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| Rhododendron |
Back in 2013, after trekking to the Mandakini Glacier and Thungnath in Uttarakhand’s Gharwal
region, my sister Viji and I were so mesmerized by the snow clad peaks/green mountain/forest
and its huge Rhododendron trees, we wanted to revisit this beautiful Chopta-Thungnath
area during Rhododendron bloom time.
Somehow
missed the Rhododendron bloom last couple of years, whenever I called Uttarakhand
tourism office between March and April, answer was either no bloom yet or it is
over early. Oh! how I wish they start providing accurate dates and information.
This year, I was able to catch the tail end of the bloom time and I was
recommended to visit before April 10th. Based on the popular Rhodedendrum bloom
trek itinerary, we planned to go from Rishikesh to Sari village by road - trek
to Devriatal - trek via alpine forest to Chopta - trek to
Thungnath-Chandrashila – trek to Pothibasa and back to Rishikesh; total of 4 days of
trek and later 2 days in Rishikesh.
Checked with
Uttarakhand tourism and couple of adventure tours and decided on a custom
package instead of fixed departure group tours for two reasons, one, our
previous camping/tent - trek combination was some 8 yrs ago during Gangothri
glacier/Gomukh & Tapovan trek. Two, we wanted to take it easy during trek and
enjoy the nature and have the flexibility to stop at few temples on the way and
change schedule if required. Checking out price with couple of organizers,
we decided to go with Adventure trips, India. Cost was rupees 40K for 2 from
Rishikesh to Rishikesh for 4 days with all meals, jeep, tents, sleeping bags, guide,
cook, porter and helper. Price is half if you go with their fixed departure
groups. Started looking for airline ticket and booked for April 2nd
from Bangalore to Dehra Dun (14,500 Rs/person roundtrip). Based on Organizer’s recommendation booked
The Green Hills Cottage (budget hotel with breakfast) in Rishikesh Rs. 2,600/-
for overnight stay and The Great Ganga (Intermediate hotel with
breakfast) for 4,000 Rs/night on the way back. Usually we prepare before any
trips which involves lot of walking … this time no such thing called
“preparing” we had only 5 days & were busy.
April 2nd:
Off to Dehra Dun from Bangalore by 8:10 a.m. Indigo flight. Our journey started with a beautiful view of sunrise
on our way to airport and thank God! both the flights were on time! Took a prepaid
taxi (1000 Rs for AC car) at airport to Rishikesh Green Hills Cottage. A neat place for a budget hotel; only thing
is our trekking sort of started as we had to climb up 3 floors to our room (no
elevator). We rested for a while; tour
organizer (Ramesh) and guide (Hari) came to meet us in the evening and
discussed the plan for next 4 days. They
also wanted to make sure we have the recommended items from their checklist
(like rain jacket, thermal & etc.,
usual trekking needs in the Himalayas). We planned on an early start
next day at 7:00AM so that we can reach Sari by late afternoon to trek up to
Devriatal. After they left, we decided to go to Laxman
jula/hanging bridge on the Ganga which is 1km from this hotel. The walk was not pleasant due to narrow roads
with no sidewalks and traffic plus dust.
Had some light dinner and off to bed.
April 3rd:
Rishikesh to Sari at 6554Ft (7Hrs
road trip) – Devriatal/Deoriatal – 7800ft (Trek uphill 1hr -2.3km)
As usual we
were ready early and checked around to see if we can get some coffee…no such
luck as everything opens at 8:00 AM :-( by then our jeep fully packed for
next 4 days along with Hari (guide), Sunil (cook) and driver arrived. By 7:15 AM we were on the road with
magnificent views of layered mountains & listening to the roaring
Ganga. Despite having done this route few
times earlier you still feel the same excitement as if it’s first time!. Stopped at Shiva Ganga hotel for a typical
breakfast of parata, curd and pickle! Remembered to order Tea and not coffee
(we all know how coffee tastes in North India☺).
Back on the jeep and time to enjoy the views again, started to see snow
clad peaks.
I observed some
positive changes since 2013 disaster - Abuse to River Ganga with too many rafting
operators/centers with their camps right on the beaches of Ganga is mostly gone.
These camps are now moved to backwater area.
