Trek Himalayas in October! Single mom with 7 yr old needs family company

gourihello

Hi everyone. Someone told me I wouldn't be disappointed by lack of interest or info on this site -- I pray they're right!

Am looking for good company and suggestions on reasonably priced and reputed companies to use.

I'm 34 and a teacher in Hong Kong. My son is 7 and ready for some hiking (must start it before they go soft!). We have a school break coming up in October and I'd really like to hike an easy trail to begin with. Am trying to round up some company here in Hong Kong but not sure they'll be able to handle the long and winding drives to get to the foothills. Also the gora food and water issue might not work! Need some tough Indian stomachs for lively family company.

If anyone's interested could you please post here or send an email to XXX

Look forward to some nice conversations with good company during beautiful walks...

Gouri and Samar

Moderator note: You are welcome to leave your email address again, but generally leaving it behind for all eternity on the web is not a good idea. People can contact you using this site's PM (Private Messaging) function.

dan37_123

hi.

Hiking usually has two varieties, one the TOUGH SEASONED HIKERS-who lug about 20kg gear and walk like crazy. The other is the lightweight hikers-well who do day hikes and occassionally hire a pony or mule to do a two day hike.

So i guess with a 7 yrs old, its very ambitious to think of any serious hike. Its not that I am discouraging you. You have to carry extra 10 kgs of gear for your son...........

So, please tell me what you mean by a hike...

thanks
Dan

gourihello

Well my son's no wimp. We hike here in Hong Kong (yep HK has countryside, not a well known fact) and he did about 6km when he was 5. He just needs some company and interesting sights (who doesn't!), probably snow would be right up there in the priority of interests! I reckon he could do about 5km a day, possibly more, but I'm assuming there will be climbing. A company I contacted suggested the Kuari Pass trek via Auli. Also I'm counting on hiring a guide and people to carry stuff.

What wud also be nice is knowing if there are any good, reliable (expense not really an issue) package tours going to the Himalayas. I am finding it hard to get specific info online...

Gouri

Almoraboy

hiking with kids....umm can u manage 14 kms in 2 days? 7 kms up and 7 kms down. Khalia Top (near Munsyari) can be a good option.

Here r the pics and trip report of Khalia Top : http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2006/1...kend-trek.html

Also, another IM member, Niro, is planning to ggo there along with his wife in october...so I have given some info regardign Khalia top in that thread also.

U can try to contact the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam Munsyari (Receptionist over there will be Narendra or Leena madame). The guides I took are (Ganga Ram, Laxman, Bhim, Nath, Kalyan, Kushal). Any of these guys can make the arrangements for u.


Contact details of all these guides and the KMVN guest house is at:
http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2006/0...formation.html

Of course, there will be many other options also. I have put soem other trek reports, u can find their links here : http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2006/0...himalayas.html


You can even try trekkign around the Narayan ashram area (which is near munsyari). Some pics from narayan ashram are given here: http://almoraboy.blogspot.com/2007/0...st-kumaon.html

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AvidTrekker

How many days have you budgeted for the trek portion alone? Suggestions will depend on this answer.

The Singali La trek is a beautiful trek route for the mth of October with lotsa other trekkers for company and plenty of guides porters etc willing to come along. Its a four or five day trek. You can split it to six days if you wish to.
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gourihello

Hi, thanks. yes the duration is important, I missed it out! I'm thinking of at least 7 days of actual hiking and camping, since I'm coming from Hong Kong and it's a 2 week holiday, so why not. I'll try to find more info on the Singali La trek... if there's any post on this site on it, could you please point me to it?

Cheers...

AvidTrekker

Here you go....

Trekking in Darjeeling- West Sikkim sector

Singalila ridge trek and guide

Read this link on tea house treks [ideal for children ]

Happy Trekking !!!

gourihello

Thx, Avidtrekker. Will check out the links.

Thinking about it some more, I feel the first time around with my son maybe I should join a fixed departure tour... I'm anxious about winging it alone. Has anyone heard of any such "easy" treks + activities kind of holiday packages happening in October?

nyraghu

It is nice that you want to take your child to the Himalayas. Over the last two years, I have been taking my daughter once a year for treks in Garhwal. When she was 10, we took her to the Valley of Flowers, and last year, when she was 11, we went to Dodital, Darwa Pass, and Dayara Bugiyal. Of course at 10, she was three years older on her first trek than your son is now, and that may have made it less difficult for her than it may be for a seven year old.

