Trip to Gangotri and Gaumukh

livinhimalayas

Well you can take your time and get back whenever you want in essence but don't expect to find any one to assist you or anywhere to stay. Last year some bright spark did exactly what you are proposing and his dead body was recovered after a month of searching wasting a lot of time, effort and manpower that was better utilized elsewhere.
Why don't you go trekking somewhere else and leave Tapovan for next year after Akshay Tritiya.

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He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or all he sees. - Benjamin Franklin

sahitya

well i appreciate the concern and totally understand the risk and that is exactly what i m trying to understand here.
in that case will trek from 13th and come down on 15th.
is it possible that on 14th we trek from bhojwasa to tapovan or nandanvan and back to bhojwasa by evening?
i m too keen for tapovan coz the last time i went in 04, i only went to gaumukh and it was my first time, had no idea there was something beyond too. this time i can't resist.

@sks551 - on 11th morning we reach delhi and start driving, will try to reach uttarkashi that evening and on 12th we will try to reach gangotri and eventually start the trek on 13th and back on 15th.
if i stay at monal tourist home, they will get the permit... thats nice. does that mean i dont have to send any fax to the DFO's office to get the permit number?

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one of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.

sahitya

@delhiwala - u mentioned something about the inner line permit which allows one to trek even after the gates close. how can one get this permit ? u mentioned from the megistrate in uttarkashi but is it granted to anyone? what are the conditions to get this inner line permit. please enlighten us

sks551

[QUOTE if i stay at monal tourist home, they will get the permit... thats nice. does that mean i dont have to send any fax to the DFO's office to get the permit number?[/quote]


You need to contact Monal by phone or email and fax them your permit application, they will do the rest.

The web site is : http://monaluttarkashi.com/

livinhimalayas

Honestly I am tryign to understand your desperation to go to Tapovan but fail to do so. Rushing all the way from Delhi to Uttarkashi in one day - hats off to the person who would be driving you!

No Monal will not GET the permit for you, you have to apply yourself and at the most they will collect it for you.

sahitya

the person driving me would mostly be myself... and yes last time i did do delhi to uttarkashi in one day with reasonable halts.
the desperation is out of the insanity i m dealing with here in the city of so called dreams.
but honestly i appreciate the concern not only for me but in general, ur point of view is absolutely correct. and i will plan consciously & wisely when the moment arrrives. but at the moment i prefer to remain a lil optimistic even at the cost of sounding foolish.
will fax the application asap to monal and DFO both
thaks a lot

sks551

Sahitya,
I would advise you not to rush your journey.
I am sure you know about altitude sickness which could spoil the dream.

As far as permit is concerned, you need to contact Mr Deependar Panwer at Monal and ask him if he could get the permit for you.

We will be staying there and I faxed our permit application to Monal, they submitted the application for me and collected the permit from DFO’s office next day. They are holding my permit and we will collect the permit when we get there.

I am sure you should be able to do the same.

sahitya

hey sks551, once we zero in our exact date of arrival at uttarkashi we shall do the same as u did. thanks. this info was of immense help.
yes i m aware of the altitutde sickness and will be cautious specially october being colder.
what dates are u doing the trek?
cheers

is it essential to carry a guide upto tapovan. we are a group of 4, so dont need porters. and since i have been to gaumukh i know one doesnt require any guide uptil there, its the beyond that i am unaware of. is it too confusing to find ur path back from tapovan or even find ur path upto tapovan?

livinhimalayas

do you realize that since 2004, the distance between Uttarkashi and Delhi has increased due to the Tehri Dam? It will take you atleast 2 hours longer to drive up now that you did last time.

sks551

Hi Sahitya,
I am a bit surprised that you still haven’t fixed a date yet!!!
The Gangotri temple closes on 17th Oct and the trekking will probably cease from that date. Please contact DFO’s office for confirmation. One other thing you need to remember; snow and ice might be an issue from late Oct onwards.

From what I have gathered from other IM members, you should take a guide if you are going beyond Gaumukh.

By the way: what is the weather like around that area? Has rain stopped? Are there too many landslides causing road blocks?
I hope and prey that the monsoon will have passed when we get there.

sahitya

sks551 -
trekking ceases on 15th october as per the person i spoke to at DFO's office. so definately we will be trekking before that. and for sure we will be arriving at gangotri on 12th evening.and definately we will be starting from delhi on 11th. the only thing i m unsure about at the moment is whether i will be able to make it to uttarkashi on 11th evening/night or 12th morning/afternoon. that depends if i find myself comfortable driving in the night in the hills. otherwise i will stop at rishikesh or somewhere there for the night.

snow and ice is something we are looking forward to.

another thing i m confused is that the person i spoke to at the DFO's office sounded a little confused and unsure himself as to when the trek closes. if its 17th , then its perfect, will have time to spend time in tapovan, but if its 15th then will be rushing back down on 15th which i dont want to.

also i heard that people with an inner line permit are allowed to trek despite the closing dates. can someone, please someone put more light on this funda of the inner line permit, how to get it? where to get it from? is it given after a certain fitness test or something like that? i have no idea.

livinhimalayas

There is a driving curfew on the mountains. During the Yatra season it is relaxed to 10.00 pm otherwise it is 8.00pm. This also includes local driving outside the town/city limits.


The trek to Gomukh is always stopped a few days before the temple closing. If he has given you the date as 15th it may well be stopped before that. I don't know about inner line permits after the closing of the temple, but before the opening of the temple they are only given under special circumstances and after looking at prevailing weather. They are given only to reach up to Gangotri and not beyond. You would be better off calling the DFO office again and taking all the details.

also i heard that people with an inner line permit are allowed to trek despite the closing dates. can someone, please someone put more light on this funda of the inner line permit, how to get it? where to get it from? is it given after a certain fitness test or something like that? i have no idea.[/quote]

livinhimalayas

There is a driving curfew on the mountains. During the Yatra season it is relaxed to 10.00 pm otherwise it is 8.00pm. This also includes local driving outside the town/city limits.


The trek to Gomukh is always stopped a few days before the temple closing. If he has given you the date as 15th it may well be stopped before that. I don't know about inner line permits after the closing of the temple, but before the opening of the temple they are only given under special circumstances and after looking at prevailing weather. They are given only to reach up to Gangotri and not beyond. You would be better off calling the DFO office again and taking all the details.

sahitya

i think ur information base is not concrete. are u pulling my leg? or taking my case?

the trek closes only a few days before the temple closing which is on diwali that is 17th oct, i have spoken to the person at DFO who says its going to be closing on 15th october...period.
secondly. if there is any kind of emergency after 8 p.m. in the mountains one wont be allowed to drive??? i really dont think so. buses travel even over night.
u dont need an "inner line permit" for gangotri which is not even a trek, its a drive.
inner line permits are granted for treks like gaumukh to badrinath via kalindi pass even in october, so i dont see why one wont get it for tapovan.
chill, the mountains dont bite. they embrace
none the less, only after the trip i make will i realise the ultimate truth.
cheers.

livinhimalayas

think whatever you may like, but get your info straight before trashing people. Go talk to the DFO office for all the info you need. I don't need to reply to posts from people who have no idea of the mountains and are arrogant enough to think that they can go where ever - do whatever and just push their way around to suit their purpose even if it means sounding selfish and silly.