Roopkund: The Confessions of a Spoilt Trekker

‘It is at that corner bhai, just a few more feet up’. Exclaimed Akhil.

I ran up by-passing other trekkers.

Akhil Bhai, Is this Roopkund?

No dude, just around the corner. Come up fast.

I walked and walked and noticed that Akhil was going up further & further.

Suddenly the landscape opened up and Junargali was clearly visible.

Lo & Behold, Roopkund appeared and I was more elated than anything else.

I hugged Akhil tight and thanked him & his team for guiding us safely to Roopkund.

After completing my Hamta Pass trek in September 2012 I promised my mom and my senior in office that I won’t go for any more Himalayan treks. I must confess that if you make the mistake of bumping into the Himalayas even once you are doomed. The mountains are embedded with whitish magnets which attract you to come back to them no matter what. I registered for the Roopkund trek on June 2013 to be done immediately after my exams get over. I was excited to visit the Himalayas again within a gap of just 9 months from my previous expedition. The packing was almost over and I was ready to leave in the next couple of days. But as luck would have it the news channels were beaming with the floods that devastated Uttarkhand completely.

Should I be thankful to god that the floods came in just a couple of days before I was about to leave or be angry on him for killing so many people? I was really confused and frustrated.

It came as a grim reminder about the other face of the mountains where nature gets pissed off easily if taken for granted.

May 17^th – Chennai to Delhi

I registered for the 2014 May 18^th Batch with Indiahikes. The D-Day was just around the corner and I had to finish my pending works in office like as if I’m not going to come back from the trek.

Landed at Delhi when the mercury was at its peak. It was my first time in Delhi airport and the airport was massive. I checked in at terminal 1D. I’ve heard that terminal 3 is awesomely posh but this one was also good. The perimeters of the airport adorned the posters of the newly elected PM Narendra Modi.

While the entire country was reeling under the ‘Modi Wave’, here I was, the only guy thinking about Mountaineering legends like Colonel Narendra Kumar, Reinhold Messner, Arjun Vajpai, Apa Sherpa, George Mallory, Noel Odell.

Terminal 1D
Image Courtesy: Google

Took the Airport express to New Delhi. It is an infrastructure which every city in India badly needs it. Quickly I switched trains and reached Chandni Chowk. I was dying to taste the street foods and went straight to the narrow street of Paratha wale galli. The aroma was seductive. I tasted foods at almost all the stalls and my belly was overly full.

The train to Kathgodam was scheduled to leave at around 4:20 pm from Old Delhi railway station. The station was stinking 10 times more than that of Chennai Central.

After boarding the train I was furious that my window seat was hijacked by a huge Hindi speaking family. I had a tough time in negotiating with them as they couldn't speak English. After a prolonged battle I had to give up because of language problem. I became worried as my cell phone displayed low battery. Since I’m not fluent in Hindi and didn’t book the night stay at Kathgodam I had no clue as to where to spend the night. 

I ended up sitting near two Delhi university student's. I was surprised when one of the guys (Deepak) asked me like if I’m going for trekking anywhere after seeing my huge bag. We became good friends.

Having found a Hindi & English speaking guy I quickly asked him if he could negotiate and book a room for me at Kathgodam.

He negotiated over the phone for close to 15 minutes but unfortunately the guest house which I knew in Kathgodam was full. I tried desperately to catch up with one of my trekking batch mates.

Krishnan sir came on the line much to my relief and I quickly caught up with him & his team at Kathgodam. Thank god, if not for Krishnan sir and Deepak I’d have ended up staying at Kathgodam station for the night.

Deepak was from Haldwani and told me about the tourist spots in & around his place. We spoke for hours together about our travel experiences and he was a nice guy to be with. He told me not to miss Patal Bhubaneswar near Almora when I visit Uttarkhand next time.

And also to have a girlfriend with me next time when I do a similar trip.

What the Hell man? I thought to myself.

He disembarked at Haldwani and I promised to meet him when I visit Delhi again.

Krishnan sir was really a cool man. We were discussing politics for dinner instead of Alu Paratha’s and Rajma Chawal. I saw a mini Arnab in Krishnan sir. 

The temperatures dipped at Kathgodam and it was pretty cold. I must confess that I recovered from fever just a day before leaving Delhi and I thought that the cold weather is going to play spoilsport with my health.

After a good night’s sleep our cabs were ready to drive us to Lohjang from Kathgodam.

