[prajakt_23]

Part-I Please bear with me for a slightly lengthy beginning, but once you read through it, the photos would start makings sense!

Let me start this story by telling you a joke. Folks from the 90's might have already heard it. Among kids, it was a very common joke back then.

A high school student was travelling in a state transport bus. A ticket checker hopped onto the bus and started checking tickets randomly. He came to this boy and asked for his ticket. The boy reached out to his trouser pocket and pulled out a bus ticket. The ticket checker smiled and asked mischievously, “What would happen if somehow you misplace this ticket?” The boy smiled and said, “Do I look that careless? I already have another ticket in my shirt pocket as a backup plan”.

You would get to know the relevance of this joke as the saga unfolds. And I am confident that you would be laughing out loud in your chair, the way I am laughing now, recollecting the events of this story.

Clock was ticking and I was literally counting every minute this time! I was not sure when my flight would land at Delhi airport. I was also not sure if I would get my baggage sooner. The moment I felt the landing jerk, I looked at my wrist watch and it displayed 11:30 pm. I immediately rushed at the baggage belt but I knew that it was already too late! I got my sack at around 11:45 and at 11:50 I heard a beep of a mobile message. I knew what it was, but still I thought of reading it. The SMS was from my elder brother who was sitting in Kota - Dehradun express at Hazrat Nizamuddin station in Delhi. It said, the train was on time and just departed from the station as scheduled. And that's how I missed my train to Dehradun to start my onward journey towards Sankri in Uttarakhand, for one of the most anticipated treks of my trekking journey so far!

I had been meticulously planning for this trek as usual. However, the sequence of events was beyond my control this time. Since I was the only person in my group who was traveling from Pune, I had the flexibility of choosing any flight which could reach Delhi in the evening. While I had checked for flight options 3 months ago, I had booked Vistara flight at 8:20 pm from Pune which was reaching Delhi at 10:30 pm. And since the earlier flights were too early for me to reach Delhi, I thought I would have just enough time to travel to Hazrat Nizamuddin station before the train starts at 11:50 pm.

We were scheduled to start our travel on 26th May evening and on 21st May, I got a notification email mentioning that my flight had been rescheduled to depart at 8:35 pm and will land in Delhi at around 10:45 pm. Although it was just a 15 minute delay, now I was really skeptical since there was hardly any margin available for me to reach the station in time. For the Airport to the station journey, Google Maps was showing travel time as around 45 minutes. I could have still managed to reach the station in time, but in case my luggage gets delayed, then there was a high chance that I would miss the train. Other members of my group were traveling from Mumbai and were scheduled to reach Delhi by 8:30 pm itself. So, instead of waiting for me at the airport (that too at a different terminal), I had asked them to directly reach the station and wait for me in the train compartment itself.

Being part of the Program management team, I am used to recursive / iterative planning and continuous risk mitigation :-) However, this time it really tricked me! Considering the risk associated with the revised flight timing, I decided to look at an alternative flight option. This was essential since missing my train was kind of equivalent to missing the actual trek itself. It would have not only resulted in monetary loss, inconvenience and other hassle, it would have resulted in an emotional setback since it was the first trek plan which we were executing after 2.5-3 years of Corona pandemic.

This time, I quickly booked a GoAir flight which was scheduled to depart from Pune at 7:35 pm. Since it was scheduled to land at 9:45 pm, I had more than 2 hrs. to reach the railway station. Although it would cost me much higher to book a ticket at the last moment, I was happy to see the risk of missing the trek getting successfully mitigated ;-) Pardon my official lingo!

What I didn't anticipate was another twist in the tale. I tried to cancel my original Vistara ticket from Pune to Delhi, but since it was bought in advance at some discounted price, the system was not allowing me to cancel only one leg of the booking. It wanted me to cancel the entire trip, which means I need to cancel my return ticket from Delhi to Pune as well :-( Since I didn't have any other arrangements for return travel, I just decided to forgo the Vistara ticket specific to Pune - Delhi travel. Yes, it was a financial loss but again, I convinced myself with the same argument that at least I won't miss my trek anymore!

But was that all? Of Course not! Fast forward to the 24th evening and I received another notification email, this time from GoAir for my second ticket. It said that they have rescheduled their flight now, and the revised scheduled time of departure is 8:35 pm!! So, the situation was back to the same point again. So, for the first time in my life, I had two flight tickets of the same date, same time and for same place to go to :-D Since I didn’t have much choice, I decided to stick to GoAir since it was an old name in aviation history compared to Vistara and an additional plus point was that it was scheduled to land at Terminal 2 in Delhi. I had checked that The Nizamuddin Railway station was relatively closer to Terminal 2 than Terminal 1.

Do you think that the ordeal was over? Hell No!!! So, here is the final nail in the coffin. I eagerly completed all my activities on the 26th and started towards the Pune airport. Since I was traveling in the other direction, the roads were relatively less crowded. I reached the airport well in advance, dropped my check in baggage (Sack) at GoAir counter, cleared security screening to reach the allotted Gate. I was shocked to see the flight information display screen. It showed that the Vistara flight was ‘on time’, whereas the GoAir flight was delayed! I was just about to laugh out loud at my luck. I mean, how much one can plan for! There are always multiple ways in which your plan can go for a toss!

