Himankan - 2009
Date : 16th May 2009 to 30th May 2009
Organisation - Chakram Hikers, Mulund
Group Size - 34 + 2 (Leaders)
Day 1 - 16th May 2009
I got a crew cut done specially for the trek. Aditi, my daughter could not stop laughing, looking at me. We assembled @ Bandra T. at around 16:00 hrs. We were not the complete group as some of the members would be joining us directly at Delhi station and some at Haldwani.
Apart from the batch members, Kiran Deshmukh & Mahesh Kendurkar were present at Bandra T to see us off. Our train was 2909 GaribRath Exp from Mumbai to Nizamuddin (3 tier AC). Train departed on time at 16:55. We were split into different bogies. Still we enjoyed playing cards together for some time. I found everyone enthusiastic discussing about the trek schedule and surrounding ranges. Couple of members boarded @ Borivali. Instead of giving evening snacks & Dinner from Pantry Car, Chakram arranged (Courtsey – Shri. Sunil Sabnis) evening snacks (Paneer Sandwich, Dhokla, wafers, Kachori) and dinner (Theple, potato-subji, salad, Kala-Jaamun, JiraRice-dal, Dahi masti) from Rajdhani Caterers. We crossed Surat, Vadodara, Ratlam, Kota, Mathura at midnight.
Day 2 - 17th May 2009
We reached Nizamuddin @ 10:00 hrs. After a small session of Hide & Seek, we all gathered near Exit on platform no.1. By hiring 5 taxis we went to Old Delhi Railway station & retired in upper class waiting room. Had lunch in two batches @ Comesome (meals). Mr. & Mrs. Naik-Dhure with their son, Shailesh Joshi and Sandip Zaveri joined us here. Shailesh had a detailed contour map of our trekking area. Studying that map I realized that we were to approach Nandadevi East base camp from Paanchu Gal & not Lawan Gal as per my earlier information based on internet / books survey. Post-lunch we had an excellent 2-3 rounds of Cards (Challenge). Till then 5035 – Sampark Kranti Exp was announced. As this was day journey we had reservations in AC Chair-car. Train departed at 16:15 hrs. We crossed Gaziabad, Muradabad, Rudrapur and then got down to Haldwani which is just before Kathgodam @ 22:15. We met Mohit Gupta, our tour operator on the railway station. We had dinner (Roti, Shahi-paneer, Mix Veg, Khir/Phirni) at Hotel SHAMA (near Masjid) which was hardly on 10 minutes walk-able distance from Haldwani station. Mohit took us to hotel President and rooms (4 persons/room) were made available. Good part was bathing towels were provided which saved us from pain of drying our towels. We hit the bed post-midnight.
Day 3 - 18th May 2009
I got up early around 4.30 am to co-ordinate arrival of our remaining group members. With Mohit, I went to Haldwani Rly Station to pick up Sandeep K, P S Karve, Sabir, Shrikant Joshi, Balkrishna Joshi, Sanjay & Tanmay. We started from Haldwani by a privately hired bus @ 7:15 hrs. This bus was a fantastic example of Car-redesigning which would put DC (Dilip Chhabria) to shame. It was a 27 seater converted to 35 seater with a facility of hot air blower under front seats. Distance from Haldwani to Almora is about 50 kms and this highway # is NH87-E.
We crossed through, Kathgodam, Bhowali, Kaichi. Had Morning breakfast (Aloo paratha, Sandwich, Curd, Tea/Coffee) at Hotel Siddhi. There are many small villages on the way to name some of them, Khairna, Chopda, Quarab. Road was along the river Kosi for quite long. 2 kms before Almora there was diversion for Kausani (47 kms) but then our route was different. Then we came across, Chitai, Badechina then we had diversion for Seraghat to the left. We had lunch at Dhaulchina @ 13:00 hrs. After more than an hour break we started off again and reached Seraghat (Toll-post) @ 15:35. Ganai-Ganoli-Devradi(Bora), Berinag and Chaukodi, where we had a Tea break. To keep ourselves distracted from evils of hairpin turns, we played cards and sang songs (tried to beat the noise of the engine) through the drive. Keeping fit and going, after this long travel is a big task. After Thal, Nachani, Girgaon, Ratapani. We finally reached Munsiyari (Altitude : 2135 meters) @ 22:30 hrs. Enroute we encountered 2 snakes. The Bus Driver was careful enough not to run over them. Dinner and rooms were made available at Hotel Rajrambha & Lodge.
