Kumaon - part 1

Hi all,

I was finally able to wrench myself away from my work here in Mumbai and visit that much-loved place, Kumaon. After 10 days in Munsyari, Chaukori and Binsar, it's easy to understand why mountain-lovers are so enamoured of these 3 places.

Munsyari:

While I knew beforehand that the drive up from Kathgodam to Munsyari is a testing one when done in a single stretch, I wasn't willing to risk it while coming back, since one is more tired then. We hadn't booked a cab before starting, and realized our mistake immediately after reaching Kathgodam, the gateway to Kumaon, on the bright morning of 23rd May. This was peak vacation season, and with hindsight, I would have stuck to the quote of Rs 4500 given to me for a Tavera by a driver whose number I got from the KMVN guys at Munsyari. We ended up forking out Rs 5,500 for the 320 km trip. I had, in fact, earlier gotten in touch with the driver, Pardyuman (a name I picked up from the copious notes made by our Almoraboy, Prashant Joshi), but he couldn't help out as his is only an Alto and we needed a bigger vehicle.

The drive to Almora is a breeze, since the road conditions are simply superb, and the million hair-pins that we came across later that day were yet to start. Beyond Almora, and near Binsar, we took a diversion through a dreamy, untarred road (the Goludevta temple road) that runs for 15-odd km though dense woods of pine trees (check before you take this diversion in monsoon, as a fallen tree or two may ruin your journey). Breakfast was taken at a road-side dhaba past Bhimtal, and lunch at a seedy joint in the two-horse town of Sheraghat between Binsar and Berinag. The scenery again changed to near-tropical (all mango and banana trees), as we came down all the way to less than 1000 m of altitude at Thal. From Thal, we climbed, and how we climbed ! The road rose inexorably, the valley below fell away in a vertiginous spin, the temperature plummeted and the nerves of the passengers inside that Qualis that day were on a knife-edge. The scenery was heartbreakingly exquisite, heartbreaking because this was a journey best taken in a more leisurely manner, in better light and in a more casual frame of mind. The highest point was reached at the Kalamuni top where we stopped briefly to step inside the Kali temple there. Living at 2700 m from MSL, the lone and permanent resident at the temple, the long-haired priest, was one tough guy. There at Kalamuni top, having failed to see the Himalayas, as one expected, on the way from Binsar toward Chaukori (you need clearer weather for that, and May-June aren't the right months), we caught a brief, yet satisfying glimpse of what we had come 2000 km for, snow-capped mountains. In that failing light, through swirling mist, the sight of a snowy ridge here, and a glacier there, all of the Panchchuli range, brought smiles to our tired countenances. People say (even the legendary Himalayan photographer Ashok Dilwali mentions the fact in his journals) that the Kalamuni is a real vantage point (and easily accessed too) to sight and photograph the Panchchuli peaks, and one can't but agree with them. If you are approaching the Kalamuni top in the evening, do stop by till sunset, as the view from there will be unparalleled. We managed to cover the 17 km and 400 m descent to Munsyari in the next 45 minutes in near-complete darkness.

Munsyari is an aspiring town, its aspirations fuelled surely by the economy-boosting tourism. The pace of construction of new houses (hotels, shops and the like) is feverish, and in my opinion, a trifle sad. I can make do with lack of infrastructure, if that allows me to avoid the bustle of civilization. All construction aims to face the East, towards the Panchchuli peaks, that lie at a 40 km straight-line distance from the town in a direction around 15 to 20 degrees from East. The sun rises slightly to the right of Peak V, which means that you have a backlit view of the mountain in the morning. But how is that view? Munsyari is that perfect amphitheatre to see, enjoy and bask in the ethereal beauty of the Panchchuli, an amphitheatre where you have been provided with dress-circle seats. One feels as if one could almost step forward and touch the Panchchuli. The best point in town to see the Panchchuli is the Nandadevi temple (a 3-km walk best had in the afternoon, as the sunset approaches, and the peaks glow orange in the soft light), while the location of the local college (and the nearby helipad), though less than a kilometer from the KMVN, also offers you a superb view.

We stayed for 3 days at the KMVN TRC. Unlike at Binsar and Chaukori, the KMVN at Munsyari isn't the best hotel in town. Tall trees just outside the lawn clutter the view from the lower rooms and the service could have been better. The service problem stems from the fact that the TRC is sorely understaffed: the cook takes orders, fetches provisions from the market, brings your food to the table and cleans up after you. That said, one need to take this in the right spirit, and forget about such trivialities amidst such natural beauty. The Zara Resorts, slightly up from the TRC, offers clearer views, though.

One day, we hiked 2.5 km up to the Massar kund. It's a wonderful little trek, the journey being more important than the small pond that is the destination. You need to walk a kilometer up from the TRC in the direction of the Kalamuni top, and then skirt a wooden fence at the Ginni bend, a U-turn in the road. In clear weather, one can see a long way: the town, and the mountains all around.

The road through Munsyari winds down to the deep Goriganga valley 22 km away (visible from the Nandadevi temple) and onwards to Madkote and Jauljibi, another route one can approach Munsyari from and famous for the beauty of the views. If you have a vehicle with you, you could check that out. The Kalia top is another popular hiking location where one needs to camp overnight. We hadn't planned it beforehand, and decided to skip it.

The weather was a spoilsport. The clouds hid away the top of the peaks on all but one evening. We will all cherish that evening for a long time to come. It had rained in the afternoon, as we sat inside and listened to the dreamy pitter-patter of the rain as it fell on the corrugated roof of the TRC. In the evening, except for a few wisps here and there, it all cleared. The view was what postcards are made of. All the guests were out in their balconies (if they were third floor residents) or outside(if otherwise), transfixed by the awe-inspiring beauty of it all.

Munsyari gets you as close to the Panchchuli as you can possibly get in an automobile. The newly started Dharma Valley - Panchchuli East Face trek gets you closer, and a large and now-famous Anup Sah photo of sheep grazing in a pristine and verdant valley (the Dharma Valley) with the Panchchuli as the backdrop that adorns many a KMVN TRC will remind you about the enormous potential of the trek. For us, visiting this old town on the now-obsolete Indo-Tibetan trade route was as good a way to see the Himalayas as any we have had in some time.


(to be continued)

One of the photos is linked here. Others are still being processed.

nice.

pics, please!

What a way to start posting!

Waiting for the pics!

Nice Report. Waiting for more.

Ronak.

Excellent writing, and superb photo, looking forward to the next instalment.

Great trip report waiting for more pics

nice descriptions...please upload pics in IM..thankfully in my office this site is not blocked....

Excellent write up. Eagerly waiting for the next.
Shyamal