Day 1: May 18^th - Kathgodam to Lohjang (12 hours drive):

I, Krishnan Sir, Ajith, Ragini, Namratha and Divya travelled in the same cab. It was a long drive. The route perfectly resembled that of Ooty-Mettupalayam road. To break the jinx we played antakshari. Everyone in my cab were kannadigas excepting me & the chauffeur and they sung songs of which I couldn’t understand even a word. I was forced to sing as well. When I sung the majority of them were confused if I’m singing or speaking.

We reached Lohjang at around 5 in the evening. It was a small & remote hill station with very little shops and houses. It was quite cloudy and the snow capped peaks remained hidden due to the mists.

Perfect. I was waiting for many years to visit a place like this where there is very minimal population, shops, vehicles. Salman and Acqui from Indiahikes welcomed us at the residence at Lohjang.

Followed a round of chai, a game of volleyball and a detailed briefing about the trek before we comfortably retired to our beds.

Day2: May 19^th - Lohjang to Didna:

The trek officially started today. The trail lay just behind the backyards of our guest house. During the briefing I suddenly noticed the shy Nanda Ghunti (6309m) appearing herself from the clouds. I must confess that I became excited like a kid on seeing her. I quickly took out my cam and shot her before she disappeared into the mist again.

At Lohjang Residence
Photo Credits: Harisha

Chanderbhai in his early thirties was our guide-leader for the entire trek. Deepu was his assistant. He was a cool guy aged about 17 with lots of energy who is out for the trek for whiling away summer vacations.

Man, what a way to spend the vacations!!!!!!

I made friends with Chanderbhai and Deepu and walked along with them asking about the history of Roopkund Lake, the mysterious skulls & bones at the lake, the stories of the locals and much more (in my terribly broken Hindi).

Unlike my previous Himalayan trek leader who claimed that he had a French girlfriend Chanderbhai was married and had a kid.    

Today was supposed to be a five hour trek. The trail was clearly marked. We descended first and gradually made way into a forest. There were huge trees all around. It was a bright sunny day and the heat took its toll. We came across numerous streams and bridges before finally reaching Didna at around 12:30 pm.

Didna is a small village perched in the lower ranges of the Himalayas. The village had very few houses. A few of them were leased during the climbing season. The villagers themselves cooked delicious food for the trekkers.

Man, the foods were really delicious throughout the trek. One can’t cook tasty foods in that climate and altitude unless he/she loves that job.

I noticed a little kid aged around 5. He was shyly peeking out from his house and then ran back inside. He was doing this for several times.

Oi, Aapka naam kya Hei?

Manu. And he ran off.

He was really cute and I couldn’t resist pulling his cheeks. We played for hours together by running around the camp site. I gave him some toffees and he gladly accepted it with a smile. Innocence ran across his face completely.

I was the happiest man in the world. The surrounding mountains, playing with the cutest kid, falling temperatures, pin drop silence and delicious dinner made my day.  

I somehow failed to take a snap of him for which I feel like cursing myself even now.

The briefing for the next day was made.

Didna Village

Day3: May 20^th – Didna to Bedni Bugyal via Ali Bugyal

I was very eager to start for the day as we will come across Ali Bugyal and Bedni Bugyal which has the reputation of being Asia’s most beautiful grasslands. The day started with steep ascent into the forests. We were privileged to walk in the shade even though the sunlight filtered through the forests. It was a complete ascent much similar to CTC treks. The climb was exhausting. As we were ascending all the way for close to 3 hours there was a clearing and landscape suddenly opened up.

The ascent to Ali Bugyal. Clearing from Forest to grassland.

We stood before lush meadows which were running into several acres. The mountains and Didna village were right behind us. There were only a handful of people with me at Ali Bugyal. I must confess that unable to contain my excitement I dropped my bags and ran across the meadows jumping and shouting like a kid.

Thank God no one noticed it. 

Ali Bugyal

The others were coming in and we spent considerable amount of time at Ali bugyal and had Alu Paratha’s.

We started off to Bedni Bugyal which was to be our campsite for the 2^nd day. We were walking through the plush grasslands and were greeted with rasna en route by one of the support staffs at Indiahikes. After walking for over an hour there was a small turn in the right and then towards the left. 

En route Bedni Bugyal 

This is Bedni bugyal. ‘Exclaimed Chanderbhai’.