Day 4 - 19th May 2009
Today’s schedule was bit relaxed. We had breakfast (Bread-butter, Tea, Biscuits) at 8:30 hrs. To proceed further permissions from Indo-Tibet-Border-Police (ITBP) and District Magistrate are required. To get the permit we had already submitted our photo-I-card with additional two photographs. Still, it took long to finish the formalities. Had lunch (Roti, Mix veg, Dal-rice) @ Munsyari in Hotel Rajarambha around 13:00 hrs. We got 2 bowls, a spoon and a glass from Rajrambha Hotel & were asked to return the same after the trek. Apart from this we got a plate every day for breakfast, lunch, dinner. We had a small introduction session before the trek started.
Trek started from Munsyari @ 14:30 hrs. Ponies were arranged for carrying our sacks and we carried a pittu with bare necessities in it like water bottle, medical kit, Woolen Jacket, Umbrella, Mat etc. Sumit, Pankaj, Nadeem & Siddharth decided to carry their backpacks on their own. I knew that was going to be difficult but didn’t want to discourage them. One sack was less in count for putting on ponies. I & Vinay, we, counted sacks at least 5 times but one sack was missing. Later, we found it packed inside an empty cement bag (for protection from rains). Luckily, we found it, else it would have lied there unnoticed & not reached next camp, causing inconvenience to Mrs. Vaze.
Enroute, Mohit purchased Barsatis for all. Seeing the size of Barsatis, I enquired for bigger Barsatis with the shopkeeper. He said “Sahab, aap bade acchhe mausam me aaye ho, Baarish nahi hogi. Ye barsati ki bhi jaroorat nahi.” Later, his forecast turned out to be incorrect. There was no sunshine and was cloudy, a bad light for photography. Route passes through SELAPANI, DUMMAD, & JIMMIGHAT where we had short Tea break. The route was nice passing along the river Gauri-Ganga. We saw many birds during the trek. Initially there was descend for quite a long time but later at the end, way started ascending slowly. Here, I overtook few participants and marched ahead to see arrangements done at Lilam. At Lilam(Altitude : 1716 meters), there was no sign of Inder or Mohit. No one responded to calls. I went up & down for half a mile thrice but couldn’t locate Inder or Mohit. Finally, I heard Vilas calling the group members towards a rest house, Inder was with him. Accommodation for 7 female members was in a separate small rest house. Last group arrived bit late around 20.00 hrs and the ponies even later. Till the dinner got ready we had wonderful session of songs, jokes, Ukhane, Sher-o-Shayari etc. Dinner of gobbi-potato-subji, salad, Roti, Dal-Rice & Khir was served around 21:45 hrs. Vinay & I ate after all participants had their dinner. We made it a practice to eat (all meals) at the end which helped us in ensuring that all have eaten well and finding out members with stomach problems. An anticipated request came from Sumit for putting their 3 sacks on ponies from next day onwards. It was not possible for me to sleep in that big room with roaring sounds of snoring coming from all corners. I went to the nearby temple & slept. It was around 23.45 hrs then.
Day 5 - 20th May 2009
Got up with a licking sound…..someone was licking my left chick. It was a Dog with a mistaken identity. I shooed him away fearing his next moves. It was 4.45 hrs then. I rolled in the bed for some more time. After completing morning necessities had breakfast (Bread-jam, Puri-Bhaji, Egg).
