Trek to Roopkund - Part 2

Day 2 - 16th September : Lohajung to Didna

The next morning greets us with cloudy skies. There is no Vodafone signal at Lohajung, only Idea and BSNL. So I borrow Vaishali’s phone and call my mom to tell her not to expect any calls from me for the next 6 days. People who don’t want the added weight of their rucksacks during the trek can hire a mule to carry them. Some of us take that option. But for me, it’s just not a trek if there is no rucksack on my back. I have tried to make mine as light as possible, it weighs just about 10 kgs. I feel pretty confident I can carry it all the way.

There are many ardent bird-watchers in our group, and they are delighted when they see a variety of birds on the trees nearby. There are a lot of enthusiastic discussions about the different birds. But for me, a dove is a step brother of a pigeon, and that’s where my knowledge of birds ends. I look at the birds that are pointed out to me anyway; a Red Minivet is the only one I remember.

After breakfast, Sandeep introduces us to Sardar bhai, he’s our trek guide who’ll lead the way. At about 9 o’clock, everybody lines up along the pathway of the guest house, and Mahesh bhai cracks open a coconut as an offering to the gods. It is best to have God in your corner when out in the elements. Finally we are on our way.

Today our destination is Didna Village, which we can see on the mountain in front of us for a few seconds when the clouds clear up. So we have to descend down the mountain on which Lohajung is located, cross a river called Neel Ganga, and then ascend a mountain to reach Didna. We have not been given any packed lunch. As always, when on a trek, food is my first concern.

‘When do we get to eat next?’ I ask.

‘Lunch will be served at Didna. The sooner you reach there, the sooner you eat,’ Sandeep replies. Point taken - if you are hungry, walk fast :).

Raun Bagad

We first walk to Kuling village, from where the downward trail starts. The descent is simple enough. There is a fairly easy track of stones built by the villagers for whom this is an everyday route. Descending always makes me feel that I am paying a tribute to Dev Anand, what with all the sideways stepping and flailing arms. In about an hour, we reach Raun Bagad, where the Neel Ganga river spreads out a little forming a rock-strewn bed.  

The mule owners with their mules, carrying the tents and the kitchen equipments overtake us here. They start after us and would reach the destination and set up camp before we reach. From Raun Bagad, the ascent starts. The sun has now started to peep out of the clouds, and it is getting very hot. After a little while, when we stop for a short rest, Sandeep points out the Curzon Trail to me. Lord Curzon had explored this area; this trail starts from Lohajung, goes via Kunwari Pass all the way up to Joshimath. The Curzon Trail is one of the popular trekking trails in this part of the Himalays. We were supposed to follow it for some time, but the way is blocked because of a landslide.

The house at Didna

The trail that we have to follow instead is simple enough, and I am able to maintain a good pace and reach Didna by 2 in the afternoon. At Didna, we have to stay in a small house which is rented out to us for the night. Mahesh bhai et al have already reached there, and have the lunch ready. One by one everyone arrives. There is a small stream flowing nearby, and I decide to dip my feet into it for a little while. But I cannot keep my feet in for more than a few seconds.... the water is freezing cold.

Our very own David Blaine

Soup and roasted papads are served in the evening. Sandeep 

tells us the golden rule of mountaineering – climb high and sleep low. This simply means that for better acclimatization, one should go to a higher altitude and then return a little lower to camp and sleep. So he sends us all to take a walk up the mountain for half an hour. But being the lazy bums that we are, we come back in 10 minutes. Sandeep tries to coax us into going further, but none of us are in the mood. Now its show time. He has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, and a pack of cards is all he needs. He shows us a lot of magic tricks, which make us freak out with astonishment. We beg him to teach us those tricks, and he promises that he would when all of us reach back to Lohajung.

It has started raining slightly now, and our party moves indoors. The conversation takes a most interesting turn. Ravi tells about a village in India called Dronagiri where Lord Hanuman is not worshipped, because he uprooted the Dronagiri mountain from this village. There is a village which follows the ‘Pandav’ custom – every girl in that village has more than one husband. A village in Laddakh is believed to be inhabited by people of pure Aryan origin. There are temples of gods in India with specializations, a god for all pending court cases, and a god for visa applications. India is indeed an interesting country. It would take more than a few lifetimes to explore every nook and corner of this land. Sandeep tells us about his experiences at National Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi, where he learned mountaineering skills. I find this conversation extremely interesting, such a refreshing change from the talks of politics and scandals. As I go to sleep at night, I thank god again for letting me be in this place at this time.