Once again I was surrounded by acres and acres of lush green meadows.

First view of Bedni Bugyal

I was enthralled and swept off my feet by the sheer beauty of that place. In fact I’m running short of words to explain the beauty of bedni bugyal. The place was greener than Ali Bugyal. Our campsite perfectly resembled that of a stadium.

We settled inside our tents and were called for a game of cricket.

A game of cricket? I was thrilled.

We split ourselves into two teams and Vinay was the official umpire. Vinay’s umpiring skills were equivalent to that of David Shepherd or of a referee in a football match. His decisions were harsh and there were frequent India Gate like protests by the players at times.

We played two matches of 10 over’s each and had a gala time. Deepu played really well and his in-swing deliveries gave nightmares to every batsman thus earning the nickname zaheer khan.

High Altitude Cricket at Bedni Bugyal (11,800 feet)
Photo Credits: Harisha

I must confess that I’m a diehard fan of cricket and sometimes I tend to think that cricket runs in my blood.

Our pitch was so beautiful and flat that there was absolutely no chance for the cricket balls to get lost in the sprawling meadows.

After a small briefing we retired to our tents.

Day4: May 21^st – Bedni Bugyal to Bhugwabasa via Patarnauchani

Woke up to the irritating barks of a dog which was following us from Lohjang. It was only 5:45 am and my tent mates were still sleeping. The moment I came out of the tent I was excited and surprised. The sky was crystal clear. The shy Nanda Ghunti and the majestic Trisul stood before us with a towering smoke from its summit. The sun rays were slowly settling down over the mountain. My happiness knew no bounds. I quickly took out my camera and shot a couple of pics. I stood there gazing at its remarkable beauty with my favourite songs in the run.

I must confess that I listened to all my favourite songs at heart's content by gazing at the beautiful mountains which I badly missed out at Hampta Pass Trek.

Trisul from Bedni Bugyal

Today was supposed to be a long day coupled with steep climbs and high altitude. We were walking slowly so as to get used to the thin air. The bugyal’s were making way to the rocky mountains. We passed through bedni kund pond and encountered snowy paths on the trail. We were traversing through the northern western gully.                    

The gully

There were few slips here & there. We reached at a clearing between Patarnauchani and Bedni bugyal. The entire snow capped peaks of Nanda Ghunti, Trisul and other smaller peaks suddenly appeared before us with a fantastic closer view. The place was really beautiful and the entire team stopped there to take rests and couple of shots for pics.

This pic represents only 1% of the beauty of that place.

The previous batches were returning from Roopkund. I met Indhu, an avid Himalayan trekker who has done close to 10 Himalayan treks. Her words disappointed me when she told me that Roopkund Lake was not visible due to heavy snow. She bid adieu and promised us that the trek would be really awesome.

We started to Patarnauchani after a small break. It was an easy descent. 

Lunch was served at Patarnauchani and I was damn hungry as I skipped breakfast. Hot maggi’s caught my eyes and I quickly attacked it. I thought of dozing for a while after lunch but to my remorse we had to start to Bhugwabasa immediately after lunch.

My belly was full and I had little difficulty while ascending. I cursed myself for having heavy lunch. It was a lesson well learnt.

The trail to Bhugwabasa via kalu vinayak was clear and was like a line drawn in pencil on the mountain ranges. After steep ascends with lots of zigzags and u-turns we reached Kalu Vinayak. The Maharashtrians in our batch were singing songs dedicated to Lord Ganesha and I joined them in their prayers. After little offerings to the deity we started off to Bhugwabasa camp. 

It started snowing heavily. The road ahead was not clear but the other guys insisted on moving further. I was slowly following the footsteps of the person before me. The route was so narrow & snowy that a single mistake may send us sliding down the hill.

Snow storm en route Bhugwabasa camp.

One needs to be really careful while negotiating the snows after Kalu Vinayak and should not panic during hailstorms or blizzards.

Every step was met with caution. 

We reached Bhugwabasa campsite amidst heavy snowfall. We were at an altitude of 14,500 feet.

Chai and hot samosas were served.

Sipping chai in such a cold weather was really pleasing. We quickly got into our respective tents and dozed off for good. The snowfall stopped after an hour or two.

We came out of our tents and were simply awestruck. The snows settled down in every nook & corner. It was spine chilling cold but the sheer beauty of the surrounding snow capped peaks and snows made us forget everything. We were called for a briefing. 

