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I'm going to Antaragange tomorrow.. The usual detailed write-up tomorrow (with photos!)

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In this trek, we learnt that we had covered two temples amongst the famous Panch Kedar pilgrimage. The Panch Kedar pilgrimage route comprises five Kedar temples – Kalpeshwar, Rudranath, Tungnath, Madhyamaheshwar, and Kedarnath.

After the Mahabharatha and all the gory war and bloodshed, the Pandavas suffered from kushta rog (leprosy). In search of salvation, they climbed up the Himalayas to seek the blessings from Lord Shiva. But, Shiva got enraged by the Pandavas who had come to him, and refused to bless them. Instead, he plunged underground.

When Shiva went underground, he parts of his body appeared on five different mountains. Thus
(a) at Kalpeshwar, his hair is worshipped.
(b) at Rudranath, his face is worshipped
(c) at Tungnath, his arms are worshipped
(d) at Madhyamaheshwar, his navel is worshipped
(e) at Kedarnath, his behind is worshipped

Our trek included Tungnath and Rudranath.





Day 1 :

The first day was dedicated to traveling. The trek started in a small mountain town called Ukhimath, around two hundred kilometers from Dehradun. Being mountainous, all roads wind up steep cliffs, and most buses travel at no more than a snail’s pace. The journey was expected to take the whole day and we were to catch the bus that left at 7am.


But, it was not to be a very auspicious beginning! We woke up late, and by the time our morning ablutions finished, it was 6:45am. Still, we set out, hoping that some miracle would get us to the bus stand on time. If only wishes were horses…

As expected, we were late and had missed our bus. So, we decided on taking the next best route, catching a bus to Srinagar (a town that’s half-way to Ukhimath) and take it from there.

Buses to Srinagar being more frequent meant that it was not a long wait till we were on a bus, trudging through the mountains that we had come seeking for. The ride was not as spectacular as we would have wished, the summer having stolen much o f the greenery off the mountains. But, the bare, tall Shivaliks had a beauty of its own, and as the bus rattled over the gracious blend of mountains and peaks, we reached Srinagar two hours past noon.


However, the weather had turned fairly damp and soon the clouds burst open and showers welcomed the four adventurers. Being from the Eastern part of the country, all our calculations had sunset at 6pm. Fearing dusk, we tried to start the remainder of the journey to Ukhimath. And we got first hand experience of being fleeced!


Before I continue telling you about this trip, I should tell you about the pricing in Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand is a hotbed of tourists for six months every year, and remains forgotten for the remaining six months. Being a hilly region, tourism is the only real source of income. And, with most tourists being pilgrims, who are willing to spend, the locals literally “make hay when the sun shines”. And, with the sun shining for only six months, all prices are doubled and every naïve tourist is fleeced at the smallest opportunity.
The four first-timers were like lambs being sent to the slaughter. Seeing us in a desperate state to get to our destination, every jeep drivers flatly refused to take us to our destination. We heard all kinds of stories, ranging from the dangerous roads to Ukhimath to the fear of heavy rains. Finally, one driver agreed, and charged us a whopping twelve hundred rupees.

The drive was scenic, and we got our first glimpse of what the scenery would be like for the next few days. The hills were lush with vegetation, and the rain had cleaned the air. The horizon was filled with hills and mountains, that struggled to rise above each other. The pregnant clouds kissed the mountains, threatening to burst into heavy showers at the smallest provocation. The road ran alongside the Alaknanda, and finally, the Himalayas were within touching distance!


We finally reached Ukhimath around six. The skies were still bright, and we met our guide for the week, Mr. Umit Singh. After a quick cup of the local chai and a hastened ablution, we got on to another jeep that drove us to the sleepy town called Sari.


We found ourselves a room at a lodge, a little uphill. This lodge comprised rooms and a restaurant. It wasn’t a very fancy set-up, but we were out to rough it out, and we gladly took it. As dinner was prepared, we went for a small walk around the village, to stretch our legs after the whole days’ journey.

Bus journeys are strangely exhausting! You feel restless and irritable, till you hit the bed where you just sleep like you’ve been walking all day! And thus, we soon hit the sack, and were fast asleep, snoring away..