I called up Milind sir (our leader, who had already reached Delhi) and explained to him this new twist. He advised me to check with our trekking agency to look for any alternative in case my flight doesn't land in Delhi on time. Abhishekji from the agency mentioned that there are regular Volvo buses plying from Delhi Kashmiri Gate which travel overnight to reach Dehradun ISBT as early as 4:30 am. This way, I could have still made it to Dehradun station before our train reaches there by 5:40 am. This looked like the last option I had, if I still wanted to make this trek. So, I started surfing online and found out UTC online booking site (https://www.utconline.uk.gov.in/). The last Volvo bus was scheduled to leave Delhi Kashmiri gate at 11:59 pm, and the next one was directly at 5 am. As a last resort, I decided to book a ticket for this 11:59 pm bus just in case I am unable to make it to the train station in time. While I was doing this, I saw people boarding the Vistara flight and I was seriously amazed at what all can go wrong in a single trip!

And then finally they announced boarding of the GoAir flight at around 8:20 pm or so. I was still hoping that if it departs as scheduled, I might have some chance to catch the train. While I was boarding the flight, I booked my bus ticket before they could ask me to switch off my phone. Now I had one confirmed train ticket along with one confirmed Volvo ticket to travel for the same date, and from the same place (Delhi) to Dehradun. Isn’t that fun?

While I kept my camera and other gear in the overhead compartment and occupied my seat, the pilot made an announcement that Pune being a military airport, Air Force had planned for some activities which took precedence. All civilian planes were made to wait at the airport until clearance from the Air Force while they finish landing their fleet of fighter jets. However, just before this announcement, Vistara flight was allowed to depart on scheduled time and I saw it taking off while my GoAir flight was put on hold for clearance. It took us more than 50 minutes to get the clearance and then our flight took off at around 9:40 pm or so. To make it more dramatic, a baby sitting in the next row was crying intermittently. As soon as I felt the landing jerk, I messaged my brother that I was still trying to reach the station but it looked difficult now. By the time I got my sack and came out of the terminal, it was 11:50 pm. I not only managed to miss my train, but there was also no possible way to reach the Kashmiri Gate within the next 9 minutes. So, finally I managed to miss the last option of getting on the Volvo bus as well :-D I was just looking at my watch imagining my empty Volvo seat and the happy face of my co-passenger who was going to get 2 seats at the price of one, for his / her entire journey!!

Now, let's skip to the good part, shall we?

While I was standing at the departure gate, I just took a pause to evaluate my options. First and foremost option was obviously to skip the trek and get back to Pune with the next available flight. But then every bit of planning which I had done for this trek flashed in my mind and I decided to check other possible alternatives. Next to the gate, I saw two police personnel chatting, so I just thought of checking with them first. I told them that I had just missed my train, as well as the last bus to Dehradun, and was looking for the best alternative. They asked me if I could wait till morning. But since my entire team had already left Delhi, that was not possible. So they advised me to hire a private car from the airport. They mentioned that it's a safe option and I should not be worried about traveling alone at night. They also advised me to check Delhi police approved taxi vendors just outside the airport instead of the one inside the airport since it was exorbitantly costly. There was a RTO approved taxi booth just outside the arrival gate. It was relatively crowded and many passengers were hiring Cabs for their local traveling. I approached the person sitting at the counter and asked him if he could arrange a reliable cab to get me to Dehradun railway station. He looked puzzled for a minute but soon realized that I needed to travel to Dehradun immediately and hence he made a few phone calls to get a CNG DZire. In my mind, I thought of all those ‘Crime Patrol Dustak’ episodes, where a single passenger traveling in the middle of the night gets robbed and left stranded (if lucky), on an isolated highway :-D. I took a photo of the cab along with the driver and shared it with my brother and family members before starting the trip. I also ensured that the driver understood what I did, just to minimize risk of any untoward incident :-) Also, I categorically asked him not to pick up any other passenger enroute, and should not stop the car unless I ask him to do so. I also insisted that he would only stop at a restaurant of my choice! Yes, I know it might sound crazy but these were only a few proactive precautionary measures I could have taken.

It was almost 12:30 am or so and the driver said it would take around four and half hours to reach Dehradun station. He needed a few permits which he decided to arrange by calling his contacts. Before we exited Delhi, we stopped at a CNG pump to top up and we were on our way. After driving for 35-40 minutes, I could feel that the vehicle randomly changing lanes in either direction and then the driver would course correct. I immediately realized that he was feeling sleepy. I asked him to take a short break or stop for a tea instead. He did accept that he was feeling sleepy but at least this direct conversation got him back in an alert mode and we continued safely.

It was around 2:30 am and we were near Meerut where I saw a decent and crowded restaurant. I asked the driver to stop for a quick tea break. I was really surprised to see families ordering full blown dinner even at that odd hour. Tea was awesome and it gave us the much needed kick.



