Gaumukh Tapovan Trek - Part 2 of 3
It was very early in the morning, but Bhojbasa campsite was already abuzz with activity. Everyone was up and about by 5:30 AM; bags packed, tents unhitched, breakfast done and lunch packed, in that order. If only I could continue to remain so disciplined back in the city.
The Sun was yet to rise. Still, the snow-covered Bhagirathi sisters glistened, a halo of light forming in their background. A few stars hovered over the peaks. I immediately searched for Orion. It was finally here after two days of absence. That was a good sign for the day.
As expected from Hemant's briefing yesterday, we found a long waiting line at the trolley point. It was not just us, but other groups of trekkers, porters, and kitchen staff along with their equipment. And the trolley could fit a maximum of six at once, along with their luggage. Loading and tying everything took a long time. Things moved very slowly. I finally had enough of watching the trolley go from one side to the other. Therefore, I sauntered along the riverside. To pass the time, I searched for flat rock pieces and stacked them atop the other. After many trials and errors, I stacked seven, the magical number.
But to my disappointment, the line had hardly moved by the time I was done. I took out my journal, once there was enough daylight. I was so engrossed in it that I was a little taken aback when I heard a female voice beside me, "What are you writing?"
I replied calmly, "Nothing much. A little bit of this. A little bit of that." I looked at her and realised something. Her tent was just beside mine. And she looked unwell yesterday. So I asked her if she was ok.
"I had a headache. Feeling a little better now."
"Great," I said. And my mind went, Don't say it. Don't say it.
But I ended up saying it anyway, "Hey, can I call you MJ?"
"Seriously," she said, frown lines appearing on her forehead.
"Nah... kidding," I replied. "But can I?"
"But why?"
"It's your initials. Your actual name sounds too loaded. It makes me feel underqualified. Like I need to get a PHD or something. It is sad that nobody ever gave you this nickname. MJ. Two syllables. Short and simple."
"Haha, very funny. MJ sounds cool, though. Just like me."
"Great! But, remember," I said in a cautionary tone. "If your feet hit a rock by mistake, you must shout 'Au' and throw your hands in the air."
"Is it ok if I hit you by mistake and shout 'Au'?"
"Good one." I laughed.
By the time our turn came, it was 8:15 AM and the Sun was high in the sky, hovering over the Bhagirathi sisters. Hemant had made groups of six for the trolley ride. I was supposed to go with MJ, but at the last moment, Hemant decided to switch me with Neville. Of course, I obliged. 62-year-old Neville was the oldest in our group. He was doing his first high-altitude trek. Frankly, while everyone was motivated by him, I was demoralised. I knew in my heart that I wouldn't be that fit when I turned 60. When he first announced his name during the introduction session, I had refrained from replying, "Chamberlain or Longbottom?".
"Take a good video when we are crossing the river," shouted MJ after getting on the trolley.
"With or without flash," I shouted back. She couldn't do anything but glare at me. I did shoot the video though.
Later, when I got on the trolley, Harshita, Yashaswini and Prajwal from our group accompanied me, along with two strangers. They continued talking in Kannada until we were in the middle of the river and I turned on the video. Everyone howled in the same language. Compared to the long wait, our trolley ride was relatively short. Gravity did the job till the middle then people on the other end had to pull us with great effort. By 9 AM, the entire group was across the river. Then we started for the day.
Today was the summit day. I was brimming with energy, completely gripped by the summit fever. The landscape was entirely white due to boulder-ridden pathways showcasing at times, outcroppings of red shrubs and flowers. We descended to a large expanse of land and started walking just alongside the river which was getting thinner by the moment. Obviously, we were getting closer to the source.
At some point, I realised that in my flow, I had left behind everyone, even KP Da who was supposed to be leading. No way I could have gotten lost. We were walking straight towards the Bhagirathi Sisters which had increased in size significantly. Still, I stopped and made a mental note not to tire myself out. Hemant had briefed us that the final ascent of Tapovan was very steep.
