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The Trekkers:
Ankur Bal
The one & only!
I've uploaded some photos on flickr.com at
Mohinder Vij
The guy with whom I started high altitude trekking. This is one major outdoor freak. He loves travelling, photography and playing cricket. Tall, well built & very outspoken. Does good homework before doing anything.
Rajesh Narwal
An all round cricketer & an avid sportsperson. Enjoys playing tennis, badminton, cricket, TT, etc. Once a trekker, always a trekker. Modest down to earth guy with a good sense of humour.
Bharat Chopra
This guy takes the cake. He is a good sportsman with a wit that none can match. His real time humour can give all the comedy channels, realty shows, etc a run for their money. He is a cricket enthusiast with excellent knowledge of all sport.
Bhagat Dahiya
This is one cool dude. An ardent carefree traveller who likes going places & enjoying life. His calm composure and intermittent hilarious anecdotes make him a great guy to be with.
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We had earlier planned the Nandanvan-Vasukitaal trek but decided against it at the last moment due to inclement weather conditions. We immediately started exploring other options and after contemplating Milam Glacier, Khatling Glacier, Mayana pass-Masar taal, we zeroed down to the Roopkund trek. From the info that we gathered from the various blogs on Roopkund, it appeared to be a tough trek to do in the four days that we had to our disposal. We had already done a couple of good treks & were bubbling with confidence. I still recall Rajesh's comment on Roopkund trek just before we unanimously agreed for Roopkund : “bhai, Sachin Tendulkar ko backup ki tarah nahin use karna chahiye”.
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One fateful Day: 9th Century AD: - RoopKund
A convoy of hundreds of men, women and children along with their domestic animals is crossing the Roopkund ridge. Everyone is tired due to the extensive climb and high altitude. They decide to take a breather before proceeding further. The weather changes swiftly and dark clouds hover above the mountain. The weary group is unmindful of the disturbing development. There is a deafening thunder followed by a sudden onset of hail. Brick size hail stones, each weighing 8-10 pounds, come crashing down on the unsuspecting group. There is no cover in the mountains at 16000ft and all of them perish. Neither man nor beast is spared. RoopKund becomes a mass grave.
Day1: 3rd October, 2008 AD: - Noida-Delhi to Kathgodam
I leave office early to set my things in order & to do some last minute purchases. We decide that Mohinder will hire a cab for Old Delhi station. I call up Mohinder & ask him to pick me from Mc Donalds in Sector 16 at 2100 hrs. My friend Himanshu drives me to McD's will all our trekking gear & I gobble up a couple of burgers (I luv junk food). Mohinder, Bharat & Rajesh turn up at 2115 hrs & we are off to the railway station. Bhagat joins us at the platform and offers his water bottle, as it is very hot & humid. The water has an unpleasant toothpaste essence and Bhagat is cursed by all. Within minutes, the Ranikhet express is slowly skirting along the platform. We soon discover that our bogie is quite far from our present position & start walking along the ambling train with lots of heavy luggage. As we board the train, our compartment is inundated with rucksacks, tents, mats, etc. Not a pretty site for the Bengali group who are heading for a holiday in Nanital!
Day2: 4th October, 2008 AD: - Kathgodam (1600 ft) to Lohajung (8300 ft)
The train arrives at Kathgodam an hour late at 0630 hrs & we disembark with all our stuff. We identify our cab outside the station & soon the Tata Sumo is crammed with luggage. It’s a long drive to Lohajung & our two drivers work in shifts. We take short breaks along the way & stop for breakfast close to Almora. Around noon, the driver stops for lunch at a small town called Garud. We don't like the place and decide not to eat there. While the drivers have their meal, Bhagat and I discuss welding concepts in small welding shack. Post lunch we continue our journey and reach Gwaldam by 1400 hrs. Here, the driver decides to take a shortcut to Dewal to avoid passing through Tharali. He tells us that it is a shorter route. The road becomes very bad and the vehicle brakes frequently. Finally after two hours, overlooking river Pinder, the bad road winds down to Dewal at 1600 hrs. Here we transfer our luggage to another vehicle to continue our journey to Lohajung.
