Trek to Roopkund in June'15

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Day 0: Delhi – Haldwani

Departed Delhi via Uttarakhand Parivahan Volvo at night. Arrived in Haldwani by 4am the same night.

Day 1: Haldwani – Loharjung

Hired a private taxi from Haldwani, departed by 4:45am. Halted at Dewal for lunch ty Noon. Arrived in Loharjung by 3pm.

Day 2: Loharjung – Tolpani

We guys got up at around 8 am, freshened up and proceeded for Breakfast. 

Our tour organizer Harinder reminded us to take all that is sufficient for the entire trek. After picking up the final utilities and necessities it was time for everybody to pack up their rucksacks and start the much anticipated trek.The lunch arrangements were made at Didna village at the house of a local family and the campsite for the night was at Tolpani. We quickly got acquainted with the guides and started descending down the mountain. A 3 km hike till the river at the bottom which was done with ease. However we stopped for a quick breather anyway and let the holiday feeling sink in. Now it was all upwards from here. Initially the slope did not bother us but after 2-3 kms we settled for a break as everyone was out of breath. Meanwhile the donkeys overtook us. They carried all the food supplies, cooking equipment, tents and sleeping bags. We started the climb again. Didna village was another 5 km. I was already tired after taking a few steps. But one has to keep going. Slowly and steadily we kept climbing. Leg muscles had started crying out, rucksacks started giving the shoulders a hard time but there was no choice whatsoever. The slope had gotten pretty hardcore by now. There was no point of taking a break because once you take a few steps you are tired again. We used to stop, catch our breath and move on. We only hoped to reach Didna quickly and nothing else. After a much tiring ascend, behind the trees we saw a few houses. Oh the joy of food and relaxation ran across our minds. Our pace increased automatically even though we were so tired. And when we reached the house I removed my rucksack, shoes, socks, jacket and just sat on a chair in the lawn. The lady of the house gave us fresh Buransh juice which was so refreshing that it put a smile on my face. I straightaway asked for more. There was delicious Rajma Chawal for lunch. The family was very hospitable indeed and served us nicely. We sat there after lunch and watched the beautiful sky. The donkeys were also feeding on the grass nearby and the bells on their necks ringing religiously. We had to climb again till Tolpani but the guides promised that it is comparatively easy. It was not. Kept going, kept going and kept going. Tolpani campsite was beautiful. It was a secluded place and our tents were placed well under the big trees. We reached by 4pm and had enough time to kill. There were lots of sheep, buffalos grazing far away and obviously our carrier donkeys! It rained towards the evening which made the night extremely cold. Our guides lit up a bonfire followed by dinner. Conversations flew and we got to know the others in the party and the guides, cooks and our organizer nicely. After a hectic day we settled in comfortably in Tolpani. Everyone called it a night and went to their respective tents.

Day 3: Tolpani – Ali Bugyal – Bedni Bugyal

A cold morning awaited us outside our tents. Everybody went all over Tolpani in various directions to do the needful. We even had a morning bonfire and chai was served immediately. Everyone got ready, packed their belongings, ate breakfast and started the leftover ascend which was about 2 km. Towards the topmost region of the same hill the trek started looking beautiful and the route started opening up. The forest got dense and due to the rain last evening was lush green. When we reached the top and looked the other side we were left flabbergasted by the mesmerizing view of the never ending Ali bugyal and just stared at its beauty. The first glance of the Himalayas and the snow capped peaks in front was also from Ali bugyal. What a treat it was. We sat down on top of Ali bugyal and ate our packed lunch and relaxed under the sunshine. Lots of photos were taken, lots of laughter and suddenly we realized that this is what we were looking for. Ali bugyal was not a trek it was a leisure walk in the gardens of heaven. We forgot the slope, we forgot the weight of our rucksacks and all the tired faces were rejuvenated. However, there was still lots of ground to cover. As camping is not possible on Ali bugyal due to non-availability of water we had to trek till Bedni Bugyal which is again a famous campsite. Now we were walking with a beautiful and constant view of the mighty Himalayas in fornt of us therefore the thought of getting tired never came across our minds. We took a few very risky short cuts which brought our hearts out of our mouths but the adventure made it fun. Finally we got a view of our Bedni campsite. There were lots of tents and two shops as well. People were playing cricked on a flat stretch of the bugyal. It was an open area of complete relaxation. It was cold here as now we were at a height of about 10,000 feet. Bonfire here was not allowed by the forest department and we had to soak in the cold. One walk around the campsite was good enough for the sun to set and what a beautiful sight it was.  I met two dogs also whom I fed biscuits and they followed us to our tents. We ate dinner outside in the dark. I could not see anything on my plate. Just ate whatever I could grab. Then all of us quickly washed up and were back inside our tents. Good night!

