Mini himalayan trek - part 2

On Saturday, we awoke to a hazy and partly cloudy weather ; the great Himalayas were still in hiding. We started walking towards Tungnath temple, the highest temple devoted to Shiva. From Chopta, the pilgrimage trail is a well maintained pathway. Many Indians choose to climb on horseback, with a break in one of the tea houses in the middle. But, still, quite a few people were walking, like us.


We reached the altitude where the rhododendrons were still in full bloom.





We made directly for Chandershila summit, beyond and above the temple.


On the summit. When the weather is clear, it is possible to see Nanda Devi ; as it was we had a very view over the mountains close to us and the valleys.
The altitude there might forever stay a mystery for us. On my itinerary, it was written 4130m ; according to our guide's altimeter we were at 3600m. And some maps say 4090m, whilst others mention 3880m (I would bet on the last one).



Down to the temple, which altitude is fixed at 3680m. Pilgrims buy offerings: garlands, coconuts, rhododendron flowers, and some sweet.

The priests in the temple told us it was 5 000 years old ; in any case it is a fine old temple.



On the way down.

Back to camp.
On Sunday morning, the high summits finally showed themselves clearly. The highest peaks there are 7000m and above.



On the road, we followed again the Alaknanda river and then the Ganga.

Our guide Arvind and the driver Stendar buying about 20kg of onions directly from the producers (well, their children).
The Alaknanda river was very brown ; there had been some rain and storms in the afternoons. The confluence and the start of the Ganga were beautiful.

Some hills were completely terraced.

There were beautiful old footbridges and nice beaches along the Ganga.

The sadhus.



From Rishikesh, we drove through the Rajaji national park to avoid the traffic jams. The road was very nice, as it followed the Ganga canal and offered nice views over the forest.

In Haridwar railway station. This time we took a 'day train', reaching Delhi at 10.30 pm. It was better than the way in, but the whole journey was definitely very long -we had started at 8.30am from Chopta.
We were in 1st class AC, which meant that diner was served onboard - and it was gargantuous and surprisingly good. First a snack with sandwiches and tea, then 30 min later soup and diner. An indian family was seated in front of us ; of course they had their two nannies with them to take care of the two kids. This is something I am still not used to.

Mini himalayan trek - part 1

Elizabeth offered us to come and look after Ruben for a couple of days if we wanted to travel. We could not refuse this great offer, especially with the terrible heat we've been experiencing in Delhi. Our plan was obvious: we would go for a hike in the mountains.
We had four days to spend, which is great but at the same time just enough for a hike in the Himalayas. The journey takes a long, long time.

We first took a night train to Haridwar: midnight to 4am, ouch.

From there, we drove to Rishikesh where we met with our team - guide, driver and cook (!). From Rishikesh, the ride to the mountains along the Ganga river and then the Alaknanda river is beautiful. We passed on the way many sadhus walking to the temples. Walking for days and weeks along the main, busy road must be a tough experience ; at the same time it is fascinating for the onlooker to see them.

The Ganga river begins here, at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers.

A bridge that collapsed during construction in Srinagar. How can this even happen?

We finally reached our "starting point" around noon on thursday, a mere thirteen hours after we had left home. Needless to say, we were completely wasted already.

Our simple gear spread out.

We were able to rest for a couple of hours in the guesthouse, which was very welcome.

The start of the hike ; it was a short 1h20 walk to the campsite higher up. At the far back is Chandershila summit, our final destination.



Our campsite by Deoriatal lake, a sacred lake.

The kitchen. There was also the mess, the bathroom and our tent for sleeping.

Our walk on Friday took us to the village of Chopta, 13 km away. The landscape was nice ; unfortunately the weather was very hazy and then got cloudy, which meant we could not see the highest peaks.
The driver, the cook and the helper who had joined us packed up and drove to Chopta through the valley. We seized the opportunity for asking our guide, Arvind, why it was necessary to have so many people accompanying us. His answer was basically that it is the way things are done in India, and that if we went without a guide we would risk getting lost, at a great danger for ourselves. Well, we were not terribly convinced..

A power nap before heading off.

The walk started along a beautfiful ridge.



We then went through forests and meadows. We saw wild pheasants, had heard a deer barking the night before, saw footprints and droppings of a leopard, and stepped over the cadaver of a cow killed by a leopard (yuk).




We met with a few shepherds on the way. They have an impressive way of carrying their machete.



The oak trees were old and twisted and covered in vegetation. Quite a sight.


We reached campsite around 2pm ; Arvind was delighted that we had made a good time. But we were feeling so out of shape and out of breath ! Being around 3 000m was getting to me - and yes I am also pretty much out of shape.
The camp was set up on a meadow over a road (easier to transport the gear!), near a group of farms.

The hamlet near our campsite, where people lived in the old ways, taking care of their cattle and sheep. As leopards are still a real threat, the sheep were kep at night in enclosures surrounded by high walls and topped with branches, and the cattle was put in the stables. Also, the dogs had iron collars to protect themselves.


Just a bit higher up was the 'real' village of Chopta, which is actually a string of restaurants along the road leading to the path to Tungnath temple. Quite a contrast.

There were some big rocks near our campsite and we did a bit of bouldering in sandals and on the moss.



At sunset.


The peace of the night was unfortunately broken by the regular barking of the dogs. They certainly had to scare away a leopard, didn't they ?