Trekking over the Jalori Jot - Sept 2012

I will start with a little geography before I launch into my account. The Beas and Sutluj watersheds are separated by a range crossed by a motor able road at the 3300m high Jalori pass connecting Kulu with Shimla. The region on either side of the pass is known as the Seraj. Weaving through picturesque countryside and with sparse traffic, the roads in the Seraj are quite suitable for trekking. One can walk all the way from Banjar to Jalori and then on to Khanag and Aut utilizing short cuts where available and staying in village homes and this can be a pleasant trek. However, besides the roads, there are also numerous walking trails connecting the remote villages and these certainly make for more interesting treks. After spending a few days in the region I came to know of one such trail, relatively unknown to outsiders, that leads from the village of Gada Gussain to the Jalori pass and I decided to walk this trail.

Getting to Gada Gussain

The road to Gada Gussain branches off to the west from the main Banjar – Jalori road at Jibi village. I spent the night in a guest house at Ghyagi, just a half hour walk from Jibi so getting there in the morning was not a problem. At Jibi I found out that there are only two busses daily for Gada Gussain. With an hour left for the first bus, it made sense to continue walking and catch the bus when it passed by.

PWD guest house at Gada Gussain

Past the village of Bharti Dhar a few km from Jibi, the road climbs up in a series of switchbacks through a forest of Pine and Deodhar. Attempting short cuts, I stupidly missed noticing that the switchbacks had ended. Hopelessly lost, I eventually retraced my path to find that the bus had passed by; my only option was to keep walking. Late afternoon, while still an hour away from Gada Gussain, my luck turned. My walking companion, a local villager, flagged down a pickup truck and we jumped in. The short ride standing in the rear of the open truck will remain etched in memory. The truck hurtled over the rough gravel road at great speed, throwing us in random directions, getting us airborne repeatedly, testing arms and sockets to their limits. Was I happy to get out without injury!

Gada Gussain is located in a beautiful valley with a stream. The PWD guest house occupies the pride of place, set in the midst of a green carpeted field at one edge of the valley. One look and my heart was set on staying there. The chowkidar readily agreed to give me a room. He also helped me find a guide, Roshan Lal, a small farmer, who was willing to interrupt his current store painting job to accompany me to Jalori.

My plans for a quiet evening chatting up the chowkidar were spoilt with the arrival of two brothers, wholesale merchants from Mandi, who had come to procure vegetables. A call from their PWD engineer contact in Mandi had got them the best room at the guest house. (I escaped unceremonious eviction as there was luckily a second, less attractive, room.) They were well prepared for the evening and promptly commissioned the chowkidar to cook mutton procured locally. As the evening progressed, they become increasingly drunk and boisterous. However my attempts over several hours to get them to reveal the secrets of the wholesale vegetable trade proved futile. The dinner which they greatly enjoyed was a disaster as far as I was concerned - the mutton of the pahadi goat was too tough for my city bred jaws.

View from above Alwa village

Gada Gussain (2285m) to Jalori (3045m)

Roshan Lal arrived bright and early at 6 am. After a short walk to the edge of the field, we launched into a steep climb. Soon we were getting a bird’s eye view of Gada Gussain with its pretty grey slate roofed houses. An hour later, we walked through the village of Alwa past families already at work, preparing fodder for storage for the approaching winter. The striking view from the trail was now of row upon row of mountains each taller than the previous, the colors ranging from dark green of the coniferous trees in the foreground to the bleak white of  the jagged snow peaks in the background.  I could not identify the individual snow peaks, but the broad sweep ranged from Rohtang jot and other peaks of the Pir Panjal in the north to those of the Shrikhand Mahadev range in the east.

At 8.30 am, we stopped for breakfast at a clearing. We had climbed over 500m without a break, something I could do only because Roshan Lal lifted my backpack. Regaining my breath, I absorbed the landmarks on view - Madhupur Garh (fort), sitting on a ridge to the South-West and Ragupur Garh , visible as a speck on a practically treeless hill rising across a deep valley. Raghupur Garh lay on our route to Jalori. We would be able to get there without descending into the valley separating us along the line of sight, simply by staying on the ridge we were on which circled around to the fort.