As we drive out of Dewal, we notice a metallic contraption in centre of the road. We warn the driver, but he cares two hoots and decides to drive over it. There is a loud bang! The guy sitting in the rear detects an oil trail & raises an alarm. We immediately halt and the driver concludes that the engine oil chamber is damaged. He hurls a volley of abuses towards the unknown person who placed the metallic hinge on the road. It’s getting late and we have to act fast. Luckily, we are not far from Dewal. Bharat and I hitch a car going towards Dewal. At Dewal, Bharat spots the driver of our previous ride. We brief the driver of the mishap and he agrees to take us to Lohajung. We reload the baggage onto the Tata Sumo & head for Lohajung.
As we gain altitude, the road gets bad to worse. Sporadic rains make it shoddier. A few km uphill Mundoli, we reach Lohajung at 1730hrs. Our guide Mahender greets us and suggests a place for accommodation. We settle for two rooms in a makeshift hotel owned by a local Subedar. There is no electricity. After settling our luggage in the rooms, we work out the logistics for the trek with Mahender (our guide). We decide to hire two mules to carry our entire stuff. Mahender is directed to buy vegetables, daal, kerosene, etc.
Soon the guide leaves and we are creating a racket in our room. Bharat’s phone & jokes are the major entertainers. We are hungry and constantly pester the Subedar for dinner. He is busy feeding the foreigners and they take their own sweet time chatting and eating at leisure. As the foreigners vacate the living cum dining room, we rush in for a sumptuous candlelight dinner. The food is good and we compliment the Subedar.
We retire almost immediately; but it’s not yet over. As I’m about to switch to sleep mode, I hear a loud bluster from Mohinder in the adjacent room. A big bug has invaded Bhagat’s bedding. Bharat and Rajesh rush to his rescue and finally the turmoil ends after a major ruckus.
At about 0300hrs in the morning I realize that Rajesh is gasping for breath. He has developed an allergy (due to the soggy & dusty quilt) that has constricted his trachea. I immediately give him a Salbutamol inhaler that provides him instant relief. Rajesh goes into a deep slumber.
Day3: 5th October, 2008 AD: - Lohajung (8300 ft) – Kulling - Didna - Tolpani (10000 ft)
We wake up early to a clear blue sky. Mohinder & I click a couple of photographs. As the bathrooms are shared, we rush through our morning ablutions. The Subedar provides for the hot water. While I’m packing my stuff, I discover a half dead grasshopper in the portico. It turns out that it was the cause of last night’s commotion. I scoff at Mohinder and others for hurting the poor creature. Before all of us are ready, the Subedar starts serving breakfast. We realise that this is the last time we are having a meal in civilization in the next four days. Its Navratra time and everyone wants to have paranthas. But I settle for a 6-egg omelette along with three paranthas.
The guide and mules arrive at 0800hrs. Our guide Mahender has arranged for the supplies. The mule master Pratap starts loading the mules with our stuff. Meanwhile, we are applying sunscreen on our skin, calibrating our two-way radios, and settling our bills. We thank the Subedar and start our trek at 0900hrs along the road to Wan, another remote village 15km north of Lohajung. Today we plan to trek up to Ali-Bugyal. After walking on a level dirt road for 4km, we arrive at Kulling Village. Here the guide instructs us to get off the road and trek down the narrow alleys of Kulling. Cute little village children greet us and we take a couple of photographs. We lose 1000ft by the time we reach a stream at the base of the mountain. We cross the stream (at 1030hrs) and begin an arduous climb on the adjoining hill. The trail is uphill most of the time and we halt frequently for drinking water. We climb for over an hour and replenish our water supplies at a small waterfall. Within 15 minutes of climbing, we arrive at Didna at 1145hrs; a tiny village nestled up in the mountain. Bhagat and I click photographs and wait for others to arrive. Mohinder appears first and immediately starts playing with Didna children. Rajesh and Bharat follow suit. We pluck fresh apricot from a tree and relish every bite. I’ve never eaten such delicious apricots in my life!
As we are about to leave, our mules emerge out of the wilderness. We finally leave Didna by 1215 hrs. Bhagat and I cross the Didna camping site and follow a trail. The path becomes very narrow and difficult. We wonder if we are going right. I radio Rajesh & ask for directions. Mahender (The guide) is with them and tells us that we have gone on the wrong trail. The guide decides to wait for us, while others continue. We retrace our steps and finally locate the guide. He asks us to be more careful and we get on to the correct trail. After a while, we come across a few elderly foreigners coming down from Bedni Bugyal. One lady appears to be close to 70. We are very inspired. Both exchange pleasantries and move on. We soon catch up with the others. The climb continues with no end in site.
