October 1997 - The 'Shipton/Tilman' Route - Day 18 - October 28

Tuesday 28 October

A quieter night due to heavy rain dampening the activities of dogs and pilgrims.

7am breakfasts drifts to 7:15, and the cheese omelette is greasy and not up to Taku's standard.

7:30 departure drifts to 8am, as Vicram, who has been staying with a relative, is late.

Fuel for the Tata, with both cameras

It's a miserable overcast rainy day; it would not have been a pleasant trekking day, so I suppose we finished just in time.

The road is spectacular and slow. Slightly nerve-racking in the wet. It seems to take ages to get to Karenprayag, where we stayed on 14 October. We make slow progress in improving weather and shop for tea and bananas. Then we are further impeded at Rudranath (Rudnaprayag?) by a half hour traffic jam in the town centre where a parked car on one side and a leaning telegraph pole on the other contribute to the problem of large vehicles wrestling their way along a virtually single-track road being used as a bus park!

It is 1:30 by the time we reach the Mahesh Restaurant again. My stomach is much better than on the last visit, and a good lunch is enjoyed in fine weather on the marble table with fine views of mountains, and a lovely garden.

The afternoon is quite speedy though Vicram is obviously tired. We manage to complete the 200+ km journey to the Mercury River Camp 15 km north of Rishikesh, by 5pm. This is just as well, as we must attract someone in camp, to send over a raft and allow us to cross the Camp Rapid with minimal gear (except Richard - Bagwan carried his full bag which he is paranoid about losing). Anil says we just need a change of clothes and toothbrush - and he proves to be correct. 

En route to River Camp

The tents in River Camp - which we reached dryly as Anil expertly navigated us across the rapid in fading light - are equipped with camp beds, blankets and towels, all we need for a comfortable night.

The views from the tents down the Ganges are wonderful, and after a tedious day this place completely changes my mood. What a difference from the Natraj Hotel - and we've probably saved Mercury a £100 hotel bill.

The stars come out and we eat outside around a brazier on a balmy evening. 

In the River Camp kitchen

Excellent food from Pawan as usual.

Afterwards we stroll down to a nearby beach and wait in the dark for deer and other animals which Anil says come to the water to feed. I waited longest. It got quite eerie alone in the dark on a jungle beach under the stars. No sign of any animals, so at 10pm I wandered back through the jungle path to camp, where I was sharing a tent with Julia. We were happy to have brought a minimum of kit as the sand would have been hard to keep out of sleeping bags etc.

Next Day
Previous Day
Back to the Start