Regarding Gaumukh - Tapovan trek....

himadventures

I think Gaumukh region is not fine for Nov.
You can trek in Uttarakhand- of course only low altitude trekking.
I do not want to suggest you to try to reach HIGH ALTITUDES in Nov. be it any train in himalayas. This is thin line- a single day of snowfall can create a situation which could be beyond control.
I always feel that safety margin should never be ignored.

Dilliwala

Just to clarify a few points that have come up in this thread:

1. As long as the Gangotri temple is open, no permits are required to visit the area, including Gaumukh/Tapovan.

2. Once the temple closes for the winter, i.e. in the off-season, u will be stopped and turned back at ITBP Check-post, Kopang (3 km before Lanka, 13 km before Gangotri), unless u have a permit.

3. During the off-season, permits to enter the area can be obtained from the DM or SDM at Uttarkashi. The SDM also travels to Bhatwari, so can issue a permit there if in town.

4. Please be advised that there is no police, first-aid, nothing, at Gangotri throughout the off-season. The nearest place with any kind of communication (2-way radio) is ITBP, Kopang. Not sure if mobile towers are active.
First-aid or basic health facilities are available at the camps of ITBP at Lanka or Garhwal Scouts at Harsil. But please keep in mind at all times that these facilities are primarily meant for the soldiers, especially those evacuated from the border areas due to medical reasons, and that these units are not obliged to provide medical aid to civilians. Altho I doubt that they would refuse someone in critical condition, but u can't factor this into your planning.

5. With ALL due precautions, preparation and necessary supplies and gear, there is nothing stopping trekkers with the requisite experience from trekking in the area. Treks take place at different times of the off-season, altho understandably they are very few in number. (I myself met a group of New Zealanders at Uttarkashi in the 1st week of Nov years ago. They had just returned from Tapovan, and experienced snow-fall one night! But at the time it was still the season - Gangotri was open).

6. End-Oct and early-Nov it's best to make all your arrangements for guides, porters, tents, food supplies, cooking, etc. at Uttarkashi. Unless u know for a fact that u'll get them enroute, i.e. someone has specifically arranged for u. Bhatwari is the last place with a real bazar where u can pick up some provisions, sweaters, light clothing, etc. All the other villages enroute have only the usual village-shops with a few items. Anyway they are all supplied from Uttarkashi.

7. Accommodation: the last points after Uttarkashi with decent accommodation are Netala and Maneri. Even there most places are closed in the dead of winter. Bhatwari and Gangnani may have some basic accommodation or home-stay kind of facilities. The GMVN GH at Harsil is closed throughout the off-season (as are obviously those in the permit-only areas).

8. Transport: only a few jeeps go this way in the off-season, upto Harsil and Dharali. Beyond that, only trucks belonging to the ITBP, GREF and Army, and they cannot be banked on for a lift. It must be mentioned in this context that all points northwards starting from Harsil receive plenty of snow in winter, and the road remains closed (snow can still be seen on the side of the road in early March at Harsil). Even some of the high points before Harsil like Sukhi receive snow in winter, enough to close the road.

Sadanand Kamath

Dilliwala,

Valuable information on Gangotri-Tapovan in off-season. It is a revelation to me too.
Thanks,

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]

Papaji

Where to is the 2nd road from the ITBP check-post going? I think you must be knowing.. also, can mann bike that route..?

VSK Sharma

Great info for all wanting to visit the area during off season. But better not to venture if you are not self contained team of experienced trekers who can take care of themselves in all situations.

__________________
http://himalayancamping.com/index.php

Dilliwala

I think there's some confusion here. There's no other road at Kopang except the Uttarkashi-Gangotri road (NH 108).
U may be thinking of the road that starts at Bhaironghati, going up the Jadhganga/Jahnavi valley. It goes to Karcha and Nelang. However civilians are banned from entering this road. Doing so is to risk arrest by the Army.

