Saturday 18th October
Usual 6:30, 6:45, 7:30, 8:00, 8:30 routine. We lingered at this campsite on a warm morning despite there being no sun. The mill race makes the route to the bridge a sometimes damp one, so care is needed. We observe the mill, where a mixture of seeds are being ground to flour.
There are tree creepers or similar on the trees at the site, and white capped river chats by the stream (river).
Before we leave, the sun rises ephemerally through a haze of smoke from the daily fire used by the pony men.
There are always two fires - the pony men have one, lit in the afternoon / evening, which is well stocked with dead wood from any nearby forest. It's a good fire. Before departure there is also always a small fire near the cook's tent, used simply to burn rubbish.
Leaving camp
Just over the bridge is an English foursome who have come from Joshimath over the Kauri Pass and are about to go up Roop Kund. They are a lighter weight trip than us, using several porters but no ponies. They plan to get to Mandoli from Joshimath in 9 days, covering more ground than we do in 10 days.
Soon we enter Sutol - "a lovely village with paved alleys and heavy slate roofs". It even has a post box, but only John has kept a card to post. We stop for sweet tea, which I find quite acceptable. As this takes some time the ponies go ahead and stay there for the rest of the day. The square where we drink tea is next to a small
Continuing along the path we see lots of yellow butterflies, and langur monkeys (white head, black face, grey body) being chased up the hillside by the locals. They are obviously pests.
We drop to a river and peruse rag like washing drying below the iron girder
bridge peppered with lizard holes.
After the girder bridge we rise to a little temple on a col at 8200 feet.
More outstanding views east
to Trisul (7120 metres). Take a second lunch here - cheese, tomato and onion
sandwich, a slice of goat's liver, a boiled potato, a boiled egg, a packet of
biscuits, and a chocolate bar, together with the mango drink (expiry date May
1997 but it tastes ok) is standard fare.
A view from the temple
A view from the belvedere path
A lovely high precipitous belvedere path led then to today's idyllic campsite, high on a promontory near Dekhandhar at 2120 metres with superb views both down to the river and across to forests (Ian seems to have ventured on unmarked paths across the other side of the valley, if his map is to be believed), as well as over to Trisul.
This was a well populated path - the main track between villages. Eagles soaring, birds with blue tails, and locals occasionally with transistor radios. One house even had solar panels, and beans were being dried on black mats.
Campsite near Dekhandhar
We arrived to find our tents pitched, and spent a happy few hours before ascending the nearest hill, to try to catch sunset from the summit (we were delayed by John's hindu lesson assisted by a local school boy). We ascended quickly - 300 to 400 metres. John and I making the top just as the sun set. The others also saw the sunset as during the ascent the sun had appeared from behind the shadow of a nearby hillside.
We descended at about the same speed as we went up - about 45 minutes for the 1000ft or so, to reach the camp in darkness, which falls quickly here, on another lovely starlit evening.
Apart from the warmth and beautiful belvedere paths, today was memorable for an especially good dinner:
• nibbles on arrival at campsite
• veg soup - mainly cauliflower
• macaroni with onions, tomatoes and other things
• tender fried goat
• rice
• toast
• baked beans
• cauliflower cheese
• bread and butter pudding
followed as always by tea, coffee or Ovaltine (my preference) and then some stronger duty free - glenmorangie tonight - before sleep on hitting the sack at about 9:30.
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