In any case, Dodital and Darwa Pass is a nice trek, which is often done by school children, and I am sure you both will enjoy it, just as my family did. (You can see some photographs of the trek at http://www.retrotexts.net/) If you want to know more about that trek, you can search and ask in this forum.

I understand your anxiety about "winging it alone." Garhwal is supposed to be very safe for trekkers. However, people on the forum who are more acquainted with these issues may be able to address your concerns better.

If you are looking for packaged treks involving groups of people, the treks conducted by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) may be of some relevance. Again, other people on the forum may be able to point you in more useful directions.

HTH,
Raghu.

The Pilgrim

Gourihello,

its a great thing you want to take your son for a trek...and ive been reading the post here, espesh raghu who took his young daughter to Valley of Flowers and Dodital...man am i envious or what !!!!!! but amongst all the euphoria , may i add just a tiny word of caution...???? See these himalayan treks that are being suggested are "respectible" high altitude treks and taking such a young kid there, you have to be vary careful WRT to rarified air in these heights...my nephew went for the dodital trek some years ago ( and he was twice your sons age)- he cudnt make it beyond midpoint of the ascent as he developed breathing problems...they had to evacuate him down immediately...so when planning a trek... keep the alititude in mind and your sons physical well being...there are beautiful treks in the mid himalayas too....more hikes the togh treks... Can suggest the Binsar - Jageshwar trek, via Dhaulchhina (17kms)in deeply forested area of kumaon...anyways best of luck with your plans and hope you and your son have gr8 holiday

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AnnaD

Hi Gourihello
Great that your son will soon be introduced to the Himalays! Kids really do adapt surprisingly well to higher altitudes. We've seen people trekking with kids routinely on African mountains, (at quite high altitudes) but rarely here, I've no idea why. I'd say the Valley of Flowers or Singalila as Avidtrekker suggested would be good alternatives to try out. You could always take an extra day or two... Good luck, I do hope it will work out :-)

ks_bluechip

Sometimes young kids are pretty good at even long treks and even more so than grown-ups. I was surprised to see a 8 year-old girl accompanying her young parents (Nirmal Das and his wife of Koilkata) on the Milam Glacier Trek! I asked Nirmal if she can make it all the way and he said he has taken her on several other treks and that he is more confident of her making it till the end, than his wife! They not only went all the way upto Milam but also a some halfway to ND Base Camp!! He called me later from Kolkata, to say his daughter was the best trekker of the three of them!

Parents are best judge of their own kids abilities and do know know when to call it off, if the trek is turning out to be difficult.

I would recommend the Pindari Trek. I have seen many school kids doing that trek .. of course most of them were 8-10 Std kids of age 13-16. In fact, Rishi Valley School kids go in a huge group of 50+ kids to Pindari, escorted by 2-3 teachers. I have seen those kids having a whale of a time on the Dhakuri Meadow.

I would suggest Pindari Trek .... and sept and oct is a good time ... the actual trek all teh way to zero Point (including return, same way) will take 7 to 11 days depending on the pace set. It can be aborted anywhere, if it is too much. See my travel blog link below for Pindari trek for more details. There are package tours organised by KMVN to Pindari, but they set a fast pace for their groups. You can get a own porter/guide from KMVN-TRC at Bageshwar.


- KS

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The Pilgrim

Thats the point im trying to make.. that its the parents who are best placed to make the call on their childrens abilities...i forgot about the pindari trek...its of the duration that gourihello seeks and is an easy trek...

ks_bluechip

You are right. I did Pindari as my first "long" trek. I did that in 9 days to and from zero point. I think it is perfect trek for a beginner .... a good balance of scenery, forests, waterfalls & snow at end ..... and KMVN-TRHs for each night stay.

My Pindari trek link: http://kothanda.srinivasan.googlepag...m/pindaritrek2

- KS

The Pilgrim

I went thru your travel blog mr srinivasan...superbly written...concise and catchy...with the appropriate visuals to explain the text... you can certainly find a niche in writing your travellogues post retirement.. im sure Kai Friese (editor)Outlook Traveller will be very interested...once again great stuff and more power to your pen.. may there be many more...