Before departing from Lilam, Mohit handed over a packet of Dry-Fruits & Chocolates. I carried it to Mulund to show it to Chakram committee, that it was insufficient. Lilam is a village of 4/5 houses, one hotel, an ITBP Post, 2 rest houses & NTPC Rest House (under construction). Lilam has got the first check-post of ITBP where they entered details of participants in their register and verified Photo-I-cards. We met Mr. Vishal Deshmukh who was one of the Jawans with ITBP at Lilam. He passed on important information to us – 1. There are 2 Maharashtrians, 1 each at Bogudiyar & Rilkot, 2. ITBP Huts are made available to trekkers depending on availability. We had to cover a distance of 13 kms to reach our next campsite at Bogudiyar. Today the weather was clear. It was bright & sunny, perfect for photography. The trail goes along Gauri-Ganga (also referred as Gori-Ganga). A beautiful waterfall was on the way. I was walking with Mohit trying to know more about him. He started trekking in 1991 with his Sister and much later converted his hobby into profession. I was surprised to learn that he is a post graduate in Arts with specialization in Medieval History. He also knows lot of my trekking friends from Mumbai. This stretch was a comfortable walk with gradual ascent. Last patch of 1 km is through dense forest and more inclined. Here, I met a group leader, Reena, of a group from Bangalore on a trek to Milam Glacier. They were here on a study tour – part of their curriculum. I moved ahead and met Maria, I chatted with her for long. She is a person involved in diverse activities like trekking, dancing (western), travelling, teaching, running HR agency, Insurance business etc. I was envious when she told me she takes 3 months off every year to do one Himalayan trek, one trek outside India & a tour abroad. Today was day of interactions for me. Next, I was walking with Debashish. I was stunned to hear that he has an iron rod put in his left leg. Still, he was fit & walking without any complaints. We reached a place called Rargadi/Railgadi @ 12:00 noon. A lunch (Khichadi) was made available. After lunch break started for Bogudiar by 14:00 The route was again scenic and Gauri-Ganga was making continuous sound all over the valley. Enroute I met few workers who were there on a drilling job for a proposed Dam near Bogudiar. I reached at Bogudiar around 17:00 hrs. Mohit had booked a rest house & female members were accommodated in it. I gave him a hint about availability of ITBP Hut. We enquired for Mr. Mane from Solapur at ITBP Post, chatted with him for sometime & subtly put forth our request. The in-charge was kind enough to open it for us. It accommodated 12 out of remaining 17, who were put in tents. Vinay reached the camp bit late as Mrs. Gadgil had a knee problem and could not walk. Mohit arranged a Pony (Khacchar) for her for the last patch. Kitchen was on the lower side and just below it there was a water source. Water was very cold from this point onwards.
Casualties started from this camp. First casualty noticed was Surabhi who had vomited. We asked her to rest. Mrs. Gadgil was unable to move her legs due to severe cramps. Devendra was refusing to eat anything as he had not passed motions for past 2/3 days. There were few others having headache, nausea, etc. Altitude was showing its effects on many.
For dinner we had Roti, Baingan-potato subji, Dal-rice and Kheer. Bournvita was also served after dinner. Mohit, Vinay & I had a long discussion about the health of the group. We concluded by deciding to rest at Bogudiar next day and skip rest day at Martoli. We hit the bed @ 23:30 hrs.
Day 6 - 21st May 2009
We gathered all and enquired about everyone’s health individually. It had not improved much. As decided, we declared it a REST day and informed all that we will go for a small acclimatization walk towards Poting Glacier. We advised all to take an active rest. We requested Sanjay Negandhi to conduct a brief exercise session. I personally enjoyed the session.
We had breakfast of Biscuits & Daliya. Devendra had complained of shivering. I checked his temperature , he had mild fever. I took him to ITBP Compounder cum Doctor cum Surgeon for further check-up. He advised Devendra to go for an acclamatisation walk and shit as soon as possible. We (Vinay & I) threatened Devendra that he will not going to next camp if he fails to shit by afternoon. He did it before Lunch. We started off for acclimatization walk @ 8:40 and gained approximate height of 250 meters. We were on POTING glacier route. Mrs. Gadgil &
Pankaj returned back midway. We spent an hour on top. Here, Vinay had an argument with Siddharth. Issue was, not taking our instructions seriously. We started descending towards Bogudiar camp site and reached by 12:30 hrs. Bogudiar has few houses on each side of Poting nala, a rest house, an ITBP Post & 2 Hotels. Had Lunch (Roti, Bhendi-subji, dal-rice, salad etc) @ 13:30 hrs. Pankaj had fever. I asked Nadeem to check his respiratory rate, it had gone up. Sumit told me that in sleep (previous night) he was breathing heavily. These were signs that he had not acclamatised and it would be dangerous to take him further up. Surabhi suddenly broke down and started crying. Even though her father was with her, she became homesick. To our astonishment, he had not carried proper woolen gears for her & the poor girl was suffering for no fault of hers. Physically she didn’t have any problem but she was low on morale. We gave her pep talks, assured her that we will help her with woolen gears. She was alright after sometime. We told Vibhuti to take care of her & inform us immediately, in case of any problem. Post lunch I rested for some time. Many were playing Dumb-Charades outside. I joined them. It was great fun. Evening snacks @ 17:00 hrs, it was Samosa & coffee. Surprisingly, dinner was Chinese (fried rice, noodles, Manchurian gravy).We decided not take Mrs. Gadgil and Pankaj further up and send them back to Munsiyari with Pushkar (Mohit’s Dy.). We communicated our decision to them and slept around 23.00 hrs.