Day 2 :

We were woken up at 5am by Umit Singh. The plan for today, a we were told by Umitda was an early morning trek up to a high altitude lake – Devriya Tal. This would be followed by a bus ride to another small nearby town called Choptha, from where we would climb the Tungnath mountain, and stay near the Tungnath temple. We would also be meeting Sabuj, a researcher at WII, who had helped us a lot with the initial planning of the trek. It was also Sabuj who got us in Umitda as a guide.



We set out for Devriya Tal in the highest of spirits. It was our first trek, we were getting off the mark! With great gusto, we began our climb uphill. And we were in for a terrible shock. Within fifteen minutes, we were panting for breath.


One terribly deceiving characteristic of all mountain climbs is that the summit appears deceivingly close by! Every time we looked up, the summit seemed just a little away, but try as we might, that distance never seemed to reduce. Thankfully, Umitda showed us the way it’s done! He insisted we walk slowly, and as we trudged along, before we knew it, we were half way up the hill.

We all walked up silently, absorbing the sounds, breathing in the fresh mountain air, and hearing a buffet of bird cries. The sky was clear, and the sun slowly gathered momentum as it started its journey to the zenith. We trudged along, happy that the trek was finally here!

And soon enough, we had reached our destination. We reached the top of the ridge, and climbed down a little to the lake. It was a pristine lake in a small clearing, surrounded by dense forest. But, the icing on the cake was the brilliant snow-capped mountains in the background. This is how everyone’s reaction went – “Wow… The lake is beautWOW! Look at the mountains!”, as they first saw the lake and then were stumped by the mountains! It was stunning. I struggle to find words and photographs to explain the kind of emotions that I experienced, but that moment was bliss!




Sandeep and I took a dip in the lake. The water was ice cold and the water was clear. You could see tadpoles darting around, trying to avoid my feet in the water. Except for the ripples caused by our entry into the water, all else was calm. At the other end of the pool, a group of monkeys sipped water. There was something sacred about the place!

We didn’t want to leave the lake. It was calm, beautiful, and perfect. Everything was right about Devriya Tal. But, we had to move on! And, we started our journey back to Sari. The walk downhill was much faster and much easier. We ran down the slopes with ease, and before we knew it, we were at Sari. Next stop was Choptha, so we packed our bags and began our wait for some form of public transport to take us to our next destination.

Umitda said he would find us a vehicle, and set out scouting to find some jeep going in that direction. We waited, and before we knew it, fell asleep! Our sound sleep was rudely awakened by Umitda, who told us, all attempts to find a vehicle had been unsuccessful, and we would have to start walking towards a junction, to increase the chances of getting a vehicle. And much to Murphy’s pleasure, the skies chose this very moment to become overcast and start raining. But, we had no choice, and we had to trudge along. Before we knew it,we were enveloped by mist. We were walking in the clouds! But, with bags on our backs, we walked on.


At the junction, we did find a jeep, and the looting of the tourists continued. Citing the government’s diesel price hike as the chief cause for the exorbitant rates, the jeep driver took us to Choptha for five hundred rupees. This journey, in the non-tourist season, will cost not more than forty per person. But, alas! We were in a fix, and after using the best bargaining skills (learnt from haggling with Chennai auto drivers) we had to succumb to his ridiculously high demands.
By the time the car reached Choptha, the rain had stopped. We alighted and pampered ourselves with some steaming hot tea and pakodas. The pakodas were delicious, and our bodies welcomed the hot tea. Feeling refreshed, we set out on the four kilometer climb up to Tungnath.

The climb to Tungnath was like doing Devriya Tal again, but a little longer! It was almost twice as long. But, the views were spectacular. The climb started in a region dense with trees. There was a proper path (made for the mules who carry people uphill) and we walked up. We spotted the pyka, a small mammal of the rabbit family (it looks more like a rat, though).


Soon, we had crossed the tree line. The air was becoming a thinner, and the stops for “catching breath” increased in frequency. But, the sights were breathtaking. The alpine meadows are grassy regions, that occur above the tree line. The tree line is the highest altitude up to which trees grow. The slopes become more gentle and the whole place appears like a collage of green grass and various coloured flowers!





We reached Tungnath at dusk. The sun was bidding its daily farewell, and the skies lit up in a dazzling expression of colours. We stayed in a small hut – the equivalent of a five start hotel in the city (it came with one bathroom per two rooms, a luxury!). We also met a very interesting Englishman – Mr. William. William is a drummer, who plays at the pub – The Ministry of Sound. He works for half the year and spends the remaining half traveling around the world. He was spending two months in the Himalayas when we met him. All he carries is his backpack and some money and wanders around the mountain with no particular destination in mind.