We at least stopped twice to top up CNG till we were nearing Dehradun. Just before Dehradun, we were stopped by the traffic police. But after showing the permits received on WhatsApp, the police immediately let us go. The train was on schedule and my team got down at Dehradun station by 5:45 am. I managed to reach Dehradun station by 6 am and then I joined them happily for a hot cup of tea at a stall just outside the station. What a rollercoaster ride it was to make it to Dehradun station from Pune! Looked like the trek was in my destiny!

We quickly loaded our sacks and gear in the tempo traveler and started our journey towards Kotagaon / Sidri by 6:45 am or so.



Everyone was feeling hungry so we decided to stop for breakfast after getting out of the chaos of Dehradun city. We stopped at a decent restaurant at around 8 am, had a course of different types of parathas and continued our journey towards Purola.





Our tempo traveler was facing some issues, so our driver decided to stop at Naugaon at a local mechanic. He tried his hand at it and meanwhile we started roaming around in the market to see if we could buy some local fruits.



After spending some 40-45 minutes there, we continued our journey further. However, immediately after leaving the village, our tempo traveler gave up on us. We pushed it on a slope to try jump starting it, but it didn't work. We were stranded in the middle of the road. It was around 1 pm and it was pretty warm with no shade around.



While our driver was trying different options, we just roamed around the river which was flowing on the left side.

Some divine soul must be staying there




Our driver made another desperate attempt to start it but it didn't work. He made a few calls to his colleagues and followed their instructions and then after spending another 30 minutes in that heat, the vehicle started.

Fortunately, we could continue further without any vehicle issues. We stopped for lunch at Purola and had a feast on paneer butter masala among all other dishes we had ordered. Instead of the traditional base camp of Sankri or Kotagaon, we had decided to reach Sidri, where our stay was arranged at the hotel ‘Nature View Himalaya’. We reached Sidri by 4 pm or so. We were offered hot tea, coffee and French fries in the restaurant / dining area and then showed the way to our rooms, which were located on the opposite side of the road.

As per what I was told by Abhishekji, our lead guide Bachanji was supposed to meet us in Sidri itself. It was one of our prime requirements that he leads this specific group since he is not only an excellent trekker and trek leader himself, but he also owns this trekking agency. So, when he traveled with us on our past Bali pass trek, he personally looked after our arrangements during the trek. And since he was traveling with us, all other porters and support crew were genuinely looking after the trekkers. We were told that he is building a new resort / cottages in Sidri itself so we decided to visit him on that site itself. After dumping our sacks and taking a shower, we started our casual evening walk on the road towards his resort site. After walking for 10-15 minutes, we saw him with his team on the right side of the road. His team was working with JCB, leveling the ground and moving big boulders from the site. While we talked to him casually, he mentioned that since this resort had been his top priority, he won't be traveling with our group. That was really disappointing since it was really a key factor for choosing his trekking agency for this trek. After talking to him for another 10-15 minutes, we came back to our rooms and started working on separating our luggage items.

After dinner, Bachanji called for a short meeting to discuss the trek plan and to introduce us to the cook and other key members of the crew. We handed over our fitness certificates as well as duly signed declarations and carefully listened to the minor changes in the plan. He also mentioned that the weather forecast was not in our favor and heavy rain was predicted for the entire week. He introduced us to Tikamji, another senior trek leader joining us on this trek. He also mentioned that his nephew, Mukesh would also join us from the second day of the trek since he wanted him to get acquainted with this trek route. We realized that except Tikamji, none of the other members had been to Fachu Kandi pass before. We handed over our individual trek fees and decided to hit the bed early. It did rain that night proving part of the weather forecast to be true!

We woke up early the next morning and observed that the entire village was already busy with their regular morning activities. From the verandah of our rooms, Sankari village was clearly visible at lower level and we could also locate the old green GMVN building on the corner, where we had stayed during our Har ki Dun trek in the past.



Our rooms in Hotel Nature View Himalaya, Sidri


We quickly separated our luggage since we had decided to keep a pair of fresh clothes and some other stuff at the base camp itself. It was planned to be carried to Dehradun and would be handed to us once we finish the trek. There was an 11th trekker added to our group who absolutely had no idea of what Himalayan trek is all about. Ulhas sir spent a considerable amount of time helping him separate his items and pack his sack for the actual trek.

While we approached the dining hall, we saw that few of the tempo travelers were getting ready for their journey towards Dehradun.



While we looked around we saw that there was construction going on everywhere along the sides of the main road and there were many homestays cum resorts coming up.



After finishing our breakfast Bachanji mentioned that he had to send his cook back and hence he would himself accompany us on the trek. We were delighted to hear this positive change. While we were getting ready to bring our sacks down to be handed over to the support crew, we decided to take a couple of group photos.





And finally we started walking on the road towards the Kotagaon village. Tikamji joined us and were leading the way, while Bachanji was supposed to join us later along with the mules and support staff. After walking for around 10-15 minutes on the main road, our trail branched off on the left through a relatively broken road. From this point onwards, we started climbing and gaining altitude. In the begining, the trail was going through small farms and plantations on hills.



Soon we came out on a plateau from where the original base village (Kotagaon) was visible on our right side at a distance. It was a relatively mid-sized village with many multistoried colorful houses.





