Nestled comfortably in my 3 BHK apartment amidst a concrete jungle, I dreamt of deep virgin forests. I dreamt of luscious aroma of rain-soaked leaves, vast expanse of alluring meadows, blue rippling brooks, wondrous stretch of rugged meandering terrains and unconfined snowy flanks. I dreamt of waking up in breathtaking camp sites, seeing picturesque villages drenched in sunshine and confronting spine-chilling frigid winds. But oh boy! Howsoever surreal it may seem, Roopkund trail has it all. From tall oaks to stunted rhododendrons, from clamant Pathar Nachauni to idyllic Ali Bugyal, from gurgling Neel Ganga to tortuous Kalu Vinayak. Trek to Roopkund is a wholesome experience. It certainly packs a punch.

Roopkund is a glacial tarn situated in greater Himalayas of Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. Mythology says that it was created by Lord Shiva for goddess Parvati while they were on their way to Kailash so that she could look at her face and groom herself. Hence the name “roop” (face) + “kund” (lake). It is often called mysterious lake because of the skeletal remains present inside (and around) it. Folklore says that a Garhwali king went on a pilgrimage to Roopkund with great pomp and show. He was accompanied by his queen and court dancers and many people. Goddess came to his dream and warned him against it, but he ignored it. This brought the wrath of goddess and they were hit by hailstorms the size of cricket balls at Roopkund. The skeletons stand witness to that gruesome incident.

I did this trek with Indiahikes. We had two trek leaders, Bhim Bahadur Chetri and Indrajit, and two trek guides, Bhuvan Chandra Singh and Krishna, accompanying us. Bhuvanji was dotingly referred to as “Pradhanji” and true to his sobriquet he was indeed the Pradhan (head) of his village. Pradhanji was an immensely experienced guide as ours was his 267^th Roopkund trek. Our trek leaders were also equipped with enough mountaineering experience. With decades of experience at the helm and two well-trained mountain enthusiasts taking stock of our health daily, I must say, we were in very safe hands. In case someone is interested in a more private and pocket-sized setting, they can go with individual trek guides instead of organization like Indiahikes. Pradhanji organizes such private treks as well and interested folks can contact him at +91-8941876481.

Day 1 (16^th May) – Kathgodam to Lohajung

Day 2 (17^th May) – Lohajung to Ghairoli Patal via Wan

Day 3 (18^th May) – Ghairoli Patal to Bedni Bugyal via Ali Bugyal

Day 4 (19^th May) – Bedni Bugyal to Pathar Nachauni

Day 5 (20^th May) – Pathar Nachauni to Bhagwabasa

Day 6 (21^st May) – Bhagwabasa to Roopkund and back to Pathar Nachauni

Day 7 (22^nd May) – Pathar Nachauni to Lohajung via Bedni Bugyal and Wan

Day 8 (23^rd May) – Lohajung to Kathgodam

I was sleeping like a log in my hotel room in Kathgodam when I got a call from Raju Shah at 5.30 AM. It was a reminder call that I need to report at Kathgodam railway station by 6.30 AM. I was impressed that the gentleman took the pain of calling every individual at the daybreak making sure nobody misses the transport to Lohajung.

I hurried up, did my business and was at Kathgodam railway station by 6.30. The first set of people that I met there was Apurva and Vikas. Then came Aparna and Shabharish. As more people flowed in, we got to know each other. The WhatsApp group created beforehand (credit to Aparna for that) helped a great deal in breaking the ice and striking a conversation. We started bonding at the drop of a hat.

We eleven people- Aparna, Shabharish, Santosh, Apurva, Vikas, Annapurni, Neha, Bhushan, Sushil, Vivek and I- were accommodated in a tempo traveler. Rest twelve, came in separate vehicles. It was a long 10 hours’ drive to Lohajung.

We met our trek leaders at the base camp and had a long briefing by them in the late evening. We were made familiar with toilet etiquettes, dining etiquettes, tent etiquettes, AMS (acute mountain sickness) and ways to avoid it, good way of packing the rucksack, and lots of other stuffs.

It was a long tiring day and everyone went to sleep after the briefing. Following morning and a few others going forward were deemed to be special.

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Narendra ji (our driver), Freshly plucked pears from his farm on  way to Lohajung, A view of his village

The morning of 17^th May was bright and sunny with clear view of Nanda Ghunti peak right in front of us. All of us quickly finished the morning chores and took our breakfast. After a small briefing in the morning where we were introduced with Pradhanji and Krishna, we drove to Wan. Wan is a beautiful village almost an hour’s drive from Lohajung. We had to start the trek from there. Once everyone gathered at Wan, we were all set to start the trek and embark on a special journey. Adrenaline was rushing in veins and spirits were soaring high.

Within first few kilometers only, we came across Latu devta mandir. We paid respects to Latu dev who is the sitting deity of this region and moved forward. Initial few kilometers were cemented paths. But as we continued away from Wan, it became more rugged and stone paved. After nearly an hour’s climb on a hillock we reached Ran ki Dhar. It is a flat area which gives a fleeting glimpse of Bedni Bugyal and Mt. Trishul. There was a small dhaba there where we trekkers rested for a while and had tea.

