Trekking - Badrinath to Yamunotri

aashish

Hello,

I have a couple of questions about the trek from Badrinath to Yamunotri, starting on 25th June till 10th July. I am going there with a couple of friends and we'll be covering about a little more than 150 Km in 15 days. On our way we'll be visiting Kedarnath, Sweta glacier, Vasuki tal, Gangotri, Gaumukh etc. Considering the fact that this will be my first trekking trip, I have a couple of questions.

1. It'll be monsoon when our trek begins, can rain be a very big trouble? Also, what kind of weather can be expected, as altitudes of certain palces is in excess of 5000 metres.

2. what will be the difficulty level? Would we come across places where we'll have to do rock climbing rather than just walking?

3. LIke I have mentioned before, this is my first trekking trip so I don't know what to expect. Let me have your inputs.

Any suggestions from people who've already been to these places, would be very helpful.

AvidTrekker

If this is REALLY for first trekking trip, then Badrinath to Yamunotri sounds somewhat ambitious. That too in 15 days??? Maybe difficult, if you are going to cross the Chaukhamba massif.

Places over 5000m in altitude won't require rock climbing. Mixed ice and rock. You will require to carry ice axes, crampons, ropes etc all the ice hardware. And be prepared for blizzards cuz its the monsoon. Heavy snowfall has occurred this year and its still raining out there.

I may be assuming too much. You may have planned an easy route. Can you give your itinerary? Then I can give you better feedback.

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babuchand

Reading your post I think you are wrongly informed about the region. Are u being accompanied by two experienced mountaineers??? If it is so then go ahead if you are fit and strong. Unless dump this idea as it is faulty and can be life taking.

What is your itinerary??? Are u trying to go kedar from badri?? Only two big and equipped European expeditions has crossed the satopanth and panpathia glacier to reach kedarnath from badri. Its next to impossible for your small team. Check out this thread
Trekking frm Badrinath to Kedarnath

and for kedar to gangotri….U have to go rounding kedarnath peak….through the meru glacier between kedarnath Pk and Meru Pk and then through the kirti glacier to reach tapovan. From there its ok for trekkers.

u have also mentioned sweta glacier...its enroute badri to gangotri via kalindi khal....it is also a very very difficult and tough high altitude technical trek.
this is also not suitable for first timers (not even for many timers like me..!!! )

And for gangotri to Yamunotry….I have no idea about the trek route…may be some one will throw light on it. But I can assure U that what u r trying is suicidal. I am attaching a map of the region, its small and I have to make it even smaller to fit the attachment size, but still one can gather some info from it.…. First try to gather the right info…then plan for a good trek, it will be enjoyable.

take care
babu

Attached Thumbnails

 

cliffhanger

hi aashish, i think babu is correct. and why on earth r u planning a trek like this in the rainy season. u could be in lot of trouble.

babuchand

actually people who successfully did Kalindi khal went in july-august. bcoz at this time of year there is least snow.....the base of kalindipeak is also avalanche prone. but what the team and idea aashish has shown...I am very skeptical.

Quoting cliffhanger "u could be in lot of trouble"

babu

jyotipg

Ashish,

I am just back from the mountains today..
I have been trying to reach kedarnath from Khatling glacier over mayali pass.. The snowfall is very heavy this year.. and weather doesnt seem to be relenting even now in June.

I experienced some of the heaviest snowfall of my life near Masar tal( en route of Kedarnath) and had to abort the trip and run for my life.. I feel lucky to be be safe and writting on this forum now.. I would strictly not advice you to venture into any such high altitude expedition atleast for another month..
Even you timeframe looks very aggressive to me...

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AvidTrekker

Rainy season ONLY? Which implies that the other seasons are OK for him? For a first time trekker??? This route is difficult for many timers like me ! Even babuchand endorses this view : (not suitable even for many timers like me..!!! )

I was gentle in my first post because i don't want to discourage first time trekkers.

Now it seems all our collective sound and fury seems to have scared aashish off!! He's not showing up on the forum.

We all learn from our mistakes. In trekking/mountaineering you die from your mistakes!!

Anyway, aashish all the best, whether you want to come back here or not! But its decidedly safer than where you were planning to go!

aashish

Hi,

Really thanks all of you that you have provided us such valuable information about this route.