We spent the night at this hotel. Plan for tomorrow, catch the sunrise from the peak!




Day 3 :

We were up by a quarter past four. We didn’t want to miss the sunrise. The sunrise would surely not wait for us, and this was the only opportunity we would be getting to see the sunrise from a peak. Sandeep, Ghana and I were up in a jiffy, all set to climb up to Chandrasheela. Harsha preferred to sleep the sunrise off, as he wasn’t feeling up to the early morning adventure.

The climb was routine. It was a short walk, that could not have been more than half a kilometer. The gradient was steady and fairly steep at times, but the fear of missing the sun rise egged us on.

And when we did get to the peak, the sights were spectacular! The sunrise was perfectly awesome. The English language (or any language for that matter) lacks the words to describe the sights that unfurled. The cold air, the warm sunlight struggling to find its way out of the clouds, the silence of the mountains, disturbed only by the chirping of the bird.


But, try as we might, however good the camera is, capturing the moment never happens. The smells, the sound, the climb up the mountain, all made the sunrise just that much more special.



After seeing the sunrise, we climbed down to Tungnath. On the way down, we stopped and prayed at the Tungnath temple. Unlike Kedarnath, Tungnath is less crowded. When we went to the temple, there was noone else there.

The temple is very simple. It is the highest amongst the Panch Kedar peaks, and not as famous as Kedarnath. It was simple, yet beautiful. We spent some time at the temple, just enjoying the peace and quiet.


We got back and immediately packed our bags to leave for our destination, Mandal. The plan of action was to climb down the mountain as fast as possible and catch the one bus that plies between Choptha and Mandal. We did make it in good time, but unfortunately, the bus didn’t. Even after an hour’s wait, there was no sign of the bus.

Sandeep and me were getting a little impatient. We wanted to walk more. Now, during a conversation with Pankaj (Sabuj’s assistant), it came to light that there existed a trail through the forest to Mandal. The road to Mandal is over twenty six kilometers, but the jungle trail is less than half that much. So, after much persuasion, we convinced Ghana and Harsha to carry our bags to Mandal by bus and Sandeep, Umitda and I set off to Mandal on foot.

The walk was nothing like anything we had expected. Thirteen kilometers can be unimaginably long! And also, walking downhill is no as easy as it sounds! Constantly checking one’s speed, being careful of slippery rocks, and so on and so forth, this journey was turning out to be quite a tough nut to crack! But, we walked on, one step at a time. The greatest positive that came out of this walk was that we got to know our guide much better. He told us many a story about his experiences over the last fifteen years as a guide. He told us of the different students he has come across, he showed us a variety of flora and fauna. The walk was very informative.

We got to Mandal a little after one in the afternoon. We had made good time, and we were quite proud of ourselves. Ignoring our aching legs, we basked in the glory of having walked so much (little did we know that we’d walk much more during the next three days!)

Mandal was the base camp for the Rudranath trek. The rest of the day was given for rest. Umitda made us some delicious chicken for dinner. We pampered ourselves that day, with Sabuj allowing us to use his internet connection. We packed, then unpacked and repacked all our belongings, taking only the absolute essentials. While climbing, very gram is important. We shed every gram of unnecessary items, and after a wonderful dinner, slept a little early night. Sandeep and I needing that little extra bit of rest after the walk from Choptha.


Day 4:

The day started a little late. We had expected to start walking uphill at the crack of dawn, but a sudden reconsideration of the plan allowed us to catch an extra hour of sleep. We woke up at around six and took a jeep to a village called Sagar, a little away from Mandali. This is where our trek began!


The first day had a grueling ten kilometer uphill climb. Just the sound of it sounded scary, but we just had to keep walking. Umitda and I shared most of the weight between ourselves, as we carried sleeping bags, clothes and some food for the journey.

The initial part of the walk was not really tiring. We were excited and the adrenaline was doing most of the walking. The scenic hills on one side and the scenic valley on the other kept us from focusing our attention on our fatigue.

We stopped at a little opening for breakfast. We thanked Sumithra for giving us tomato sauce and jam, as we gobbled away sandwiches. One great thing about trekking is that absolutely any food tastes delicious. We greedily ate every crumb of bread from the packet of stale bread we had bought at Mandal.

