Waiting for the convoy to set off from Joshimath
Saturday
25 October
Dogs
barking and early morning activity outside slightly curtails sleep, but the
earplugs still in my box from the recent Skye trip work well. Nevertheless, I'm
up before the alarm and packed up and ready to leave at 7:15. Most of my weight
is left behind and my sleeping bag, gilet and Thermarest easily fit into
Julia's bag in exchange for her 'excess' being put in my bag and left in the
hotel until we return.
We've also
left the medical box - a weighty thing never used, and a few of John and
Richard's things.
Breakfast
is a bit late but quite efficient - omelettes and toast, with extra toast and
jam, and the usual copious quantities of tea.
A map is produced. (Maybe one of Ian Inch's.)
From the
hotel there are good views down the Alaknanda River valley, and up the hill to
the town (Joshimath) - corrugated iron roofed houses, trees, rock outcrops, and
waterfalls. Below the hotel haystacks dry on roofs, and a sweet shop's stove flares
as breakfast is cooked. The gaping jagged walls of a collapsing but still used
building stand (just about) directly below my window.
Anil and
Vicram arrive as planned and the bill is paid. It's a beautiful clear, sunny
day. We are soon in a queue for the 'gate' to the Govind Ghat road, which is so
bad that traffic is let onto it in convoys in an attempt at a sort of one-way
system. We queue for 20 minutes or so for the 9 o'clock gate. Some have more
tea and buy books, tapes and cards. Beggars abound, one refusing 5 rupees and
demanding 50! He got nothing. I buy a book on the area and culture (20 Rup) and
finally find some postcards - two packs of 10 for 5 rupees a pack. Each card
costs 0.8 pence! They are a bit flimsy but were the last in the shop.
The convoy
leaves promptly at 9am and Vicram guides us forcefully but carefully (I think)
along precipitous roads deep down to the river valley then steadily up to Govind
Ghat (1828 metres) [Joshimath is 1875 metres]. The 15km drive takes 40 minutes
and leads us up the spectacularly narrow gash created by the higher reaches of
the Alaknanda.
We get out
to find 8 Nepalese porters efficiently loading the cooking gear and provisions,
including a huge heavy sack of vegetables. We are going vegetarian for this two
night trek as it is to a religious centre where Hindu pilgrims congregate. We
respect their vegetarianism. Last year's trek report refers to the 'B’ team,
but our porters quickly grab our three bags and set off before us at 10am. They
are definitely 'B plus', if not 'A', and should be perfectly adequate.
We follow, and Richard and I quickly revert to shorts on this lovely warm day.
On the trek above Govind Ghat
The porters
are overtaken, but we soon congregate for tea at a small village - Puhna.
It is
clear why we have been unable to hire ponies - they all seem to be engaged in
bringing the potato crop down from the fields to the roadhead.
Views from the path to Gangaria
Continuing along the well engineered wide stone path we have long since left the sound of blaring horns behind. This is the 'close season' and pilgrims no longer wander the path. It is steep but well graded and I am soon walking with Anil, who wants to go ahead to arrange accommodation.
Waterfalls cascade across the path
We pass lots of detritus - plastic, water bottles, Fanta bottles, etc, etc, left as the various stores offering refreshments have been abandoned for the winter.
Their frames remain, together with the rubbish, which is only rarely removed by determined trekkers, until next season when everything will be rebuilt.
The mess is not as bad as I
expected after reading the report on last year's trek, and the walk up this
magnificent steep sided valley is most enjoyable. The autumn colours in the
woods are lovely. Tits and redstarts are present, and the ubiquitous langur apes,
as well as small wren like birds.
We are in
the Bhuinder Gorge heading for Ghangaria (3048 metres) and the Valley of the Flowers.
We pass by a second village and stop for lunch, after which Anil bombs on to
arrange accommodation. I enjoy the continuing ascent at a steady pace and
arrive in Ghangaria at 2pm. Anil worriedly shows me a room with four beds
filling one half, a carpet, a (dubious looking) toilet, and a chest which can
be used as a table. A bit like a small camping barn. There is a less salubrious
room next door which Anil, Pawan and Bagwan (whose real name is spelt Bhawan -
pronounced Bagwan) will use for cooking and sleeping. I pronounce the
accommodation perfectly satisfactory - it even has mattresses, and we adjourn
for chai nearby. We are staying on the first floor of a building under
construction. Our room has been quickly cleaned, and beds and mattresses
organised. There are piles and sacks of building material on a sort of balcony,
and we reach our room by climbing a ladder and making our way across various piles
of rubble. Hard core in the kitchen has been hastily covered with an old carpet.
By 3pm Pawan
and Bagwan have arrived. I decide there is time to visit the Valley of the Flowers
rather than hang around in Ghangaria. Ghangaria is a shanty town, now out of
season and closed, for Sikh and Hindi pilgrims. There is a mish mash of
concrete and corrugated iron to accommodate these pilgrims. One of the Sikh
rest houses looks like a several storey prison - bars everywhere. There are no
planning rules and the whole place has the air of a disorganised building site.
I head up
a concreted (where the piles of gravel have been utilised) stone path. Soon (10
minutes) a river is reached. The bridge has gone so I leap across stones. I'm
now on the usual 5ft wide stone path - very well engineered - like that before Ghangaria.
I branch off left whilst another path leads off up a zigzag path above a lovely
large waterfall to Hem Kund, a religious place situated at 4329 metres.
The path
continues steeply up the gorge, across a rickety iron bridge, before levelling
out and then rising steeply before reaching a substantial stream. At this point
the whole of the
Later, I found a flower!
Rosehips,
redstarts, wrens, green tits - are all abundant. I linger for a 20-minute
biscuit stop before returning to Ghangaria to find that the others have just
arrived (4:30). I was down at 5:15 and cheese pakora and tea is being served. Delicious.
Returning to Ghangaria in late afternoon
Everyone
agrees the room is fine, and we settle down to another lovely Indian meal and a
chat over a glass of vodka.
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