Power plant and dam constructions are reduced drastically since last
visit. Main construction activities were
road repairs, getting ready for the Chardham yatra tourists (piligrim to Badrinath, Kedarnath,
Gangothri and Yamunothri) which opens May first week. We noticed in Devprayag and later in Rudhraprayag,
the confluence of rivers Alakananda – Bhagirathi & Alakananda –
Mandakini, the force of these rivers that you normally see after June was not
there, as snow melting from mountains and rainfall yet to happen. Although these surroundings are in the
beginning of the spring with many bald trees, it is still a feast for the
eyes. Something magical about this route!
Stopped for
lunch at a roadside shack in Agastha Muni town 25km before Gupta kashi – What a
nice name for a town! Tasty food! But the condition of the shack is something
you need to ignore ☺ for your own good. This is the reason pit stop in woods is
always preferred (in-line with Swachh Bharath!!?☺). Here onward we
started seeing residue of 2013 disaster.
Lots of boulders of all sizes & shapes were in the path & on
either side of Mandakini River; some of the old roads and bridges in shamble &
new ones under construction with high retention walls. Saw many landslides in these areas as well.
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| Sari Village - trek start |
We
reached Sari village at 2:00 PM. While
luggage was being unloaded from the jeep, we filled registration/permit form
from the organizer. A pony and a young helper (Ravinder) joined us for
trek. As we got ready to walk with our
backpack, pole etc., first thing that came to my mind was, wouldn’t it be nice
if first 10-15 min is all level walk with no uphill especially after sitting on
our butt for 7 hrs. Like they say, If only
wishes were horses… It is a short trek of 2.5km but uphill all the way! an
elevation of 1000ft increase in 2Km span - Well at least this is my
justification for huffing and puffing after hardly 5-10 min into the trek and
oh! Not to forget another excuse of afternoon sun directly on us!!!☺.
Beautiful
views of the mountains and Rhododendron red & pink blooms definitely helped
getting acclimatized to this ascend walk & brought smiles to our face. There is
a cute Shiva temple with structure resembling Thungnath temple on the way and even a
couple of chai stalls.
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| Shiva Temple |
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| Devriatal |
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| Viji checking out tent |
This short trek is apparently popular as many people
stay at Sari village and do this as day trek. We even tried Rhododendron juice
– light & tasty and store guy said good for heart. Reached Devriatal after
1 hr 15min with stops… not bad ah? Hari said we are not slow☺. Our Kitchen tent and foldable table/stools
were all ready for us at campsite. They
were pitching our tent, hardly had they finished, it started to rain. Quickly
we got into our tent. Checked it out and it was comfortable for 2 with our bags
etc. Rain stopped in no time. We came out or should I say crawled out of
tent. I am sure few calories burnt while sitting on floor and trying to
stand-up with butt inside the tent and foot outside with no support (I leave
this to ones imagination...) – This made us laugh so much, making it harder to
get up.
This fresh
water lake is surrounded by Rhododendron and other trees and well known for its
panoramic view of the Himalayan peaks Chaukamba (23,419 ft), Kedar (22,769
ft) , Neelakanth (21,640 ft), Kirti
Stambh and many unnamed peaks all around. On a sunny day (usually after May), you can see
clear reflection of Chaukamba peak like a mirror in this lake. Devriatal has its reference in many Hindu
scripts “As per the Hindu legend Devas
bathed here and hence the name, in our puranas it is referred as "Indra Sarovar". In Mahabharatha, this place is where the Pandavas while in their exile were asked the
famous queries by Yaksha/Yama (Yaksha Prashne).” Our tent was pitched in front of this lake at
an elevated area with beautiful view of Choukamba. After some hot tea and snacks, we went for a
walk around the lake. Luckily it was a perfect time as the birds were
going/coming to their homes. Got some good
sighting of colorful birds! Walking amidst the flowers and birds around the
lake overlooking snow clad peaks was visual poetry! We noticed quite a number
of tents popping up – there was a 21 member Indiahike’s group trek to the same
places as us.
Forgot to mention, the
toilet tent that was setup for us was usual but big change from past experience
is now they have foldable commode so no squatting exercise ☺. Area where this was pitched we could also see
signs of quite a number of such tents pitched in the past. The good, the bad and the ugly side of
introduction of toilet paper in India and sheer volume of trekkers to this area
all year round was evident as everything else that happens there is
biodegradable. Although I did not see
plastic garbage…definitely lot of toilet papers. This time we experienced corroboration
of trekking being popular in these regions by locals/Indians in the recent
years. 10+ yrs ago, you would hardly see people, with booming economy,
accessibility, marketing by many adventure tourism companies have aided this
new wave of tourism.
