Gaumukh Tapovan Trek - Part 1 of 3
I was crossing the bridge when Alok asked me, pointing to the river flowing below, "Do you know which river it is?"
Very sure of myself, I replied, "Of course, Bhagirathi."
My pride was hurt when he smiled and said, "No this is Kedar Ganga, a tributary of Bhagirathi. It originates from Kedartal and joins the Bhagirathi River here, in Gangotri."
I had heard about Kedartal. It was a difficult trek. But right now I was undertaking a different one: Gaumukh Tapovan. I was part of a group of 22 people, led by the Trek Leader, Hemant Bisht and Trek Guides, KP Da and Alok. Starting from Gangotri (10,050 feet), we were supposed to reach Chirbasa (11,630 feet) today after covering 10 kilometres.
Soon, we came across another bridge and I heard Alok say, "This one is Bhagirathi." From there, it didn't take us long to reach Gangotri temple. We didn’t go inside, but I sought blessings for the journey upward while making a mental note to visit the temple when I returned.
KP Da led the group, Hemant stayed in the middle and Alok at the back. We made our first stop at the entrance of Gangotri National Park for permit check. There I found out that one of us had quit already. The man had difficulty breathing during the initial steep ascent. I had faced the same. A little bit concerned for myself, I told Alok, "I'll walk with you. I'm fine staying behind everyone." He must have noticed my cautious tone for he continued by my side and reminded me at regular intervals to drink water. It helped with altitude gain.
The trail ran along the mountainside while Bhagirathi flowed below, always on the right. Not long after we resumed the trek, I laid eyes on Mt. Sudarshan, a white peak looming in the distance. And as we progressed, magnificent views opened up after every bend. Now and then we came across brooks and waterfalls rushing downwards to join the river. I didn't lose any moment to refill my bottle. God, I needed it so much. It was so hot. If only the overhanging Sun showed some mercy, I could have revelled in the beauty even more. It was getting hotter every moment. I was reaching for my water bottle quite frequently. I began to feel the weight of my backpack. The same old question popped into my head: Did I pack too heavy?
I knew I was unwell when I reached the Chirbasa campsite around 3 PM. Our tents were pitched in a clearing, surrounded by birch and chir trees. Hemant told us that the place gets its name from the Chir trees. I threw my bag down and sat with my back against a tree trunk. I was exhausted. And it wasn't because the trail was tough. It had mostly to do with the weather. I also regretted not prepping myself sufficiently for the trek.
After completing the stretching exercise, we sat down to eat our packed lunch but I couldn't have more than one roti. I just wanted to rest. My head was killing me. Hemant had told us very strictly that we had to inform him at the slightest sign of sickness. It could be AMS (acute mountain sickness). But I didn't tell him. I proceeded to my tent where I found Paresh, my tent mate. He was also tired. We didn't talk much and soon I fell asleep.
Paresh woke me up when it was time for snacks. Hemant had gathered everyone inside an A-shaped tent to share their experiences. He had posed two questions to everyone: Why Trekking? Why Gaumukh Tapovan? And while everyone spoke at their turn, I kept yawning, so much that I feared everyone would think I was bored. I also realised that I had barely interacted with any of the trekkers. Therefore, despite my illness, I was paying attention to all. Some of them were experienced trekkers, a few had done even the difficult ones. There were also some first-timers, who had come because of an impromptu suggestion from a friend. A lady wanted to honour the memory of a mentor. A guy fresh out of college was heeding the mountain's call. For a group of four friends, the trek was an extended version of Char Dham Yatra.
When my turn came, I somehow, fought off the nausea and answered the questions. I loved trekking ever since my first trekking experience in Std. IX with HMI (Himalayan Mountaineering Institute) in Darjeeling. I told them about my previous treks: Sandakphu Phalut, Kedarkantha and Chandrashila Deorital. As for why Gaumukh Tapovan? I told them that I wanted to cover all the major touchpoints of the Ganga river and that I had already been to Sunderban, Kolkata, Patna, Varanasi, Haridwar, Rishikesh and Devprayag. Although what I said wasn't untrue, I didn't tell them my actual reason; maybe because it was too soon or because I was not in the right state of mind.