But, as the climb went on and on, legs began to ache. The fatigue was finally catching up. Carrying the bag was much tougher than what I had expected. The trail had absolutely no respite from the steep ascent. The weather was very peculiar – when walking, it appeared to be unbearably hot. My clothes were drenched in perspiration. But the moment one stopped walking, the sweat would start drying and it would become uncomfortably cold.


Around four kilometers from our destination, it suddenly became very old. The mist was coming in, and along with the mist came rain. The temperature suddenly dropped, and with that, our moods took a downward plunge. Tempers flared, and everyone huddled under their respective ponchos. We simultaneously realized we were out of water. All of a sudden, everything looked bleak.

Enter Umitda! This is just one of the many times he saved us during the trek. As we squabbled and sat grumpily, scared of what the rest of the mountain had in store for us, Umitda disappeared into the forest, and returned carrying four full bottles of water. Like Superman, he broke off some pieces of wood from a dead tree, and started a fire. He poured the water in the cooker, and began boiling the water. And in five minutes, we had piping hot soup ready! The soup was like ambrosia! It lifted up spirits, everyone was smiling again, and the journey ahead didn’t seem even half as scary as it looked a few moments ago.

We continued out walk up, rejuvenated. But, the skies refused to clear, and a continuous light drizzle kept us aware that Mother Nature might drench us in rain at any moment. We reached a little hut along the way, at a spot called Nyuti.

Nyuti, the way it was described, always had us picturing a collection of huts, and more than fifteen or so people, bustling around the place. How wrong we were! Nyuti comprises one hut, in which live a man and his best friend, a dog called Madan. This man runs a little dhaba for the weary trekker. The dhaba also has a room next door, which trekkers can use to stay in.

By the time we reached Nyuti, our exhaustion was back. We were taking ten minute breaks every five minutes, and our trudging along at snail’s pace made out destination appear much further. Umitda suggested we stay at Nyuti that night. There were also rumours that there was a group staying at Pannaar, our destination for the night. Umitda recommended that we stay the night at Nyuti itself, as there was a chance that we might not get a room when we reach our destination. Sleeping the night between sheep was not a very good incentive, and we jumped at the “staying in Nyuti” plan.

As we entered the hut, we noticed a group all set to continue their walk uphill. We learned that they had set off before us, and had just finished a refreshing halt. Amongst the group was one baba. The baba seemed to have found purpose in the hut – lighting a chillam. Harsha and Ghana gave the other group disapproving looks and went into the ‘room’ to tak some rest. Sandeep and I stared in amazement as the baba nonchalantly prepared the hashish for his dose of the intoxicant. Soon, the chillam was lit, and it was being passed on. Not to let go of such an opportunity, Sandeep and me jumped into the circle, and sucked in the smoke from the narrow end of the little mud cone.

One puff was all that was needed. I reckon I made a quick trip to the moon and back with that one puff. Suddenly, all the tiredness disappeared, and Sandeep and me were all set to resume our climb. However, common sense prevailed, and the moment I touched the bed, I was lost in a world of slumber.


Dinner was served at nine. We struggled to wake up, the long walk uphill draining us of most of our energy. The warmth of the blanket and sleeping bag made getting up and walking to the eating area of the hut impossible. But, hunger is known to make people do extraordinary things, and after a heavy dinner of soya, potato, dal, rice and roti, we all called it a day.



Day 5:

The new day arrived. The sun rose, starting its daily journey to the west. We didn’t wake up! And nor did Umitda, the exhaustion clearly getting to him too! A panicky Umit Singh did wake us up at around seven. We were told to hastily be done with our morning ablutions, and within the next forty five minutes, we set off for Pitrodhaar.


Pitrodhaar is the highest point of the trek. It is a ridge that we have to cross to reach Rudranath. We began climbing, knowing that we have to make up for the two kilometers we did not do yesterday. But, the advantage of climbing in the mornings is that fresh air and fresh legs make climbing much easier. We soon got past the initial two, canceling our arrears, and we set out on the quest to Rudranath.

The next three kilometers started on a good note. The weather was much cooler, making it a lot more pleasant to walk. Since everyone was walking at their own pace, the group soon go divided into five individual trekkers. But, the mist had to play spoilsport, and soon we were enveloped by the clouds. It was beautiful, walking in the clouds, but it made the place a little chilly. The fear of one of us getting left behind cropped in our minds, and we were trying innovative ways to check on the others. We did hit upon a successful method, but not before some interesting unsuccessful attempts.