Had
good dinner (roti, rice, dhal, veggies and a desert) – decided with our guide
to leave by 8:00AM next morning for a long trek of 15 km to Chopta. Headed back to our tent and called it a day!
Since it was not that cold…we decided to sleep on our sleeping bag and not inside. Late at night realized how we had underestimated the chill and the
wind and royally paid the price for not wearing all the winter stuff from the
bag. I guess we slept on and off...
April 4th: Devriatal/Deoriatal -7800ft to Chopta at 9840ft- 15km 6-7hrs trek
Got up
early to a lovely view of snow clad mountain peaks from our tent. Had decent hot
coffee (yes!! Coffee….not bad uh!?), and took a walk around the lake. This is a lovely place to relax with its
greenery & views. Due to clouds unfortunately, the reflection of Chaukamba
peak in the lake was faint. Had some breakfast, got ready (whatever it is ☺ when you camp)
and left by 8:00 AM as planned.
Started
our ascend climb and hardly we had walked one kilometer, we encountered a huge
wild boar that ran across from me in full speed. Ahh! The sight of Lord Varaha! Great sign
to start the trek! Suddenly we also heard lot of chatting… local Sari village
ladies off to the woods to fetch animal feed, they just zoomed past us on the
ridge in their flip flops with knifes and ropes. They too were sort of short of
breath while climbing ☺. As usual initial walk felt harder, but then
you get used to the pace. This 2km walk to Sari peak has awesome view of the valley
and the mountain with some flowering trees on the edge. After resting for few
minutes on the top, we continued our journey thro’ the alpine forest.
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| Sari peak |
Spectacular
bright red and shades of pretty pink fully bloomed Rhododendron flowers along
with oak and pine trees with the enchanting mountain created a stunning
landscape. Path was never the same; just
when we felt at last some flat area/meadows, there comes the uphill and
downhill paths.
No matter how tired we
were, these flowering trees and the flower carpet on the path would bring a
smile. We also heard birds but saw none. By now it was afternoon, took a break
for lunch (sandwich, dry fruits and juice) and started walking again.
One
particular area was totally covered with pink Rhododendron - so spectacular! We
felt like camping right there. After 11km we encountered first water body! A water
fall and a steep kilometer downhill, a stream… we saw entire Indiahike trekkers
there finishing their break near the stream (they had left 30 min before us
from Devriatal. After a few minutes break, we proceeded to an uphill climb from
here on.
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| Chopta base camp |
Felt
good to have overtaken young trekkers, some were really struggling. A couple with 2 teenage kids in that group
stopped us as they heard us speak in Kannada; they were from Mysore and on
their first trek ever. Chatted and
walked at the same time ☺ with them. This long 15km walk reminded me of
someone’s words on life journey “It is not the long stride but the incremental
steps that matter” in its literal sense ☺ . Hurrah! We reached the campsite & crash
landed on foldable stool at the dining table.
We had taken 7:00hrs (lots of people do it in 6hrs). Piping hot masala
tea and veggie pakodas were served in no time.
Yummy! Thoroughly enjoyed these snacks while watching the majestic
peaks. Some young trekkers who looked
exhausted saw us comfortably sitting & looking relaxed by now…told us they
just trekked 15km…others in their group who had seen us told them we also have come
the same path ☺ and that we have reached campsite before them. We rested for some time and hoped to watch a good
sunset. Well! No such luck as cloud started to appear! We asked Hari for early dinner as we had
planned another long tougher 8 Km trek to Thungnath & Chandrashila next
day. Other trekkers were happy they had
a rest day next day.
Here
too we saw many tents popping up by late evening. For the night, we decided we will gear up
ourselves with all the winter clothing we had brought and to sleep inside the
sleeping bag as we were at higher altitude.
We turned in around 8:00PM and voila! The rain! Despite the rain, we slept well as we were
fully prepared for chilly, wet and windy night. It must have been around 3
degrees that night.