From this point onwards, the trail was entering a relatively thick forest. The weather was getting warm and hence we were eager to take a break under the trees nearby. We waited for a couple of minutes there and once everyone else was visible on the trail below, we again started in the direction which Tikamji pointed us.

After walking on a winding trail for more than an hour and a half, we came out on a lush green meadow. It was covered with colorful tiny yellow, white and purple flowers.



Since it was almost noon, we decided to continue till the next visible tree line and wait there for others.



While we were almost near the trees, I saw this healthy and handsome bull grazing there, who finally decided to rest there, giving us an opportunity to photograph him.



Tikamji asked us to rest under the trees and eat our packed lunch since there were few fresh water streams flowing in the vicinity. To our surprise, the packed lunch packet only had a bun with mayonnaise and a banana with it. Few of us had picked up a boiled egg as well.



Two mountain dogs had joined us since Sidri. One was of cream colour while the other one was shiny black. Most probably these dogs were used to travel with trekkers since trekkers usually happen to feed them all along. So, we shared pieces of bread and egg whites with them and they did enjoy them!

Magesh and Vermaji (the 11th trekker who had joined us through the trekking agency) were walking slowly and catching their breath quite frequently. So Milind sir had also stayed back to accompany Magesh. Finally we saw them coming out of the meadow and then they also joined us for lunch.

After spending more than 30 minutes, we decided to continue further. After walking through the forest for some time, the trail started descending and on our right hand side we saw Juda Ka Talab. I had heard so many things about it previously so I was really keen in validating them myself. From that very angle it was looking beautiful with a reflection of pine trees and blue sky in it.



However, as we approached closer, we could smell it stinking. The water in it had turned completely back mostly due to rotten wood and other stuff lying there. During the winter season, none of the trekkers experience these issues since it is almost frozen and snow covered all around. So, please take my word for it. If it's not snowing, please avoid going there. And if you still do, please do not stay at the campsite in its vicinity! It was that bad, period!

We continued further on our trail from its left side.



Our trail was going up in the jungle and then finally at around 3 pm, we saw our tents pitched on the left side of the trail. When we checked with Tikamji, he mentioned that since part of our team was walking at a much slower pace, they decided to camp early. From this place, the actual planned campsite was another 1.5 - 2 hrs walk. They had to fetch drinking water from the stream nearby but considering all other alternatives and the situation, we decided to drop anchor for the day early. Since our tents were pitched already, we looked for our sacks and grabbed sleeping bags to occupy tents pitched along the mud pond in the center.



There was a huge rock opposite our campsite towards the incline . Dada and Shri went up to it to have a birds eye view of the campsite.



Soon Bachanji asked his team to serve hot tea and pakode so we sat in front of the dining tent enjoying the beautiful weather.



Since it was just the first day of our walk, everyone's body was getting used to the altitude. We were served dinner early in the evening by 7 or so, and we were done for the day. Veeru joined us there as a cook and hence Bachanji announced that he would be going back to Sankri. This was another unexpected blow to us since we really wanted Bachanji to continue with us on this trek as promised.

[prajakt_23]

Part-II

We woke up early the next morning and finished our morning activities as early as possible. The plan was to finish breakfast early and start walking by 7 - 7:30. The trail was entering thick forest immediately from the opposite side of our campsite. The initial climb from our campsite was very steep. However, since the trail was completely covered with trees, we were able to walk comfortably. We took a couple of group photos and then started our climb.



We were told that once the initial climb is over, the next portion of today's trail was going to be a ridge walk giving us a 360 degree view of the mountain ranges around.

Although it was a relatively paved route, we were continuously climbing and hence team members were taking frequent breaks. After climbing for at least 45 minutes or so we reached one open space where we could see dozens of Himalayan Griffon vultures hovering above us. They must have spotted some seriously injured or dead animal somewhere in the vicinity and were planning to have a feast! Few of the vultures flew above us and I just managed to capture a photo of one through my mobile.





We continued further on the trail going down the ravine. Tikamji mentioned that there is a small waterfall and stream there and we could top up our water bottles. As we moved closer, we could hear the sound of water gushing through the rocks. My only worry was that since we were going down towards the stream, it was inevitable that we would need to gain all lost altitude very soon!

After turning right on the trail, I could see my elder brother, Ulhas sir walking towards the stream. I took a couple of snaps from that point and moved towards the stream and the small waterfall just above it.



The water was absolutely crystal clear. We filled our water bottles and waited for Magesh and Milind sir to show up on the trail. Soon we could see Magesh, Arjunji on the same turn, so we decided to start walking further. Now, from this point the trail was going straight up the mountain through huge trees. We climbed for another 15-20 minutes and reached a plateau from where Kedarkanta top was visible. Team decided to stop and take some rest till everyone else reached that spot. We had some light snacks and enjoyed the scenery around. This spot was surrounded by rhododendron trees all along. We were eagerly looking for Himalayan Monal who usually build their nests in this vicinty. But since it was already late in the day, there was hardly any possibility of spotting one!



After starting from this point, we continued our trail further up in the mountain.