View from our campsite

We were introduced to Akhil who was to be our guide on the D-day. He was a fair and slim man in his late twenties. He speaks fluent English & Hindi and has trekked extensively across the Himalayas.

I was elated to interact with someone who had considerable knowledge in mountaineering. We were discussing about the 1924 British Reconnaissance expedition to Everest, Messner’s solo attempt in 1980, Jon Krakauer’s Into thin air and much more. 

We also had a heated debate about the virginity of Trisul which became a subject matter of entertainment for a few guys.

Sunset at Bhugwabasa

The night was really cold. I skipped dinner. I must confess the sleeping bag was so warm that I was too lazy to come out of it.

At around 8:30 one of the support staff’s came knocking and asked me if I’d like to have bournvita.

Bournvita at this temperature, that too at the doorstep of your tent?

Yes was the immediate call and I gulped down 2 glasses of piping hot Bournvita in no time.

Big five star hotels and those in the hospitality industry definitely need to learn from these guys.

Day5: May 22^nd – Bhugwabasa to Roopkund and back to Patarnauchani.

The D-day has finally arrived. Today was supposed to be the longest day ever. We were instructed to wear the crampons. Started off at sharp 6am. It was quite sunny. Akhil instructed us to follow his footsteps. 

Starting to Roopkund

The route had its own ups & downs. I slipped frequently.

We had to negotiate very steep curves and the support teams were really very helpful. The steep climbs continued. I could feel the air getting thinner and walked really slow. We rested at a small clearing.

Chanderbhai was of the opinion that it could take atleast 2 more hours to reach Roopkund.

2 more hours? I thought if the lake really exists in this topography where you have nothing in front of you other than crazy snow capped peaks and steep cliffs .  

We started off after a small break. The route got no better. I followed Akhil’s footsteps blindly with nothing in mind other than reaching Roopkund. We stopped for the 2^nd break and I was quite relieved when Deepu told me that Roopkund can be reached in another hour.

We walked, walked & walked and it felt like Roopkund can never be reached. I must confess that I even felt like turning back at times.

Akhil, this look like Roopkund? I exclaimed

   

‘It is at that corner bhai, just a few more feet up’.

I ran up by-passing other trekkers.

Akhil Bhai, Is this Roopkund? I asked.

No dude, just around the corner. Come up fast.

I noticed that Akhil was going up further & further.

Suddenly the landscape opened up and Junargali was clearly visible.

Lo & Behold, Roopkund appeared and I was more elated than anything else.

I hugged Akhil tight and thanked him & his team for guiding us safely to Roopkund.

The Roopkund lake was completely frozen and was visible like a dot. 

I was really happy that I reached new heights in life today. We were at an altitude of 16,000 feet. Our happiness knew no bounds. The view from Roopkund was simply fantastic.

Quickly we took out the proud Indian flag and hoisted it. The youngest members of our team held the flag followed by national anthem and a devotional song dedicated to Lord Ganesha for giving mental strength to everyone. There were screams of Ganpathi baba moriya everywhere.

National Anthem at Roopkund.
Photo Credits: Harisha

While it took us lots of energy & efforts to reach Roopkund, I understood the difficulties faced by the unknown soldiers who selflessly guard our borders at Siachen and at other hostile places where -30 degree is the average temperature. Really hats off to them.

We were now at the outermost boundaries of Nanda Devi Sanctuary. Nanda Devi (7816m) is the highest mountain which lies entirely within the boundaries of India unlike Kanchenjunga whose slopes are shared with Nepal.

We couldn’t climb to Junargali due to hard snows. Beyond Junargali lies Homkund which is the base camp for those attempting the majestic Trisul.

Junargali from Roopkund

One of the support staff was busy explaining us about the history of Roopkund in Hindi and I was much busier in pestering Krishnan sir for the translation.

We left Roopkund after staying there for close to half an hour. The descent was trickier thanks to the melting snows. We were told to anchor the snow with our heels to avoid slipping. We slid down the slopes at three places. It gave me adrenaline rush that could last for more than a year or so. 

Sliding down the slopes

More than 3 hours of walk and we reached bhugwabasa with loads of memories & happiness across our faces.

At Bhugwabasa I had a conversation once again with Akhil about mountaineering and told him about my desire to meet Bachendri Pal once and & get an autograph from her. He called up someone named Mahaveer and introduced me to him.

With Akhil.