Kunala thatch

 When we resumed, the climb became more gradual. Just above 3000m, we entered a beautiful forest of Kharsu (Oak). The going from here on was more or less level with gradual ascents and descents. After a half hour walk into the forest, we started getting glimpses of meadows – natural grasslands seasonally used for grazing, called bugyals in Uttarakhand and thatch locally. Emerging from the forest, we passed a beautiful meadow in a depression below us surrounded on all sides by Oak, the Kunala thatch. It was an idyllic setting to camp or just spend a day but we had to be content with clicking a few pictures.

Further on, at a place called Sukhsar, we stopped at the edge of a long rectangular field with standing water and sporting a paddy like grass. Roshan Lal identified it as the ‘Pandavo ka khet’ and proceeded to tell me the local legend associated with it. 

Pandavo ka khet

The pandavas during their vanvas camped here one night and planted the rice. Before they were quite done, people at a nearby village woke up to the sound of barking dogs and the pandavas had to leave in a hurry. It was the magic of the pandavas presence that could make paddy grow at these heights, but the paddy will never yield rice because of their abrupt departure.

We were now not far from the fort; one could get a glimpse of it on the hill top right behind the khet. But it still entailed a climb of 200m. The top of the hill was a giant meadow bereft of any trees. Normally, it would be an easy walk up the 45 degree slope. But after walking for nearly 6 hours and climbing over 700m, my legs were ready to buckle under. Half way up, the slope was broken by a depression hosting a lovely little pond, its waters reflecting hill and cloud. A couple of young boys, barely in their teens, were keeping an eye on their cows grazing below – the first humans we saw after leaving Alwa. We reached the fort – consisting of the ruins of a boundary wall of stones and a small temple, not counting an ugly pilgrim shelter of recent date – just after noon. At 3200m, this was the highest point in the trek to Jalori.

Approaching Ragupur Garh

 It was indeed a great location for a fort, commanding its approaches from all directions. I stopped to absorb the grand panorama, the green carpeted mountains playing with the clouds and the road snaking up from Shoja far below past the structures at Jalori pass. The descent to Jalori took us just 45 minutes and we were there before 2pm.

Over lunch, the thanedar at Jalori evinced keen interest in my trek thus far and volunteered advice on how to go about the rest of it. I learnt that I could stay at a tented camp at Jalori and then find someone to guide me to Khanag and beyond. For reasons that I cringe to disclose – actually the anticipation of a tasty home cooked meal at the Ghyagi guesthouse – I ignored his advice and took a lift with the Kulu SP (again arranged by the helpful thanedar) back to Ghyagi, and returned to Jalori by bus the next morning, loosing valuable time.

View from the fort

Jalori to Khanag via Saryolsar

My first target this morning was Saryolsar Lake and I got off to a brisk start with a backpacker couple from Israel. The level trail lead in the opposite direction to Raghupur Garh and we shortly passed the tented camp mentioned by the thanedar. A pleasant couple of hours walk through the woods got us to lake.  

It was a small lake in very beautiful surroundings but with excessive human intervention around it for my liking. The lake was fenced all around and a concrete walkway paralleled the fence. A pretty little temple stood at a height to one side. The walkway was stained with oil and the strong smell of ghee was ever present. It was only later that I found out that the temple and lake were dedicated to Budhi Naagin, the local goddess of ghee! A practice associated with worship here was walking around the lake pouring ghee in an unbroken line.

Saryolsar Lake

 Drinking chai at a dhaba above the temple, I met my guides for the next stretch – a young local couple who had come to pray at the temple. Khanag was just a small detour for them and graciously agreed to the extra walk to help me out. The walk down was for the first part through forest and then entered cultivated areas. During the descent, a vast panorama opened before us with hills and valleys and far flung settlements seen from high up. We negotiated many trails going off in different directions – I would have certainly been lost without my guides. An hour and a half later, we reached Khanag and said our goodbyes.                       

My trek ended at Khanag rather abruptly. Khanag has a well located and comfortably furnished PWD guest house – the only place with a toilet facility - and that was where I was headed, confident of getting a room. As luck would have it, a landslide blocking the road to the south of Jalori had brought a PWD repair team to the area. The engineer who was present at the guesthouse flatly refused to entertain my request, though I was convinced from the caretaker’s demeanor that rooms were available. A bus to Ani followed by another to Sainj allowed me to spend the night in a decent budget hotel looking out on the Sutluj.