The trail suddenly opens into what seems to be a small deserted hut settlement with veggie fields. The mule guy Pratap tells us that we’ve arrived at Tolpani. Shepherds along with their flock stay at Tolpani during the summer months for cattle grazing. It is 1315hrs and another 1-1/2 hrs trek will lead us to Ali-Bugyal. I radio Rajesh and others to hurry up. I click some snaps. By the time others arrive, a thick cloud blanket has engulfed the forest. The exhausted guys eat some chocolates, biscuits, etc. The guys are sceptical about the weather & argue if we should continue. We finally start a climb out of Tolpani at 1400hrs. Within ten minutes, the visibility goes down drastically and an unexpected hailstorm ensues. Although we’ve cloaked ourselves with ponchos (big plastic sheets), we get thrashed by large hailstones. As we get hail hammered, we stand still on the trail. After enduring 10minutes of battering, the guide advises us to return to Tolpani. Rajesh radios the retreat message. Downhill to Tolpani is fast and all of us scramble into an abandoned hut to get shelter from the brutal hail.
The hut has a leaky roof and we decide to look for a habitable shelter. As the hail continues, it starts getting cold. To make matters worse, our clothes (esp. pants, shoes) are drenched. There is no way we can pitch our tents in this weather. Not far, our guide Mahender locates a liveable hut and we shift huts! The new hut is dry and more spacious. Here, we change our clothes and get our sleeping mats and bags out. The roof of this hut is filthy and has black stalagmite type structures made of soot. We move around the hut in a crooked manner to evade the protruding dirt. It’s past 1700 hrs and the hail has diminished to light rain. I wear layers of warm clothing and sneak into the makeshift Kitchen hut, a few meters way from our shelter. Mahender and Pratap have opened the ration bags and are ready to cook dinner. They have lit a small fire inside the hut and it gets cosy. I search out a packet of Haldiram ‘sohan-papri’ and take it along with some hot water to the famished group. I quickly return to the Kitchen hut. Mahender is chopping onions. I get the kerosene stove running while Pratap washes utensils and gets water in the pressure cooker. Fortunately, there is a water stream close-by. We have one stove and it takes more than 1-1/2 hours to get daal-chawal ready. Mahender’s phone is showing minimal signal strength and we swiftly take turns to call up folks at home. We are starving and eat our dinner placidly by the fire. An occasional crackle of the wet firewood interrupts the silence. After our meal, we retire to our hut after showering praises on the quality of food.
The guide advises us to leave early the next day so that we can make it to Pathar Nachoni in the first half. We are unsure of the weather, but he is optimistic. We pray to the weather gods and go sleep.
Day4: 6th October, 2008 AD: - Tolpani (10000 ft) - Ali Bugyal - Bedni Bugyal - Pathar Nachoni (13000 ft)
It rains all night and our confidence to continue has reached a new low. Our guide Mahender gives us a wake-up call at 0600 hrs and we reluctantly crawl out of our sleeping bags. As we freshen up for the day, the weather miraculously clears by 0700hrs, and soon there is bright sunlight! Mahender asks us to hurry up so that we can start at the earliest. We have Buns with milkmaid and tea for breakfast and start our ascent at 0800hrs. The guide and the mules follow. We reach the top before 0830hrs and do some fooling around. The guide and the mules join us at 0900hrs and we continue our climb to Ali Bugyal. The trail leads us into dense forests with strange looking trees. The trees are all covered with moss that gives them an eerie look. This place reminds me of the Fangorn forest from the movie ‘Lord of the Rings’. Little later we reach the edge of the woods and clamber up a green meadow. I click lots of photographs and bid farewell to the ‘Ents’.
