Gangotri - Gaumukh Trek at High altitude
Another
day in the office reached to its conclusion and evening made me realize
that I am sticking in a rut yet again....On the spur of moment, I
folded my travel belongings in the backpack and hit the railway station
to catch an overnight train to Dehradun.... I was not very much certain about the exact destination but it has to be somewhere in Himalayas and Dehradun
is the best base to weigh different options....Was it a relentless
pursuit for unknown or just the restlessness which led me to do
something random ? Nope. Yes. I am not sure..... whatever was the reason
but one has to get slightly out of one's head for walking 38 km
straight in a day at an elevation of 4000 meter....
On the way to Uttarkashi
After getting down at Dehradun, I hit my friend's place to take a quick nap and freshen up before boarding the shared jeep to Uttarkashi. My initial plan was to make to Gangotri on the same day but It's nearly impossible to have a direct journey of more than 250 km (Via Chamba) to Gangotri in single day with public transport.... you should start very early in the morning from Rishikesh/Dehradun to reach Gangotri on the same day.
River Ganga on the way to Gaumukh from Gangotri
If I look back to the motivation which led me to this rigorous journey then it was surely not my fickle faith in religion, superstition of cleansing sins or mythological stories. I was more fascinated about snow-capped Himalayas and about materializing a dream of being at the bank of Ganges emerging out from a Glacier. Through-out the journey I was imagining that sublime photograph of thin water stream of Ganges. In the back seat of fully packed Tata Sumo, Journey to Uttarkashi was not as comfortable as I expected while boarding the vehicle however route was stupendously scenic.
Narrow River Snaking through mountains
Road winds uphill and always followed the bank of some river or another (most of them are tributary of Ganges). As we climb higher, transformation of landscape into lush green valley was truly overwhelming. In the Jeep I met some locals who gave me fair idea about the present situation at Gaumukh and warned about about chilly weather. They also kept quenching my incessant curiosity about flora, fauna, water falls or about any water stream falling on the way. Along the way we stopped at many villages set in the lap of mother nature narrating their glory. While navigating through this route, you will definitely swing into mood of spirituality..... and will be mesmerized by the natural beauty of surroundings...
Herd of Blue Sheep
In the later part of the journey, I was hypnotized with the reflection of dusk on those snowy peaks of Himalayas and could not remember when I reached to Uttarkashi. Uttarkashi was the town where I was supposed to stay for a night.... breaking my journey... It was already sun down by the time I made to Uttarkashi so lodged into a hotel and logged the day off...
Snow Clad mountains near Gangotri
Mostly in news due to landslides, flash flooding. Uttarkashi is a spectacular little town amid lush green valley on the bank of River Bhagirathi (Ganga is known as Bhagirathi in that region )...Next morning, I roamed around in the town... went to the forest department office for getting permission for Gaumukh trek....
River Ganga on the way to Gaumukh from Gangotri
If I look back to the motivation which led me to this rigorous journey then it was surely not my fickle faith in religion, superstition of cleansing sins or mythological stories. I was more fascinated about snow-capped Himalayas and about materializing a dream of being at the bank of Ganges emerging out from a Glacier. Through-out the journey I was imagining that sublime photograph of thin water stream of Ganges. In the back seat of fully packed Tata Sumo, Journey to Uttarkashi was not as comfortable as I expected while boarding the vehicle however route was stupendously scenic.
Narrow River Snaking through mountains
Road winds uphill and always followed the bank of some river or another (most of them are tributary of Ganges). As we climb higher, transformation of landscape into lush green valley was truly overwhelming. In the Jeep I met some locals who gave me fair idea about the present situation at Gaumukh and warned about about chilly weather. They also kept quenching my incessant curiosity about flora, fauna, water falls or about any water stream falling on the way. Along the way we stopped at many villages set in the lap of mother nature narrating their glory. While navigating through this route, you will definitely swing into mood of spirituality..... and will be mesmerized by the natural beauty of surroundings...
Herd of Blue Sheep
In the later part of the journey, I was hypnotized with the reflection of dusk on those snowy peaks of Himalayas and could not remember when I reached to Uttarkashi. Uttarkashi was the town where I was supposed to stay for a night.... breaking my journey... It was already sun down by the time I made to Uttarkashi so lodged into a hotel and logged the day off...
Snow Clad mountains near Gangotri
Mostly in news due to landslides, flash flooding. Uttarkashi is a spectacular little town amid lush green valley on the bank of River Bhagirathi (Ganga is known as Bhagirathi in that region )...Next morning, I roamed around in the town... went to the forest department office for getting permission for Gaumukh trek....