Where the Yamuna is young

( The title is a take on the great travel adventure "Where the Indus in Young" by Deverla Murphy)

This travel piece appeared in the EPW with a few (crucial) lines dropped.

Kamal Valley

The bus leaves Purola carrying daily commuters, and makes its way up the valley of the Kamal at a measured pace hugging the curves of the smooth road. I look out on a remarkably wide valley dotted with neat habitations amidst green fields of wheat and jawar. Seated next to me, a soft spoken pahadi patiently answers my questions. The driver plays a melodious Garhwali song and I can picture a slow rhythmic harvest dance. 

My phone rings and it is Rana inquiring. I feel welcome in the hills.

I got acquainted with Rana in Dehradun yesterday after we both missed the last bus to Purola. Rana was as desperate as me to avoid spending the night in the city, so I decided to tag along, trusting him, a local, to get me out. After a fruitless afternoon scouring shared taxi stands we finally got lucky. Rana recognized the driver of a charter bus speeding past us in Vikas Nagar and managed to get it to stop. The bus was headed straight for Purola!

Saur Village just off Sankri

 On a wet evening the large vehicle hurtled along a treacherous road at great speed following the Yamuna upstream. At a dinner stop, after having his glass of the local brew, Rana became positively friendly. Back on the bus, he called up and made arrangements for my night stay in Purola and instructed the driver on where I should be dropped. Before I could protest, he had paid my fare and hopped off the bus at a fork before Purola.

That was last night. Rana called again just now to check if I made the morning bus to Sankri!

Sankri is the start of a trail to a valley in north Uttarakhand with the enticing name Har ki doon. My plan is to walk this trail for the next few days, halting the nights at wayside Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) guest houses.

My trek begins earlier than anticipated because of a landslide a few km short of Sankri. Just beyond Sankri, I meet two men – caretakers at GMVN guest houses, it turns out - headed in the opposite direction to collect their salaries after a delay of 6 months! I part with an assurance that their absence will not cause a problem for me. I reach the guest house at Taluka village cold and wet after walking barefoot through several icy streams and braving rain and hail.

The next day, the trail follows the Har ki doon Gad (stream), passing below villages located precariously on the hill slopes. Terraced fields of wheat and mustard extend to impossible slopes and dizzy heights, adding dashes of brilliant yellow and green to the drab brown and grey.

Turning a blind corner on a ledge above the river, we get our first dramatic view of the village of Osla perched high up on the other side.  Below the village, the mountain drops steeply into the river; above it, it presents a sheer rock face. Why are the villages located at inaccessible heights rather than near the river bank, I ask Kamal, a young man from Taluka who is accompanying me? His intriguing answer is that in the past, this helped the villagers to secure themselves against raids by local kings!

Soon we reach the settlement of Seema, across the river from Osla. Jainder Singh’s dhabha opposite the guest house looks the livelier place and I make myself comfortable by his chullah. Villagers stop by for warmth and conversation and the evening passes amiably in the company of simple people. The dinner tastes especially good after I have been witness to the labor that has gone into its preparation.

Forest rest house, Har ki doon

A hard third day’s trek, the last part crunching snow, brings us within view of the colorful forest rest house in Har ki doon. Sticking out of the snow in the shadow of a gigantic boulder set against a steep mountain face, it has a fairy tale look. There is still an hour’s plodding now through knee deep snow before we reach the GMVN guest house. Pavani, the canteen contractor at Har ki doon has himself just gotten there and is trying to get a fire going. It starts snowing and turns bitterly cold. For the rest of the evening, I am obsessed with trying to keep warm.

By the next morning, there is an amazing turnaround outside. I look out on a clear blue sky and the sharp outline of Swargarohini stretching nearly 3 km above us. Like in most parts of the Himalayas, there is a Mahabharata association here too. Swargarohini, in local legend, is the ‘stairway to heaven’ climbed by Yudhishtar, the eldest of the Pandavas.

A forest of pine borders either side of a gentle meandering stream. The grassy mountain slopes on closer look reveal the brown giving way to green. Numerous flowers - yellow Dandelion, Marsh Marigold, and blue Gentian - have sprung up in anticipation of spring. Pavani informs me that but for the abnormal wintry conditions, it would have been impossible to sleep this late in the morning because of the chatter of birds with as he puts it, their "108 boli" (108 tongues).