Day 7 - 22nd May 2009
Got up for Breakfast (Tea, Batata parotha). We (Vinay & I) never got up for morning tea. Pankaj was willing to continue the trek. I had to explain him the changes in his respiratory rate & pulse rate (at rest). Being in medical profession, he understood the implications of these changes. We took him & Devendra to ITBP for check-up. Mr. ITBP (Compounder cum Doctor cum Surgeon) gave Green signal to Devendra & Red to Pankaj. So Pankaj & Mrs. Gadgil stayed back at Bogudiar. We made arrangements for them to return back to Munsiyari and asked them to stay in a hotel and wait for us.
We left Bogudiar at 9:15 hrs. As per the changed plan (Looking at the condition of many participants & from the perspective of acclimatization) next camp was Rilkot instead of Martoli. It was 12 kms trek and most of the part was ascent. I liked this part of the trek for its beauty
and landscapes. At Nahardevi the trail cuts through a cliff. After Nahardevi it became too windy. During this walk I got to chat with Mohit’s kitchen staff (Pappu & Raju). Talking to them, I understood that they are happy with what Mohit pays them & the way he treats them. We came across couple of hotels (small huts) on the way. First was named Nahardevi and second was Mapang where we met another group of 4-5 Firangs who were in this region (Ralam & Namik Glacier) for last 28 days. Later, I learnt that they were there on a NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) course. After covering half of the distance just before Mapang, we had to cross a river and we did so taking shoes off. Water was ice chilled, for some time legs were senseless but later managed to cross it. This river-crossing was avoidable but due to confusion we did it. After Mapang, the route was uphill & was steep ascent. There was a diversion too. I waited there with Sandeep till Inder met us. I asked Inder to wait at the diversion for guiding members or instruct his assistant to wait there. But he made some excuse and made me believe that waiting there was not required. The members following lost the way and went till the road was broken. Vinay guided them to the correct trail. Till Rilkot, I was walking with Inder & Sandip Zaveri. Sandip was carrying calculated calorie food of dry fruits with him. It was calculated considering the daily walk, calories burnt /per km and replenishment of burnt calories. I immediately made a note of it for future Himalayan treks. He shared his experiences of trekking with Harish Kapadia and meeting Jagadish Nanavati. Inder shared his future plans with us. He is planning to appear for UPSC exam. We reached Rilkot (Altitude : 3200 meters ) @ 15:30 hrs. It was very windy as compared to any of the day during the whole trek. Today’s trek was not easy and it was a wise decision to halt at Rilkot instead of Martoli. The ponies arrived very late. We had to starve as there was no lunch. Mohit tried to put kitchen in place & then pitch tents. The wind was obstructing faster setting up of kitchen & pitching tents. We went to ITBP post with a request to allow us to occupy their 2 huts. The incharge here (Shri. Debichand) was initially reluctant to even talk to us. His reply was “Hume Adhikar nahi hai”. Hume Puchana padega”, “Hum ye hut aapko nahi de sakate” bla… bla… . Mohit, thinking we won’t get it, left. I didn’t budge. I continued chatting with Shri. Pawar and kept on requesting Shri. Debichand and assuring him cleanliness and safe use of Huts. Finally, he agreed & allowed us to use 2 huts. That was a great help in that weather condition. Participants were served Tea & biscuits by then. Most of the participants were fit as compared to the condition at Bogudiar. We (Vinay & I) had a discussion with Mohit about the route for next day. Mohit informed us that Martoli is off the route, route from Rilkot goes directly to Paanchu and it is possible to save time & energy by not visiting Martoli. We thought of taking a decision after discussion with participants during evening meeting. Evening meeting started with an attack on Mohit for not sticking to timings given to all. When Mohit was about to start his brief on next day’s trek, Nadeem demanded he take an oath “Jo bhi, Kahoonga Sach Kahoonga, Sach ke sivay kucch nahi Kahoonga.” After discussion with all, it was decided to skip Martoli next day & attempt it while returning from Paanchu. Soup (sweet-corn) was ready by 19:30 & was served in tents this time. Had Dinner @ 21:30 & went to bed early.Day 8 - 23rd May 2009
Early morning 6:00 hrs weather was very clear & we could see snow capped mountains surrounding our camp. Morning breakfast was Puri-Bhaji today.