River Ganga Near Tehri Dam Shortly after getting the permit,i caught a shared Jeep to Gangotri. Luckily I met a fellow traveler for the journey ahead from Uttarkashi. A solo traveler from South Africa who was primarily into landscape photography. Departure time of these shared taxis can be annoying. They primarily follow 2 rules of departure.
1) Taxi will only depart when it is full..
2) Taxi will never be full....
Shivling Peak enveloped with clouds After waiting for couple of hours and taking 2-3 circle of the town of Uttarkashi, Jeep took the road to Gangotri. On the way we stopped at Harshil which is a picturesque hamlet on the bank of river Ganges. Harshil is also popular fo apple orchards and Rajma. After 6-7 hours of bumpy ride we made to Gangotri which was quite chilly. After lodging into a room with basic amenities, we both roamed around in Gangotri. My religious side (or perhaps adventours side) inspired me to take a dip in Ganga's freezing water. Visited the main temple, offered my prayers and took part in the evening Arti. Gangotri is a serene village surrounded by snow capped Himalayas and remains colder through out the year. Next day I was supposed to visit Gaumukh and return back so i hit the hay little early after having light dinner at Gangotri.
Ganga Basin near Gangotri - Gaumukh
Next morning at 5'o clock, we began hiking to Gaumukh. Gaumukh is 18 km from Gangotri (Not very steep hike). Initial stretch of the Gamukh trail passes through alpine forest and then green pasture replaces the landscape. Gaumukh falls into Gangotri Forest reserve hence you won't be finding villages enroute. The absolute wilderness of ethereal mountains are truly fascinating and I even came across the herd of Blue sheeps. High altitude and Thin air also discourage inhabitation in this part of Himalayas. In between we stopped at many places..... sometimes appreciated the absolute wilderness around us.....suddently i felt like a dreamer trolling through a narrow trail among high boulders set there since ages and the rippling of a river was the only sound in that lifeless terrain....Sky was partially clear and snow capped mountains were dominating the horizon....and I was the only one in that dream land walking to reach somewhere or may be nowhere... After 5 hours of exhausted walk,I made to the source of River Ganga......at an elevation of 4000 meter, It was Gaumukh... Felt lucky to be there and was among very few travelers who made to Gaumukh that day....
Shivling Peak enveloped with clouds After waiting for couple of hours and taking 2-3 circle of the town of Uttarkashi, Jeep took the road to Gangotri. On the way we stopped at Harshil which is a picturesque hamlet on the bank of river Ganges. Harshil is also popular fo apple orchards and Rajma. After 6-7 hours of bumpy ride we made to Gangotri which was quite chilly. After lodging into a room with basic amenities, we both roamed around in Gangotri. My religious side (or perhaps adventours side) inspired me to take a dip in Ganga's freezing water. Visited the main temple, offered my prayers and took part in the evening Arti. Gangotri is a serene village surrounded by snow capped Himalayas and remains colder through out the year. Next day I was supposed to visit Gaumukh and return back so i hit the hay little early after having light dinner at Gangotri.
Ganga Basin near Gangotri - Gaumukh
Next morning at 5'o clock, we began hiking to Gaumukh. Gaumukh is 18 km from Gangotri (Not very steep hike). Initial stretch of the Gamukh trail passes through alpine forest and then green pasture replaces the landscape. Gaumukh falls into Gangotri Forest reserve hence you won't be finding villages enroute. The absolute wilderness of ethereal mountains are truly fascinating and I even came across the herd of Blue sheeps. High altitude and Thin air also discourage inhabitation in this part of Himalayas. In between we stopped at many places..... sometimes appreciated the absolute wilderness around us.....suddently i felt like a dreamer trolling through a narrow trail among high boulders set there since ages and the rippling of a river was the only sound in that lifeless terrain....Sky was partially clear and snow capped mountains were dominating the horizon....and I was the only one in that dream land walking to reach somewhere or may be nowhere... After 5 hours of exhausted walk,I made to the source of River Ganga......at an elevation of 4000 meter, It was Gaumukh... Felt lucky to be there and was among very few travelers who made to Gaumukh that day....
Ganga Origin at Gaumukh Glacier
Finally caught a night train back to New Delhi....
Gangotri- Gaumukh Trek
This amazing journey to Gaumukh left its footprints on my head. Even today, I can feel every water stream,wooden bridges,glaciers,snowy breeze,cold desert....
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