Good weather and a descending trail make the return walk a relaxed affair. Near Osla, women in colorful attire are readying the fields for the next crop of phafra, a local grain. At the satellite phone center curious little children, dressed in layers of grey-brown and wearing pretty headscarves gather around us.

Osla hugs a steep hill slope and has streets at several levels. The houses are multi-storied and follow a pattern. The ground floor is used for cattle and sheep and above it is the family residence with an overhanging balcony. Right on top are the lofts for storing wood. Kamal points to separately housed silos that stock family grain and other rations to last the harsh winter.

We stop at the village temple, a stark reminder of how far local beliefs can differ from the dominant ones. The temple is dedicated to Duryodhana! The deity is shared with several other temples in this region, moving between them according to a customary schedule, I learn.

 The return walk to Taluka along the Har ki doon Gad is memorable. We walk past the beautiful fields of green and yellow. It is early morning and birds abound. Drongos sit companionably in the trees. Dippers squat on the rocks midstream. Redstarts perform acrobatics, showing off their brilliant colors. A majestic Lammergeir glides low over the water. Blue sky, warm sun, the sparkling river and birds of so many hues, nature invites to come again.

On crosswords

A good piece of writing on crosswords by S V Venugopalan

the-craft-behind-crossing-swords-with-crosswords

On a pilgrim trail

Our trek starts at Lohajung, a small town in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, north of Almora and Kausani. For much of the next week, we will walk the trail of the Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra. The yatra organized once in 12 years symbolizes, for the faithful, the return of devi Nanda to Kailash after her visit to her mait (maternal home). The yatra takes pilgrims right up to the base of the Trisul massif at the edge of the Nanda Devi sanctuary. This ancient trail has been ‘rediscovered’ by trekking enthusiasts.

The path we take descends to a valley floor past terraced hillsides and patches of forest. The fields, their shapes dictated by the contours of the land, display crops of wheat, maize and potatoes. Horses graze in separate pastures. 

Ali Bugyal

Trim houses - made of stone and often double storied, with wooden windows and doors and slate roofs – stand scattered about. Narrow concrete channels lead down the hill slopes to water storage tanks in the fields. On a bright summer morning it is a pretty country. Reaching the floor of the valley, we cross a stream and climb up to halt at the village of Didina.

The next day, we start on a climb through a forest of Oak and Rhododendron to get to the bugyals - grassy meadows above the tree line - located above Didina. Deep inside the forest, I come across a group of young girls wearing colourful clothes, earrings and nose studs, and with sacks slung around their shoulders accompanied by an older woman. They greet me with a polite namaste and are not shy to talk but firmly refuse to be photographed. They have come to collect jhoola (lichen) in the forest. I later learn that the lichens from this area are procured by pharmaceutical and perfume industry and even exported.

Ali Bugyal

We emerge from the tree line on a grassy mountain slope with brilliant blue sky for a backdrop. I climb up to the ridge for a 360 degree view. The incredibly beautiful expanse of Ali bugyal unfolds to the north, stretching as far as the eye can see, its surface lovingly sculpted by the elements. 

Nanda Ghunti seen from near Bedni Bugyal

 In the distance, shiny black buffaloes make their way in single file over the pale green tinted silver grass, with no herder in sight. We have a long exhilarating walk over the length of the bugyal with grand views of mountain, cloud and sky.

The next day, the early morning sun lights up the great Himalayan snow peaks in full view of our camp at Bedni Kund. I recognize the fortress like Chaukhamba massif, the unmistakable pyramid shape of Neelkant standing sentinel over Badrinath and the pretty Nanda Ghunti (the veil of Nanda) standing so close. But most dramatic of all is the view from the trail of the knife edge ridge of Trisul rising majestically in waves to the pinnacle over 7000 m high.

The trail now is a paved stone path, visible over great distances. During the yatra, an endless line of pilgrims in colourful raincoats, and carrying staves, umbrellas and kitbags would be making its way over it. Now, it appears as a thin tear on the green paint of the hills. Below us, a huge flock of white sheep in perfect V formation moves over a bugyal. The shaggy sheep dogs wear metal collars with jagged edges; the danger from the baag (leopard) is real.