First batch started @ 8:15 & we started by 9:00. We had to cover a distance of 13 kms out of which 8 kms till village BURFOO where lunch was planned, then from BURFOO to GANGHAR a distance of 5 kms which was next camp. Rilkot & Ganghar / Paanchu are almost at same altitude. Hence, the walk was pleasant. A small climb after Rilkot and Bugyal (Meadows in local language) started. I saw our group waiting at a junction. The group was waiting for me / Vinay. Mohit was with the group. The group enquired with Mohit about visit to Martoli and Mohit informed them that it was possible then. Now they wanted one of the Leader’s permissi
on to proceed to Martoli & descend to Paanchu from there. It was a tough moment for me. People having trekking experience as long as my age were insisting on visiting Martoli. I decided against it & was firm on sticking to the pre-decided plan. A firm ‘NO’ from me disheartened everybody but in that situation, I had no other choice. We reached BURFOO Dhaba (Hotel) at 12:00 noon. BURFOO village is on the other (right) side of the river for which there is a bridge just below our lunch point. Same path goes to Milam Village & further to Milam glacier from where Gauri-Ganaga originates. After eating garma-garam khichadi with papad we departed @ 14:30. Now I got a chance to interact with Ponywallas. I enquired with them about consistently reaching the camps late. Their problem was Pony to Men ratio. There were 5 Ponywallas for 18 Ponies. 3 men are required for loading loads on a pony. Less manpower was causing a problem. I reached Ganghar at 16:30. GANGHAR (Altitude : 3330 meters) is a small village located just before PANCHU. Its an ancient village on a trade route with Tibet. Most of the houses are made up of stones with roofs of flat stone tiles. We got one small house that accommodated 10 of us. Rest all houses were empty but not fit for accommodation. For remaining members tents were pitched on a field behind the houses. Mohit & his team pitched tents. I allotted six men tent to our female members. Rest were put in other tents. Sumit & team was not put in 3 men tent as desired by them & was put in 4 men tent with other member. Here, I had a small disagreement with Mr. Nene on 3 men staying in 4 men tent. We assembled @ 19:00 and as per routine, Vinay & Mohit explained next day schedule with general instructions about the camp site.Then we had hot soup again in tents this time @ 20:15 followed by dinner (Roti, Subji, Rice, Egg bhurji & Khir). As per the schedule, we were to get up early next morning by 4:00. Hit the bed @ 23:00.