  

Trek to Roopkund - Part 1

God must have had a stroke of genius when he thought of the idea of mountains... and he must have been in a really good mood when he created the Himalayas. Every once in a while, I get this craving to be in the mountains. After last year's trek to Sar Pass, I had made a promise to myself that I would trek the Himalayas once every year. And this time there are two simple criteria - one: it had to be a place higher than Sar Pass... any thing lower would just not do, and two: it had to be really exciting.

One idle afternoon, I came across an article on Roopkund on wikipedia. It is a frozen lake in the Garhwal Himalayas, at an altitude of a little over 16500 feet above sea level. (Sar Pass was at 13000 feet - first criterion check.) In the year 1942, a forest ranger came across over 500 human skeletons strewn around this lake. Radio carbon dating showed that these bones were from 800 AD, and DNA traits showed that they were Kokanastha Brahmins, hailing from coastal Maharashtra. All of them were on some pilgrimage, when near Roopkund they were hit by hail stones as big as a cricket ball. Finding no shelter to save themselves, most of them died of fractured skulls. Owing to the perpetual snow in that area, even after 1200 years, their bones, and in some cases their flesh and hair, can be found near the lake. (This sounded exciting enough - second criterion check. :))

There are a few trek organizers who arrange treks to Roopkund. There was a thorough evaluation done for each of them on factors like cost, itinerary and dependability. And 'Trek The Himalayas' was the winner... :) Their web site told that they have a good strong organizing team, and their Roopkund trek was scheduled to be 8 days long - one more day than all others organizations. And we went by the principle "the more(days), the merrier".

Here is how I lived those 8 days:

Day 1 - 15th September

Kathgodam Railway Station

As I stand in front of the Kathgodam railway station at 6 in the morning, I sincerely hope that I don't meet the same fate as that of my ancestors on my trek to Roopkund. It is drizzling slightly. There are 11 of us waiting for the two taxis which would take us to Lohajung. Lohajung is about 250km from Kathgodam, and the road takes us through Bhimtal, Bhowali, Almora, Kausani, Baijnath and Gowldam, along the rivers Kosi, Gomti and Pindar. I have been looking forward to the drive through these scenic places. But I am not too lucky here. It is cloudy throughout the way, and the rains have damaged the road considerably. There are a few landslides along the way, which are being cleared out by cranes, and we make slow progress through the road. 

The unclear-able landslide

Just when we see a rainbow in the valley nearby and take it as an indication for smooth sailing ahead, we see another landslide. And the land is not done sliding. There is still an occasional spluttering of soil and rocks coming down the mountain. Luckily we are only 2km from Lohajung now, and can walk up to the base camp if required. But I am in no hurry to start the trek today itself. The thought of carrying our heavy backpacks up the mountain road in this rain is not very welcome at the back of an overnight train journey and a tiring road trip. After making a few phone calls, it is arranged for another taxi to come down from Lohajung and meet us just beyond the landslide. 

As we are waiting for the taxi, I see a guy making way towards our vehicle and ask the driver, "Bhaiya Patwal guest house ki gaadi hai?" And as soon as the driver nods, he looks at us and says, "Hi, I am Sandeep." Sweet relief... our trek leader is here. All of us cross the landslide on foot, and pile into the taxi which Sandeep had brought down with him. Its only a matter of minutes before we are at the Patwal guest house, our Base Camp. :)

Patwal Guest House

The Patwal guest house is a cosy little place, providing the minimum essentials for an overnight stay, and a mesmerising view of mountains and clouds. Here, there is an addition to our trek group of 11 - Vineeta has already reached Lohajung a couple of days back. Now our group size is a nice even 12. All of us have tea. Just before dinner, Sandeep briefs us about the trek, explains the do's and the don't's, talks about the use of diamox for better acclimatization and patiently answers all of our queries. There is a small round of introduction - and I find that there are people from many interesting professions. Priyanka and Anjali are pro photographers, Vineeta is a journalist, Vaishali and Kailash are into procurement, Alhad is a banker. The oldest... ahem.. youngest member of our group, Jagdish Sir, is a businessman. And then there is a bunch of jaded old software engineers -Rhushi, Rutika, Ravi, Dipesh and me. Sandeep also introduces us to his team - there is Mahesh bhai, the cook and Puna bhai, his helper. Mahesh bhai's cooking expertise is showcased as soon as a mouth watering dinner is served. The dessert of 'seviya ki kheer' is delicious.

View from the guest house

The trek is to begin tomorrow. There is a final sprint to the Lohajung market where I buy a woolen cap and a rain sheet. The rucksack is finally packed shut. I go to sleep with all kinds of what-if scenarios playing out in my mind. Hope we have a splendid trek.. :)