April 5th: Chopta camp 9840ft- Thungnath 12,073 ft-Chandrashila peak 13,000 ft
– back to chopta camp 9Km trek - Rained out
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| Rain Rain |
Woke up
to the sound of rain! Luckily there was a break in the rain around 6:00 AM when
we were able to finish our morning duties and get ready. Plan was to start the trek by 8:00 AM but
nature had other plans! It started to pour by 7:00 again with increased
intensity. It was totally grey by now with
minimal visibility. We were served hot paratas for breakfast in our tent… we
tried to kill time by listening to music and exhausted our mobile
batteries. By 10:00 AM, I started to
feel agitated as you have to sit cross legged or lie down in the tent &
opening meshed window area would bring in rain.
We made plan B - told Hari to take us to Chopta town to any shack/hotel that
is open. If rain stops by 1:00 PM then we still go on
trek if not, accept the fact it is not meant to be! When you are in the midst
of prakruthi/nature, she dictates and you bow to her!
Walked
down to a motorable road and got into our jeep that was waiting there to some
dabba/shack type road side hotel. Since driver knew them, they made some fire
for us as it was wet and cold. A group of ladies came all wet and hungry. They
were from a trekking group who tried to go up to Thungnath in this weather and
hardly a km into it they turned back due to slippery condition and snow at
higher elevation. Most of them were from
Bangalore (looks like lots of Bangaloreans have taken to trekking). We told
them our main interest is to see the bloom and with no visibility, no point in
going there in pouring rain. When asked,
they could not even tell us if there was bloom up there :-) guess no
visibility!
Although
hotel accommodation was all shut and reopens only in May, owner said they can
provide a room if required and showed us the room. There were some 3 rooms at a
level below the street under their dabba/shack. It was very basic and
bed/sheets everything sort of damp due to the weather. There was no electricity
till 7 PM, later they have minimal solar power (1 light and 1 plug point). We
went back to the tent for lunch (as our cook had already prepared). When the
helper boy kept all used plates, cups, pot and pan outside to wash, we were in
for a surprise with appearance of organic cleaners – A Sheep & a horse came
from nowhere and attacked utensils and plates and cleaned it all up :-)! What an
entertainment! After they were gone, we spent some more time in the kitchen
tent as it was warm with the burning stove. With no sign of rain & thunder
slowing down and with new member joining the nature’s wild party – blowing wind, we decided to stay at that
hotel that night and went again in the rain to that shack. Ensured to carry our sleeping bags from tent
(to put on the bed :-) smart move isnt’it?). All night we heard
howling wind and rain and at one point it was plain scary, it was as if
something hard hitting against the room wall.
April 6th: Chopta to Pothibasa 6km then to Rishikesh by jeep - Changed to Thungnath & Rishikesh
When we
got up, shocked to see the plastic patio tables from hotel had flown and broken
to pieces. I guess these were what were hitting against room wall. Rain had stopped around 7:00 AM but still very
cloudy. Got ready & went up a level for breakfast, saw many items that were in
the open area was scattered everywhere. Hari told they had a nasty night holding on to
tent from midnight till morning due to sheer power of the wind. Later, when we
met Indiahike trekkers, they too said nobody slept as they were too busy
holding on to tents and during day, was standing elbow to elbow all day in
their dining tent. Wise decision by us to move to a hotel – perk of the customize
package. Another key advantage: flexibility - We changed our original plan of
trekking to Pothibasa and jeep from there to Rishikesh. Instead, we asked if we can trek up to Thungnath
if not all the way to Chandrashila (the trek we missed from previous day),
as we had so much imagination and expectation of bloom in this trail and did
not want to miss it.
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| Thungnath trek starting point |
Hari said we have
to be back by noon for the 7 Hr drive to Rishikesh to accommodate couple of
temple visits that we had requested earlier.
So, off three of us went towards Thungnath. By now the cloud seemed to have disappeared.
We just carried a stick and a bottle of water; feels light without backpack. We were familiar with the path and ready for
ascend climb as we have done this route earlier in 2013.
There were Rhododendron blooms at the beginning
of the trek and that’s about it. Since the elevation increase of 2,000+ ft
within 3 km distance, climb is quite steep and within a km of trek you can see
the valley below. Noticed that the mountain was in stark contrast to what we
had seen in 2013, back then it was summer and mountain and trees were lush
green. Now, totally different! A bare
look! The flower boom at this higher altitude looked like occurred around mid March,
the Rhododendron huge bushes & trees leaves were all brown, post its bloom. Sort of disappointing! Started to get very cloudy and could hear
thunders… oh no! We did not even bring rain jacket! But then, we did not care
as we were leaving for Rishikesh anyway! After about 1.5km, started to see signs of
snow from last night/early morning.