During these experiments, Sandeep and I had a very interesting conversation. I was carrying the bag, huffing and puffing away. I was panting, struggling to breathe at a steady rhythm. With low oxygen levels, breathing can get irritatingly hard. And then, this happened –
S : Hey.. Kedar.. You there?
K : Yes da, tell me..
S : Can you sing a song?
K :%#$% #@$

I was so bugged with Sandeep at that moment, but looking back, it is hilarious! Sandeep denies this conversation at times, and sometimes denies being serious, but trust me, that guy wanted me to sing to him when I could hardly talk. We finally decided to shout “Jai Rudranath”. This did turn out to be fairly successful, and we carried on with these chants for the better half of the trek.

We finally reached Pitrodhaar. The final kilometer or so was a real struggle, but kudos to the group, as everyone put their head down and just walked. The final kilometer refused to finish, and everyone had dipped into their reserve energy during the final uphill lap of the climb. The only thing that was pushing us on was the knowledge that after Pitrodhaar, it was all downhill!


At Pitrodhaar, it was time for another decision – where to camp that night. Our options were –
(a)stay at Rudranath, at a Dharamshala
(b)stay 3 km away from Rudranath, where the road to Mandal begins
The way the paths are is that the last three kilometers is the same, whether you start from Sagar or Mandal. We decided to camp at the junction of the two roads. The plan was simple, we first would walk a kilometer downhill to the junction. We would then leave our bags at a little hut at the junction, and then climb three kilometers further downhill to Rudranath. After resting at Rudranath, we would return to the junction, thus completing the next day’s uphill bit today itself.

Since we were well above the tree line, it was only alpine meadows everywhere. The lush green grass and the gentle slopes of the mountains surrounded us. We walked towards Rudranath.


With no bags on our backs, we flew! We covered the distance in no time, and before we knew it, we were at Rudranath. Unfortunately, the priest decided that the deity needed his daily siesta, and we had to spend the next ninety minutes waiting for the doors of the temple to be opened.


The doors finally did open at three in the afternoon, and after thanking the Lord for the wonderful trip so far, we set out back to the little hut where our bags lay waiting for us.


We walked back to the little hut. We were excited and satisfied, we had made it to Rudranath! It was only downhill from here.

It had been a tiring day. We had walked over ten kilometers, and the exhaustion got the better of us. And before we knew it, we were fast asleep. Dinner was the usual menu of dal, roti and rice, and our sleeps were briefly interrupted for dinner. But, the most difficult part of the trek was over, and the mood in the camp was happy!


Day 6 :

The last day started off at a half past five. The idea was to complete as much of the return as early as possible, so that we would get to Mandal before dusk. The schedule was a kilometer uphill followed by fifteen downhill. We began walking.


The downhill climb was much easier than uphill. The increasing oxygen levels and the general help offered by gravity made it a lot easier to walk down the cliff than up.

The day was a lot clearer than what we had experienced so far. Mandai was visible – a little speck in the valley. We were walking above the clouds. It was an experience that I struggle to describe in words.


The highlight of my day was a leopard pug mark I spotted. I am a very slow walker when it comes to waling downhill. I used this as an opportunity to observe as much around me as possible. Now, I’m not very good at this, but this pug mark sure made me very proud!


Our first destination was a temple called Anusuya Devi. This temple comes four kilometers before Mandal. There is a belief that whatever one wishes at this temple, comes true. I chose to thank god for the perfect trip we had so far!



We finally got back to Mandal by around three in the afternoon. Sandeep had come down much faster, and by the time I returned (I was the slowest downhill), Sandeep had washed up and was all set for lunch.

I got back and made a dash for the bathroom. It had been three long days since I had a bath, and I had never imagined I’d miss being clean so much. That night, we gormandized on some egg curry and rice. After all those days of potato and rice, anything non-starchy was like a blessing.

I was a little dejected. I didn’t want the trek to end. But, I guess it’s not really a choice. Everything will end sometime or the other, and with this philosophical thought, I crashed that night.

The next morning, we woke up before the sun, and set out back to Dehradun, bidding farewell to the magnificent Himalayas

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