Pics from Chopta and Deoriyatal in Garhwal

This is about our trek to Deoria Taal from Saari.....on the 28th of Dec, 2008.

We started early from our GMVN-TRH at Ukhimath in our hired TATA Winger.

It took just half an hour,as we reached Saari and were soon surrounded by prospective guides and pony-walas.
While having a super-rushed breakfast in one of the shops, we negotiated with a couple of pony-walas. The mules were a God-send for our senior members and ladies, who were sceptical about the 3 kms long trek, while climbing a thousand feet, at such a high-altitude. The mules cost Rs.300/-per head up and down.

The initial plan was to have a couple of mules walking alongside us, so that whoever feels like giving some rest to himself/herself may climb atop them. But the implementation of this plan went awry right from the start. The mules just won't give us company and decided to move on their own, leaving us far behind.

Thin air, steep climb and an awkwardly paved pathway proved to be a big deterrent for us, right away and we hired up 7 mules, for 9 adults and one child( my 7 yr old daughter Alakananda). Yours truly and a few more members, including my daughter started doing the hard trekking.

We were rather slow to begin with, at the same time trying to acclimatize ourselves. While those of our group members on mule-backs scampered on faster than us. We gamely moved on, resting frequently. I used the opportunity to do some still-photography and some video-shooting as well.

There were 2 distinct landmarks on the way. The first one is the Lord Shiva temple, where-from, one needs to take the left arm of the 'Y' junction for convenience. The other landmark is a water-reservoir ( hawdi), where one can freshen up a bit using the cool water. Otherwise, it is a steep, back-breaking and exhausting climb, with a breath-taking view of the gradually receding Saari village and the view of the surrounding Himalayan ranges.

Ultimately, after about one and a half hours( including our resting time and shooting breaks), our small group reached the highest point of the climb. Here we came across a sign-board of a Deoria lodge, with an arrow-head towards our left. But, to reach Deoria Taal, we took the right path, a few paces of descent, through over-head foliage and viewed the heavenly Deoria Taal for the first time from there.

In my younger days I would have conveniently made it in 45 mins( minus the photography-breaks) . Now, I am in my early 40s....that explains the extra time. The time factor also depends a lot on the acclimatisation. If you are in the hills for a week or so prior to your climb...you'd be able to climb faster, I believe.

I must also mention the role of our driver Anil Paudwal, who accompanied us during the climb. He willingly offered to carry the jackets and sweaters, as we started sweating while climbing up. At one point he was carrying the jackets and sweaters of atleast 3 persons and always with a friendly smile. He was like our sherpa. I noticed, how he kept (slow)pace with us ( myself, my daughter and my young sister-in law)........and when the later 2 decided to try the horse-back for a change and for some rest.......he could comfortably keep pace with the horses and stayed along-side them, all the while. I recommend him highly, for people traveling to this area and looking for a driver. He is based in Rishikesh, but has good experience of both Kumaon and Garhwal. He can be contacted thru Mr. Naveen Mohan, Shubh Yatra Travels, Mob:9320171605,9837171605.

Deoria Taal is the lake which is mentioned in Mahabharat, where the Yaksh ( Dharm dev) asked Yudhisthira 5 questions, and on correctly answering them, the later could help bring the other Pandava brothers back to life.

Even in the fag end of December, we were lucky enough to get a very clear view of the mighty Himalayan ranges, prominently, the Chaukhamba peak reflecting on the lake along with the surrounding sky and vegetation. Other famous peaks like Neelkanth, Hathi and Ghora parvat were also clearly visible.

By the way, the forest department charges Rs.40/- per tourist, whether you trek or go on horse-back. The payment counter is in the small cottage, just as one reaches Deoria Taal. Not to mention that this is a very small price for a heavenly view.

The climb-down to Saari was rather quicker, and then we moved on to Chopta, about 24 kms from Saari. This includes the 4 kms, from Saari to the high-way......and 20 more kms from there on.

Chopta was a bit disappointing for us, as there was hardly much view....the cloud blocked the Himalayan ranges, as is normal in the afternoons...and very little snow.
But we could return back to Ukhimath with the reassuring idea that we shall be able to use the Chopta route to Joshimath on our way to Auli, the very next day.

As it happened, the next day, Chopta looked much better with the grand view of Himalayas, early in the morning.....and our journey to Joshimath via Chopta, Mandal, Gopeshwar, Chamoli, etc was a very scenic one.

Here I must mention that this route was the idea of Dilliwala, and my heart-felt thanks to him. I had noticed this road earlier on the map....but he gave me the confidence to go for it.

Photos of Ukhimath

Saari village photos and the climb
Some photos of the climb are of slightly inferior quality, as I have captured them from my handycam. But I have placed them here, as they were important stages of our ascent.

Photos of Deoria Taal

Chopta

Hi,
We are a member of 20 people (5 female, 15 male) aged 19-26. We'll be making a trip to Chopta, Tunganath, Saari village & Deoria Taal in 1st week of June. Kindly provide contact details (phone no./e-mail etc.) of accomodations there.