When the soft riverbed path transformed into a path filled with boulders, I slowed down my pace. This particular stretch didn't seem to end. It felt like we were walking in the same spot. The Sun was getting higher and higher. There was no tree in sight. I should have gone with my first instinct when I was packing, an umbrella instead of a raincoat. Both Alok and Hemant were safe in the shade of their umbrellas. I reminded myself to drink water at regular intervals.
After ascending a stack of large boulders, I was shocked that the path ahead had disappeared. All we had was a muddy river. Then KP Da announced the unexpected. We had to cross the river barefoot.
I have realised with experience that overthinking only increases the intensity of the fear. So I didn't. I took out my shoes and just ventured across. The water was icy cold and loose gravel prickled my feet. Somehow, without any visibility of where I was placing my feet in the muddy water, I reached the other side. So did everyone, until only MJ was left. She feared the cold water. When my encouraging words did not affect her, I went back and brought her along with me.
Thereafter, the trail started ascending gradually, away from the river. There was no path. We were literally stepping from one large boulder to the next one. As conveyed by Alok, the trek poles weren't useful for this portion of the trek. We had to be very careful.
It was past noon when somebody pointed in the distance. My eyes found an arch-shaped gateway covered with rock debris at the top. KP Da defined it as a moraine, that we were looking at Gaumukh, the source of the Bhagirathi River. We will be going down there tomorrow for a closer look.
"Hey, thanks for earlier," MJ said to me when all of us were having lunch, sitting at an elevated viewpoint and looking at the second-highest glacier in India - Gangotri Glacier. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
"No problem," I replied.
"To tell you the truth, I was dead surprised to see you come to me in that cold water just to give me a hand. It was a heartfelt gesture."
"Even I was surprised with myself."
"I remember everyone shouting instructions at me, not to fear etc., but you just..."
"Look..." I interrupted her. Some birds were flying right above us. They looked like ravens but their beaks and claws were orange in colour. They must have turned up for the feast. MJ fed them almost half of her lunch, while I noted down a few lines in my journal. They might turn into my next poem.
Sitting still
Yet soaring high
Like the birds in the air
It was a moment to treasure.
Mountains and rivers
Are for some,
An escape from daily life,
And for others,
A part of it.
Either way,
I'm always left bewildered
By the natural beauty
And the human capacity.
"Don't worry," I said to MJ, a while later. "I was just returning a favour. Just like these birds, you offered a portion of your sandwich to me, the nadaan parinda, on the first day when I didn't like eating the packed lunch. Speaking of which, did you give the birds all your food out of the goodness of your heart or you just didn't like the taste of the packed lunch?"
"Why can't it be both," she gave a wicked smile. "The birds seemed hungry and I didn't feel like eating that much."
Soon after lunch, we found ourselves at the base of a rock face. I was intimidated by the steep incline of the ascent. I slowed my pace, letting anyone pass if they wanted to. There was loose sand and gravel every which way. As per instructions from Hemant, our helmets were back on our heads. It was meant to protect us from the rock debris coming from above. But I was more concerned about taking a wrong step and tumbling down the edge that had jagged rocks jutting out of it.
Huffing and puffing, with small but continuous paces, I kept going. I could see MJ, ahead of Prajwal, Harsha and Subham. She had paused and so everyone behind her also had to. Hemant had told us previously that whenever you are demotivated during the trek and you think you can't make it, just focus on encouraging someone. You'll end with two good deeds. You'll complete the trek yourself and somebody else will complete it because of you. And so I shouted, "Come on, MJ. You can do it. Focus on how far you’ve come, not how far you have to go."
Not just me, each one of us was working as a team. We continued to strive forward by motivating each other, undeterred by any obstacles that came our way. And it did. Normally, the sight of a waterfall in the mountains brought a smile to my face, but I didn't feel that way when we came upon Akash Ganga flowing downward, just alongside us. As if finding a footing on a slippery path wasn't enough, we had to cross Akash Ganga multiple times on our way up. Flowing right in our pathway, it forced us to walk on rocks that wobbled when we put our foot on them. Again, one wrong step and I could have gone with the flow, literally.
