The Chanderkhani Pass trek - 1 Nov 2012

I had already spent several days in Naggar recovering my lung capacity with small walks down to the market and up towards Rumsu and the idea of a trek over the Chanderkhani pass was beginning to get hold of me. When I sounded out the owner of my guest house, Bhalla Ji, he was initially discouraging. He felt it was too cold to camp near the pass. Instead, he suggested that I should take a day hike up to the pass and return to Naggar for the night. I however did not find the idea of returning from the pass very appealing.

View from Chanderkhani Pass

A day or two later, I was able to get a better picture of the possibilities, during a morning walk in the company of a man from Pulga, a village beyond Rumsu. Locals starting early, according to him, regularly got to Malana over the pass before sun down. He also acquainted me with the possibility of taking a pony or hiring a tent and sleeping bags – both of which could be done at Rumsu. Bhalla Ji meanwhile had arranged a meeting for me with Hira, a young man in his employ, who was also a trained guide. Hira confirmed that we could get to Malana in a day and my plans were made.

Rumsu (2200m) – Chanderkhani Pass (3525m)

We leave at about 6.30 am from Naggar. A warm-up walk to Rumsu the previous day had convinced me that it would be prudent to get a drop to Rumsu in a car, saving perhaps a half hour and a steep climb. Hira has arranged for a car and we are on our  way from Rumsu (2200 m) by 6.50 am, carrying only day bags with some water, food and extra warm clothes.

The first part of the trek is through a forest. There are many paths immediately above Rumsu and I am happy that I have a guide. As we go up, the snow capped peaks of the further ranges of the Dhauladhar across the Beas valley become visible. We pass some nice camping sites. With some more altitude gain, the Beas valley right up to Manali unfolds before us. I feel the beginings of a cramp in one of my legs. We stop at 9.30 am in a nice sunny pasture at a height of 2950 m for our lunch and that gives me some time to recover.

Beas Valley extending to Manali

As we move up further, we encounter a sprinkling of snow that crunches under my boots and solid ice blocks near water trickling from a mountain spring. At a height of about 3100 m, Hira startles a Monal and it takes flight and gracefully glides over the deep valley distancing itself from us by hours in the matter of a minute. The vegetation has started changing by now and all one can see is bare Bhojpatra trees and Rhododendron shrubs.

The sun is blinding and I am thankful that I have not forgotten my shades and sunscreen. For the first time, the pass becomes visible as a long ridge almost transverse to the direction we are walking. With further height gain, only the Rhododendrons are left and still further up, only a thin layer of browned grass. We reach what appears to be an entrance gate to the Chanderkhani top area marked by piles of stones on either side at 1 pm. It has been a fairly easy trek - but tiring, climbing 1400 ms over 13 kms in a period of 7 hrs!

'Entrance gate' with the Dhauladhars in the far background

The path now follows the top of the ridge which divides the watersheds of the Beas and the Malana/Parvati rivers. For the first time, the latter watershed becomes visible. While the access to the Chanderkhani top has been gentle, on the other side, the ridge falls steeply. Rock piles in the shape of pillars mark the top at several places along the ridge. Looking north, a line of jagged rocky peaks with snow is visible, somewhere in the direction of the source of the Parvathi and Malana rivers.

We reach a large grassy open space in which are obviously planted stones of different shapes and sizes arranged in no particular order. Hira points to a stone planted by him on an earlier trip. He explains that the local villagers consider this to be a sacred area of the devtas. I sit down to enjoy the view and rest my tired legs.

A little ahead, sheltered by a rock, a group of villagers are enjoying a meal they have cooked right there. They invite us to share their lunch. I am not particularly hungry but Hira seems keen, so I ask him to go ahead and join them.

A while later I join the group. They are from a village a few kms south from Naggar and made their way here yesterday with two goats. Their night stay was planned in a cave nearby but apparently their was no water there, so they ended up melting snow for water and spending the night in the open huddling around a fire! This morning, after sacrificing the goats as an offering to the devatas, they have just cooked a meal of rice and meat and Hira gets to enjoy a part of it. Hira had guessed as much from afar and that was the reason he was very keen to join them. 

Two goat skins with traces of blood are lying on the ground near where we sit. The better part of the meat has been packed in huge sacks to be carried back to the village. Hira assures me that it will not spoil in the cold weather. The food was tasty, but would have been hot for me, he tells me.

It is close to 2 pm and I am keen to get started. I have been warned that the descent to Malana is very steep and I am more than a little worried, given the tiredness in my legs. We bid goodbye to the group and move towards a natural gateway with pillars on either side that marks the point where the path leaves Chanderkhani top.

A map showing the trek route - Rumsu -> Chanderkhani Pass -> Malana -> Jari


Part 2 - The harrowing descent to Malana