Day 9 - 24th May 2009
I got up at 4:00. It was a long walk to the potty area. Finished that important session of the day. Back to the campsite, I noticed few enthusiastic early raisers were waiting for a view of Nandadevi East peak. I joined them. We got an amazing view of Nandadevi with cloudless sky at 4.45 am. By the time whole batch was ready and we departed in a line for Nanda-Devi-East base camp, it was 5:30 hrs. It was crucial day for everyone. At the very beginning, moving little at the edge of the village, we could see Nanda-Devi East in a golden color so I clicked immediately and also captured the moment in my visual memory though it was not a full and clear view. We were still to get the clear view. Mohit did puja at Nanda-Devi temple & we all prayed to get a clear view of twin peaks and safe trek till the base camp and back. We got second packet of dry fruits distributed by Vinay. The initial climb was very steep so the group was moving slowly. I was in front with Mohit. This time all the participants were together and it was giving a feel of common motto of achieving something together. For the first time during the trek, we encountered Rhododendrons. We gained more height in a short time & suddenly we could see Nanda-Devi East clearly visible as if a scoop of Vanilla ice-cream. It was cloudless view. Everyone was delighted looking at that peak of 7434 meters. Soon we could see the seco
nd peak, the main Nanda-Devi which raises 7816 meters above sea level. Having such a great view of twin peaks of Nanda-Devi, we were quite satisfied and it was like a dream came true. Some participants decided to stay at this point but most of us moved ahead to reach base camp. Route was narrow with scree patches, some time with water flowing across. At one point we had a session of group photos and everyone tried their best to accommodate all the participants. Here, for getting a good picture, I moved Kiran’s camera which was spoiling my frame. As I did it, he got very wild on me & started shouting at me. I had never seen him in such a ferocious avatar before. Initially, I tried to explain my view point but when he was repeating same thing again & again, I didn’t argue further. Considering it an Altitude problem, I ignored it. I have seen people losing temper on petty things at altitude. Again some members decided to stop here and we moved further following the timeline decided earlier. At our back we could see one peak cornering into the sky and the name is BURFU-DURA having altitude of 6340 meters. As per the schedule we had to stop at 9:00 irrespective of the place or how much distance far from base camp. There we had a breakfast of Puri-Chole at water point. From here the Nanda-Devi-East-Base-camp (Altitude : 4150 meters) was approximately at 1.5 kms away as per Mohit. But then due to time restriction and start of slight snow fall, we started our return journey to GANGHAR. Actually speaking there is nothing different as a base camp. It’s a flat area till the mountain and wherever you put your camp is a base camp for you. Descending little down, few members were asking permission to go till the base camp. We (Vinay & I) refused to accompany them & left it to Mohit to accompany them. Considering the weather conditions, Mohit refused accompanying them. Those two twin peak’s view made my day and I was feeling very satisfied without any hesitation. At the north side of this route, water originated from PANCHU glacier were flowing from the gap and then joining Gauri-Ganga at the base. On the other side is the way to PANCHU glacier. While returning to GANGHAR we visited Nanda-Devi temple and thanked goddess Nanda – Devi for the fabulous “Darshan”. We had lunch (Dal-Rice) @ 13:00 hrs in GANGHAR. Post lunch Saurabh shifted from the room to our tent. Around 14.00 hrs it started raining. Panchu Valley was covered with clouds. I rested in the afternoon and had a nice sleep till 17:00 hrs. Fresh after sleep, we 5-6 people assembled in a tent and had a nice Marathi-Hindi songs singing session. It was Pramod, Saurabh, Deb, Sandeep and me. In the evening we could clearly see fresh snow on the surrounding mountains and realized that decision of returning back to GANGHAR (without attempting Base Camp) was very correct. Again Veg clear soup was ready by 20:00. Dinner (Roti,Kofta,sheera-papad) at 21:15. Saurabh, Vinay & I shared some earlier trekking experiences with each other and retired in a sleeping bag at 22:45 hrs.Day 10 - 25th May 2009
Our return trek started today. Very few from the group including me were keen on going to Martoli. But a decision was taken on the previous day to skip Martoli during return trek to Rilkot. Had Breakfast (corn-flex, poha) at 7:15. Today we had to reach Rilkot camp and it was 12 kms but mostly a gradual walk. Depositing our big sacks to be carried on Khacchars (Ponies), we departed from GANGHAR at 9:15. Again we came across villages, BILJU, TOLA, MAPANG. Farmers were making their bulls work in the farm; they grow Potato and Sarsoo in their farms. We arrived at Burfoo tea stall @ 10:45, had tea, biscuits. We met an ITBP jawan here who offered us canned mangoes. Mohit’s friend Rakesh who was a guide for a German trekker met us here. Resting for a while we started off again at 11:35 for Rilkot. On the way to Rilkot it rained for quite some time. We could see fresh snow all over the surrounding mountains. Reached Rilkot at 13:00. I was welcomed by Balakrishna with a strong protest against Barasati provided. We got ITBP huts again. But due to rains they were leaking. Due to rains, Mohit could not set up his kitchen in open. He set up a kitchen in a village home, far from camping area. Many were hungry and had lunch at Rilkot Hotel. We had lunch (Khichadi) cooked by Mohit.