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| Snow & Ice |
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| Cloud covered peaks |
When
we were little short of Thungnath, we saw German trekker who had walked past us
earlier returning. I asked her up and down so fast? She said, no they decided
to turn back as it was all snow and if
it rains now (which it looked like) , it will be slippery going down as it is steady downhill to the base and they
felt it was not worth it. We discussed
and decided to head back as there was no bloom and no good view of peaks either
due to clouds. Felt good though that we came up till here – at least we saw that
bloom was over/finished here, had we not done this, we would only be imagining what we
might have missed.
We got
into the waiting jeep and on our way to Ukhimath - Situated at an elevation of 1317mts, offers panaromic view of Kedarnath
peak, Chaukhamba & other green beautiful valley. Omkareshwar Peeta/temple is one of the oldest
in the country and houses the dieties of Kedarnath and Madmaheswar during the
winter months when the temple at Kedarnath and Madhmaheshwar remains closed.
These dieties are taken back in a procession to their original temples in mid
May. It is believed that the wedding of Usha (Daughter of Vanasur) and Anirudh
(Grandson of Lord Krishna) was solemnized here. This place was named as
Ushamath after Usha and is now known as Ukhimath. It houses several artistic ancient temples
dedicated to Usha, Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati, Aniruddha and Mandhata.
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| Ukhimath |
Temple
complex has a beautiful colorful structure.
It was a great time/season to visit this place as there is no crowd/rush
of char dham pilgrim crowd or should I say just three of us were there! Priest
opened the garba gudi/inner sanctum for us and showed the deities and told us
known stories of how panch kedar came into existence & Anirudh/Usha
wedding. Since Priest is from Karnataka,
he seemed happy to explain to us in Kannada. (This came as surprise to us as even
acknowledging a fellow kannadiga in kannada is eighth wonder nowadays😢)
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| Dev Prayag |
We
proceeded towards Devprayag. This is a confluence of two distinct color Rivers,
Alaknanda and Bhagirathi forming the mighty “Ganga”. What a magnificent view
and sound of roaring Ganga! From here we head straight to Rishikesh. By 6:00 PM, reached Hotel Great Ganga. Hotel is in great location with a view of
Ganga across from Parmarth Ashram
& very close to Ram jula/bridge
and Triveni Ghat. Access to the hotel by
foot is a totally different thing– it is a real climb up with no proper stairs
(I guess trekking continues). Felt it is overpriced@ 4,000 Rs/night. But then again we got cheated by booking.com
price display, which shows price as 3000/night (they don’t include tax…missed
the fine print). Hotel receptionist told
us, not to book using these sites and to call directly for better deal. One should use these sites to know the price
in India but book directly. After checking-in we ordered some hot masala tea
and pakodas… first time in 4 days – saw myself in the mirror!!That’s right! We
had not taken even a small mirror… I thought to myself - No difference with or
without any makeup (a reality check, shall we say☺). Nice to take
shower after 4 days! We heard prayers of Ganga arathi and watched it from
Balcony. It was at Parmarth Ashram Ghat across the river. Called it a day!
April 7th:
Rishikesh
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| Hornbill |
 |
| Rishikesh |
After a
good night’s sleep and a great morning listening to birds and watching 2 Grey
Hornbills on a tree right across from our balcony! They were on the tree for
long time. Morning news paper had headlines about landslides in many routes near where we were due to heavy rain. Thank god! we encountered no such issues. Had a scrumptious breakfast
buffet at the hotel (included with room charge)! We went on a leisurely round to
Rishikesh Ram jula area. As we had seen all the temples in Rishikesh during
last visit in 2013, we just wanted to relax for 2 days here. This is a lovely place to do that. Lot of
small interesting shops in the Ram jula bazaar area on either side of the
bridge. We walked to Parmarth Ashram –
Nice huge ashram and we checked out their room rates, although they call it
donation, they have room starting from 500 Rs to 1800Rs. It includes 3 yoga sessions
and 2 satsang per day. We thought next time we should try staying here. Here too, not much pilgrim tourists this time
of the year, so not that crowded.
Evening we wanted to participate in the Ganga Arathi (This is the only
place where you don’t have to be just a spectator during arathi) For that you have to be at
that place at least an hour early!
 |
| Ganga Arathi |
By the time we went it was full…got a good
view though!
