TRAVELOGUE: TRIP OF HEAVENS

It was a trip which I had completed many a times in my imagination. From the time since I developed interest in traveling and photography I always wanted to go to the ‘holy land’ of nature lovers – the valley of flowers. The closest I came was in Oct 2006 when we went to badrinath. Passing govindghat, I could see the trail of the ‘holy path’ which almost gave me goose bumps. But it was not the time. It was a family holiday and I had not planned for it. All I could do was let the moment pass and pledge that ill return to undertake the trek at the first opportunity.
Harrowing trip to Hardwar - 18th July 2008
Out of 6 who originally planned for the trip only 3 of us could make it to the railway station. It was a wrong choice to take a train to hardwar to start with. The season rush of Kawariya’s made it impossible for us to even go to relieve ourselves. The whole train was painted orange, literally, by overwhelming number of devotees. I just couldn’t believe that a trip could start so badly. We reached hardwar early morning on 19th July and got ourselves a room to do our morning rituals. We knew it would be a long day ahead, a very long one indeed.
Hardwar to Chamoli – a race against time – 19th July 2008
• Hardwar – Rishikesh – Srinagar
This part of journey was the longest, and we knew that to reach Joshimath in a single day without stop would require a bit more than just a direct mode of transport. We needed a bit of luck on our side too to ensure that roads were intact all the way as it was monsoon season. Taking advice of some locals we decided to take the bus for joshimath from rishikesh. But as luck would have it we were late by the time we reached rishikesh. We got to know we were late for buses and so we headed for taxi stand. It almost was 11 by the time we reached there. And then the wait for taxi started. These are shared taxis
( sumo, bolero etc ), which typically moved only when they have full load. I missed our missing 3 friends a lot at that time. By the time this taxi moved it was almost 12 and all 3 of us were on the edge. It was a race against time from hereon to reach to joshimath, which we knew we will loose.
The journey to srinagar had commenced. I just kept my fingers crossed hoping that the next 110 kms remain uneventful, as events were not quite going our way until now. It was not to be. Just an hour into journey and vaibhav puked. The twists n turns were taking its toll. We stopped for lunch midway and got our chance to click.

Faces say the story. Lunch time folks..relax.. A few kms past Devprayag. A packet of chips to get over the nausea.
Finally it was 3.30 pm when we reached srinagar. And it was unparalleled joy when we found another taxi for karnaprayag almost instantly.
• Srinagar – Rudraprayag - Karnaprayag ~ 70 kms.
We jumped onto our new mode of transport, another sumo. The difference was that this one even more rickety than previous one. The route was especially bad near rudraprayag.Also it started to drizzle, and the fact that the taxi did not have any ‘tripal’ to cover our luggage did not make us very comfortable. Nevertheless the driver was quite adept to such situations and he got us to karnaprayag by 6 pm. I would regard it as an achievement of sorts as the route was very bad. Immediately we shifted our bags to a cab which was meant for chamoli, 30 kms on way towards joshimath.

The bulldozers roll by clearing the roads. Somewhere near Rudraprayag.

Karnaprayag
6 pm, 19th july 2008
We had a bit of photo session, capturing a bit of everything we could in the fading light.
• Karnaprayag – Chamoli – A mad dash…..
We left karnapryag at 6.45pm (only after full load of taxi) and only thought that occupied each of our mind was how far can we push ourselves and our luck to reach joshimath. The two problems which faced us were fading light and uncertainty of road condition beyond chamoli. The trip was to take an hour approx but thanks to our driver we were rushing towards our destination faster than anyone could’ve imagined. It was a mad dash. The man never took his foot of accelerator. We all had our hearts in our mouth till we reached chamoli. The vehicle braked at chamoli at 7.30 pm and I was among the first one to jump out of it, relieved to be off it. Well the driver certainly helped us in deciding one thing. We decided to spend the night at chamoli, rather than taking chance with any such budding F1 star.
It was a wise decision. We took a room in hotel ‘heaven’. It was rather cheap ( Rs 350 / night ). Had a good dinner and stocked ourselves quite heavily with supplies for the trip. Govindghat and Ghangaria are expensive so its wise to pick up stuff from joshimath or earlier. It rained heavily all night while we slept like logs.
Chamoli - Ghangaria – 20th July 2008
• Chamoli – Joshimath ~ 55 kms