We are in Ali Bugyal by 1000 hrs. Ali Bugyal is a fairytale meadow at 11500 ft. The sun is shining bright and has a magical effect on the verdant slopes. We cross the panoramic meadows stopping often to take photos. This remarkable location is very similar to the picturesque setting of the song ‘Pehla Nasha’ from the movie ‘Jo Jita wahi Sikandar’. Our guide Mahender points in the direction of an intimidating hill that we need to cross. Another climb begins, but with a destination summit in view. A small water stream crosses our path and I replenish our dwindling water supply. At 1115hrs, we get to the top and are in full view of Bedni Bugyal. Since the past half n hour we have been intermittently receiving spurious signals on our Radio. It sounds like some Chinese transmission. Bharat’s had enough and he transmits a series of insults. Luckily, the interference stops.
As we go further, the grasslands of Bedni Bugyal are 100 ft below to our left. Many multihued tents along with some stone huts are seen pitched at Bedni. It appears to be a major campsite for trekkers. Another 20 minutes and Bedni Bugyal is a spec on the far left side with the tents hardly visible as tiny coloured dots. The trail gets misty with clouds sailing across the mountain. We increase our pace and at 1330 hrs, reach the Pathar Nachoni campsite. It has started to get windy and we immediately start pitching our tents. We pitch two tents. Bhagat & I occupy the small dome tent whereas Mohinder, Bharat & Rajesh reside in the bigger Alpine tent. An underground water stream flows nearby. Also, a few meters downstream is an abandoned stone hut. Although we have a spare tent, the guide & mule handler decide on using the stone hut as a shelter cum kitchen. I get into the stone hut and we prepare Maggi Noodles for lunch. All of us enjoy the meal and retire to our tents until evening. Mohinder has developed a skin rash which he attributes to an insect in his sleeping bag which none of us is able to trace. Unfortunately, we haven’t brought an anti-allergen (avil). We attempt to placate his agony by applying some creams, but they don’t help much either. Rest of the evening is uneventful and culminates with a satisfying dinner comprising rice and potato curry. We sleep early, as tomorrow is the big day.
Day5: 7th October, 2008 AD: - Pathar Nachoni (13000 ft) – Kalu Vinayak – Bhaguawasa – RoopKund (16000 ft) AND BACK to Pathar Nachoni
It’s a windy night without any precipitation or rainfall. We are up by 0600 hrs, get over with our chores by 0700, and are rearing to go. The breakfast today is Potato subzi with tea. We decide to carry some extra warm clothing in the guides backpack and stuff his bag with the extra warm clothing. I decide to carry my own rucksack and cram it with a sweater, 2 jackets (mine & Bhagat’s) and a water bottle. Unfortunately, our campsite is 200 ft below the trekking trail. We start off by 0800hrs and climb the steep 200 ft incline to get on to the trail. Pratap, the mule man stays back at the campsite to take care of our belongings and his two mules. Our guide Mahender trains his stick towards the Kalu Vinayak top and we all collectively chant ‘Jai Bholenath’. As we progress in our climb, the gradient increases with every passing minute. Bhagat & I maintain a brisk pace on the steep climb. I ensure that we don’t rest for more than 30 seconds. Just before reaching the top, another guide accompanying a group of seven Bengali’s compliments our tempo and joins us. His group is seen struggling far below. As we walk together, he tells us about the medicinal and invigorating properties of some weeds/grass that we happen to cross. I don’t clearly understand his dialect but continue to nod in agreement. The three of us make it to the Kalu Vinayak pinnacle at 0925hrs.
At Kalu Vinayak, if the thin air doesn’t take your breath away, the spectacular view surely will! It’s a grand display of the snow-covered peaks. One has to see it believe it. One good thing about this trek is that as soon as you reach a milestone, one is greeted with magnificent panoramic views. They seem to suddenly pop up!
Kalu Vinayak is a small stone temple at 14500 ft. An idol of Lord Ganesha resides in the stone structure. I pray to the almighty and ring a huge bell. Meanwhile, Bhagat is taking rounds of the temple & the other guide is lighting incandescent sticks at the altar. The rest of the group joins us in 20 minutes. As the clouds are closing in, we have a quick photo session and proceed to Bhaguawasa. The route to Bhaguawasa is a mild trail and marks the beginning of the snow line. All of us cover it in 15-20 minutes. A group can be seen camping here.