April 8th: Got up early for a walk on the Ghat. When we
came back – there was a visitor waiting on balcony. We fed him with energy
bars. After quality time with him, had
breakfast and time for another stroll around the town and some shopping. Oh my! vacation is coming to an
end :-(. Time to head to airport for our
late afternoon flight to Bengaluru!
Talk about
coincidence, the same family from Mysore who crossed our path during trekking
was not only in the same flight but right next to our seats. Chatted with them
all the way till we reached Bengaluru.
What a
fantastic short and sweet trekking trip! Uttarakhand is so beautiful with its
Himalayan range, flora and fauna everywhere!
Feel so lucky to get this travel opportunity as a gift from Viji! What
more can I ask for? Also this trip was a feel good factor for both of us as we
felt yes! We still can do such camping treks after years and with the same
stamina and energy! All credit to the Himalayan power with its visual treat and
fresh air which makes everything possible and pulls you back to her like a
magnet! No wonder they say Himalayan range is filled with satvic/pure energy. For
a total cost of 43,000 Rs/person for a week it was worth it! If you plan early
for flight and do group trek – you can save 10-12K/person. Try this wonderful trek, you will not regret!
We
reached Sari village at 2:00 PM. While
luggage was being unloaded from the jeep, we filled registration/permit form
from the organizer. A pony and a young helper (Ravinder) joined us for
trek. As we got ready to walk with our
backpack, pole etc., first thing that came to my mind was, wouldn’t it be nice
if first 10-15 min is all level walk with no uphill especially after sitting on
our butt for 7 hrs. Like they say, If only
wishes were horses… It is a short trek of 2.5km but uphill all the way! an
elevation of 1000ft increase in 2Km span - Well at least this is my
justification for huffing and puffing after hardly 5-10 min into the trek and
oh! Not to forget another excuse of afternoon sun directly on us!!!☺. 
Beautiful
views of the mountains and Rhododendron red & pink blooms definitely helped
getting acclimatized to this ascend walk & brought smiles to our face. There is
a cute Shiva temple with structure resembling Thungnath temple on the way and even a
couple of chai stalls.
This short trek is apparently popular as many people
stay at Sari village and do this as day trek. We even tried Rhododendron juice
– light & tasty and store guy said good for heart. Reached Devriatal after
1 hr 15min with stops… not bad ah? Hari said we are not slow☺. Our Kitchen tent and foldable table/stools
were all ready for us at campsite. They
were pitching our tent, hardly had they finished, it started to rain. Quickly
we got into our tent. Checked it out and it was comfortable for 2 with our bags
etc. Rain stopped in no time. We came out or should I say crawled out of
tent. I am sure few calories burnt while sitting on floor and trying to
stand-up with butt inside the tent and foot outside with no support (I leave
this to ones imagination...) – This made us laugh so much, making it harder to
get up.
This fresh
water lake is surrounded by Rhododendron and other trees and well known for its
panoramic view of the Himalayan peaks Chaukamba (23,419 ft), Kedar (22,769
ft) , Neelakanth (21,640 ft), Kirti
Stambh and many unnamed peaks all around. On a sunny day (usually after May), you can see
clear reflection of Chaukamba peak like a mirror in this lake. Devriatal has its reference in many Hindu
scripts “As per the Hindu legend Devas
bathed here and hence the name, in our puranas it is referred as "Indra Sarovar". In Mahabharatha, this place is where the Pandavas while in their exile were asked the
famous queries by Yaksha/Yama (Yaksha Prashne).” Our tent was pitched in front of this lake at
an elevated area with beautiful view of Choukamba. After some hot tea and snacks, we went for a
walk around the lake. Luckily it was a perfect time as the birds were
going/coming to their homes. Got some good
sighting of colorful birds! Walking amidst the flowers and birds around the
lake overlooking snow clad peaks was visual poetry! We noticed quite a number
of tents popping up – there was a 21 member Indiahike’s group trek to the same
places as us. 
Got up
early to a lovely view of snow clad mountain peaks from our tent. Had decent hot
coffee (yes!! Coffee….not bad uh!?), and took a walk around the lake. This is a lovely place to relax with its
greenery & views. Due to clouds unfortunately, the reflection of Chaukamba
peak in the lake was faint. Had some breakfast, got ready (whatever it is ☺ when you camp)
and left by 8:00 AM as planned.