Rain had stopped. Huts were dried. Tents pitched. Veg clear soup at 20:15 followed by dinner (Gulabjamun-Roti-Soyabin-potato subji) at 21:15. Crashed around 23:00 hrs.
Day 11 - 26th May 2009
After Breakfast (Pohe, Daliya, Egg) @ 7:45. We wound up the camp and departed at 9:15. Today most of the part was descent. At Mapang, we avoided crossing river & took a proper trail. I met Reena after Mapang. They could go only till the snout of Milam Glacier from where Gori-Ganga originates. They couldn’t go further on to the Milam Glacier due to bad weather & loose rocks in that area. Shortly, we reached Nahardevi where today’s lunch (dal-Rice) was planned. After having lunch, started off again for Bogudiar at 14:45 and reached campsite by 15:45. Today unfortunately, ITBP hut & rest house was not available so (15) members stayed at Shack kind of place across the rest house. Rest got accommodated in tents. In the evening whole group assembled for face-to-face feedback session. Everyone openly shared his/her views about almost all the aspects of trek including good and bad. Simultaneously, we had evening snacks (Tea & Potato-pattice). We tried to address some of the issues raised in a feedback. Feedback forms for written feedback covering various aspects of the trek like, accommodation, food, organization, travel etc. were also distributed to participants. During this session, we appreciated Surabhi’s efforts to complete the trek in spite of all adversities & gifted her Chakram T-Shirt. Soup was ready at 20:15 followed by dinner (Harbhara,Roti,Khir,Dal-Rice) & Bournvita.
Day 12 - 27th May 2009
It was Devendra’s birthday today. He distributed chocolates to all and after breakfast (Ragda-Parotha) we left Bogdiyaar @ 8:00 hrs.
We had to descend a lot today and cover a distance of approximately 18 kms till DUMMAD. Reached Railgadi @ 9:00. I saw two ladies here conversing with local people about going somewhere. I didn’t bother much as I could not get a clue as to what was happening. Suddenly, one of them spoke in Marathi. I got curious and enquired with them. They, Mrs. Namita Vikas (Phadnis) & Mrs. Vaidya, were from Mumbai. They were with a group on a trek to Nandadevi EBC & were unable to trek further. Previous day they had trekked from Munsiyari to Rail-Gadi and were in bad shape. They were given wrong information about the difficulty level of the trek, route, distance between camps etc. They were told that this trek is easier than a trek to Vaishnodevi. They met few from our group who assured them that Chakram leaders would help them. Anticipating our help they decided not to proceed further and return to Munsiyari. Their guide was not willing to accompany them to Munsiyari. He wanted to be with the group as per instructions from his boss. He organized a pony for their sacks & wanted these women to return with ponywalla, which they flatly refused. Vinay & I made them comfortable and assured them of all possible help for reaching Munsiyari provided they walk. We advised them not to leave their guide & ask him to accompany them as far as possible. He agreed to come till Lilam. They started immediately for Lilam. We ate Omlet & Maggie at Rail Gadi Dhaba. I left around 10.30 hrs. After an hour I met Namita & Vaidya. Namita told me about their trekking plans. As per plan, they were to reach Rilkot today. A complete trek (Munsiyari – Munsiyari) was of 7 days. “connect-himalayas” had organized the trek. Cost Rs. 32k (ex-Delhi) She had done a trek to Bhimashankar many years back & a trek to Vaishnodevi. Mrs. Vaidya had not even walked on roads. There were few more in their group who were new to trekking. Fitness Expert Rujuta Divekar was in their group. We met Mr. Sabnis. I moved ahead requesting Mr. Sabnis to be with them. I reached Lilam at 13.30 hrs. Many from our group had already started for Dummad. Had Lunch (Dal-Rice). Vinay, Saurabh, Kiran & 2 ladies reached Lilam @ 14:40. We left Lilam @ 15:30. Reached JIMIGHAT @ 17:15. Had tea. After a break started off for DUMMAD @ 17:55 hrs. Vinay and I was giving pep talks to 2 ladies to boost up their moral and keep them walking. Vinay & other members had lost patience and were bored with their ultra–slow pace and moved ahead. I along with cook Ramesh was with 2 ladies. It was not essential to just walk with them but keep talking to them to distract them from cramps, body ache, and thought of further distance to be trekked. Ramesh was good at it. He kept them busy with talks on politics. It got dark by the time we reached road head (Dummad). Vinay & others reached almost an hour before us. We left Dummad at 20.00 hrs & reached Munsyari by 20.45 hrs. Rooms were made available at Hotel Hasling and for members who reached earlier in Hotel Rajarambha and a Hotel opposite it. Dinner (Roti, Potato-subji, Dal-Rice) was at Hotel Hasling. First batch arrived at Munsyari at around 15:30 so they faced a delay in room allotment and baggage delivery and again they had to walk till our hotel for dinner, so many were complaining. Our group was visibly upset. According to them one leader should have accompanied our group. I didn’t understand how Pushkar who was at Hotel Rajrambha failed to make all arrangements. Next day, we apologized for inconvenience caused to all. But personally, I feel we did exactly what a good trekker would have done to help someone who’s stuck in the mountains. Only Sandip (Zaveri) & Deb told me what we did was right & good that we saw to it that those ladies reached Munsiyari.