Let me first let u know the itinerary of the route.
take a look at the site as reference route http://www.gmvnl.com/treks/trek3frame.html

We will start from Badrinath and will proceed to Gastoli --> Arwatal --> Rajparva ---> Kalindikhal Pass --> Khara Pathar --> Vasuki Tal --> Nandanvan --> Gomukh --> Gangotri.

In this route we also want to cover Kedarnath, and that can be visited after Vasuki tal which is 8 Km from Kedarnath Temple.

Babu has attached a detailed map of that area which has 3 routes. I can see that green line route is similar to the one that we have chosen to go.

To reach kedarnath, we are not taking satopanth + panpathia glacier via Gaurikund to Kedarnath.
To reach Gangotri from Kedarnath we can go through Vasuki tal --> Nandanvan --> Gomukh --> Gangotri.

The risk i am looking in this route is Sweta Glacier + Kalindikhal Pass which is above 5000m and having snow covered area and is avalanche prone area.

Looking forward to your valuable responses.....

AvidTrekker

Your Opening Post has the title as yamunotri which is double the distance from gangotri which you now clarified as your route.

Kalindi Khal is not for first timers. GMVN is a babu organization where trekking is not exactly a top priority.

Had you given the correct title in the first place and the proper route, it would have saved all of us this unnecessary "advising"

Never mind.... we all learn ..... in our own way.

By the way GMVN charges Rs 2710 per day per person for high altitude treks. If you go and ask them, they will prolly say "minimum ten" persons. Make your choices clear with GMVN .... and unless you are a born mountaineer, don't go for the Kalindi Khal trek on your first outing!!

aashish

We are not going with GMVNL and we had arranged the tour with some other travel agency. We are 4 friends and with us 2 more pesons (from travel agency) who had done trekking lot of times are also visiting.
And about gangotri to Yamnoutri route... I have heard that there is route via Sapt rishi kund but we will do this trek only if we will be having enough time and skills & resources.

jyotipg

Ashish,

With the route mentioned by you, it is not possible to go to Kedarnath..
You are confused by the names of Vasuki Tal.

The Vasuki Tal near NandanVan is different from one near Kedarnath.
From the Vasuki Tal near NandanVan, reaching Kedarnath is another expedition.. You will have to come down from suralaya glacier and descend south towards the gangotri glacier.. and then may cross one of the ranges near Kharachandkund to reach somewhere close to Kedarnath. I havent heard of anyone reaching kedarnath from this route..
Even the route suggested by Babuchand is not an easy one..

Again regarding the kalindi, there are again two kalindi.. one is the kalindi pass which one has to cross for reaching badrinath from gangotri..

The other kalindini is near yamunotri.. I think this is the one you are talking about when you mentioned abt Saptrishi kund..
Dont confuse with the names.. Get hold of a good map.. and atleast visualise the area you are trying to trek..

With the level ignorance that you have, I am sorry to say that I am really worried about you and pray that atleast your friends know where they are going....

Pls excuse me.. I am really appearing to be very harsh on you...

babuchand

all routes i have mentioned are technical high altitude route and it requires expedition to overcome the odds.

at least refer my map ( its directionally and factually correct I can assure u) and talk to u r travel agent about the itinerary.

although it seems that we have given some useless advice in this thread as avid referred truely.....but it will open up some more paople's eye about high altitude connection between kedar, badri and gangotri.

it has been a passion for trekkers and mountaineers to go from one of them to another in shortest glacier linked paths....let the thread be a good sharing platform for them

maps more in detail than what i supplied are welcome....


babu

aashish

Thanks for all the info that i have got from you guys. Some more info i have got from my travel agent is that if we go after arwatal towards rajparva, snow covered area starts after few km from Arwatal. Up to Rajparv 10 ft snow is spread and at Kalindi around 20 ft snow. To cross 3 km it can take upto 4 hrs at kalindikhal. So it is very hard for guys like us who have not done even any basic course of Mountaineering. So we better look for some mild trek this time to get an idea of acclimatization and snow camping.
and after that we should join any basic course at Utterkashi or Auli to keep up our mountaineering interest.

babuchand

thats rational, and mind it it takes one month to complete the basic course, and it is pretty hard too. ther is some thread about basic courses offered ....have a look.

happy trekking

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babu
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himadventures

Well..goo posts by JYOTI,AVID and BABU and I see that ashish is convinced.

AVID wrote well..."We all learn from our mistakes. In trekking/mountaineering you die from your mistakes "