We soon emerged out of the forest and reached a lush green meadow. It was just 10 am but the weather was not in a good mood. It was completely overcast when we continued our walk through the meadows towards Dhunda. There was a sole tree guarding the corner of the trail where we stopped and decided to take a quick snack break.

While Vermaji and then Milind sir were visible on the meadow behind us, the weather cleared for a few minutes and I could capture a few good photos of the meadow.



There was another huge boulder next to that tree. It seemed to be a good location for capturing portraits. So, I lined up all the youngsters (including me ;-)) across the boulders individually and took some profile photos. Now it started drizzling, so we decided to move further quickly from there.

We saw a flock of sheep sitting around the trail ahead on the mountain. As we approached them, they got scared and started running all over the place. We left them behind on the trail and continued further.



Tikamji asked us to wait on the plateau since our mules were quickly catching up on us. While we waited there, our mules crossed us and then we followed them on the trail which was going next to another water stream.





Now we could see cattle grazing below in the meadow which was shining in bright sunlight. We were walking in the shadow zone throughout and were seriously looking for some sunshine and the warm feeling!











Soon we were walking on the ridge and the 360 degree view from the ridge was spectacular.



Now the trail was full of scree and Tikamji showed us a mountain ridge which we were supposed to cross to reach the campsite.





Our campsite was visible at the fag end of the trail


As we continued, the weather worsened and dark clouds gathered all over us. It was definitely going to rain heavily and we were quite worried since Magesh, Vermaji and Manju were still not in sight on the ridge coming towards the campsite. It started raining heavily so we had to take shelter in our tents.



Soon, it actually started snowing and tiny snowballs started hitting our tents. Our trail dog was running around and was trying to enter each one of our tents, without any luck (obviously, courtesy of the people hiding in the tent). Somehow she was not realizing the fact that she could easily hide under the big flaps of our dining tent which was pitched nearby. I think it took more than one and half hours for Vermaji and Magesh to reach the campsite. They were all drenched in rain and snowfall. Since Manju was also accompanying Magesh this time, he was also completely drenched.

Since it was snowing, the mercury had dropped significantly and hence even after it stopped, no one was willing to step out of the tent to enjoy the scenery after rain and the fresh snowfall.





Support team gathered around the campfire and we joined them happily!


Shri and I went to the corner of the campsite from where we could see the next day's trail leading to the snow capped mountains.



Although it had stopped raining, the clouds were still mingling around and sun rays were trying to pierce them to brighten up everyone's mood. I took a couple of photos while the sun was going behind the mountain ranges across us.





Look at the gradient of the slope below our tents


Solitude! Shree enjoying a blissful moment in the evening




Soon we were back to our tents and decided to wait for hot soup to be served.

Since it was drizzling most of the evening, it had become relatively cold. 2 weeks ago, Tikamji had been to this same campsite with another batch. At that time, it had snowed so much that there was almost 2 feet of snow around this campsite and it was snowing for the entire night. They had to leave most of the unessential stuff there itself and immediately descend down with the trekkers towards Sankri. We could see leftover oranges and a few other items lying around the campsite. We just couldn't believe that it's the same campsite we were visiting just after 2 weeks when everything appeared too calm and serene. After a relatively early dinner at 7 pm or so, we decided to take some sleep and get our minds and bodies ready for the next day’s trek.

[prajakt_23]

Part-III

The next day we woke up early, finished our breakfast and started our walk on the ridge after taking a couple of photographs with the team.



It was a well defined trail through meadows and then through boulders. We were gradually gaining altitude.





Tikamji keeping close eye on the group from above




We had to traverse small snow patches but it didn't pose any challenge.



Now we could see snow capped mountains ahead of us at a distance.









Weather was good so we decided to take a break and wait for Magesh. While we continued to wait, we took a few photos of everyone in that lush greenery.









Finally Tikamji asked us to move ahead on the trail. He showed us a small mountain ahead which we were supposed to cross to reach our campsite for that day.



The trail was completely broken and full of loose gravel. At one point, the trail branched off in two parts. The left one was relatively lengthy but in good condition for mules to walk on it. We were asked to continue on the right one which was going straight up on the mountain.



As we approached the base of the mountain, we got to know that it's not going to be an easy feat to cross it safely. A thought also flashed in our mind that we could have also opted for the trail which our mules took. But now it was too late since we were already on the incline and the only way left was to move up the trail.





We were carefully stepping on each stone on the trail since they were extremely loose. There was every possibility that the loose stones might skid and it might result in a small landslide which would put trekkers below on the trail in the dire situation. We had to actually trade a few tricky spots on our fours to reach the next spot. Managing the walking stick while doing all this was another challenge. Fortunately, all of us safely made it to the top of the hill from where we could see the trail descending down towards the campsite located on the ridge.



As we started walking towards the campsite, we could see tiny red, purple and white flowers blooming across the entire valley. I took a couple of photos as we approached the campsite where the crew was trying to pitch tents.







It was quite windy there and identifying a relatively flat surface on the ridge to pitch the tent was a challenge in itself.



