Kalindi trek
Gangotri and Badrinath, two sacred places and very less people have travelled between these two locations.
Kalindi pass one of the toughest trekking expeditions in the Himalayas lies between these two tourist spots, embedded in the Himalayas this route offers all the elements of mother nature one can ask for its tough, Beautifull, Serene, tranquil , Rugged, Rigid, Pure, Enormous, you could use every word in the dictionary yet fall short of appreciating the beauty
The trekking experience of a life time , this trek is sure to squeeze out the juice out of every ardent trekker
Given the mix of high altitude conditions, and the toughness of the route the mix is very delicate,
Below is a mix of both a travelogue and a description of the route we call Kalindi expedition
Reaching Gangotri
From Delhi reach Rishikesh and then proceed towards Utarkashi and then to Gangotri ,
Gangotri one of the chardhams is considered to be a very sacred place and the most apt place to start the expedition, situated on the banks of Ganga, this Himalayan town offers the much required initial staring t push,
Day 1 :- The trek started at gangotri 3010m to bhojbasa 3900m 14kms
Gangotri
Trekking team from Bangalore
Starting of the trek
A trail which is also shared by mules leads to the initial check post where the documents are shared with the guard and the trail leads us through a serpentain and much easier trek giving a much needed warmup a total of about 13kms of trekking takes one to Bhojbasa
Bhojbasa
Bhagirathi 1 2 3 from bhojbasa
Bhojbasa campsite
The first view of some of the magnificent peaks like the Bhagirithi 1, 2, and 3 simply amazes one and makes one think if it i is the same earth we live in If lucky the clear night sky offers a great opportunity for star gazing.
Day 2 acclimatization day . trek to goumukh and back 4000m 5kms ( one way)
Goumukh
This day people get acclimatization rest, and a small trek is towards goumukh offers good warmup , enroute the mighty Shivlingh peeps out from behind the mountains the trek to Goumukh is on the Mule trail as Goumukh is one of the most sacred spots …this being the birth place of Ganga, the mule trail ends half way down and one is left to trek on rocks and boulders on the moraine s to reach at the birth point of the mighty river, the glacier has been receeding over the years and off late this is at a much higher rate much thanks to the Global warming. Gaining a little more height above the glaciers was a good idea to get acclimatized Gaumukh resembles a desert filled with boulders and land slid terrain , the team returned to the camp site at Bhojbasa and relaxed for the day,
Day Three Bhojbasa to Nandanvan 4465m 8kms
Terrain
Another view of the rough terrains
Shivlingh view
Kedar dome from nandanvan
Chandra peak from nandanvan
The trail passes through the Goumukh glacier, the trek gets tougher by the distance, with more and more morainous terrain more of ups and downs, most of the time trekking on the glascier, and what looks like never ending pile of boulders at times , the Mighty shivling keeps company throughout this trail, the trail gets tough towards the end with a steep ascent towards the camp area at this point there is a very scarce greenery and very few potable waterpoints. Nandanvan is a Highaltitude beauty surrounded by the view of peaks like Shivlinmg, Kedar Dome, Bhagirathi 1,2,3, the Chandra peak and many more, the gentle streams flow by making it a perfect camping site, the flat plain camping area offers very good view especially early sunrise views of the peaks when the first rays of the sun hit the peaks and summit points offering opportunity to take some award winning photographs.
Day four Nandan Van to Vasuki taal 4950m 7kms
Negotiating a steep climb using fixed ropes during the Expedition.
Vasuki taal
Vasuki peak
A gradual height gain through the landslid zone and trekking very close to caved in trails , traversing the Himalayan hills The only people seen are the fellow trekkers and a rare view of some birds makes one feel being on where we are. The final push involves fixing ropes to get to the top of a small cliff where the taal High altitude lake is situated . An acclimatization walk to a higher altitude before getting down to the camping area is recommended for more comforts and getting used to that altitude at this region, One gets to view the Vasuki peak in the back drop of the vasuki taal. A high altitude lake.