 We camp at the Pather Nachauniya (dancing stones) campsite. The graphic names of places along this trail are all part of the folklore of the Nanda Devi yatra. A fierce storm that evening that nearly blows away our tents serves to remind us of the violence that nature is capable of here in the lap of the Himalayas.

Trishul looming over the trail

The trail onward ascends a cliff, at the top of which is a little shrine dedicated to Ganesh with a black idol, appropriately named Kalu Vinayak. We have left the bugyals behind. The landscape is now bleak and the hillsides are covered with loose stones and streaked with snow.Dark clouds have descended to hide the mountain tops. Our next campsite, Baguwa Basa is set in these chilling surroundings.

We start walking at the crack of dawn. The trail climbs a mountain face, crossing several steeply angled snow fields. The hard and crunchy snow must be negotiated very carefully a step at a time; a slip will mean an uncontrolled slide down a slope whose bottom we cannot see. After a tense climb we reach the edge of a large crater set against a jagged wall of rock rising into the sun. The crater bottom, now partly in shade, is translucent ice with a sprinkling of snow. We have reached the famous Roopkund, a spot on every Himalayan trekker’s wish-list.

I climb a snow covered slope beside the crater halfway to the ridge line. Trisul rises over two km above where I stand, appearing as an inverted cone of rock and snow from this angle.

Trishul from Roopkund

During the yatra, pilgrims, many barefoot, climb the ridge to descend on the far side at the foot of Trisul. But this is as far as I will go. The return journey is already weighing on my mind; the snow on the slopes would have started to melt making the path slippery. I reach camp at Bedni Kund late afternoon, exhausted and feverish.

The walk down from Bedni is a relaxed affair. I get talking to Raju, a tailor from Lohajung, who has been ferrying our supplies on his khacchars (mules). He has lovingly named them Bunty and Babli, names to which they respond. They have large bells and colourful collars around their necks. They are loyal and can find their own way on the trails, he tells me with obvious pride.

At a clearing, we come across a man resting taking in the grand view; a backpack lies beside him with a small solar panel and an umbrella trussed to it. Umrao Singh has been camping in the higher reaches of the bugyals for several days collecting keeda jadi, a kind of caterpillar killed and mummified by a fungal infection. The jadi is prized in China as an aphrodisiac and for its use in Chinese and Tibetan traditional medicine and somehow finds its way across borders. Umrao shows me one keeda from the precious handful he has collected. That one alone could be worth a couple of hundred rupees!

Our last halt before the trek ends at Vaan village is at the small temple of Latu devta set under a beautiful clump of Deodhar trees. Latu devta, in folklore, is the adopted brother of Nanda devi. The great yatra stops here on its way up so that Latu can escort Nanda to Kailash.


This is my second travel piece published by EPW 

Diary of a trip to Tirthan and Seraj Valleys - Sept 2012

19th Sept: Aut -> Gushaini

Raju's guest house

We drive on the Mandi - Kulu road with the Beas on our left. I sit next to Pastor Thomas of Kerala who has his congregation in Kulu! There are vertical cliffs on either side - the Beas passes through a gorge here.The mountains are green after the monsoon ... we pass several waterfalls. It is a beautiful road and the driver plays old Hindi melodies.

We reach Aut at 9 am and this is where I get down. I find the bus for Rampur standing a little ahead. It is crowded. Starts at 9.30. We reach  Banjar at 10.50 am. There is a 11am bus to Bathahad. I get off in front of Raju's guest house a little before Gushaini village at 12.

The guest house is in an orchard next to the fast flowing Tirthan river, a tributary of the Beas. The sound of the river can be constantly heard. The Orchard has Alu (peach) and Japanese Persemon fruit (bright yellow fruit, the size of a large peach). We are served an excellent buffet lunch. Three dogs and three playful kittens co-exist in the farmhouse. 

The rainy morning has given way to a bright afternoon sun. Butterflies abound. I spot yellow billed Blue Magpie. The leaves of the fruit trees rustle in the breeze and reflect the brilliant sun. This is certainly a place to have an extended holiday with family. That evening, a campfire is lit up and I have a nice time with a group of birders from Chennai and a father - son couple from Delhi. We are served an excellent dinner that includes trout from the river.

