I was devoid of the usual nervousness that I encounter each
time I embark on a solo trip simply because I was almost sure I wouldn’t make
it till Tapovan.
The great Shivling |
For the uninitiated, Tapovan is an alpine meadow located at an altitude of 14500feet above sea level in the Gangotri Valley of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand. It is also the base camp of Mount Shivling. It is a 23km trek from Gangotri and takes one across the Gangotri National Park and one of the most ferocious Himalayan glaciers in the world, the Gangotri glacier. The 5km stretch from Gaumukh to Tapovan is the most challenging one as one has to literally walk over the Gangotri glacier dodging crevasses and moraines which dangerously lurk beneath seemingly well-held rock boulders, which give way no sooner one steps on them. The glacier changes its nature often and there is no fixed trail. The easiest part of this stretch is only TO LOSE YOUR WAY! The services of an experienced guide are a must as also is to keep altitude sickness at bay which affects most trekkers at the first stop (Bhojbasa) itself. All in all, any Himalayan trekker’s life is incomplete without trekking to Tapovan.
I had already made arrangements for a guide. However, I
insisted on having not just a trekking guide but an experienced mountaineer.
Mountaineers have this uncanny ability to push one to reach a destination and
can also spot any signs of altitude sickness that one may be experiencing but
unable to comprehend. Mountaineers are also very authoritative when it comes to
making decisions as to when it is right to not go further or retreat depending
on the trekker’s progress which is essential since one of the effects of
altitude sickness is the loss of decision making abilities and a trekker may
not be in a position to decide for himself/herself the right course of action.
I, thus, chose Real Adventure Gangotri , RAG (www.realadventuregangotri.in) to
arrange for the trek and insisted that its owner, Deepak Rana, himself
accompany me.
I always carry tetra pack juices and chocolates with me when
going on a trek but if you’re going with RAG, it’s a waste really as they’ll
themselves carry these for you. It was a last minute decision to buy myself two
packs of Glucon D and I later realized how right that decision was. Rucksack packed, I set out on my journey – my
first solo trek. I took a flight to Delhi. As luck would have it, the flight
was delayed, so much so, that catching the Nanda Devi Express the same night
was becoming a close call. I was almost in tears as I boarded the flight. I
quickly began to think of Plan Bs if I truly ended up missing my flight. I came
up with a decent Plan B but was praying that I didn’t have to employ it. I
reached Delhi airport at a time when the metro services were already closed for
the day. This was getting too close. I
prayed for my baggage to arrive quickly. Once it had, I sped out of the airport
and hired a Meru cab. I had only about 30min until my train’s departure. I told
this to the driver and on hearing it, it almost seemed as if he had made it his
life’s mission to help me catch my train. I boarded the train with 5min to
spare and I literally had my heart in my mouth.
I reached Haridwar the next morning at 4am. I had already
hired a cab to take me to Uttarkashi. I later realized that this was an
unnecessary expenditure. The better way to go to Uttarkashi is to get down at
Dehradun itself (the last stop of the train) and get into a hired jeep until
Uttarkashi. It is absolutely safe and way cheaper. My cab arrived at 5am at
Haridwar and I was pissed off on losing a whole hour. Nevertheless, we started
and I caught the first glimpse of the Himalayas when we were just entering
Chamba. I’ve never quite understood what it is with the Himalayas. One glance
at them and it has just a calming effect on one’s body and mind. We were only
30km from Uttarkashi when the car had a breakdown. The driver took 30min to
inspect it and came up with the news that it’d take at least a couple of hours
if not more to fix it! It felt pathetic to say the least. It was scorching hot
and there I was in the middle of a dusty road with a rucksack and a broken car.
I announced to him that I’d be moving ahead on my own and paid him his dues.
After an hour of standing in the heat and dust, I managed to flag down a jeep
that was going to Uttarkashi. I reached Uttarkashi at 1pm and enquired for
rooms in Hotel Bhandari (it is bank opposite to the petrol pump). It is a very
basic hotel with clean rooms for Rs 400 a day. You can also find single bedded
rooms for Rs 200 but they were all taken. I accepted whichever room was
available, had lunch, called up my mom informing her that I was safe and went
off to sleep. I was so tired!
I woke up in the evening and
went for a stroll outside. I
visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Uttarkashi and went on to meet few
fellow trekkers who were also going to Gangotri the next day.