vasukital campsite
Day five Vasuki Taal to Khara Phatthar 5120m 7kms
Steep climb to the next campsite kharapathar
Trail on the ridges towards kharapathar
Khara pathar campsite
A gradual ascent leads through the hilly terrain, one passes through very picturescue locations this day is a pretty steady and easy trek Upto the Campsite
Day six Khara phatthar to Sweta Glacier 5337m 7kms
Dangerous trail
terrain on the glacier
The trek is through ridges and across glacial terrain and one witnesses many landslide zones along the path, comparitivly challenging days trek, not to mention the beauty of the glacier and surrounding peaks gives one company throughout
Campsite Sweta Glacier after it covered the tents with snow
Day seven Sweta glacier to Kalindi base camp 5650m 7kms
Way to base camp on the dangerous ridges
kalindi pass base camp
The trek starts off on what looks like plain, but leads through a narrow ridge and then gradually ascends on snow and ice terrain to the Base camp, a very small area cuddled in the most hostile looking environ, surrounded by ice and morains , the tents have to be pitched on rocky surface, sure to give all a nice acupuncture . time for all to get ready for the final attempt to summit , the high altitude makes the camp even more adventurous. The minimum temperature going subzero many times , It is all but time to wait for the final push to the top.
Day eight Kalindhi Base Camp to Kalindi pass 5970m 6kms to Raj parao 5460m 8kms
View of kalindi pass from base camp
Climbing the pass
Kalindi pass long shot
This is all climb from the start walking is only on snow and ice, the conditions change very soon and whiteouts are an order of the day, the terrain is filled with dangers like crevices, and everything to do with highaltitude, The summit point is like heaven not because of the breathtaking view, the weather conditions barely allow us to view anything beyond a few meters , but the great feeling is due to the sense of achievement , , from here on it is only descend descend and descend, keeping every step very carefully , there are a few technical points where ropes are fixed up to ease the trekkers, the route towards rajparao is very dangerous as it is filled with death traps in the form of cravices, and utmost care is requires trekking in this terrain.after a long grueling trek and seeing only white on descending further more one touches boulders and sees the brown colour, a little distance ahead rajparao campsite is fixed much to the relief of the trekkers ,
Dangerous crevices
Rajparao campsite
Day nine Rajparao to Arwa taal 4701m 13kms
Arwatal campsite
This trek is a gradual descent and through rocky terrain, walking on morains and landslid zones make it a little tough, and the toil of the expedition makes matters worse and one wishes to reach the next camp as soon as possible , the distance becomes a little longer during these days as this is descent
Trail after arwataal
Day ten Arwa taal to Gashtoli 4100m 16 kms
This is a continuation of the previous days terrain crossing streams, walking of the ridges of hills, moving steadily one comes across some greenery in the form of grass some times, the route takes serpentine trail with less of ups and downs, but the trekkers tired with the trek feel it is a bit extensive trail. As we keep loosing height we come across the Himalayan flora .
Day eleven Gashtoli to Badri 3110m 16kms
To badri
BADRI
The final days trail is a easy trek from gushtoli to Badri where one gets into mule trail and later on the road being Constructed. The route leads to Mana village where one gets the option of having tea at the last tea shop in Indian border. After passing through the small Village of Mana , Badri is just about 3 km away walking steadily one reaches the penultimate of the great Himalayan expedition Badri, a much needed and welcoming Hot water bath at the kund , eases away all the tensions and a lot of stress, ,
Badri is well connected to rishikesh from where you can go to various destinations .
In a summary
Category Tough
Maximum height gained 19800 feet
No of days between 11 and 15 days depending upon the team
The map
Caution to be taken:- this being a high Altitude trek, there is a lot of chances of people getting getting Mountainsickness, thus proper acclimatization is a must, this expedition requires thorough planning and execution, because of the very nature of the trek.
For further details on trekking in the Himalayas and future expeditions planned please contact Sunand at tosunand@gmail.com or call 9448476683
Gangotri 3010m
Bhojbasa 3900m 14kms
Gomukh 4000m 19kms
Nandanvan 4465m 21kms
Vasukital 4950m 28kms
Kharapattar 5120m 35kms
Swetha Glacier 5337m 42kms
Kalindi Base 5650m 49kms
Kalindi Pass 5970m 54kms
Rajparao 5460m 62kms
Arwa Tal 4701m 75kms
Ghastoli 4100m 91 kms
Badrinath 3110m 107kms
The distance are from gangotri.
Briefing in progress
the first steps
Gaurav ( Gujju teaching various holds and safety aspects of the climb...
The first climb and in style
What looked like a plain rocky surface suddenly changes to a firm grip to hold on ...
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