Tikamji had talked to Vermaji and Magesh in between and had advised them to go down to the base camp with the batch arriving on the next morning. Altitude was gradually increasing and all of us wanted to ensure everyone's safety in a given situation. After settling down in individual tents for some time, we decided to meet in our dining tent and decide on our next course of action. Since Magesh and Vermaji were facing difficulty in catching up with others on the trail, we asked them to reevaluate their decision to continue further on the trek. We wanted to ensure that they are not hit with altitude sickness or any other issue of similar sort and make their ascent further difficult. Finally, they decided to start their journey down towards Sankri with one of our porters on the next morning. We were all unhappy with these events but after evaluating the situation carefully, it was the best decision. Although it didn't snow at that campsite, it rained for some time and hence we didn't get clear weather on that entire evening. We decided to wind up early after dinner.

[prajakt_23]

Part-IV

Next morning, we woke up early and were pleased with the bright sunlight around. We finished our breakfast together and greeted Magesh before starting a steep climb ahead.



The trail was going up on the mountain and was almost ascending at 65-70 degrees incline. We were completely focused while placing our each step and were trying to walk as diagonally as possible to reduce the fatigue while climbing. The first patch was around for 30-40 minutes of vertical climb. I remember when I had almost reached the top, Ulhas sir slipped but fortunately managed to retain his posture and avoided a major slide on that slope.

When I looked back, I could see our support team winding up everything at the campsite and packing luggage on the horses.



Soon, we all had completed that steep climb and reached an almost flat trail going on the right side of the mountain. We waited there for a few minutes, took a water break and then continued on another well defined trail. Soon we reached a spot from where the trail was turning left and there was a huge rock on its corner overlooking the entire valley ahead. We took our turns to capture a few profile photos to brighten up our Facebook and WhatsApp DPs!



Now the trail started going up from the left side through the boulders. Since this side of the trail was not getting direct sunlight for most of the time, it had many snow patches but most of them were not tricky. As we approached the top most point on this trail, it was snow covered and our shoes started going ankle deep in that soft snow.



Tikamji was monitoring our progress from the top and was providing instructions for safely traversing this part of the snow. Soon we all crossed it safely and were awestruck with what was visible from that point onwards. The trail was turning left sharply and was going down. The entire saucer shaped valley with snow capped mountains was glittering in bright sunlight to brighten up our souls.



The trail was going down towards the lush green meadows below.



We continued on it for the next 30 mins or so, before reaching patches of soft fresh snow.



The entire valley was covered with tiny purple, violet and yellow flowers and the entire valley was glittering with the light reflected from the fresh snow deposits lying everywhere.





Since we were ahead of schedule this time, Tikamji asked us to rest there for some time till the time our horses are visible on the top ridge of the mountain from where we came down. We used this opportunity to take a few group photos with the picturesque backdrop. Our new friend ‘Kali’ was curiously looking around while a few others decided to take a quick nap in pleasant warm weather.







We waited there for 20 odd minutes and then decided to finish off with our lunch. It took more than 45-50 minutes before 3 of our horses showed up on the top ridge.



Soon the entire caravan started emerging on the mountain top. We waited for them to come down and move ahead of us so that the tents could be pitched up before we reached the campsite.

While we were waiting, we checked for the route to Sarutaal (small alpine lake) which was part of our original itinerary. Tikamji mentioned that it was on the opposite side of the ridge on our left side. Although it was not far from our current route, he mentioned that the route towards it will be completely covered in snow and we might end up crossing knee deep soft snow and slush. He wanted to ensure that the snow and cold water doesn't enter into our shoes and then we end up walking in wet shoes for the rest of the trek. Apparently none of the guides or porters had been on Sarutaal trail for this season, so it was more of a speculation than the fact, which we were unhappy about. However, in the larger interest, we decided to let it go instead of pushing him to take us to the lake. The most odd and glaring omission in their planning was that, if we were to include this lake in our trek route, it would have added one more day to our overall trip, which we had not planned and budgeted for, for our outward journey. So, essentially, we were forced to accept his recommendation of skipping it for this time. This created few serious questions about their route planning ability since the inclusion of this lake was always included in trek itinerary from very beginning. Accordingly, the number of days needed for this trek and travel dates were decided. Somehow, it is our past experience as well that any trekking agency takes trekkers for granted, if you chose them for the second time. So, it looks like we need to hire a fresh trekking agency for planning each year’s trek to minimize this risk 😃

This time our tents were pitched next to a small stream. That evening was relatively uneventful. Barring the waterstream there was nothing nearby and since the campsite was relatively placed in the basin of the valley, nothing much was visible as well.







We concluded early in the evening since we wanted to start towards the pass as early as possible on the next morning.

[prajakt_23]

Part-V

As usual, we woke up early, finished our breakfast and then started on the trail which was going up on the opposite side of the stream. The landscape was relatively very dry against our expectations.



Snow patches were visible all along as we continued walking towards the ridge. There was a good amount of altitude gain since we started walking in the morning and hence we were taking frequent breaks. It was a relatively barren area towards the pass with no trees, bushes visible anywhere. And then finally we reached the actual snowline of this entire trek route.



All of us were extremely happy with the feeling of finally being in snow. We took a small break to take some snaps and then continued further on the trail towards the pass.





Visible footprints on the snow guiding us towards the pass


We formed one line while walking to reduce additional efforts needed to trade soft snow. From a distance, Kali was curiously looking at our formation.



