The weather was clear and we got excellent views of Nandghunti, Trishul and choukumba again. We felt the weather was excellent for trekking. But as time passed, clouds started looming over the far off places where we were going to trek. Our guide told us it may start raining at any time and we better hurry.
We decided to camp at Pathar Nachoni if it rains continuously on the way as rain slows down trekking speed. I feared that fever coupled along with the windy rain would make me unwell and it would not be possible for me to reach Bhagubasa. Then I felt the need to pray to God/Nature to make me fit to reach Bhagubasa without any difficulties and let it not rain on our way. I feel that, we pray to God or remind ourselves of Him only when we are pushed to our knees. This may be because human memories are short and we need to be reminded frequently of Him. I think I have become a bit spiritual here but prayer has positive effects on us. That's why so many people become well or satisfied once they pray.
There was a small climb from the campsite towards the marked trail and the Gults were leading the group. The initial climb to the marked trail was good but after that it was a gradual walk. Me, Karthik and Mohan singh(guide) were walking so fast on the trail that we had to stop in between and look for others. As we were walkingl, we were being caressed by the clouds on their way to the top where they are going to rain. We couldn't see 10 meters in front of us and it was all misty. We were slowly gaining height and after treading through mist and fog for two long hours, we reached “Ghoda Lotani” (place where Ghodas/horses graze). Me, Raju, Karthik and Mohan were walking very fast as it took some time for others to join us. This was the place where the mules and porters overtook us and left us behind.
I felt grateful to God as it didn't rain till then. Even my condition was becoming better and better and my morale was up. Mohan informed us that we were lucky as it didn't rain and better rush and reach Pathar Nachoni. I felt Raghuram's condition was becoming worser but his liking for treks made him to trek. Even till now I can't believe how he trekked all the way to Bhagubasa and Roopkund. The walk from Ghoda Lotani to Pathar Nachoni is a gradual descent along the winding trail that goes through the sides of the mountains.
As we were approaching Pathar Nachoni, it started drizzling. We tookout honchos to cover ourselves and rested near a large boulder for shelter. It was windy and cold and the temperature could be around 5-8 degrees. As it was only 1.00 PM and all the guys were in good shape, we dropped the idea of camping at Pathar Nachoni and prepared ourselves to reach our base camp for the day before 4.00 PM. At that time, I felt that nothing would have been in our mind except reaching our camp site for the day. Before we reach Bhagubasa, we have to tread all the way till the base of Kalu Vinayak(black Ganapati) and a steep climb there will take us to the famed temple for trekkers.
When we stopped at Pathar Nachoni, the top of Kalu Vinayak was visible but it looked too far. For the first time, in this trek, we saw snow on the boulders and rocks on the way to Kalu Vinayak which indicated the start of the snow line. We could feel the thinness of air as we were taking breaks at very short intervals. As were trekking towards Kalu Vinayak, the skies started to clear out and we were elated. The climb to Kalu Vinayak was a steep one and we gained height rapidly. Only Aswin was able to make to the top in a matter of minutes and we all were grasping for our breath on the way.
Kalu Vinayak gets its name from the black Ganesh idol enclosed in a beautiful stone shrine. A small temple bell was kept there to perform pooja. I offered my prayers to Lord Ganesha for the easiness with which I did the trek. We got a magnificent view of the mountains surrounding Roopkund lake and the views kept stopping us from moving forward. The trail from Kalu Vinayak is a nice and easy one and it took us 1/2 hour to reach Bhagubasa. We could have camped at the stone huts on the way hadn't it been not occupied. We went a little further and camped near a stream. We had left the lush green meadows and beautiful camping sites far behind and were at high altitudes now (~ 14500 ft) where there is very little vegetation. We all thanked the weather Gods for being with us; it would have been impossible for us to reach Bhagubasa if the weather had gone sour.
By evening, we could see peaks of Trishul, Kaalapahad and Choukumba sometimes very clearly and sometimes eclipsed by the clouds as if they were playing hide and seek with us. To watch such majestic mountains so close was an all together memorable experience for us. It was windy there and the weather was biting cold. We have to wear all our woolen clothing to bear it while standing outside our tent. Since we prepared ourselves a lot by exercising before the trek, we felt lesser nausea and giddiness as compared to last trek. Even though we didn't feel the effects of AMS(Acute Mountain Sickness), each one of us gulped down medicine for AMS which we found out was unnecessary, the next day. Raghuram would have easily gulped down some 4 to 5 tablets that night so that he could trek the next day. It would have reached sub zero temperatures at night and we saw snow on our tent the next day morning.
We started discussing our trek plan for the following day. Some of us had an opinion that we should trek till Roopkund, come back and rest at Bhagubasa and start trekking to Bedni the day after. But our guide advised us that we can trek till Bedni the same day after returning back from Roopkund and told that many groups had done it before. He always used to say “Aaraam se hojaayega” to boost our confidence so that we can trek faster. We calculated the total distance and it was around 20 kms which was a big number but we agreed with our guide as he lead many groups till Roopkund before.
We decided to get up as early as 5.00 AM the next day as we have to trek a lot(Bhagubasa → Roopkund → Bhagubasa → Ali Bugyal → Bedni Bugyal) . At night the cold was severe and we used seven layers of protection during our sleep. (Order: Tent, Sleeping bag, Jacket, Sweater, T-shirt, inner garments and thermals)
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