Roopkund is a frozen lake in a crater under the shadow of Trisul, at a height of over 15,500 ft. With reference to the attached Google image, it is located due East of Kanol at the start of the area that is permanently under snow (seen in silver colour). The triple peaks of Trishul can also be seen.
The trail to Roopkund is actually an old pilgrim trail that is also used in part by shepards and forest department officials and starts from Ali Bugyal and Bedni Bugyal. (Bugyals are high altitude grassy meadows, found above the tree line typically between 11000 and 12000 ft) The Bugyals can be accessed from villages of Wan and Didana (located at more comfortable heights between 7000 and 8000 ft) by a steep climb through a forest of Oak and Rhododendron until one emerges above the tree line.
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Wan is connected by a dirt road to Lohajang (just north of Mundoli) and onward by a metaled road to Mundoli, Deobal, Tharali and Gwaldam. The latter two towns lie on the Kausani - Karnaprayag highway. A map of Chamoli district that shows these towns and villages can be accessed here.
I am part of a group of 19 on this trek to Roopkund organized by Indiahikes from May 30th to June 4th. Our trek is broken into 6 stages, each stage taking a day and starts at Lohajung and ends at the village of Wan. From Lohajung we trek to the village of Didana, from Didana to Bedni Bugyal via Ali Bugyal, from Bedni to Pather Nachauni campsite, from Pather Nachauni to Baguwa Basa campsite, from Baguwa Basa to Roopkund and back to Bedni, and finally from Bedni to the village of Wan.
One of the great features of this trek is the variety of environments through which the trail makes its way. In this post, I attempt to present the flavors of the trail through select photographs and google earth images.
The village trail
The trek from Lohajung to Didana is on a part of what has come to be known as the Lord Curzon trail that goes from Debal all the way over Kunwari Pass and on to Auli, a short distance from Joshimath. This is possibly an ancient trail used by pilgrims to go all the way to Badrinath. For the villagers of Didana, this is their access path to the market town of Lohajung and the road. The path moves along fields and small human settlements to the floor of a valley where a stream known to the villagers as Neel Ganga is spanned by an iron bridge - the 'Raun Bagad'. The Neel Ganga originates in Bedni Kund and carries the icy cold water into the Pindar. After crossing the Neel Ganga, the path climbs upward to the Village of Didana.
Through Himalayan Oak forests
From Didana, there is a steep climb through a forest of Oak and Rhododendron ('Burash' in Garhwali) to reach Ali Bugyal. We cross ruddy faced children - specially girls - from the nearby villages collecting 'Jhula' - a lichen that is apparently hosted by Oak, Rhododendron, Indian Bayberry, and Chir pine trees - in bags slung over their shoulders. Wan village can be seen in the distance across the valley in which a river - another tributary of the Pindar flows. Emerging from the tree line, the expanse of Ali Bugyal unfolds. In the gentle grass slopes of the Bugyal, the trail vanishes.
Traversing the Bugyals
We head for the ridge from where we get a 360 degree view. The trail to Bedni can be picked up from the northern extreemity of Ali Bugyal. The huge expanse of Ali Bugyal can be easily spotted on a google satellite image (see the end of this post) as a long finger - easily 4 to 5 kms in length - pointing in the north-easterly direction towards Trishul.
The trail is once more visible as we leave Ali Bugyal and walk towards
Bedni Kund.While the sky is blue in other directions, it looks ominous with dark clouds to the north east and that is the direction we are heading. Trisul is out there somewhere but completely hidden by the clouds. When we reach the Bedni camp site we look for the Kund. It is bone dry - no wonder we did not spot it - though it is early June.
The next day, moving beyond Bedni, we are rewarded with a clear sky and a magnificent view of Trisul. We walk in the Bugyals all the way to the next camp site at Pather Nachauni. Herds of goats can be seen near the camp site accompanied by sheep dogs. Nature is still benevolent here.
The trail from Pather Nachauni (Dancing stones) to Bhaguwa Basa (Home of the Bag or Leopard) takes one on a steep ascent up a cliff to a height close to 14000 ft. This is where we leave the Bugyals.
Looking back midway into the climb, the trail can be seen far below. The top of the trail is marked by the Kalu Vinayak temple with a black murthy of Ganesh.
Beyond this point, the trail - carpeted with rocks - is as bleak as the surrounding landscape. We are nearing the Baguwa Basa campsite, the staging camp for the climb to Roopkund the next morning.
Through snow fields
The trail moves sideways with switchbacks along a hill side with a fairly steep downward slope. At several places, it crosses snow fields.
Roopkund is located beneath the dark hood near the top left hand corner of this picture. The 'hood' is a face of the crater occupied by the lake. ( I am not aware of this detail when I take the photograph - this becomes clear only after I return home and pour over the photos of the trek)
The snow fields must be negotiated very carefully, a step at a time, as the snow is hard and crunchy and at times slippery. My co-trekkers teach me the technique of sledging my boots in side-ways into the snow to get a good foot hold before advancing with the other foot.
The climb down to Baguwa Basa is expectedly tricky as by now the snow on the trail has started to melt. The two guides with our group appear magically and offer the helping hand just when one needs it. They are all over the place, slipping and sliding down the snow slopes, sometimes even backwards, keeping an eye on the large group. A few of my co-trekkers who venture to slide down a snow field on their bottoms and find themselves accelerating completely out of control are saved in the nick of time by these simple Garhwali's - farmers from the nearby villages working as guides in the trekking season.
Finally, dear reader, here is a Google earth image for you. Can you spot Roopkund and the trail along the hill side? If you have the patience, you can fly over Ali Bugyal and all the way up over the Roopkund trail.