Soon we were pushing ourselves on the last part of the trail going on boulders on the right side of the pass ridge. This part of the trail was perhaps getting more sunlight than usual and hence the snow there had already melted. It was almost 70 degree climb to reach the topmost right point of the ridge before going down towards the pass, which was again snow covered.





There was one relatively small semi frozen lake visible below on the left side of the pass. Since we did not get an opportunity to see Sarutaal on this trail, we named this lake as mini Sarutaal!!



After some serious efforts of going down towards the snowy ridge from its right side, we were finally on the soft snow of the ridge.



Descending down towards the ridge of the pass - Yes, that's the Fachu Kandi pass! It does look scary!!


The ridge was around 200 feet in length and we slowly walked on it to reach its other end where the snow had already melted.



We sat there for a few minutes, soaked in the views from the top and posed for a few photos, before starting our descent on the other side of the ridge.



To our surprise, the other side of the ridge and the entire landscape was lush green in contrast with what we had just witnessed while nearing the ridge. The trail was clearly marked and going down the mountain in a zigzag manner.

We walked on it for another 30 minutes and then we reached one small hut. It was built with stones and its roof was also built using relatively flatter stones. Looked like it was a small dhaba cum maggie point but no one was around it. We decided to stop there to munch on our packed lunch. From there, the trail to the topmost ridge from where we started coming down, was clearly visible.



The landscapes on this side of the route were jaw dropping. We were walking on a ridge for quite some time and the 360 degree view of the valley was mesmerizing.







This yellow colour on the meadow was actually because of thousands of blossomed tiny flowers


Soon, the trail started going down and in the background, we heard the sound of bells tied around the necks of our horses. Horsemen were running alongside to keep them in control. Soon they caught up on us and we had to give them a way to go ahead.



Snow covered mountain ranges were visible all along on our left side. At a distance, we saw an orange flag next to a small temple. Tikamji mentioned that it was Someshwar devata temple and is a well known worship place to the locals there.



Looing back at the view of the pass from the temple!


We had come a long way from the pass and decided to take another break there. Since the trail was completely visible from that point, few of us started walking on it again, while others decided to wait longer. Tikamji was not happy with this split since he mentioned that the campsite was not visible from the trail. One needs to branch off from the main trail through bushes on the left, to reach the actual campsite. He had warned us about it multiple times. A few of our members had already picked up the pace and we had already lost sight of them. As anticipated, they continued straight on the trail and then after another 30 minutes or so, Tikamji and the rest of us reached the bushes from where we had to get down from the main trail.

Tikamji entered the bushes and asked us to follow them carefully since the trail was going through tall, dense bushes and scree. We walked through it for another 5 minutes before coming out on a plateau which was giving an awesome view of a snow capped mountain on our left side. As we continued walking further, the landscape kept expanding and we were able to view further closeups of the snow peaks. We continued for another 15-20 minutes and the trail continued to go slightly down. When we looked at the far right side, the main trail was still visible as it continued on the mountain on our right side. On the fag end of it, we saw our team members who had moved ahead. By then, they had figured out that they must have missed the turn since the remaining trekkers were not visible on the same trail behind them. Fortunately, when they looked across the meadow, they saw us going down on a much smaller trail which Tikamji had originally talked about. They started to traverse the trail backwards looking for a place to come down and connect to this smaller trail to join us again.

Tikamji was now a bit relaxed since the campsite was just another 25-30 minutes ahead of us. He and my brother took a short break admiring the views ahead of us.



The trail was now going up the hill and passing through two tall trees, as if they were guarding some sacred campsite.



And when I passed through it, I was awestruck with the view of the landscape ahead of us. There was a lush green meadow ahead of us and cows were leisurely grazing on it. The atmosphere was filled with the beautiful sounds of chirping birds and bells tied to the cattles. As we continued to walk through the cows, they looked at us curiously. Perhaps they were accustomed to seeing traditional shepherds all around.



When I looked back at them, the meadow was glowing in bright sunlight and everything was looking too tiny at the backdrop of majestic Himalayas. I stopped to capture that moment before descending down to our campsite.





By now, our porters had pitched a kitchen and dining tent and were in process of assembling other tents for the trekkers. Tikamji was kind enough to prepare hot tea for all of us while we sat there admiring views across the campsite. We could see a small village with maybe 7-8 huts on the extreme edge of the mountain ahead of us. It looked like these people stay there during the summer to feed their cattle and then move to lower altitude villages as the winter approaches.



Tiny village on the edge of the ridge!


Once our tents were pitched up, we took some rest and then walked up to the village to chat with the shepherds. We wanted to buy some fresh milk but when we approached them, we found out that they didn't have anything left for the day. Mostly they wanted more money than what we had originally agreed to. We just dropped the idea and roamed through the village and provided them with paracetamol and other basic medicines. Before coming back, we just cuddled a 15 day old goat baby, who was jumping all across.



Soon we were back in our tents and had an early dinner. It was a long but absolutely fantastic day.