My worst fears came to pass during dinnertime. I didn't feel like eating but Hemant persisted because I needed the energy for the next day. But as soon as I was done with the meagre amount of rice and daal, I rushed to a far corner and hurled. I knew as per my previous illnesses that I was going to get better. All I needed to do was go another 3-4 times until everything was out of my system. When I informed Hemant, he gave me some medicine. And while everyone stayed outside for stargazing, I went inside the tent and tried to rest. Orion wasn't visible anyway. It wasn't my day. And I needed to get better for the next day.
The next morning, I suspected that I had recovered because we were back on the trail and I was marching ahead with KP Da, heading for Bhojbasa (12,415 feet). We had our first stop for the day near Kachi Dhang. I could see a unique land formation, stone-wall like structures made up of stone and mud. According to KP Da, it was an outcome of repeated landslides that had occurred in the past. When Hemant finally joined us, I could see his shocked expression. All he said was, "Looking good today. Keep it up!"
It was a sunny day but the heat wasn't unbearable like yesterday. Even while passing through the rockfall section that we encountered next, where everyone had to put on their helmets for safety, I remained upbeat. My Wi-Fi searching for a network for so long had finally connected with the mountains.
The valley had widened. We encountered multiple white peaks, playing hide and seek with the landscape. One even looked like Mount Kailasha. But then, after crossing a narrow stream and ascending a high ground, we set our eyes on the Bhagirathi sisters. Soon, we reached a vantage point from where I could gaze over the entire valley. We had reached Bhojabasa. Down below, in the lap of the mountains, located just beside the river, the tiny expanse of flat land was our campsite. I sat there, plugged in my headphones and took my sweet time immersed in the beauty surrounding me.
When everyone had passed me, even Alok, I descended downhill, with a carefree and satisfied air about me. Perhaps I was overcompensating for the previous day. Singing my favourite song, I finally reached the campsite at 11:30 AM. Following the stretching exercise, KP Da gave us a demo of 'how to pitch your tent'. That was followed by all of us attempting the same. Paresh and I did quite well for ourselves.
The campsite was within earshot of the river. That's why, once lunch was over, I rushed to the riverside, on my own. The river was flowing vigorously. Nobody had thought of building a bridge to cross the river. A hand-pulled trolley system was in place, and I could see a few people using it to cross the river. I was captivated by the three peaks (Bhagirathi I, II and III) standing tall against the backdrop of a bright blue sky. Such was the game of hide and seek played by the Sun, the clouds and the mountains that I could click a picture every minute without moving from my spot and still every photograph would come out different. My childhood drawing of a nature landscape, containing a mountain and a river, had come to life. Somehow though, the mountain looked incomplete, missing a part, as if somebody had cut a portion of the cake covered in white frosting, revealing the dark chocolate inside.
I left after some time realising that I wasn't wearing enough layers. But I returned later to witness the sunset. Slowly and gradually, the peaks were covered with a golden glow until they were visible no more. And I couldn't help but think of another set of Bhagirathi sisters: Radhika and Yashoda, who lived not far away from here, in a remote village located in Uttarkashi. Yashoda dreamt of becoming a police officer and Radhika wanted to become a teacher. To fulfill their aim in life, they went to school every day, but the school was located far away without any road connectivity. Therefore, they had to trek for two to three hours each way. But the toughest part was crossing the Bhagirathi River, where they had to pull themselves to the other side in a metal trolley, like the one I could see before me.
I was going to do the same next morning and I didn't know how to feel about that.
***
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Watch my complete journey of Gaumukh Tapovan Trek on YouTube:
Part 1: Gangotri to Chirbasa
Part 2: Chirbasa to Bhojbasa
Part 3: Bhojbasa to Tapovan
Part 4: Gaumukh to Gangotri
Lovely story written
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