Post Bhaguawasa, the trail gradient increases dramatically and we again go into climb mode. Within a km, Bharat develops AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) symptoms and has to stop. His heart rate has gone up and nausea sets in. It’s a risky situation and we all support his decision to turn back. He procures his jacket from the guide and goes back towards Bhaguawasa with the radio. As we go further, thick snow is trespassing the rocky trail and walking becomes difficult. Around half a km before the ridge housing Roopkund, the trail disappears with snow all over the place. After this point, it’s a vertical world. A very steep, 500m climb lies ahead. To add to the exhaustion & fatigue, Mohinder’s shoes don’t grip well in snow. Mohinder and Rajesh decide against going any further.
Our guide Mahender instructs us to closely follow his footsteps in the snow. I follow his gait and Bhagat is close on my heels. After carefully negotiating every step we triumphantly reach the ridge that slopes down to Roopkund on the other side. Bhagat and I hug each other at this juncture and I radio our successful ascent to Bharat. He has reached Kalu Vinayak and congratulates us in his usual cheerful tone. By this time, the bright sun has taken a toll on my skin; and my face is badly sun burnt.
The bowl shaped Roopkund depression is all covered with snow and there is no sign of any lake. Mahender explains that due to low temperatures & heavy snowfall, the lake is frozen and covered with snow. I discover a human skull and take a photograph. We walk down the snowy slopes to the frozen lake and click some more snaps. I am elated and want to climb further to Junargali, but Mahender advises against it. We spend around half n hour exploring around the snow-roofed lake and finally depart. Coming downhill a steep snow covered slope is another challenge. As we descend from the ridge, we see two persons from the Bengali group scrambling up the steep incline along with their guide. As we cross them, we wish them luck. Further down, a Bengali guy is struggling to get down the snowy slope. He looks scared and disoriented. We learn that he gave up the climb just a few hundred metres before the ridge. We overtake him and decide to accompany him till he reaches a safe spot. In the last few meters, Bhagat slips and I immediately grab his arm. That was close!
We reach the spot where we left our rucksacks. From now on, the downward slope reduces and we let our guard down. We are soon hopping down the trail to Kalu Vinayak. The guide is watchful and spots a small stream trickling down the rocky slopes. We immediately start filling our empty bottles and quench our prolonged thirst. Further down just before Bhaguawasa we come across a part of the Bengali group who couldn’t make it to the top. They look disappointed and are desperate for water. We offer them our water bottle and lift their spirits. Next we arrive at Bhaguawasa and run into a group of Bangalore guys. They made it to Roopkund early morning and are planning to move down to Pathar Nachoni. We exchange our escapades and move on.
To our pleasant surprise we meet Mohinder and Rajesh at Kalu Vinayak. They are hoping for the clouds to clear for a perfect picture of the mountain range. We are happy to reunite. The clouds don’t budge and we decide to move on. I radio Bharat our present position and ask him to get our meal prepared. He gleefully acknowledges our transmission.
All of us make it down to our Pathar Nachoni camp site in half n hour. We quickly have our lunch cum dinner and retire to our tents. It’s getting windy and soon there is hail. This time our tents brave the hail pellets. The Alpine tent is not of good quality and water seeps through the inner walls at some points. Mohinder, Rajesh & Bharat work out a temporary solution by covering the vulnerable side with big plastic bags. All of us swear at the tent vendor and resolve to teach him a lesson back home. Its past 1700hrs and we are tucked into our sleeping bags. We want to have tomato soup for the evening but rain and hail deter our intentions. We are off to sleep early.
Day6: 8th October, 2008 AD: - Pathar Nachoni (13000 ft) – Bedni Bugyal – Wan (8000 ft) - Dewal
Its time to go home and all of us are up early. Sleeping bags, rucksacks and tents are all packed frantically. The guide has prepared khichdi. The usual drill of having breakfast, filling water bottles and applying sunscreen is completed and we bid farewell to Pathar Nachoni. We want to reach Wan by noon so that we can arrange a cab for Rishikesh. We reach Bedni Bugyal by 1000hrs; bask in the meadows, and click some more snaps. A guy claiming to be a forest official appears out of nowhere and demands a sum to be paid for camping. As we have not camped at Bedni, we question his motive. Also, by his attire he appears to be a usual porter guy and is not in possession of any i-card. We are not convinced and proceed further down hill. After an hour of sloping down, a short climb awaits us. Bharat has sprained his left foot and decides to slip into floaters. We finally reach Wan by 1430 hrs. Wan is a small village in the foothills of the Bugyals. After a long haggle, a jeep driver from the Village agrees to drop us to Dewal. The mules are off-loaded, and the jeep heads for Dewal on the appalling roads. The guide accompanies us till Lohajung where we settle his dues.