We got up early in morning to give ourselves chance of making up for lost time. We were 55 kms behind schedule. It was 6 when we checked out and went in search for yet another taxi. We got one and to our pleasant surprise the driver left with just 3 of us on board. It had rained the previous night and it all showed. The rivers were gushing with water and the mist over it presented a surreal picture. It was a ride like no other. The hills were vibrant green with clouds trying to cover them all.
Misty River -

The heavy rain previous night helped in creating this scene.
Chamoli – 6.15 am
Surreal World

I just stuck my hand out and clicked it. The beauty of the moment did the rest. Between Chamoli and Peepal Koti. 7 am
was not all a smooth ride though. We passed through this small landslide. Had to take detour by going under a bridge.
Landslide near peepal koti

But the worst was still ahead. The stretch between papal koti to Joshimath is notorious for landslides and before we could finish enjoying nature we were obstructed by a massive landslide. It was a fresh one and nothing or the road was left. It all got washed previous night with the rubble. After waiting for half an hour we knew its going to take a while to clear it. So we took the only option we had, took our bags and crossed it on foot. I must say its quite a daunting sight to see all the rubble and rocks held back by practically nothing but their own weight. A slight push, a slight slip and it can be all over for us.

On the other side of landslide. We promptly utilized the time capturing some sights. Also we managed to scare some people on this side who were holding on to there dear taxis and convinced them to go on other side. That ways we also managed to get a taxi for ourselves till joshimath.

Finally we reached Joshimath at 9.30 and had our light breakfast and tea at a humble stall. It was the best anyone could’ve asked for. Everyone called home. It will be sometime before we will be able to do that again.
• Joshimath – Govindghat ~ 19 kms
Finally we took our last leg of cab journey to govindghat. It was brief and quite uneventful. Nobody spoke much. I was already thinking about the coming few days. I knew it would be an experience of lifetime. After crossing Vishnu prayag and progressing for around 12 kms we reached to govindghat. It is marked by a small diversion. The road ahead goes to badrinath. We took a porter and walked towards the small bridge which marks the start of ascent. I was already itching to start.it was already 12. I checked my mobile, there was no signal.I felt like leaving everything behind while crossing that bridge. My daily routine, my worries…ahh.. what a feeling it was…
• Govindghat – Ghangaria ~ 13 kms

It was a clear day and we had started just after noon, so it was pleasant to start with. The first thing we noticed was the ascent. It soon started to become steep; at least it was not as easy as we thought it would be. A km beyond we were sweating and I knew we were in for a long day ahead.
An hour into the climb Govindghat as seen below.
Well the grind had already begun and we were feeling relieved that we were not carrying any bags. Gradually the small settlement of govindghat lowered in horizon as we tugged our way up.
Valley as seen from Pulna Village

A few kms down we encountered 1st settlement, which we later came to know, is called pulna. It was picturesque and we surely did not miss to capture that beauty. It is said that these people came all the way from rajasthan n settled here, n that they are original inhabitants of the area.
The weather until then was warm n sunny. It was pretty humid too. Soon thereafter it started raining. Well this was one thing we were quite well prepared for. We pulled our windcheaters and raincoats out n continued our ascent. Rain after all was going to be our constant companion on this trip.
River at its ferocious best just before Bhuyandar Valley

The river was in all its fury at some points. The rain was surely making it swell beyond its usual self and it was quite a torrent rather than a stream. We surely captured them aplomb. The whole path was along the river. There was a point where we crossed the river and beyond it the valley is known as bhuyandar valley. We rested at a dhaba which was situated right at that point. It fealt heavenly sitting at that dhaba, to both sides of which the river flowed. It was actually connected by the main track with a bridge.
Open space before ghangharia