Anyways, after a nice (sponge) bath & reshuffling of our luggage we went to bed after midnight.
Day 13 - 28th May 2009
I got up very early today before 4.00 hrs. I woke up Bus Driver and Mohit’s team. We started off for Nainital at 5:30 hrs after loading the luggage on the bus. The route was same till Almora. On the way we took a break at THAL for morning snacks (Aloo paratha, Tea).It was approximately 40 minutes break. In bus everyone gave his/her order for BAL-MITHAI & Mohit managed to get it for us at Almora. We bid good bye to his staff (Indar, Pushkar, cooking staff). Lunch halt was at Dhaulchina in the same restaurant “Hotel Hillview” at 13:00. Started off at 14:00 hrs and reached Nainital @ 18:00 in the evening. As the buses are not allowed before 22:00 inside the city, we had to walk a little till Hotel Himalaya which is just at the bank of Naini lake. Weather was bad and soon it started raining so we couldn’t go out still some people managed to go out and did some shopping. We declared end of a trek and thanked everyone for the co-operation.. We met other groups of YUVA-SHAKTI returning from Jim-Corbet and Pindari-Kafni. Dinner (Roti, Paneer-subji, Mix-veg, Salad, Khir, Sal-Rice and Singodi - sweet sponsored by Mr. Sabnis) @ 21:30. Post dinner all were ready for bus to Delhi. Departed for Delhi at 23:00. This time bus was comfortable (2x2) with push back seats. We’re off to sleep in next 30 minutes.
Day 14 - 29th May 2009
There was traffic jam somewhere near Rampur around 2.00. It was very boring and noisy journey till Delhi. Heavy Vehicles honk in a style. What lovely tunes for horns & amazing decibel levels. I think there is a rule for driving on the Highways – “Keep honking….else you will be fined.” Finally we reached New Delhi @ 11:00 in the morning. Hotel Woodland & Dreamland was nearby. Got the rooms (4 persons/room). Vinay & I organized and served breakfast to all Medu-Vada-Sambar from nearby Café Madras.
Today I took bath after almost 10 days. It was loooooong and nice. We went to “Bikaner Sweets” for lunch. Few had Pav-bhaji, few south-indian dishes. After lunch we offered Kulfu/Lassi to all. Came back to Hotel and left immediately for New-Delhi railway station by Auto-rickshaw. Out of 36 people some had flights, some had reservations in Garib-Rath and we were booked in Rajdhani Exos.. Rajdhani Exp was on time and left from NDLS @ sharp 16:30. This time again group was split into various bogies even then we managed to play cards. Evening snacks, dinner and Tea, Coffee was served in Rajdhani so food was not a problem. I got a sound sleep for almost 8 hrs. tonight. A sign of relief.
Day 15 - 30th May 2009
Our train was late by an hour so reached Mumbai central @ 10:00. We said bye to all. It was a very good trek indeed. A trek with varied experiences was over. We returned home with all wonderful moments stored deep inside us.