A lady offering prasad to devotees outside the temple |
Kashi Vishwanath Temple |
The journey from Uttarkashi to Gangotri is a beautiful one.
On the winding way, one comes across Gangnani which is famous for its hot springs. One
also passes through Harsil, a small picturesque village 25km before Gangotri.
There is a view point in Harsil and the Himalayan valleys with the Bhagirathi
flowing between them look stunning. Gangotri is only 95km from Uttarkashi but
it took us almost 5hrs to reach there.
Deepak met me at the Gangotri bus stand and helped me check into a hotel. It had a clean bed and bathroom just what was needed at that moment. Hot water is readily available.
Later in the afternoon,
Deepak took me to some places such as the Surya Kund and the Pandava Gufa. There were beautiful rock formations at the
Surya Kund.
Beautiful Harsil Valley |
Deepak met me at the Gangotri bus stand and helped me check into a hotel. It had a clean bed and bathroom just what was needed at that moment. Hot water is readily available.
Surya Kund |
We returned back in time for the evening arati at the Gangotri
temple and the Bhagirathi (which later, is known as the Ganges). As the arati
(worship with fire) of the Bhagirathi began, it was a spiritually charged
atmosphere and it is impossible not to feel disconnected from the world then.
Ganga Arati in Gangotri |
I had planned to stay 2 nights at Gangotri for acclimatization. Gangotri itself is at 10000ft above sea level, so the trek starts at that height making acclimatization all the more important. I retired early that night and slept well.
I spent the next day loitering around the National Park. As evening approached, I met Deepak to know when we were leaving the next day and he gave me the biggest shock that I could ever get. He said that I’d have to carry my rucksack myself during the trek as the porter would only carry the food articles, tents, mattresses etc. Although, I was expected to carry items for only 2 nights, it was still a lot for me because I was suffering from a chronic neck and shoulder pain (common work place hazard!) and was strictly advised against carrying any load for a long time. I didn’t say anything to him but he was kind enough to accommodate the warm (and hence heavy) stuff with himself and the porter. I went to bed with a lot of stress on my mind. The next day we were to start at 8am but I woke up quite late. I got ready quickly but we still couldn’t start before 8:45am. I cannot express in words how nervous I was that day. The trek starts by climbing a few steep steps from the Temple Road. With the rucksack on my back, I was heaving and puffing after climbing only a few steps. And just like it happens when you lack confidence, I felt that the porters and other trekkers were all laughing at me. I cursed myself for being so stupid as to undertake a trek like this and that too alone. I was putting each foot forward with such nervousness that all I wanted was someone to tell me to go back.
I reached the check post of the Gangotri National Park
(about 2km away) with the burden of a rucksack and immense self doubt. As Deepak went into the office to submit a few papers, I just hung my head down and didn't even bother to look around.
But as soon as I started
from the check post, the entire valley opened up before me with the Bhagirathi
flowing below the valley. It was nature at its best and it was at that very
moment that all self doubt vanished. I told myself that I’d be happy even if I
made it only until Chirbasa, such was the captivating beauty of the place. And
this was only the beginning!
On the way to Chirbasa |
On the way to Chirbasa |
After walking for 5km more, I began to feel immense pain on my shoulders. I knew I could carry the rucksack no more. I told this to Deepak and he was very kind enough to carry my rucksack along with his.
One can start feeling the rising altitude as Chirbasa approaches. Chirbasa is at an altitude of 3600m. The vegetation becomes sparse and all one can see are the mighty Himalayas towering above almost as if they were watching over you. There are stretches which are completely over boulders and one has to be extremely careful in negotiating these boulders. No one wants a twisted ankle! What I found interesting here is that you simply cannot just marvel at the beauty of the mountain peaks and trek simultaneously. You need to pause and be stationary if you want to admire the beauty of the surrounding nature, otherwise, you could easily take a wrong step and well, you do not want to think about where that wrong step would lead you to! Being a novice trekker, I found the 9km trek fairly challenging. We reached Chirbasa at 1pm, a decent enough time. We were supposed to break for lunch here. Deepak sensed that I was tired and suggested that we camp here for the day but I insisted on going until Bhojbasa (5km away). Camping at Chirbasa would have meant trekking an extra 5km the next day and I wanted to avoid that.
The boulder laden trail |
Besides the fact that this trail too was boulder laden, there were a couple of rock fall zones too in this stretch. We surpassed large boulders, some as large as a sedan. We found fellow trekkers on the way already feeling the effects of altitude and again some trekkers feeling nothing at all and taking big strides to their destination.
