Nandikund Trek : Quest through the Garhwal Himalaya
Prologue
Few among us are born restless,
destined to reach out into the unknown. They do not know how to sit still; the
calling is always upon them. To push the concept of “what is expected” is what
always plays on their mind. I think I belong to this breed, for omnipresent is
this urge to venture out, to hear the wind rustle in the trees and caress my
body; to have the sun beat upon me and form wrinkles on my skin as reminder of
the days spent in his company; to have the heart swell up with the feeling of
lightheadedness as something extraordinary presents itself in this ordinary
life that we lead. To see vistas spread in front of me that make the eyes
sparkle and the lips to utter a prayer of heartfelt thanks to the Maker above
This is my tale of a quest on foot through the highlands of Garhwal Himalaya;
this is the tale of NandiKund.
2. As with every tale, the origin of this also happened on a
rusty rickety chair in front of a state of the art laptop which displayed with
the assistance of the world wide web a hazy tale and mention of a place nestled
high up in the Garhwal Himalaya, away from the frequented paths of the
touristic hordes who descend on to these regions come every summer. There comes
a time when one is just drawn to something without any logical reasoning and
this is exactly what happened with me, I was just drawn to two names – NandiKund
and Sujaal
Sarovar .
3. As I dug deeper into the recesses of the web I did
accumulate data about these places and names of local guides who could take me there.
Thus was born the basic framework of #Nandikund Trek, which originated from a
small village called Raasi and terminated at another village called as Urugam ,
requiring ascent of two high mountain passes along with three high altitude
lakes and two out of the five Paanch Kedars.
4. But the origin for me was not Raasi , it was Mumbai for
it was from here that I had to begin my journey. Even now when I think back I
realize the amount of planning that I undertook in order to ensure that I was
successful in the completion of the trek for as the saying goes “God Helps
those who help themselves”
5. The preparation for the trek I would say was broadly
divided into the following categories: -
(a) Clothing
for a high altitude trek.
(b) Baggage
to carry the same.
(c) Preparation
of the itinerary in consultation with the guide.
(d) Choice
of photographic gear and equipment.
(e) Self-learning
tutorials on how to pack for a trek including a 12-day stay in the wilderness.
(f) Leave
requirements.
6. I would not dwell much on the above other than touching
briefly on them, but let me say that it really involved burning the midnight
oil, just like how one does for any major examination that is coming up . After
lot of preparation finally I reached the day when the journey was to begin and
as my preparations in terms of my backpack and equipment took shape I was
pushed to the edges of self-doubt as to whether I would be able to walk with
the total equipment that I had to carry for my body was groaning under its weight
at mean sea level and I was supposed to lug it across undefined paths at
altitudes in excess of 15000 feet. It is moments like these when the self-resolve
is tested and the mind has to carve a path ahead and clear the self-doubt that
starts engulfing the mind and heart.
7. The journey to begin walking had to be first covered by
air followed by rail which thereafter changed into bus and finally a jeep took
me to the place from where I was supposed to begin my walk . Lot of time to
ponder on my decision of whether I can do this or not or was I being foolhardy
in this quest. One thing I knew was that I had to begin liking the thought of
lugging the backpack as we both were going to get real close in the days coming
ahead. Hence from the sophistication of the international terminals of Mumbai
and Delhi I descended into the chaos that was New Delhi railway station which
soon gave way to the holy city of Haridwar where my train Nanda Devi
Express (how apt a name) deposited me at four in the morning. Taking a deep
breath I lifted the backpack and trundled across the sparse platform No 1 to
exit the rail station.
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THE BUS FOR THE DAY |
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THE AGE OLD BUS STAND AT HARIDWAR |
8 .My eyes hunted for a chai wallah
and uttered a heartfelt thanks to be born in India for lo behold there was one
just outside the station , serving hot piping tea at four on this wintry early
. After two cups of tea I moved out and started walking towards the Bus Station
in order to take the state transport bus to Rudraprayag which I knew departed
Haridwar at 530 in the morning. The bus station was a throwback to the Eighties,
passengers sleeping on the floor many of them devotees who visit this holy town
. The buses all coming up and parking haphazardly and people like me stumbling
here n there to find the correct bus to
take them to their destination J
but it was fun .
9. The bus started right on time and we were on our way with
the driver zooming confidently on the mountain roads twisting and turning all
the while , confident of every action with a swagger which denoted that out
here he was the king and the road and bus his kingdom . I admired his
personality as we zoomed onwards deeper into the highlands of Uttarakhand. The
sun soon rose and the sunlight warmed my heart and gave confidence to me making
me believe that I will be able to do this . I was the only non-local in that
bus and it was so strikingly visible especially at the local stop en-route for breakfast,
a fare which I enjoyed thoroughly at one of the dhabas on the way at a place
wonderfully known as “Teen dhara”
10. Eventually I reached Rudraprayag and bid adieu to the bus
and began the next chapter of catching another even smaller a bus which would
be taking me further and higher up; to a place called Ukimath which if anyone
would have read my earlier blog would realize is a deeply religious ancient
town. It is here that I met the first member of my team, my guide for the trek
Mr Umeid Singh Rana.It was a joyous meeting as I had trekked with him earlier
so the familiarity was already established.
11. As the afternoon bore on, I had deposited the backpack on
the street side while we waited for the jeep which would take us to the final
place from where the trek would begin, we sat at the nearby tea stall to sip
cups of hot tea over animated discussion as to what the coming days would be
like and soon nearby people joined in with their views on the terrain, weather
and just about everything else. I was invited to their establishments and shops
as they proudly informed me as to how they had set up their life in small
places like these. So it was a great
time waiting for the jeep. Eventually we started for the village called Raasi
which would be the staging point for the commencement of the trek and also
coincidentally the home of Mr Umeid. Hence for the night he was hosting me.
12. The journey from Ukimath to Raasi is generally covered in
around two hours and passes through small villages en route called Mansuna
,Raounke ,Ulliana . The mode of transport to all these places is either
the jeep or small mini buses. There is only one bus which goes every day to
these places and for the jeep well one has to wait till respectable number of
passengers are accumulated. Basically the pace of life is slow and involves lot
of waiting and planning in case one has to move in these interior parts of
Uttarakhand. This is not the place of android phones and multi-tasking
lifestyle.
13. By 630 in the evening I was at Raasi and the walk from the
road till Umeid’s house was a bit awkward as I was subjected to curious stares
from just about everyone, as it happens in small villages the word spreads
quickly that an outsider has come for trekking. Anyways with a smile on my face
I greeted all those whom I met and soon I was at ease. The evening was spent in
the company of the local school teacher and we had quite an engaging discussion
on various topics. In the between I did sneak up to the terrace and looked at
the great army of stars in the clear mountain night gazing down upon me . I really felt so good about myself and the
decision to begin this quest. The stars, mountains, winter chill, warmth of the
solar lamp and the knowledge of a great adventure on whose precipice I stood
made the moments spent out there truly worth cherishing. After a simple dinner and meeting my head
porter I turned in for the night with the anticipation of a great day tomorrow.
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