Ascent got steeper beyond that and after a hard climb of 3-4 kms we came to an open space where the path more or less leveled. Two mountains converged somewhere ahead leaving just enough gap for clouds to pass. It truly presented a picture beyond words. You have to be there to feel the joy of reaching such a place.
Well the joy was lessened when we knew of the fact that it was a helipad clearing space and not the settlement of Ghangaria. From there on it just took around 20 minutes to reach ghangaria. In all it took us around 5 hours n 30 minutes to reach the place. It was a small place, situated at a height of 3048 mts ( 10000 ft ), which is built to cater to the pilgrims going to Hemkund Sahib. There are lodges n eating joints all built along the road which goes to Hemkund / Valley of flowers. We reached out Forest Guest house and changed into dry clothes. It was heavenly to have a feast of boiled eggs ( Rs 10 per piece ) before settling down for dinner. There is no electricity in ghangaria just generators. Just some PCO’s which charge atrociously high ( Rs. 20 / min ) if there line does go through. We had a chulha smoked dal for dinner and hand made chapattis which our rest house caretaker made. Soon after we hit the bed and it must’ve been 9.30 or so when we went into slumber.
Ghangaria-Valley of Flowers-Ghagaria – 21st July 2008 – 8 kms
It was a day I had waited for so long. It is as early as 6 a.m. that people wake up and start their ascent towards Hemkund Sahib. Those who are going to valley of flowers have the luxury of departing till 8 since it is just 3 – 4 kms of walk from here. The ascent is not steep too. We got ready by 8 and captured view from our guest house. Had some breakfast and got ourselves stuffed parathas packed for lunch from the same joint. The plan was to reach the valley by 9.30, spend a good 4-5 hrs there and return by 4 – 5 p.m. The rain is a big variable during this time of the season. The weather can change rather dramatically and so can your plans. As for now it was not raining. It was all misty and cloudy but still no rain. And so it started, our walk to paradise, as I like to describe it.
Just a few hundred meters ahead we reached a diversion. Valley of flowers to the left and Hemkund Sahib to right. The path narrowed on moving forward and then we came to a gate where we had to pay and register our entry. There was a map which promptly gave a layout to valley of flowers. A little distance beyond we started to notice small flowers along the sides of the path we were trudging. It was through dense vegetation all along. Soon we found out that we had started descending. As we came to the level of the river we saw a bridge down below. In front of us stood a mighty mountain wall. It was all vertical, the peak of which was lost somewhere in clouds.It was an imposing sight which made us feel so mortal, so fragile. After trying every possible angle I had to eventually lie down on my back to capture the whole rock face in my camera.
First View of the valley of flowers

A km of ascent after we crossed the bridge brought us to the point from where we had our 1st peak at the famed valley. It was a sight to remember. A glacier still nestled itself over the pushpawati river which runs right through the valley. The two mountains on either side giving away just enough of a view to tell you that this is a place like no other.
Well the excitement soon turned to anxiousness as we approached a landslide area. The path had been totally washed out in previous night’s downpour. It was a tough one to cross; n it needed us to dig our heels and hands into the loose rocks n soil. It was just another of those moments when a slight slip might land u into freezing waters or the rock below. Once on the other side we literally scampered towards the valley.

Glacier over Pashupati River

Just after crossing landslide area.

The valley is spread over 5-6 kms and situated at the height of 3500 mts ( 11550 ft ) to 3900 mts ( 13000 ft ). It was all green as far as I can see. The rains had made sure that it presented a poster perfect valley to us.

The flowers presented every possible hue to the scenery. Red, violet, yellow, pink, white, blue it was all there.
As far as we could see on the slopes and down the path flowers of every variety lay before us. We tried to capture as many hues as we could.

Though none of us knew anything about botany but we knew there exists an extremely rare flower by the name of blue poppy, which is found in the valley. We found a board making its area but there was not even a single flower. Disappointed we moved ahead in search of views. It started to drizzle just then. We decided to take shelter under a huge rock n also have some of our packed parathas. And while we were unpacking our bag we saw something in the narrow crack of boulder. Voila!!! It was the blue poppy that everyone comes searching for in valley of flowers. It was at the most inaccessible place but after bout half an hour of twisting n turning I managed to photograph it.