Ran ki Dhar was followed by a short descent to reach Neel ganga. I removed my trekking shoes and treated my feet with cool gurgling water. The idyllic bridge over Neel Ganga and shade from overhanging tress provides much needed refreshment to the tired trekkers who are just into the first day of their trekking.

Neel Ganga was followed by a beautiful ascent to our camp site Ghairoli Patal. This route was marked brown oak trees (kharsu in Garhwali) and rhododendron trees. Brown dry leaves were littered throughout the entire path which munched beneath the sturdy sole of our shoes as we passed by.

After another tiring two hours of trek, we finally reached our camp site, Ghairoli Patal, at around 2.30 PM. The feeling at the first glimpse of bright orange tents was inexplicable. It invigorated our drooping shoulders and we doubled our pace to reach the camp. There was welcome drink available which slaked our sapped tongues. Without any undue delay, we were served lunch by kitchen staffs at that camp site. It was delicious dal, chawal and salad.

A few took out their DSLRs and went on a photo spree, while some chose to take a power nap in the tent. I chose to wander around in solitude. It was a Tuesday afternoon. If not on this mountain, I would have been staring at my laptop grossly engaged in my mundane job. It felt good, really good. Away from chaos, doing nothing.

IndiaHikes makes sure that trekkers take enough fluid to replenish the water content lost from the body while trekking under sun. This got reflected not only in the constant nudge by our trek leaders to drink at least 6 litres of water but also in the food that was served. We were served tea and snacks and 4.30 PM and soup at 6.30 PM. The soup was followed by dinner at 7.30 PM. This timetable was followed every day for the rest of the trek.

Vivek and Shabharish were my tent mates. Vivek had claustrophobia and he was finding it difficult to sleep with tent all zipped up. We tried to talk him through, but that didn’t help. So, a slight portion of our tent remained open the entire night. Had it not been for the warm and comfy sleeping bags, 3 of us were in serious trouble given the night temperature at 10,200 ft.

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Today Krishna, with the two girls Neha and Annapurni, was leading the way from the front with Pradhanji playing the role of the sweeper (sweeps everyone from behind). I think it was a smart move. The two girls were comparatively slower than the rest the other day. By keeping them at the front, not only the speed of entire team was arrested, but it also helped everyone stick together. Moving slow has its own benefits. It allows you to truly enjoy the beauty of mother nature (which is what everyone comes for) and gives you enough time to sip water and take occasional breathers keeping exhaustion at bay.

Like the path from Wan to Gheroli Patal, this trail was also dotted with plenty of brown oak trees and rhododendrons. The size of rhododendrons, however, were smaller this time and it continued the trend till it made way to acres of exquisite grassland, Ali Bugyal. Walking past the oak trees and scarlet rhododendrons on a trail covered with brown leaves was alluring. Sun beams reached the moist ground through the dense canopy of moss-laden trees. A sweet smell lingered around. Tyndall effect was at its full glory. The ambience was seductive and all my senses were awakened.

As we continued forward, the tree line ended abruptly giving way to the Asia’s one of the largest and most beautiful grasslands, Ali Bugyal. Vast expanse of undulated meadows under azure sky lied in front of me. It looked as if a golf course has been carved out at the top of the mountain. Acres and acres of land carpeted with soft green grass pockmarked with flock of sheep and horses. This place is a paradise for shutterbugs. I saw Saurabh, Nitin and Anubhav heading towards the top of Ali Bugyal. I, along with Vikas, Vivek, Apurva and Santosh followed them. The view from the top of Ali Bugyal was even better. One could get a clear view of Nanda Ghunti and Trishul from here. I got rid of my shoes and walked barefoot on the carpet laid in front me. We took our time at Ali Bugyal. All exhaustion vanished, I soaked myself in the mesmerizing view. It’s not every day that you get to see and walk in the proverbial Garden of Eden.

At around 1.30 PM, we left for Bedni Bugyal which is almost 5 km away from Ali Bugyal on a gentle trail. It took us about an hour to reach there. Bedni Bugyal camp site was equally aesthetic, small orange tents pitched within rolling green meadows. The view was stunning.

Barring a few, all of us went on short hike to Bedni Kund nearby after having our lunch. Well, I must say, trekking after eating gluttonously is difficult and highly unrecommended. But all the frustration was compensated by an amazing story session by Pradhanji. Sitting on the concrete dyke of Bedni Kund, we were held captive in the cobweb of chronicles created by Pradhanji. He enlightened us with local folklores and anecdotes from our Upanishads. His style of storytelling was like reentrant functions in computer science - start a story, interrupt in between to share another linked and gracefully come back to complete the former - and absolutely thread-safe as well without any race conditions J. Such was the prowess of the man, that he kept us glued to our places for almost an hour. It was only when he ended, I felt that my bums are a bit numb J.

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