The rock – fall zones are areas where the wind speed is so great that it dislodges boulders hanging precariously on the mountain walls, thus causing them to roll down. Remember that while on the one side you have the mountain walls, the other side is a steep valley and if one such dislodged rock were to hit you, you’d have a 100ft fall at least. It takes immense agility and alertness to dodge these falling rocks and that’s when you’ll either thank yourself for having a good guide or curse yourself for not having one. This is also why it is necessary to start the trek early so that this region can be crossed by noon time. The weather in the Himalayas is very unpredictable post noon.
One has to cross a few streams on the way to Bhojbasa. There were asbestos planks laid across a couple of streams that have a relatively strong current. For the others, the rocks made it convenient to walk across them.
Catching my breath and soaking in the views |
That pole was really not necessary |
The Bhagirathi |
One can hear the Bhagirathi flowing close
by. It’s flow is so fast and furious that it almost seemed to me as if the
Ganges from the plains had made an SOS to the Bhagirathi to cleanse her of the
dirt of both body and mind being dumped into her every day.
We had a steaming
cup of coffee and then went to a nearby ashram (Baba Nirmal Das) where a man
who sang bhajans lived. We listened to the bhajans for a while and as evening
approached, we came back to our tent.
I sat there on a bench and as night
fell, I beheld a stunning view. It was a night with clear skies and with no
electricity, the snow covered peaks of the Bhagirathi rose majestically against
the backdrop of the night sky. Dinner was a modest khichdi and we retired to
bed early. I was unable to sleep for the whole night partially due to the
altitude probably and more so because of my nervousness for the next day.
Although I knew that going until Gaumukh itself was an achievement, in my heart
of hearts I knew that I’d be utterly disappointed if I couldn’t make it till
Tapovan.
Bhagirathi Group of Peaks at night |
First glimpse of Shivling |
In about 45min more time, we reached Gaumukh. This is the source of the Ganges although, the
source does not really look like a cow’s snout as the name suggests. This is
because global warming has melted the glacier and it no longer has its original
form.
The trail leading to Tapovan from Gaumukh! |
The trail from Gaumukh to Tapovan cannot really be called a trail. Broken rocks, pebbles, boulders are spread over the whole area. This is the stretch where one is more likely to come across crevasses and moraines. Traversing that stretch is an experience in itself as I remember myself climbing up most of the time and at times, holding onto one rock for support to climb up. I was feeling extremely thirsty and the bottle of glucose that I had was finishing up fast. We broke at a point for lunch (above 1.5 – 2km before Tapovan). I was unable to really eat anything as I was feeling extremely thirsty and exhausted too. I had only 2 slices of bread, cucumber and a chocolate. We resumed. This last lap was undoubtedly the most exhausting as well as challenging of all. We were now only climbing up. And Deepak said that now we wouldn’t be able to take long rest breaks (My rest breaks were only for 5min). I, probably, paused after walking every 2minutes. But the pauses were not more than 30secs just enough to gather your breath. In many places, rocks came down rolling but thankfully, these weren’t large in size and we were able to dodge them. The trail is so slippery (being a typical scree zone) that it is advisable to not halt in this trail.
See the blue water body? That's where we had to climb up from! |
That's the Akash Ganga from a distance |
After crossing the Akash ganga |
After crossing the Akash Ganga, I almost felt as if I was climbing a wall. My mouth and nostrils were full of dust. My hands were dirty with holding on to rocks for support. I felt grateful that I had invested in a good pair of hiking shoes rather than wearing my sneakers as usual. After what seemed like an eternity, Deepak suddenly told me to look up.
A Dream Finally Comes True |
I had made it! I simply didn’t know how to react. That dream that
I had been weaving since almost 2 years had finally come true!
All I wanted to do after reaching Tapovan was to drink water
and wash my hands and face clean. We had to walk on a fair bit of snow even at
that time of the year. We went to Mauni baba’s ashram. He is thus called as he
has taken a vow of silence since the last 7 years. He communicates via signs
and although it was difficult to comprehend him when I met him, I soon was able
to understand what he was trying to convey by his signs. We made good
“conversation” for the 2 days that I was at Tapovan.
Mauni Baba is an excellent cook and it seems that he
completely believes in the adage “Atithi
Devo bhava”. The care and love with which he served us the food which he
had cooked himself can be compared to only how a mother serves food to her
family.