We reach Dewal at 1700 hrs and get into the process of finding a good cab deal for Rishikesh. Despite our best efforts, no-one is ready to move out of Dewal. As tomorrow is Dussehra, the drivers are all pre-booked for ferrying wedding guests. Also, the local people advise us not to venture out in the hilly terrain at night. We learn that there is press vehicle that leaves Dewal for Karanprayag early in the morning at 0400 hrs. With no other option left, we give up and mull spending the night in Dewal. Dewal is an unremarkable town that has very little to offer. A narrow road (with parked cabs) flanked by dilapidated buildings best describes this inconspicuous settlement.
Bharat & Mohinder close a deal in a dingy hotel called “The Lodge”. Each room has 3 beds & there is an attached room where another guy stays. The owner of this place takes pride in telling us that traders (vyapari) from all walks reside in “The Lodge”. I imagine the plight of the merchants forced to stay at this terrible Lodge. We dump our luggage in the room and go out to have our dinner. Out on the street, we barge into a dhaba and hog like starved urchins. Post dinner its time to get back to “The Lodge” and go to sleep.
Day7: 9th October, 2008 AD: - Dewal - Delhi
At 0300hrs, the press guy is honking like crazy in the lone street of Dewal. We wake up, do some basic chores and stack our entire luggage onto the roof-carrier of the press vehicle. The cab leaves Dewal exactly at 0400 hrs. The press guy drives fast on the meandering roads and upsets a fellow passenger who throws up occasionally. We reach Karanprayag by 06:15 and immediately hire a cab for Dehra Dun. We cross the religious hubs of Rudraprayag & Devprayag before stopping for a meal just before Rishikesh. Bharat is at his mischievous antics and he dexterously cajoles a fruit vendor into selling apples and bananas for a low sum. The poor hawker is perplexed and we all have a hearty laugh!
A few hundred meters down the road, heavy machinery is at work and we have to halt for over half n hour. People get impatient and forcefully cross the barrier only to create more chaos. The traffic comes to a grinding halt and we are out struggling to make way for our cab. After a lot of requests and tussles, we are speeding to Rishikesh. Mohinder, Bharat, Rajesh & Bhagat alight at the Rishikesh Bus stand and luckily get a direct bus to Delhi. I bid farewell to my friends and continue my onward journey to DehraDun. I reach my DehraDun home by 1400 hrs and my parents are more than happy. My dark sun-burnt skin is a testimony to the ordeal we’ve undergone in the past few days. I stare in the mirror and wonder: “Was it all for real!”
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Trek Statistics:
No. of persons : 5 (of us) + 2 (guide & mule man)
No. of Mules : 2
Trek Duration : 3 Nights/4 days
Utensils : 1 5L Pressure cooker, 1 5L deep pan, 5 plates, spoons & glasses
Stove : 1 Brass Kerosene stove with re-fuelling funnel & cleaning pins
Fuel used : 4L Kerosene
Food consumed: 4kg rice, 1kg daal, 2kg potato, 1kg onion, 1kg tomato, 8 Maggi Noodles, 1L milk, 20 tea bags, 1kg Haldiram Sohan papri, 12 Buns, 1 milkmaid
Trek gear : 2 dome tents, 1 Alpine tent, 5 sleeping bags, 5 rucksacks, 5 sleeping mats, 1 tarpaulin, 4 Trekking sticks, 5 torches, a pair of Motorola Talkabout Radios(1 W)
Total Trek Distance : 54 km
Max Trek Altitude reached : 16000 ft
Min Trek Altitude reached : 7000 ft
Camp sites : Tolpani, Pathar Nachoni
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Some Useful info:
Guide name & contact : Mahender [09411564578, 09410925427]
Guide cost: Rs 350 per day (He will arrange for mules/porters)
Kathgodam Cab Guy contact: Raju Shah [09411356448, 09410723404, 09410146415], Kathgodam-Lohajung @ Rs 3500
DehraDun Cab Guy contact: Ganga Singh [09927402255], Karanprayag-Dehradun @ Rs 1950
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