Mahaveer is a mountaineer who works very closely with Bachendri Pal. Mahaveer was one of the coach for Indian brave heart Arunima Sinha who summited Mount Everest with artificial legs.

Human spirits can Endeavour anything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was elated to meet Mahaveer and asked him lots of questions on Mountaineering with Akhil being the official translator.

We quickly had lunch and reached Patarnauchani at around 6.

Day 6: May 23^rd – Patarnauchani to Ghairoli patal via bedni bugyal

Today was a very relaxed day. I must confess that I made up my mind to walk alone in the trail & listen to my favourite songs.

I got completely pissed off as my music player ran out of charge. We crossed the snow patches and were descending to the meadows at bedni bugyal. The flowers were blooming and I couldn’t resist plucking a few of them.

I must confess that doubts raised amongst my batch mates as to for whom the flowers are being collected. I couldn’t answer them as I was also not aware of the person for whom the flowers are being collected.

Ironically those people failed to see me offering the flowers at the temple at Bedni Kund L. The doubts were lingering and spread like wildfire.

After reaching bedni bugyal we played cricket again. This time Krishnan ji was the official umpire. Vinay upheld the principles of democracy by allowing us to protest against his decisions but Krishnan sir threatened to ban us for 7 years if we go against his decisions. Some admired his autocratic decisions and there were even umpire ki jai screams at times.

We played 2 matches and left for the camp site at Ghairoli Patal. It was a complete descent. Hot & Spicy Chowmein was served and I couldn’t remember how many rounds of it I had as it was too tasty.

Ghairoli Patal Camp site

After sun set we set up camp fires and sung songs. I really enjoyed each & every moment of the camp fire. Shrikanth sung really well and Damaru orchestrated the dialogues of Bhakta Prahaladha with the same tone & rage as depicted in the movie.

It started raining and we dived into our warm sleeping bags amidst the spine chilling cold.

Day 7: May 24^th – Ghairoli Patal to Wan village.

I woke up to the sound of showers over the roof of my tent. I was too lazy to get out of my tent as it was really cold.

The rains stopped after an hour. It was very cold. I felt it to be colder than the snowy Bhugwabasa camp. After breakfast we started to Wan.

Wan is the last point of our trek from where we will be driven back to the base camp at Lohjang. It was full of descent and little ascents. .

We met lots of cute little kids on the way who were neatly dressed in school uniforms and greeted us with sweet 'Namaste'. 

Sanju had lots of toffees with him and distributed to the kids all along the way.

We reached Lohjang at around 3 pm.

It was uchith’s b’day and I was invited for a small tea party. (By that time the news of the flowers for whom I was collecting reached Krishnan sir’s ears).

After reaching the tea shop I realized that I was lured in the name of treat. I was treated like an accused in a trial and was made to sit before the table with Krishnan ji being the judge & jury himself. I had no chance to escape from the court as I was walled by the other guys.

Krishnan Ji was leading the trial like Arnab’s newshour debate. He rarely gave me a chance to speak but would interrupt in 8 Nanoseconds. Uchith & 2 more guys were happily building up stories to trap me. 

I pleaded not guilty.

After thorough examination of the witnesses and the accused (me) I was free to go. :D

Day 8: May 25^th – Lohjang to Kathgodam:

The day arrived to leave back home. I got up from the bed with a heavy heart.

The thoughts of missing the down-to-earth friendly people, delicious foods, innocent & cute children, the pristine jewels of the Himalayas hugging the village were lingering in my mind continuously.

At this point I’d like to give credit to my family members for allowing me to enjoy life outdoors, the cooks for the delicious food, the support staffs who cared for us 24*7, the friendly batch mates, the youngest members of our batch Krishnan Ji and Pratap Roy Ji who inspired all of us with tremendous amount of energy and the weather gods who didn’t bother to give us much trouble.    

As I was getting ready to leave Lohjang the shy Nanda Ghunti appeared from the mists once again. I must confess that I fell in love with Nanda Ghunti the day I saw her at Lohjang and considered her as my girlfriend. I slowly bid adieu to my shy girlfriend with a promise that I will be back soon to meet her counterparts in Jammu & Kashmir or Sikkim.

My shy Girlfriend

Last but not the least; let me confess that the title of this blog was inspired from the blogs of Hemant Soreng, an avid Himalayan Trekker and globetrotter.

Thanks for the patient read.

Cheersss,