Day 4: Bedni Bugyal – Pahar Nauchani

We got to witness a beautiful morning from our tents. The clouds went away for a bit and the sunrise was just magnificent. The mighty Trishul stood there nice and strong and that was where we had to go. Quickly the clouds came back to block the view and play their tricks. Anyway, we ate breakfast, bid farewell to the dogs and left ahead of the others to see the famous Bedni kund. It’s a small fresh water lake with a few small temples around it. We took the blessing of the Lord before we started the day’s trek. The trek was really beautiful. We could see the entire trail going up the hill and disappearing. The greenery was gone today and it was rocks and bits and patches of snow. The route was not tiring at all once again and today’s trek was only 6 km. However it was really cold which we realized when we took breaks. Warm jackets, woolen caps and gloves were out today. We rested where the trek started descending apart from the quick breathers we took. Campsite was an hour away from here. Snow in patches all around and the snow capped mountains in front of the Himalayas bang opposite us. Now it was a relaxed walk till Pahar Nauchani campsite. We were anyway ahead of time and reached our campsite in time for lunch. Brilliant khichdi was served, and it was exactly what we needed before the afternoon nap under the sun (although it’s not recommended to suddenly nap after long hours of trekking at high altitudes, but where’s the fun in that?) When we got up we saw the 30 people India hikes party learning to trek and negotiate on the patches of snow for the big day tomorrow. Our group just saw the proceedings from far away. Also, our guide told us that this small lesson will not help tomorrow and will only scare people. Anyway, I guess their party had nothing else to do and was just killing time. We came back to our tents to enjoy the beauty of the campsite. It got cold towards the evening. It even rained a little bit. There were patches of snow around our tents. This was definitely the coldest night. We were served dinner inside our tents as yesterday we could not get a view of the food on our plate. Inside the tent was warm and the torch hanging above was a blessing. As we had to start tomorrow’s trek at 3 am, we slept immediately after dinner. 

Day 5: Pahar Nauchani – Bhagwabasa – Roopkund and back

Freshened up ate maggi noodles for breakfast, started trekinning at 3 am. Torches were out as it was pitch dark, senses were consciously heightened and cautious as the trail was very thin initially. After about 2 km the trail widened, but the incline started. Today the trek will regularly gain massive altitude. We were mentally preparing ourselves for it. It was also spine chilling cold. I was wearing 5 layers on top and 2 layers at the bottom. 2 hours of climbing led us to Kalu Vinayak. This is a Lorg Ganesh temple where its tradition to pray to the lord for a safe ascend today. The sun was rising and the view was jaw dropping. Clear view of the Trishul, Nanda Ghunti (Up close and personal), Chaukhamba, Neelkanth and Satopanth (in the distance, along the horizon). The peaks had a gold hue due to sunrise. This blew our mind away. The trail from now one till Roopkund, is all on glaciers. The crampons were out now. We walked for another hour now and reached Bhagwabasa. It’s a crowded campsite with lots of groups trying to attempt Roopkund. We had a cup of chai to warm ourselves and proceeded. It was already around 7am now. Which is a little behind schedule for the ascent. The trip to and fro from the tarn takes about 4-5 hours. The sun softens the snow, which is bad for trekking. The trail started with a well defined path on the snow with relitively flat incline. This slowly turned into a thin path cutting across massive glaciers with a lot more incline. The drop on the other side was dangerous as well. We were carrying Ice axes prepared for the worst. They are used to arrest free falls on ice. To add to this, we are now at about an altitude of 4500m. The air was thin, and we would feel the affects after each step. Our heads would spin a little when we would halt. After the toughest few hours of my trekking life, we arrived at  a balcony just above Roopkund. We had a clear view of the lake from here. We decided not to descend to the lake as the view was much better from here. We were midway between Roopkund and Junargani pass. It was so very cold. We had a quick snack to energise ourselfves, clicked a few photos and were on our way back. The descend was quicker but as tough. Quicker because we would just slide down some sloped of ice to save time. It was noon and the sun was at its strongest. The ice was melting and turned softer. This is not good because the boulders on the ice loosen their grip and are a potential risk if they fall downwards. Another hour or so and Bhagwabasa was in our sights. The weather suddenly started to worsen and clouds atrted coming in. We made it just in time to Bhagwabasa. As soon as we arrived, the visibility tuned near zero. Relaxed for a while and caught our breaths, then moved onto Pathar Nauchani. Removed our crampons and descend till the campsite till Pathar nauchani. Ended up doing it quickly- only one thing in the mind – Tent – sleeping bag – change into warm clothes – eat lunch and pass out.

Late lunch at around 3. Everything went away – fresh again in our tents. Music! Slept towards evening as this was last day of the trek. So tired that could not get up and go out of the tent for dinner. Also the reason being it was bloody cold!

Day 6: Pahar Nauchani - Loharjung - Kausani
Today we had to cover maximum distance which was all the way till Loharjung. However it was downhill all the way and the route was through Wan. We reached Bedni in no time. All the other parties were in Bedni Bugyal resting. We stoped for a breather and carried on. We wanted to take a break in peace where there was no one around. We walked for another hour and then stopped for 30 minutes. The slope was getting tougher and with the shortcuts we were taking our legs were definitely feeling the strain. We had to go all the way down till the river and then another 1 hour up till the road where jeeps were waiting in Wan. It looked like the trek would not end. It was hot; the way was dirty with mud in the air and the trek not beautiful at all. We just wanted to reach Loharjung. When we reached the bottom of the hill we sat down for a good 30 mins again. We ate our packed Aloo Puri on the river rocks. Everybody freshened up and was ready for the final 1 hour climb till Wan. We were a little sad that the trip is getting over. However the tiredness made everyone feel that the trip must get over fast. The final ascend killed everybody. After every visible patch I wished that next sight would be of the village but it did not come until we were so tired that we could not think anymore. After a traumatic climb we reached Wan, loaded up our rucksacks onto the jeeps and were ready to leave for Loharjung. It was a 30 minute ride till Loharjung where we reached at around 2pm. The other group members were leaving for Kathgodam the next morning. However the two of us decided that we would stay the night at Kausani and visit Nainital in the daytime tomorrow and take the Volvo to Delhi the following night from Haldwani. The trip ended perfectly with these two little fancy hill stations. Both were crowded as hell and very expensive. Now we knew we have come back to civilization.

Day 7: Kausani- Nainital- Haldwani

Reached ainital from Kausani by around lunchtime. Killed time by strolling along the circuit of the Naini lake. Did some boating as well. Left for Haldwani in the evening. Caught the bus to Delhi the same night from Haldwani.

Day 9: Back to Delhi

Arrived in Delhi early morning.