[prajakt_23]

Part-VI

Next morning, we got up early as usual, and finished our morning chores. We finished our breakfast and started our last day's walk. We came across a stable where we requested tea for all of us and paid for them happily. We took a short break there and enjoyed a hot cup of tea looking at a newborn calf, tied outside the stable. It was very cute and curious but since its mother was tied next to it, we decided to keep safe distance from it 🙂



As we continued our walk, we passed through multiple small villages. However, from almost each village, the Fachu Kandi pass was visible in the background.



We continued our walk towards the Hanuman chatti. As we started approaching Hanuman Chatti, we came across small villages. While descending towards Hanuman Chatti, we also saw busy highway plying pilgrimage crowds in private jeeps and tempo travelers. Our porter team and horsemen crossed us and offloaded our luggage in a camping ground next to one ashram on the road to Hanuman Chatti. Instead of waiting for us there at the campsite, they immediately started their return journey and met us again on their way back. Tikamji was also not happy with this behaviour but he continued walking with us and promised us that he would take care of our camping, tents as well as food arrangements.

After pitching our tents at the campsite, we visited the nearby ashram and checked the possibility of bathing arrangements. The swamiji residing there was gracious enough to offer us a bucket of hot water each, and also allowed us to use their makeshift bathroom. We finished our bath while Tikamji prepared hot daal-khichadi for us. Since there was hardly anything left in our campsite for the dinner, he arranged to pick up brinjals from a nearby village shop and took care of our dinner.

We woke up early the next morning and finished our morning tea. We had some biscuits and bananas for breakfast. Tikamji had arranged to call the tempo traveler drivers who were coming to pick us up across the road. Soon we saw two tempo travelers on the road above and Tikamji confirmed that those two were specific to our pickup. We had already kept our sacks packed and ready. We immediately picked them up and started our last climb of the trek towards the tempo traveler. Kali was all along following us till the vehicles and we were really worried about her safety, since she had come to this unfamiliar terrain following us.

We had no question in our mind about what should happen to her. We couldn't leave her there on her own. So, we offered good money to the tempo traveler driver who was carrying tents and porters back to Sankri. We asked him to carry Kali along and release her in Sankri itself so that she is back in her native town. He graciously denied any money and promised us to take care of her. However, since she had never been in any vehicle, she was simply running away when he tried to get hold of her to put her in the vehicle. So, finally I calmed her down, picked her up, and took her inside their tempo traveller.

We had settled in another tempo traveller, which took us back to Dehradun hotel where our luggage had already arrived from Sankri. Me and my brother had already booked train tickets for the same evening. So, we immediately checked into our room, freshened up and then went out to Dehardun city to munch on some chat items. We didn't wait for dinner and came back to the hotel to pick up our sacks, and then took an auto to reach the dehradun station for boarding the train to Delhi.

And guess what! Since I had purposely missed my Vistara flight from Pune to Delhi, their portal was not allowing me to finish web check-in for my journey from Delhi to Pune. So, that's another mess which I had to sort out after reaching the airport!

But as they say, ‘All’s well that ends well!’

[abhijeetp]

Superb trek and great photos! Enjoyed reading it thoroughly, especially journey to Dehradun.

Do you trek with your luggage on the back or do the mules carry it?

[prajakt_23]

Originally Posted by abhijeetp

Superb trek and great photos! Enjoyed reading it thoroughly, especially journey to Dehradun.

Do you trek with your luggage on the back or do the mules carry it?

Thanks @abhijeetp! For past many years, we've been offloading sacks to mules / porters so that we can concentrate on exploring and photography. It certainly helps!

[rst89]

Nice pics and well written.
When did you do this trek given GoAir is long out of business? Seems to be spring in the Himalayas.
And good to see less crowd in the trek.

[prajakt_23]

Originally Posted by rst89

Nice pics and well written.
When did you do this trek given GoAir is long out of business? Seems to be spring in the Himalayas.
And good to see less crowd in the trek.

Thanks @rst89! Yes, we did it a few years back. I usually plan treks in May and my entire effort is to identify a trail which is remote and least crowded! There are still few trek routes left in Kashmir which are yet to become 'famous'. However, that's the tricky part of it. We did Great Lakes trek in Kashmir pretty early when military reopened it in 2008 or so. The moment people saw photos of its campsites and lakes etc., it has become a camping ground for every trekking agency in North. Rather, that's the main reason I didn't publish any details about this trail earlier. I believe, it's still less traveled and serene.

[rst89]

Originally Posted by prajakt_23

Thanks @rst89! Yes, we did it a few years back. I usually plan treks in May and my entire effort is to identify a trail which is remote and least crowded! There are still few trek routes left in Kashmir which are yet to become 'famous'. However, that's the tricky part of it. We did Great Lakes trek in Kashmir pretty early when military reopened it in 2008 or so. The moment people saw photos of its campsites and lakes etc., it has become a camping ground for every trekking agency in North. Rather, that's the main reason I didn't publish any details about this trail earlier. I believe, it's still less traveled and serene.

Phulara ridge trek is done by trekking agencies like IH but is still not popular to attract hordes of crowd. KGL became a stomping ground after floods in HP diverted all the trekker traffic to the same. I was horrified seeing the pics last summer.