Neela tal |
After lunch I went inside my tent and rested for a while. In
the evening we explored the meadow for a while and had dinner right after
sunset. It didn’t take me very long to fall asleep. It had been a hard day,
after all!
We woke up early the next morning to view the sunrise on Mt.
Shivling. The sun’s first rays fall on the tip of the Shivling and that’s when
this peak truly resembles a shivling.
After breakfast, we left for a short trek to Neela Tal (literally, Blue Lake). It’s a mountain lake which has
crystal blue waters and the fortunate ones also get to see the reflection of
the Shivling in its waters. Neela Tal is about 1.5 km from Tapovan. But at that
altitude, it seemed
endless. Again there was no trail really and we were
walking on scree zones, loose rocks and this time the wind was blowing
furiously. The sun simply scorches you at that altitude, yet, you cannot let go
of your wind cheaters as the wind is very cold. I took it easy today. As I had
the whole day to myself, I trekked to Neela Tal taking all my time. It took us
about an hour to reach Neela Tal. The lake, although not too big, is very
beautiful and stays true to its name of bearing a sky blue color. It was
extremely cold near the lake and after spending about 15min there we traced our
way back to our camp. I rested for a while after lunch.
In the evening today, we were granted the beautiful night view of Mt. Shivling. In the night sky, the Shivling looked even closer to the naked eye. It was much colder on the second night than the first. We had an early dinner and I went off to sleep early. It was difficult to sleep though as it was very cold.
Climb to Neela tal |
Shivling towards sunset |
In the evening today, we were granted the beautiful night view of Mt. Shivling. In the night sky, the Shivling looked even closer to the naked eye. It was much colder on the second night than the first. We had an early dinner and I went off to sleep early. It was difficult to sleep though as it was very cold.
The next morning, we explored the area a bit more and soon
it was time for us to leave this sacred place. We started our descent at around
12:30pm. Not a good time to start but I wanted to postpone the descent for as
long as possible. The descent was horrible. I couldn’t grab a steady foothold
on that steep slope that was nothing but loose soil and small rocks. I had
Deepak leading me and the porter covering me from the back. I am glad they had
this arrangement as I was saved twice by the porter from falling backwards.
After climbing down that surface, we had to cross the Akash Ganga
again. This time its force was much higher than while coming here. Crossing it
was the most terrifying part of the whole trek.
Bhojbasa |
Sitting at Bhojbasa, the feeling of actually coming back from Tapovan had still not sunk in. But I felt as if I could conquer the world at that moment!
The next day, we trekked back to Gangotri. I checked into the guest house and refreshed myself with a hot bath, It was only after I called up my family and close friends and listening to their reactions, I realized that this was some achievement.
All through my journey back to Mumbai, all I could think of was Tapovan.
It is very difficult to explain
the feeling of achieving something you have set your heart on for a long
time. Amongst the many other things, it reinstates your Faith in your own Self and in Life.
All I knew is that I had gone there empty handed and I had returned with a lap full of presents, presents that were for a lifetime!
Things to know before you plan:
All I knew is that I had gone there empty handed and I had returned with a lap full of presents, presents that were for a lifetime!
Things to know before you plan:
- Number of days needed is10
- Total trekking days is 5
- Maximum altitude reached is 4463m
- Best time to visit is May-June and End August to Diwali (End October)
- Take a shared jeep from Dehradun to Uttarkashi and then a shared jeep from Uttarkashi to Gangotri.
For a detailed itinerary and package inquiries, please visit Gaumukh Tapovan Trek
You have written in a lucid compelling style - the precise reason why I read this again and forced myself to read slow. Felt as if am trekking alongwith. Going to read your other blog posts, too. Keep visiting and keep writing Paromita. Nitin Gaonkar
ReplyDeleteThank you !
DeleteGreat blog, picture perfect with your experiences. I was there last Month with couple of my friends. I could relive my experinces and memories while reading.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, picture perfect with your experiences. I was there last Month with couple of my friends. I could relive my experinces and memories while reading.
ReplyDeleteI have visited gangotri/ gomukh twice tapovan once 1999, excellent description with photos
ReplyDeleteWhat a marvelous write up! Really wanna go there. 😍😍😍
ReplyDeleteWhat a marvelous write up! Really wanna go there. 😍😍😍
ReplyDelete