Our troubles weren't over even after we crossed the Akash Ganga for the last time. The climb only got steeper. After a while, I saw Satvik. He had a bizarre expression on his face. Feeling that he needed it, I sat by his side.
"C'mon, we are almost there," I spoke confidently, but I had no clue how far we still had to go.
"You go," Satvik said to me after some time. "I'll be there with you in a moment."
"Are you ok for now," I confirmed with him. He nodded.
And so I resumed. Akash Ganga remained on my left as I climbed up. The highest point of the steep incline was in my sight. I couldn't see or know what lay beyond it but that was my target. My eyes set on the horizon, I trudged towards it. Just then, an amazing thing happened. Slowly and gradually, a snow-covered peak, which had stayed hidden until then, emerged from the horizon. It was Mount Shivling. I couldn't say for sure if my knees wobbled because of the continuous strain caused by the uphill climb or if it was just the magnificence of it all. It was a surreal experience. The mountain gave an appearance of Lord Shiva sitting in his tapasya stance. And just like the stories, Ganga had descended from the heavens. Shiva had turned her turbulent flow into a gentler one, the shallow stream, flowing on my left side. Is it why they named it Akash Ganga, I wondered. My eyes followed the stream downwards until my eyes fell on Satvik.
"Satvik, we're here," I shouted. This time I was sure. I don't know what did it; the happiness, relief or excitement in my voice, but I could see Satvik moving at an increased pace until he finally joined me. When his eyes fell on the mountain peak, he started laughing loudly. I could see the glint in his eyes, a sense of achievement. I could understand that. Feeling like I was intruding on his moment, I patted him on the back and continued. I needed my solo moment too.
My feet finally landed on flat ground. I was followed by Satvik, Pranjal and Harsha. And finally, MJ, who came along with Alok. We were standing in a wide-open meadow. The campsite was a short walk away. I scanned the 360-degree view multiple times. I just couldn't get enough of it. I have a rule when it comes to my travels. If I am going with my friends, I research nothing and if I'm planning on my own, I only do textual research. I never watch images/videos. And by God's grace, it always pays off big time. The first image stored in my mind is always the raw footage, captured by my naked eye. Beginning from my left, I could see the Bhagirathi sisters, bigger than ever. Further towards the right, Mt. Shivling dominated the landscape, visible from base to peak against the sunny sky, its grandeur expanding as I walked straight towards it. Mt. Meru, where the Gods resided, seemed a little shy and stood a little behind in the background. That wasn't the end of it. Just as in every Shiva temple, Nandi sits opposite the Shivling, here too, we had Nandi Parvat facing Mt. Shivling.
It finally dawned on me. I was finally here. Tapovan (14,203 feet). I had reached the summit and even though I was tired, I didn't want to put down my backpack. I walked around aimlessly around the campsite for some time. I knew about Summit fever. But what was this? Now that I had reached the destination, I didn't want the journey to end.
There was a stream running just alongside our campsite. I sat beside it for some time, away from everyone, and took out my journal. Words always found me in these moments. MJ had asked me what I wrote. But it was more about why I wrote. I cannot process anything entirely until and unless I have put it in words. And though I tried, I couldn't compose anything new. I was yet to process all of this. Instead, my mind went over some lines of a poem I had written long back.
The higher I go,
The humbler I feel.
A hearty submission,
Without having to kneel.
The sights appear,
As if from a forgotten dream.
Memories wash ashore,
Of a place I have never been to before.
People who say men don't cry have never seen a man surrounded by mountains after reaching the summit. I thanked God for sunglasses when Hemant called everyone to get together for stretching exercise. One by one, he hugged everyone. And when he hugged me, I swear I would have cried. Many did. But I was already completely cried out.
***
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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 4: Gaumukh to Gangotri
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