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Himalayan Trek 2, May 2010
The trail to Roopkund is actually an old pilgrim trail that is also used in part by shepards and forest department officials and starts from Ali Bugyal and Bedni Bugyal. (Bugyals are high altitude grassy meadows, found above the tree line typically between 11000 and 12000 ft) The Bugyals can be accessed from villages of Wan and Didana (located at more comfortable heights between 7000 and 8000 ft) by a steep climb through a forest of Oak and Rhododendron until one emerges above the tree line.
View Larger Map
Wan is connected by a dirt road to Lohajang (just north of Mundoli) and onward by a metaled road to Mundoli, Deobal, Tharali and Gwaldam. The latter two towns lie on the Kausani - Karnaprayag highway. A map of Chamoli district that shows these towns and villages can be accessed here.
I am part of a group of 19 on this trek to Roopkund organized by Indiahikes from May 30th to June 4th. Our trek is broken into 6 stages, each stage taking a day and starts at Lohajung and ends at the village of Wan. From Lohajung we trek to the village of Didana, from Didana to Bedni Bugyal via Ali Bugyal, from Bedni to Pather Nachauni campsite, from Pather Nachauni to Baguwa Basa campsite, from Baguwa Basa to Roopkund and back to Bedni, and finally from Bedni to the village of Wan.
One of the great features of this trek is the variety of environments through which the trail makes its way. In this post, I attempt to present the flavors of the trail through select photographs and google earth images.
The village trail
The trek from Lohajung to Didana is on a part of what has come to be known as the Lord Curzon trail that goes from Debal all the way over Kunwari Pass and on to Auli, a short distance from Joshimath. This is possibly an ancient trail used by pilgrims to go all the way to Badrinath. For the villagers of Didana, this is their access path to the market town of Lohajung and the road. The path moves along fields and small human settlements to the floor of a valley where a stream known to the villagers as Neel Ganga is spanned by an iron bridge - the 'Raun Bagad'. The Neel Ganga originates in Bedni Kund and carries the icy cold water into the Pindar. After crossing the Neel Ganga, the path climbs upward to the Village of Didana.
Through Himalayan Oak forests
From Didana, there is a steep climb through a forest of Oak and Rhododendron ('Burash' in Garhwali) to reach Ali Bugyal. We cross ruddy faced children - specially girls - from the nearby villages collecting 'Jhula' - a lichen that is apparently hosted by Oak, Rhododendron, Indian Bayberry, and Chir pine trees - in bags slung over their shoulders. Wan village can be seen in the distance across the valley in which a river - another tributary of the Pindar flows. Emerging from the tree line, the expanse of Ali Bugyal unfolds. In the gentle grass slopes of the Bugyal, the trail vanishes.
Traversing the Bugyals
We head for the ridge from where we get a 360 degree view. The trail to Bedni can be picked up from the northern extreemity of Ali Bugyal. The huge expanse of Ali Bugyal can be easily spotted on a google satellite image (see the end of this post) as a long finger - easily 4 to 5 kms in length - pointing in the north-easterly direction towards Trishul.
The trail is once more visible as we leave Ali Bugyal and walk towards
The trail from Pather Nachauni (Dancing stones) to Bhaguwa Basa (Home of the Bag or Leopard) takes one on a steep ascent up a cliff to a height close to 14000 ft. This is where we leave the Bugyals.
Looking back midway into the climb, the trail can be seen far below. The top of the trail is marked by the Kalu Vinayak temple with a black murthy of Ganesh.
Beyond this point, the trail - carpeted with rocks - is as bleak as the surrounding landscape. We are nearing the Baguwa Basa campsite, the staging camp for the climb to Roopkund the next morning.
Through snow fields
The trail moves sideways with switchbacks along a hill side with a fairly steep downward slope. At several places, it crosses snow fields.
The snow fields must be negotiated very carefully, a step at a time, as the snow is hard and crunchy and at times slippery. My co-trekkers teach me the technique of sledging my boots in side-ways into the snow to get a good foot hold before advancing with the other foot.
Closer to Roopkund, the path can be discerned only by looking for footsteps. We make our way gingerly ever careful of icy patches.
Moving above Roopkund, the snow is soft as there has been a fresh snowfall perhaps only that morning. The climbers in this picture are heading towards Junargali, just above Roopkund.
I capture the frozen lake from a spot on the slope leading to Junargali. This marks how high I venture. The return journey is already weighing on my mind.
The climb down to Baguwa Basa is expectedly tricky as by now the snow on the trail has started to melt. The two guides with our group appear magically and offer the helping hand just when one needs it. They are all over the place, slipping and sliding down the snow slopes, sometimes even backwards, keeping an eye on the large group. A few of my co-trekkers who venture to slide down a snow field on their bottoms and find themselves accelerating completely out of control are saved in the nick of time by these simple Garhwali's - farmers from the nearby villages working as guides in the trekking season.
The trail back after Baguwa Basa holds no terrors but becomes tedious as we walk back all the way to Bedni Kund the same day (as our ascent to Roopkund). I am feeing feverish and exhausted by the time I reach Bedni and this is the first occasion I crawl into my tent and get into my sleeping bag even though it is only early evening.
But all ends well. The next day dawns bright and I can once again see and hear the Birds as we descend to Wan from Bedni.
Afterword
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Himalayan Trek 2, May 2010
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| At Roopkund |
sir, it was really nice reading ur experience and sharing ur information.
ReplyDeleteMe along with my 5 friends are heading for roopkund on Oct 17 2010.
I loved every line of it... and my own experience came alive...bugshead
ReplyDelete