on the same day. So, it has to be the next day, i.e., 2nd day you may hope to reach Lohajung provided you get a hired taxi/jeep from Rishikesh to Lohajung which I doubt. If Jolly Grant airport does not have a night landing facility, any delay in the flight at Delhi may lead to its cancellation.

The other option of travelling Delhi-Kathgodam by Ranikhet Express and then hiring a cab to Deval and then a jeep to Lohajung looks far better. Devel-Lohajung road condition is pretty bad and I don't see any improvement during the post-monsoon period. So assume that it would take at least 2 hours to travel Deval-Lohajung.

Sadanand

__________________
Sirf ek kadam utha tha galat rahe shauk mein
Manzil tamam umr hame dhunti rahi.

[Just one wrong step on the way of the quest
My destination looked for me all life long]

onetrek

1. What time does your flight from Mumbai arrive?
Delhi Arrival 10.05AM

2. What time does your flight for Dehradun leave?
Delhi Dept - 16.00PM Dehradun arrival - 17.00PM

3. What's your Plan B if the first flight is delayed so much that you wud miss the 2nd?
NONE

onetrek

Hello Sadanand

Thank you for the advice, I think we have enough time to alter our plans to your suggestion.

But I need further advice. The trail we plan to follow starts from ghat.

Here's How it goes
Day 1 Ghat - Bota Khal - Ramni
Day 2 Ramni - Ali village (not Ali Bugyal) - Pehri - Sutol
Day 3 Sutol - Kunol - Wan
Day 4 Wan - Bedni Bugyal
Day 5 Bedni Bugyal - Kalu Vinayak - Bhugwasa
Day 6 Bhugwasa - Rupkund - Bedni Bugyal
Day 7 Bedni Bugyal - Ali Bugyal - Didana - Loharjung.

Your call

Thanks

Dilliwala

I think Sadaji is a mind-reader, he guessed exactly what I was thinking.

onetrek, the Del-DD flight is a waste of money becos it brings you absolutely no benefit. The highway is closed at 8 pm, so at best you will get to Devprayag only, provided everything clicks. Save your cash and take the Dehradun Janshatabdi to Haridwar (night-stay at Rishikesh if poss) and then aim for an early start next morning. You shud be able to catch the direct bus to Joshimath, which will take you as far as Nandprayag.

Sadanand Kamath

I have not done Kanol-Wan trek, though I had done Ghat-Ramni stretch on my way to Kuari Pass in '95. I can only give you advice based on maps and the feedback I got from a guide who had recently accompanied a trekker on this route.

If you are planning to come to Wan, the trek route is Ghat-Sitel (not Sutol)-Kanol-Wan. There is no need to go to Ramani. Sutol lies further north-east of Kanol. I don't see any point in doing Ghat-Ramni-Sutol-Kanol-Wan which is a longer route unless you are interested in doing so.

By the way, the Sitel-Kanol-Wan trek route was beautiful according to the guide.

Sadanand

onetrek

Hey Dillwala,

Thanks for the advice.

We were looking at it a bit differently, the plan is to drive up to srinagar or as far as we, and spend the night there, and start early next day to reach Nandprayag. (Why does the highway close at 8:00 pm anyway). Tickets been booked for a while actually.

More feedback appreciated

Regards
Onetreak

onetrek

Hi Sadanad

Yes! from what I have been reading it does sound beautiful, also we have a few extra days, thought it would help us acclimatise better. Also we don't miss the other route since we are coming down that way.

What do u think?

Regards
Onetrek

ronsaik

I think your schedule looks solid. You'll have to descend to the river and then brace yourself for a nice hard slog up to Kulling on the hike back to Loharjang, and Bedni to Loharjang in a day will be tiring, but it's perfectly do-able nonetheless.

onetrek

Thanks ronsaik, i am feeling convinced too, we'll see how it goes

Ok, I haven't finished yet. I DO ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS

I have gotten in touch with Narendraji of the now famous ArjunM roopkund fame, and are fixed about our dates, but due to lack of clean air we haven't been able to communicate too well. So some question which i am sure to address to him needs addressing here.

1. Contacts to book rides from Jolly grant to srinagar to Nandprayag
2. What are the approx porter or mule charges
3. Wouldn't it be better to help the porters then the mules.
4. What is a good diet on the trek, I love cup noodles.

Again obliged
Onetrek

Dilliwala

1. Looks can be deceiving. I don't know how you expect to get to Shrinagar. Considering that even by car, let's say everything goes well and flight is on time - 6 pm at Lakshmanjhula, 1 hour to Kaudiyala, 1 hour to Devprayag. Shrinagar is another 35 km, 1 hour easy.
2. Ask the state police!
Basically they don't want any inexperienced driver trying to drive into the river.
3. If the cancellation charges are not high, cancel em and book the train. Then again, you must have got a cheap fare by booking so early, maybe it's worth it, but be mentally prepared to stay in Rishikesh if your flight gets inordinately delayed.

onetrek

DILLIWALA your apprehensions appreciated.

1. If nothing goes well we stick to Rishikesh.
2. No plans to whitewater in an indica
3. Pretty cheap and point taken.

Now tell me more about the finer points on this trek. (yes we will get there)

Thanks
Onetrek

Dilliwala

Trek? TREK?? ME?!!!

But read the thread "Roopkund in detail and explained". Very detailed reports (including a ball-by-ball/work in progress) by some of the esteemed members also posting here.

onetrek

Hi Dilliwala

Seems like I have touched a nerve . My heartfelt apologies if I have. Just a gut feeling about everything, and you know how it is we all feel about gut feelings (could kill us). I do realize, good advise, like the ones I've been getting here, are hard to come by, I may not sound it, but u don't know how great full I am to the kind of feedback I have been getting.

So on that note and without much delay I shall proceed and subscribe to "Roopkund in detail"

Thank you again
Onetrek

Dilliwala

Apology? What the hell are you talking about?
No nerve touched, I'm not a trekker (too lazy ), but sometimes I get mistaken for one on account of the other hat I wear (Himalaya lover). Well I do walk - if it's not more than 500 m . More than that, I drive.

I just post whatever I know of the hills, then there's always the trekking experts for technical advice. So fire away at will, someone always comes up with the goods.