Enchanting Views in “Valley of lowers”

We had Lunch besides this stream
Around 3 kms I into the valley we reached a river beyond which there was no marked trail. We sat n had our lunch there. Everyone spent some time sitting in perfect harmony with nature n soaking as much of it as we could. Then we turned around to visit the british lady botanist’s tomb who is said to have visited the valley in 1939 n died there following an accident.
There were around 15 – 20 people in the valley and it was now around 2 pm. The clouds too had started pouring. The landslide spot on way back was playing in our minds too. There were some local guides with a group of Nepalese tourists. So we decided to head back to ghagaria with them rather than spend some more time n return alone. Before leaving I wanted to gather as much as I could of the beautiful valley. It was all covered in clouds n mist and the scene was far different from what it was in morning. The journey back was full of small breaks in which we 3 sat in silence n thought about the place we had just been a few hrs earlier, concluding that it must have been a nice dream, as it was too good to be true.
We reached ghangaria by 5 and had some hot and steamy maggi. The dinner was the usual, and sleep, well heavenly.
Ghangaria-Hemkund Sahib-Ghagaria – 22nd July 2008 – 12 kms

Happy faces just into the hemkund trek
Smile disappeared very quickly after that.
We knew this day was going to be harder than any of the last ones. Expectedly we got up earlier and got ourselves in position to move by 6.45 a.m. We just had some bread – butter n got ourselves on track by 7 a.m. So far so good, an early start meant that we will have some time to catch up in case the gradient turns out to be more. The first few hundred meters gave us a fair idea of what was awaiting us. As it turned out we were soon in the middle of a never ending and steep uphill walk. Well, it was more of climb and soon the previous walk to the valley seemed like a walk in the park. Just to put in perspective we had to gain 1.4 kms (vertically of course) during 6 kms of grind. Soon a break was taken (one of countless) and pretty much after that it was everyone on himself. We all were ascending at our own pace and convenience (or rather inconvenience). Soon the weather became all foggy and there was mist all around. Even the trail ahead was blurred due to heavy mist. It was getting exceedingly cold too. I was trying to take shortcuts which directly take one on the trail above thus saving me some extra walking effort. One such shortcut took me to a trail which I was not very sure of but since I still heard the mules walking (there was near 0 visibility due to mist) I followed it. After some distance I realized it had taken me to a point where I stood on the edge of glacier. It was a dead end. It was horrible to see that I had missed the main trail by some 50 mts and had actually crossed it over to climb higher. With no other option I grudgingly had to return back a few hundred meters and take the old trail (this time without a shortcut). The whole glacier was balanced precariously on the slope of mountain and was melting at an increased rate. This was exactly the same point where 6 pilgrims lost their lives last month after the whole mass of ice slipped and crushed them in process. Visibility improved after we crossed the glacier. This is when I noticed an abundance of flora n fauna. All those blue poppies which seemed rare sight in VOF were scattered along the slopes. The last 2 km were the toughest and it took some effort to scale those last 500-600 steps (another shortcut).

Hemkund and the beauty of the place

Blue Poppy and the brahma kamals
But I was treated with a view like no other. The gurudwara is situated right at the banks of this pristine ‘hemkund’ lake, which is nestled in between the 7 peaks surrounding it. we hardly got to see the top of all these 7 peaks together as there was fog and mist all around. It is said that a team of Nihang Sikhs scale all these 7 peaks each year to replace the pataka which is hoisted at each of them. Though hemkund is itself at a height of 4329 mts the peaks were still a daunting sight.
We took a dip in holy hemkund, which was itself a challenge. It took all the courage to set foot in it and by the third dip my body was numb by the chill. We had darshan and attended afternoon ardaas. We paid visited the lokpal mandir which is also at the banks of hemkund. It is dedicated to Lakshman and it is believed that lakshman camped and healed himself at the banks of hemkund after he was injured by ravana. After having tea and khichdi which is served hot there at gurudwara we left around 3 pm. We reached ghangharia by 5.30 or so and after an early meal hit our beds by 8 pm.
Govindghat – Ghangaria – Badrinath – 23rd July 2008