Trek to Kedartal

It has been about two weeks since we returned from our annual Himalayan trek. After having done most of our earlier treks in the Dhauladhar mountains, this was our first foray into Uttarakhand (UK). How different was it compared to the treks in Himachal Pradesh (HP)? 

On a map the trail to Kedartal looks quite straightforward, and benign. It is a glacial lake located about 17km west of Gangotri glacier from which the Ganges river originates. Here the holy river is called the Bhairathi and it rages past Gangotri town, squeezing through rocky cliffs and misty cataracts, towards Uttarkashi.

It is only when you look at the near vertical mountains around Gangotri that you realise that the neat lines marking the path to Kedartal is anything but that. Running eastwards from the town, the trails takes you along steep forested slopes past Kedar Ganga to the first camping site at Bhoj Kharak (8km, 12436ft/3790m). 

The trail goes through a complete transformation the next day when you climb past the pine and birch forests, past the tree-line into grassy slopes of Kedar Kharak (5km, 14050ft/4282m) where the second camp-site is located. From here on it is all moraines - moonscape of broken rocks and boulders  - that leads you the lovely lake at base of three snow-peaks - Bhrigupanth, Thalay Sagar and Jogin I. 

Given the height of the surrounding peaks not much sunlight reaches these deep valleys. Even on the clearest of days the sunset happens around 2:30 pm. For the rest of the afternoon the campsites are enveloped first by the racing shadows, and then by pitch darkness and cold winds.

In the Dhauladhar mountains of HP, each trail has a character of its own. On some treks (eg., Kugti / Indrahar Pass) you need to carry water until you reach the glaciers, while other valleys (eg., Baleni, Minkiani Pass) there is no shortage of springs and streams to fill your bottles but snow-cover can be very unpredictable. One thing common in most Himachal treks is that you are almost always on routes taken by the shepherds. 

The treks in Uttarakhand, especially on the char-dham routes (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath), there are no meadows or pastures across the mountain passes all the way to Tibet plateau. So there are no shepherds to be seen on these routes. What you do see are herds of Bharals or Blue Sheep with their magnificent, curved horns. These animals keep their distance from trekking groups but watching them without precautions can turn out to be dangerous. In a group that we met on our way back, a porter got badly injured from a rock-fall triggered by Bharals.

The trekking scene in UK seemed better structured and regulated compared to HP.  You are not permitted to venture into protected forest areas without a permit or trained guides. These guides, in turn, ensure that those venturing into the mountains are carrying suitable protective-wear and camping gear. These guides can be exacting too - many of our personal sleeping bags were rejected because they were deemed unsuitable for temperatures below -20C. 

All these checks clearly shows on quality of the trails - the pathways are clean and litter-free. No chips packers blowing in the wind or alcohol bottles littering the streams. Camping groups are expected to have toilet tents and pits for safely disposing food waste.

Thanks to the Char-Dham initiative of the central government the road infrastructure in this area is seeing rapid improvement. This also means that the newly widened roads are more prone to landslides and rock-falls. 

So, if you're planning a trek in Uttaranchal, around the char-dham area better be prepared long traffic jams!

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REFERENCES & LINKS

Char Dham - https://www.namasteindiatrip.com/history-of-chardham.html

https://trekthehimalayas.com/kedar-tal-trek

Trek to Indrahar Jot

It had been more than two years since Covid-19 scuttled my annual treks into the Himalayas. So when a friend set up a new WA group titled, "Ab-ki-baar-Indrahar" (This time, Indrahar), the first thing I did was to look up the place on Google Maps. 

At an altitude of 4342m it did not seem like a big deal. After all, our last trek was to Kugti Pass on the Pir Panjal Range at 5050m. Indrahar Jot is further south within the Dhauladhar range, the first snowbound mountain ranges that you see as you approach the Himalayas from the  Punjab plains. I had imagined this to be be an easy trek. It was not.

This trek was a reminder - if any were needed - that each mountain range has its own personality and quirks. The most striking thing about this trail is that despite being located in an area that receives good rainfall, there are no natural streams along the entire route. Water is available for free at only one point near the snow-line, and that too from a PVC pipe carrying glacier meltwater!

Our trail started from Gallu Temple, just a few kilometres away from Mcleodganj, the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-exile. A few hours of walking through forest trails carpeted with rhododendron leaves brought us to the barren Triund ridge. Until this point you could see plenty of casual touristy visitors dressed in summer clothes, many accompanied by children, and a few with their jarring bluetooth speakers in full blast.

At this time of the year, mornings are nice and bright in Triund but the weather turns foul in the afternoon. Mountain peaks that are clearly visible in the morning light get enveloped in heavy clouds by noon. We did not know that the weather would change so suddenly, and so ended up losing half-a-day on this ridge, huddled in a stone cottage, sheltering from howling winds, hailstones and stinging raindrops sweeping down from the slopes of the Dhauladhar mountains.

Few venture beyond Triund to Laka glacier or Lahesh Cave, and even fewer go further on to Indrahar Jot, the pass located close to Moonpeak. We pitched our tents near the Snowline near the Laka glacier, removed non-essential stuff from our backpacks and carried on across the glacier towards the rocky steep slopes leading to the pass. Climbing is difficult on this stretch and descending even more so - especially when the stones turn slippery from fresh rain and sleet. 

One important thing to remember on this trail, apart from the dearth of spring-water, is that the climbing window here is rather small. We missed half a day stuck at Triund, so even though we started before 0600 and pitched our tents at Snowline by 0730 it was already past 0830 when we started the final leg. This was about three hours too late because by the time we reached close to the pass it was already past 1330 and heavy clouds were blocking the path ahead. Not wanting to get stuck in blinding fog and rain, we had to turn back about 500m away from the ridge. 

Perhaps the most memorable thing about treks like these are the amazing people you get to meet along the way. On our way to Triund we met Mr. A who was climbing on a prosthetic leg; At Snowline there were two cheerful 65+ year's old German ladies, both avid trekkers on their way back home to Auroville after spending a week in the mountains. Then there was Nitin Vashisht a sprightly young fellow from Dharamsala who cheerfully sped past us at Snowline, climbed up alone to the top of Indrahar, right through the cloud cover, and  met us a few hours later on his way back when we were still resting at Lehesh Cave!

The most unexpected meeting was with Santosh Babu, a Tamilian working as a government Revenue Inspector in Chennai who also served as a part-time instructor with the Bharat Scouts and Guides. A compulsive mountaineer, he had trained himself at the IISM Gulmarg and set aside two months every year to climb mountains. He had already crossed the Hanta Pass and Keliheni Pass. This year, Babu has set his sights on the Moonpeak (4750m), the highest point up the Indrahar Jot ridge. In 2023 he planned to scale the Manaslu in Nepal, and then hoped to get a sponsorship of about INR 3,000,000 required to climb Mt. Everest!

It is hard to believe that just a few days ago I was trudging across a Himalayan glacier, sweating from the strain, struggling to catch my breath...and here I am now, back on the hot, sultry plains, sitting in an apartment in Noida, and sweating profusely without doing anything! 

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REFERENCES / LINKS

* India Hikes - Indrahar Pass Trek -  https://indiahikes.com/documented-trek/indrahar-pass-trek

* Wiki page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indrahar_Pass