Regarding Gaumukh - Tapovan trek....

Nilanjan,
Dont take this type of foolish risk.From my own experience i am advising u to cancel your plan & go early Oct.From last of Oct heavy snow falling start in this area.All roads became very hard to climb.Last of Sep to first of Oct is very good for trekking here.In 5th Oct we are going to Tapovan.Not only Tapovan,Nandanvan also.If you want you can join with us.
Keep in touch...............


Regds

Hi Gour,

Welcome to Indiamike.

From various threads I see many people are going to Gaumukh area in the first week of October. What about an IM Meetup at Gaumukh ? I might be going to Gaumukh area on October 6.

How much time it may take from Bhojbasa to Tapovan? I want to return on the same day to Bhojbasa.

First trek in life is winter trek!!! good idea but bad venture.
After closing of Gangotri temple you will not get a guide or porter even.It is not impossible but very risky for a first timer.Charge for a guide must be not more than Rs.300/- to Rs.350/-.Rs.500/- is too high.
Bhai Nilanjan, when you are from kolkata why do you not think about Sandakphu - Phalut? Har-ki-Doon may also be possible,I don't know exactly.YHAI also conducts some very interesting winter treks, you can check their site also.Bhojwasa to Tapabon will take approx. 4 to 5 hrs. depending on the road conditions.
Best wishes.

Gourda.... as advised by other senior members of this forum, we have preponed our plan to the first week of October. That's mentioned in my previous post as well.....

Thanks for your advice anyway.......

Dear Nilanjan

Pitching tent is the easiest thing you could do. There is really nothing to it. A couple of poles, ready made holes in which they go in, and your tent is up in 10 minutes.

However, I understand that for a beginner even this could look daunting. Here's the good news: Most porters on this route will know how to pitch a tent. So don't worry too much about it. Take a tent with you. The flexibility that a tent gives you outweighs the tiny doubts that you have over fixing them.

Rent your tent from NIM. Take the Alpine 'A' type tents from them. Ask for a 4-man one.

Arjun

Ideally, when a group is carrying more than one tent, there should be at least two people conversant with tent pitching procedure.This is needed in case of emergency, bad weather etc.Anyways..there are alternate options avaliable in Tapovan, so thats not much of a concern.
Nights at Tapovan are too cold for sure but it is a great experience and you can get the prize of viewing sunrise over Shivling.Also an early morning walk towards Kirti glacier is pretty rewarding.
Lastly, try to avoid the bus journey to Uttarkashi and take a car /jeep. It will cost more but since the road has lengthened after the Tehri dam, the journey is really boring.Last time I went I just fell asleep to kill the time. Uttarkashi to Gangotri though is a different story.

Nov. is late and not safe and I agree with arjunm mentioned. I think you should explore other possibilities of trekking. I always reccommend PINDARI REGION. as comparable to SIKKIM where you will be doing long travel to NJP- this is enjoyble and safe too.

I kind of missed your reply KS. No, there isn't any GMVN at Chirbasa. There's a dilapidated forest bunglow, which is better off left alone. So tea-houses or tent is your only option. But the camp site around the forest bunglow is nice. It's next to the river and has a water source too. Also, the Silver birch trees (Bhoj) is definetly a great attraction. Camping under them is heavenly.

Arjun

We r 5 guys planing tapovan on 7th from gangotri, can u introduce urself, we can join u or plan betwen ur date and ours.

What is the risk of carrying camera to Gomukh/Tapovan ???

Any chance of being held up by any checkpost ???

Thanks once again !!!!!

Dear Nilanjan

No risk. Go ahead and take them. No fees to pay either. If you carry an SLR, then take along a polarizer. Otherwise your digicams are just great.

Arjun

Hi friends, I am new in trekking.I planned to go to tapovan in around 3rd week of October.Will it be safe to go there during that time.Also, will I have to hire a porter and a guide for this or the guide will also be my porter.Please suggest me the cost.Our team consists of only 2 members.

we are planning a trek to gaumukh around 15th/16th of october...Will the dhabas in bhojbasa be open at that time? If they are not open could someone please pass on a contact number for some trekking agency in uttarkashi who can organize porters/cooks/food/equipment
Thanks in advance
Rachit

Is there any landslide that has occured in the recent time at Gangotri ??? OR is it a rumour that I have heard ???

Guys,

We made it just back from Tapovan. It has snowed on 25th Sep. The route to Gangotri from Uttarkashi was blocked till 30th Sep morning. we were lucky as our trip from 29th Sep till 2nd Oct was sunny.
Now for the details. It has snowed in Tapovan. Theres's about 2 feet of snow there. The route up the last morraine feild after Gaumukh is lined with snow and get slippery. Get some good shoes.

There was also some incident on 1st October abut some rockfall near chirbhasa in which some 2 people have supposedly died. This was just after we guys returned. The administration had closed the entry for the day then. It has opened since then. Be prepared for some uch incidents, the hill sides are quite loose there.

Other than that the weather along the route was amazing and clear. Tapovan snow may take a week to clear till which time the route up the slope will be slippery.

Have a great trek