20th Sept: Gushaini -> GHNP -> Gushaini

Ropa Village

I wake up at 6am and make tea. It is a cloudless day with blue sky. After a breakfast of Alu paratha, omlet, toast and coffee, I am ready by 8 am for the trek to the Great Himalayan National Part entrance gate.

At 9 am, I reach Ropa village walking on the left bank of the Tirthan. The jeep road gives way to a narrow path. At 9.30, two forest guards overtake me - they are heading for duty in the park that is still 6 km away. I reach the GNHP gate (Elevation 1920 m) at 11. Entry is not permitted and permits have to be obtained at a forest department office located elsewhere. I am now at the level of the Tirthan.

Tirthan Valley

I covered he last 2 km at a fast pace in the company of a work gang of carpenters from Tinder village working on a forest department contract to build a hut. But for them, it would have been difficult to find the path which has been sparsely used during the monsoons and is hard to find.

I start on the return journey at 11.30am. There is a gorge at the entrance to the park and a waterfall. A 1/2 km from the gate, the path has become a minor stream due to the incessant rainfall of the last few days. I reach a log hut at 12.30 and stop for lunch. There is some company here. When I resume the journey at 1pm, I am accompanied by a linesman. Reach guest house by 3 pm.

School children at Kothi Village

21st Sept: Gushaini -> Sai Ropa -> Jibi Road -> Ghyagi

Today, Raju's son Varun accompanies me. We catch a bus outside the guest house at 8.30 and get off at Sai Ropa complex 20 mins later.

We take a trail that climbs through the pine forest from near the Sai Ropa entrance. We pass through Kothi Village, then Vihar Village (1915 m) at 11:53am. Reach the magnificent tower - the Chehni Kothi with the Bahumati Jogini temple (2095 m) - of Chehni Village at 12.45 pm. The kothi is believed to be 1500 years old and is made of wood and stone. The impressive building opposite the temple is the bhandar for storing offerings made to the temple.

Kothi with Bhagwati Jogini temple, Chehni

Chehni residents

View during the descent from Channi

Descending from the village, we pass the beautiful Shringarishi Mandir at Baghi Village. The path leads down through a majestic line of Deodhars. I take snaps of Village Vihar and also of Banjar down below. We reach the main road ( Banjar - Jibi) at 3.30pm where I bid Varun goodbye. I take a bus (45min) to Ghyagi and take up a room at Shringi Vatika which belongs to the Gur (Shaman) of Shringa Rishi temple.

22nd Sept: Ghyagi -> Jibi -> Bahu -> Gada Gushaini

Next morning, I leave Ghyagi at 8.40 am and start walking towards Jibi. Reach Jibi (1760 m) at 9.15. The bus is expected only after some time, so I start walking towards Gada Gushaini. Reach Bharti Dhar village at 10.00 am. Road winds upwards and I take short cuts through the forest of Pine and Deodhar. At 11:30, after getting lost in the forest, I retrace my path and get back to the road. Bahu village is still 5 km away and I have missed the morning bus. I find a shortcut to Bahu through Spruce forest. Reach Bahu (2220 m) at 12.30 am. Have a maggie/banana lunch and start walking again at 1.30 pm.

Gada Gussaini

I am walking in the company of a local villager when he stops a truck - it is about 3 pm and we are probably an hour's walk away from Gada Gushaini. We pile on into the back of the truck. It drops us at Gada Gushaini (2285 m) in 20 min after a bone shattering/jolting ride over an un-tarred gravel road during which my hands holding on to the truck cabin nearly get pulled apart from their sockets. We pass a car that appears to be stranded on the road and a young man waves to me, surprised at seeing me standing in the truck.

I head for the PWD guest house which occupies the best location in the town, in the midst of a green carpeted field. The chowkidar readily agrees to give me a room. After settling the room, I persuade him to make  a simple dinner. He takes me on a walk through the market place. It is a typical small town but set in a beautiful valley with a stream flowing through. We buy some vegetables, rice and dal and I also pick up some food for the trek I propose to do the next morning. I also buy some liquor to share with the chowkidar. The chowkidar Roopchand also introduces me to one Roshanlal who does odd jobs and is in the middle of painting a store. Roshanlal agrees to walk with me to Jalori pass the next day.

