It was a quiet,
idle day when one friend suggested
that we undertake a trek in Uttarakhand. Known as ‘Devbhoomi’, the Land of the
Gods, Uttrakhand is famous for its numerous Hindu temples and pilgrimage
centres as well as the natural environment of the Himalayas. The trek suggested
was the National Himalayan Trekking and Training Expedition
Deoriatal-Chandrashila- Chopta organised by Youth Hostels Association of India,
a suggestion eagerly welcomed by the group of 13 members from Goa, namely,
Sunil, Sagun, Ganesh, Devendra, Amit, Gopal, Milind, Kalpesh, Agnel, Sanjay,
Sandesh, Supriya and Arvind.
We all started our journey from Goa and reached our first
destination, Haridwar, early morning on October 1. We were welcomed with
morning chants and the true essence of divine spirituality. We spent the whole
day here, walking through the streets, visiting the ghats of holy river Ganga
and even taking a dip in chilling waters of the river at ‘Harki Pauri’. This
was followed by the ‘Ganga Aarti’.
On the next day, we set out at 5:00 hrs to report to the base
camp, Sari village. Due to roadwork and landslides, our 165 km journey was long
and tiring. We reached Rudraprayag at around 12:30 hrs. From Rudraprayag we
started our journey of 44kms towards Ukhimath, which is the nearest city to
Sari village, which is at a distance of 14 kms from this city. At around 17:00
hrs we reached the small, serene village of Sari at an altitude of 6554 ft.
There we met up with the camp leader and other trekkers, who were from
different parts of the country.
The next day went by with acclimatisation and other activities
and we flagged off the first batch heading towards higher camps. It was on the
following day that we set off for the same. Our trek towards Deoriatal involved
quite a steep walk, testing our stamina and will power. The Deoriatal campsite
comprised small Quechua tents with the accommodating capacity of three members.
Deoriatal Lake is situated at an altitude of 7800 ft with backdrop of
Chaukhamba peak. The place offers a panoramic view of peaks such as Chaukhamba,
Nilkantha, Bandarpunch, Kedar range and Kalang. Legend has it that Devas used
to bath in this lake, hence the name.
On the next day, we
all started walking towards Chopta village. This was the day-long trek of 18
kms, passing through steep hills, forest areas and green meadows. We passed
through Rohinibughyal. At around 17 hrs we reached our camp site Chopta
village. It is located at an altitude of 9000ft. It is a small region of
meadows, part of Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, surrounded by forests of pine
and deodhar. It’s an ideal place for night sky photography.
On October 6, we were
raring to conquer Chandrashilla peak. Chopta to Chandrashilla peak via
Tunganath temple and back is a 4-5 hrs journey. We started our trek towards
Tunganath which is located at 12073 ft. just below Chandrashila peak. Tunganath
is home to one of the highest Shiva temples in the world. This temple is
believed to be 5000 years.
Overwhelmed with
completing the trek, we returned to the Chopta camp site. After lunch, we were
driven back to Sari village.
On
October 7, we were relieved from the base camp. It was an emotional moment
bidding adieu to our new friends but we left the Land of the Gods with some
lovely memories.