Today’s route is
an ascending trail on the ridge connecting to meadows of Chopta with other
meadows towards Madhmaeshwar (one of the panch Kedhar). We pass through semi alpine dense forest of Rhododendron,
oak and pine to reach Chopta. We were
informed that the first few kms would be steady uphill till Sari peak and later
would be a combination of uphill/downhill/meadows and again steady ascend for last
couple of kms to reach Chopta campsite. 
One
particular area was totally covered with pink Rhododendron - so spectacular! We
felt like camping right there. After 11km we encountered first water body! A water
fall and a steep kilometer downhill, a stream… we saw entire Indiahike trekkers
there finishing their break near the stream (they had left 30 min before us
from Devriatal. After a few minutes break, we proceeded to an uphill climb from
here on. 
Woke up
to the sound of rain! Luckily there was a break in the rain around 6:00 AM when
we were able to finish our morning duties and get ready. Plan was to start the trek by 8:00 AM but
nature had other plans! It started to pour by 7:00 again with increased
intensity. It was totally grey by now with
minimal visibility. We were served hot paratas for breakfast in our tent… we
tried to kill time by listening to music and exhausted our mobile
batteries. By 10:00 AM, I started to
feel agitated as you have to sit cross legged or lie down in the tent &
opening meshed window area would bring in rain.
We made plan B - told Hari to take us to Chopta town to any shack/hotel that
is open. If rain stops by 1:00 PM then we still go on
trek if not, accept the fact it is not meant to be! When you are in the midst
of prakruthi/nature, she dictates and you bow to her! 
Hari said we have
to be back by noon for the 7 Hr drive to Rishikesh to accommodate couple of
temple visits that we had requested earlier.
So, off three of us went towards Thungnath. By now the cloud seemed to have disappeared.
We just carried a stick and a bottle of water; feels light without backpack. We were familiar with the path and ready for
ascend climb as we have done this route earlier in 2013. 
Temple
complex has a beautiful colorful structure.
It was a great time/season to visit this place as there is no crowd/rush
of char dham pilgrim crowd or should I say just three of us were there! Priest
opened the garba gudi/inner sanctum for us and showed the deities and told us
known stories of how panch kedar came into existence & Anirudh/Usha
wedding. Since Priest is from Karnataka,
he seemed happy to explain to us in Kannada. (This came as surprise to us as even
acknowledging a fellow kannadiga in kannada is eighth wonder nowadays😢)
After a
good night’s sleep and a great morning listening to birds and watching 2 Grey
Hornbills on a tree right across from our balcony! They were on the tree for
long time. Morning news paper had headlines about landslides in many routes near where we were due to heavy rain. Thank god! we encountered no such issues. Had a scrumptious breakfast
buffet at the hotel (included with room charge)! We went on a leisurely round to
Rishikesh Ram jula area. As we had seen all the temples in Rishikesh during
last visit in 2013, we just wanted to relax for 2 days here. This is a lovely place to do that. Lot of
small interesting shops in the Ram jula bazaar area on either side of the
bridge. We walked to Parmarth Ashram –
Nice huge ashram and we checked out their room rates, although they call it
donation, they have room starting from 500 Rs to 1800Rs. It includes 3 yoga sessions
and 2 satsang per day. We thought next time we should try staying here. Here too, not much pilgrim tourists this time
of the year, so not that crowded.
Evening we wanted to participate in the Ganga Arathi (This is the only
place where you don’t have to be just a spectator during arathi) For that you have to be at
that place at least an hour early! 
By the time we went it was full…got a good
view though!
What a
fantastic short and sweet trekking trip! Uttarakhand is so beautiful with its
Himalayan range, flora and fauna everywhere!
Feel so lucky to get this travel opportunity as a gift from Viji! What
more can I ask for? Also this trip was a feel good factor for both of us as we
felt yes! We still can do such camping treks after years and with the same
stamina and energy! All credit to the Himalayan power with its visual treat and
fresh air which makes everything possible and pulls you back to her like a
magnet! No wonder they say Himalayan range is filled with satvic/pure energy. For
a total cost of 43,000 Rs/person for a week it was worth it! If you plan early
for flight and do group trek – you can save 10-12K/person. Try this wonderful trek, you will not regret!
Thanks for sharing and writing, keep up please.
ReplyDeleteFeels like the reader is there with you - nice writing Radha !
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