Papaji

thanks for the information...

do you keep notes as you travel? how else could one recall so much...

1 more thing.. how long must the road be before it touches the Tibetan border? + the 2nd road at Harsil - where does that go?

Dilliwala

Aargh, I've been found out! Heheh

I do keep a log of distances, the rest is lodged somewhere in my memory. The logs do help at times though to recall the name of a lesser- or unknown place/hamlet. And then there are my maps, lots of them.....

The road to Nelang is 23 km (as per the board at Bhaironghati).
However what is of note is that this is NOT the international border, it's a line of control only. Yes, what is practically unknown is that on the other side of the line, formed half by the Mana Gad and half by the Jahnavi (or Jadhganga) river, the Chinese have been squatting illegally since 1962. People tend to know of Aksai Chin or Arunachal only. It's a scandal - a nice chunk of Uttarkashi district and probably indescribably beautiful trekking and wandering area is lost to us.
However, to the northwest of Nelang lies the real Tibetan border. Must be a few km only. Pity we can't check for ourselves!!

A 2nd road at Harsil? U have me here. If u are standing on the main road coming from U'kashi, the road to the left goes into the village. Do u mean that one? It ends after a km or so.

Papaji

...the road that cuts left and crosses over to the other bank of the Bhagirathi, where Harsil is.. (passes through Harsil)...the road then some 200mts ahead is closed for civilians.. that road i've in mind..

which village? Harsil? if that then it surely does not end at the village but reaches a barrier some 200mts ahead of the village/Harsil..beyond which civilians aren't allowed

Dilliwala

Ok, let's walk this through -
U get to Harsil, u turn off the main road to your left. A little further in u can turn right to get to Garhwal Scouts camp. If u go straight and thru the village, yes u cross a bridge on the Bhagirathi. As I recall, this leads to a dead end? What u call the barrier. There was a wall there as I recall, I walked up to it. There's a walking path thereafter. This is what I recall from 2004. So clue me in, did u see a road going beyond the wall/barrier?

Papaji

I remember there was a barrier with or without a check-post & the road continued beyond that for sure..and this was in Oct'06.. or maybe I was standing facing the entrance of the Garhwal Scouts camp..(however there wasn't a board saying that) but we (me & a friend) were advised by a armed-forces guy -who happened to walk by- not to walk past that barrier..

And so at that moment that was it…but now as I sit in Delhi I wonder where that road was going… maybe it meets the road that diverts from Bhaironghati…

VSK Sharma

Hi,
If I am right you are taking about the road moving into the Army camp which you may have be advised not to enter. As for the small cemented path is concerned it is moving towards Lamkhaga pass which takes you to Baspa valley (Himachal). The cemented path is for only some distance and the it is a trekking trail.

Papaji

seems so. thanks anyway

Dilliwala

I'd agree with VSK that u must have been facing the camp. There used to be a sign over the gateway saying "Garhwal Scouts - Sentinels of the Snow". Maybe it's been removed.
This paricular road ends inside the camp. There most definitely is no connecting road - either to the Bhaironghati-Nelang road, or anywhere else. U have to go back to the highway to exit Harsil.

Sharmaji,
The cemented path - is this the same one which starts behind the wall at the end of the other road, the one that crosses by bridgeover the Bhagirathi? A little further ahead is the FRH on the left, where 'Pahari' Wilson's house used to be (supposedly).

chits007

hello friends ..is this true..this message posted by
http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?ui...56756 2075738
on orkut forum http://www.orkut.com/CommMsgs.aspx?c...31449626619090
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Imp Update: Govt disallows trek to Tapovan
I recently returned from uttarkashi.. The Government is in the process of registering the Trek to Tapovan and above. They wanted to conduct medical test and a refundable deposit of INR 20,000 before allowing me to trek to Tapovan.

Very bad on their part... only people who could bribe could get the pass to trek easily. Moreover all the local guides were disallowed. Very bad way of making money...huh!!!
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