A week in paradise
Adventure
By Isidore Dominick Mendis

TAKE a deep breath and step out into the lap of nature No, not to the usual touristy spots. But a vacation of a different kind — a trek in the Garhwal Himalayas. An area which offers such breath- taking and stunning sights. Lush green forests on the one side and high mountain ranges on the other, while waterfalls are cascading down from the skies.

Such are the wonders of nature here that even for a person well-versed with the topography of this bewitching region, it becomes well-nigh impossible to choose a route. So, it’s always advisable to take a seasoned trekker as a companion.

We chose not one but two companions — Tejbir Singh Anand and Rajiv Tomar who run an eco-adventure tour company in this region. We tell them to make this a memorable trekking trip which is away from the myriad routes in the Garhwal Himalayas.

They suggest the bugyals — extensive pasture lands found at heights ranging between 3,000 and 4,500 metres. Generally the snow-capped mountains stand in bold relief against the lush green pastures or bugyals. But sometimes these bugyals are so vast that they even dwarf the lofty peaks.

We are coaxed into selecting the Panwali Bugyals skirting the Bhilling valley on the old pilgrim route from Gangotri to Kedarnath. And we couldn’t have asked for a better trail. In all our years of trekking on the different mountain ranges we have yet to explore and experience a region like this.

Unlike other treks in the Garhwal Himalayas like Kuari Khal and Nag-Tibba, this one is a very uncommon trail. Cradled in the Garhwal Himalayas at over a height of over 3,000 metres the region is covered with thick oaks deodar and pine forests over- looked by snow-capped peaks and hanging glaciers like Jogin Group (6,466m) Sphetic Prishtwan (6,905m), Kirti Stamb (6,402m), Bharitya Kanta (6,579m) and more.

The 50-km 7-day trek, we are told, will transport us back to another time apart from offering a wide variety of flora and fauna and rich historical aspect as well. In short, a trek woth remembering for years to come.

We boarded an early morning bus from Delhi which took us to Rishikesh in Uttar Pradesh via Roorkee and Hardwar. After a hurried lunch we boarded another bus from Rishikesh to Ghuttu, at a distance of 140 km at an altitude of 1,525 metres which is the base camp from where Tejbir and Tomar start the trek.

Ghuttu is a small village on the Gangotri-Kedarnath route surrounded by glorious peaks mantled in snow. Here we hire HAPs — high altitude porters — who are an essential part of the adventure as they also double up as guides through this unchartered route. Most of the high altitude porters are extremely adept in these areas and trekking comes naturally to them. They make light of our stuff they are carrying on their backs — folded tents and rucksacks containing toiletries, biscuits and tinned food.

The first day of our trek starts from Ghuttu to Reeh, at a distance of 10 km through terraced fields, thick forests and high waterfalls. The stunning beauty of the surroundings make us forget the arduous climb of over 2,100 metres which takes more than four hours to scale.

This is a memorable trek and we are told that the great Indian sage, Adi Shankaracharya traversed through this hilly terrain to establish the shrine at Kedarnath. Reeh is a village steeped in religion. Legend has it that Lord Shiva was so mesmerised by the beauty of the place that he would visit it frequently.

The towering Shiva Temple is said to have been built where the Lord came and meditated.

This quaint village seems to have been caught in a time warp. Villagers have no use for our money as the barter system prevails here extensively. A local shepherd happily serves us hot cups of milk in exchange for three match boxes!

We pitch our tents in an open field and after a restful night we are raring to go the next morning to Gha — 12 km away. Situated at 2300m this trek too offers tantalising views of not only snow-clad mountain ranges but also glimpses of river Bhilangana gushing through the mountain gorges. The last stretch of two km is a steep descent to the river where Tejbir and Tomar have pitched beautiful tents and the hot meal comprising dal, vegetables and curd is a most welcome sight.

The next morning we started off early. We entered the most beautiful part of the trek. Our destination was the lower Tali Bugyals situated at an altitude of 3600m. The route of four km passed through such thick woods that at times we had to use our torches in broad daylight.

The dense forests of bamboo, blue pines, deodars, Himalayan firs, rhododendrons and oak trees wrap you in their sounds of silence broken only by the rustling to leaves under our feet.

Besides the flora, the innumerable varieties of fauna take one’s breath away. The endangered mountain fox, golden deer, musk deer, barking deer and kaleidoscopic butterflies are an environmentalist’s delight. We halt briefly at this heavenly place which opens up into green meadows with snow-capped mountains against a deep azure sky.

From here we trek onwards to our final destination — the Panwali Bugyals which at 4,060 metres is the highest point of our trek. This is the top ridge of the mountain from where one route bifurcates towards Kedarnath where the lake offers a spectacular view.

This stretch is a veritable haven for stargazers. And our tour guides set up powerful telescopes to view the celestial bodies which seem almost at an arm’s length. Never have we seen stars so bright and big. Even the craters on the moon are clearly visible and planet Mars looks as big as a tennis ball.

We lose track of the time gazing at the stars and when Tejbir points out that it is well past midnight we all retire to our tents for a welcome night’s sleep.

The following morning we began our descent. The stretch from Panwali Bugyals to the Upper Tali Bugyals of Matya, Kuni and Tali is around 8 km which takes us almost four hours to traverse through undulating green slopes covered with a riot of colourful flowers. In the winters, these slopes are a skier delight.

The trek back to the Ghuttu base camp is the most difficult as it means leaving behind a clean world of pristine beauty which is such a rare sight for city dwellers. No hustle-bustle, no rush, no cars. Just the rustling of leaves, chirping of birds and the whistling of the wind. Truly a week in paradise. — Newsmen Features