My plans for a quiet evening with the chowkidar are spoilt with the arrival of two men - the same people who waved when I passed them on the road a while back. They are brothers, both wholesale merchants from Mandi who have come to buy the produce from local farmers. Their truck broke down on the way and that is how I happened to see them on the road here. They have come well prepared for the evening with a large bottle of whiskey and mutton of a mountain goat which they get the chowkidar to cook. Their stay here is settled by a call from a PWD engineer speaking on their behalf.

View from heights above Alwa village

Hill with Raghupur Garh on top

The traders get drunk and become boisterous. I am forced to spend the evening in their company. They boast about their power and connections in Mandi and invite me to visit them but let out little about how the trade works despite my prying. I ask them about FDI in retail but they don't seem to be very concerned about it. The truck driver and the mechanic who has been brought all the way from Mandi also share the dinner. The goat is tough as I am told, pahadi animals tend to be and I have a difficult time chewing it.







23rd Sept: Gada Gushaini -> Jalori Pass -> Ghyagi


Roshan Lal arrives on time - around 6 and we start on our trek. Reach Alwa village (2475 m) after a steep climb at 6.50am. At 7.50, I notice that we have reached 2700 m. I find out that this area produces Alu, Matter, Lasoon, Gobhi and some Apple. Roshan Lal himself is a farmer. At 8.30, we have reached a height of 2840 m and stop at a clearing for breakfast from where we can get a view of the Raghupur Fort across a valley. The ridge on which we are walking circles around to get to Raghupur Fort. Snow peaks can be seen to the North and North-East. To the South West is another fort, Madhupur Garh. At 10 am, we have reached 3040 m and are amidst Karsu (Oak) trees. 

The Kharsu forest

Walk is now through a Kharsu forest with views of the Greater Himalayn peaks of Lahaul, Rohtang Jot and peaks of Shrikhand Mahadev Range. We reach a saddle point above meadows - Kunala Thatch (3095 m) at 10.30 am - with views of the Shrikhand range . 

We descend to 3000 m and commence climb to the Fort. Next point is Pandavo ka Khet at Sukhsar (2965 m). The Fort appears on the hill top right behind the khet. The belief is that though the fields have paddy they never produce rice. The story goes like this: While the Pandavas were planting the rice one night, people of a nearby village woke up and the P's had to leave in a hurry, leaving the planting incomplete.

Meadows 

We reach the fort (3195 m) at 12.30. The grass is dotted with yellow flowers. We start the descent to Jalori just after 1 pm. Reach the road at Jalori pass (3045 m) at 1.45. After lunch, we have an interesting conversation with a local thanedar. He advises me to stay at the campsite near Jalori - I am somehow uncomfortable with this advice and decide to return to Ghyagi. It turns out to be a mistake. The policeman helps us to get a lift with the SP of Kulu who chances to come by. I am back in Gyaghi that evening.

24th Sept: Ghyagi -> Jalori -> Saryalsar -> Khanag -> Ani -> Sainj

8.30 am: The bus to Jalori (coming in from Banjar) is overcrowded. I manage to place my haversack on the roof and squeeze in. At Jalori, I have to climb up, untie my bag and get down with it in a couple of minutes - with the conductor rushing me. Start trek from Jalori at 10 am in the company of a couple from Israel. Reach Saryalsar lake (3080 m) at 11.45. Lake is somewhat disappointing, though it is a fine trek. The edges of the lake smell of ghee. I later find the explanation for this: Budhi Naagin, the goddess of ghee is worshiped here  and pilgrims walk around the lake pouring ghee in an unbroken line!
                              

Pandavon ka khet

Start walking again at 12.30 and descend to Khanag by 2.00, this time in the company of a local couple who have come to see the lake. Unable to find accommodation at Khanag PWD - engineer staying there says that   work is going on to remove a landslide on the way down from Jalori pass and rooms are reserved for people working there. It starts raining. I discover that there is no other accommodation in Khanag with toilet facility. That decides me and I catch a bus to Ani and then after seeing a dreary town, catch another bus to Sainj where I check into a hotel.

Saryolsar

25th Sept: Sainj -> Shimla -> Delhi

Catch a bus at 7am for Shimla. Then a 12.30 bus to Chandigarh. Am in Delhi that night.












Himalayan Trek 6, Sept 2012