Trek to Himalayas - Panchachuli Glacier

Himalayan Village Women

There are few events which you can classify as once in a life time opportunities. In my opinion trekking in Himalayan mountain belongs to this category. So when I had chance of join 25 others for a 10 day long trekking in Himalayas (Panchachuli Base Camp), I didn’t think twice. I signed up for it, not knowing what to expect as it was my maiden journey to Himalayas a well as the longest trekking adventure, I ever undertook with  a new  group of enthusiast trekkers.

Kathgodam, Uttarakhand

All I know, about Panchachuli Base Camp trek is that it goes up to Darma Valley  located near the borders of Nepal and Tibet, It belonged to Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, and an area of outstanding beauty and of significance to anthropologists. However I was sure about one thing that, it is going to be a memorable trip.

Designated starting point for the trek was Kathgodam Railway Station in Uttarakhand. I started off  from Chennai by Chennai-New Delhi train on 23th April morning  (Rajathani Express) to reach Delhi on 24th afternoon and then another train from Delhi to Kathgodam on 24th April night (Ranikhet Express) to reach Kathgodam  early morning on 25th .

From there our guardian for the next 10 days - Pulse Racer (http://www.pulseracer.com/  - Contact person: Kriti), decided every bit of activity/event. Given below is the schedule which we followed for the next 10 days. Those 10 days were unbelievably true.  As with all happy events, our trek also came to end on 4th May and I took the same Ranikhet Express from Kathgodam to Delhi and on 5th May Rajathani Express to Chennai from Delhi.


Itinerary (Kathgodam to Kathgodam – 10 days)

Day one, a mini bus exclusively hired for our group by Pulse Racer arrived in the early hours.We started our journey after having a nice breakfast at Kathgodam towards Patal Bhuneshwar  located at a distance of  200 km. Reached Patal Bhuneshwar (our first night stay - transit camp) around 4 p.m in evening. At Patal Bhuneshwar,  we visited the sub-terranean shrine of lord Shiva with sprawling interiors   located at 150 Feet below the ground level. Here Limestone rock formations have created various spectacular stalactite and stalagmite figures. The way to the cave temple is by  a long and narrow tunnel.  It was a wonderful experience although  frightening to start with.

Nepal from the Indian Side - Kali River

On day two we  continued our  onward bus journey to Dharchula  located at a distance of 140 km which passes through  Pithogarh/Sheraghat. Reached  at Hotel in Dharchula (our second night stay camp) in the evening. At  Dharchula   we crossed over River Kali to Nepal, did some shopping and was back at hotel overlooking river Kali for the dinner. As India and Nepal has some kind of agreement, there are no visa/passport rituals to go through except the 6 P.M deadline. As the bridge is open only during day time and people  has to wait till next day morning to cross if one ever misses the deadline. After a nice dinner,  I went to bed early as we are told this is the last day to enjoy a good sleep   on  comfortable beds and  noisy  urban surroundings. For the next one week there will  be  no bed, no TV, no news papers or bed coffee and mostly no one else to talk to or smile at, other than your trek mates. You, rucksack and the silence is going to the new world.

Slate stone house in Bogling village

On day three, five chartered Jeeps were arranged by Pulse Racer for onward journey. we started off  after having a nice breakfast at Dharchula towards Sobla/ Dar ,  located at a distance of 32 km. At Dar we  had our first taste of mountain trek to Bogling  located at a distance of 6 km . We have to carry our rucksack (Weigh about 9 kilograms) on our back from now onwards. Night stay at Bogling  was in village houses, which was built using  hard stones and wood. The  roof  has been built using slate stones or grass  or  any other locally available material. Most of the inside walls and floors were made up  of mud. This type of construction seems to be very effective in keeping the cold away and protects one  from wind.

Trek Trail

On day four,  we woke up  at 5 A.M and had the first taste of Himalayan chillness, when we tried to wash our face. Had our breakfast and stared  off our 7 km trek to Sela around 7 A.M. It was on this  day when everyone of us   came to understand  that in mountains, the distances are not measured not in meters but in hours!! This 7 km trek took  5 hours for us. I was ready to hit the bed right away - dame I forgot! - No beds anymore and all I have is sleeping bag & ground mat, which I carried along with the rucksack.

In the evening  we spend time with the locals of Sela village. They make their living raising sheep, cows and yaks for dairy products.  They cultivate rajma and vegetables. Horticulture: walnut and plums. Their story about Kheeda Ghas and a demonstration of spinning rabbit wool amazed me the most. We also visited the village temple. People were predominantly Hindus but highly influenced by Tibetan culture. They worship natural features as abode of God.

View of Himalayas

On day five, Trek to Baling located at a distance of 12 km, was a eventful day on my life . After 6-7 km of trekking, I was totally exhausted and dehydrated. I was on the verge of collapse (literally). It was the  only  time during the entire trip, I felt  that  this Himalayan trekking is not for me.  However with God's grace  I  could manage  the situation with the  timely help offered by Darban Singh, (mighty helper part of Pulse Racer) who carried the racksack thereafter to Baling.  God only knows what happened after dinner as I slept as if there are no more nights. But the next day morning, woke up fresh and was ready as everyone else to roll on.

On day six we  trekked  to Son/Duktu  located at a distance  of  6 km.  This was a pleasant one. I felt that my body got acclimatized well to the new environment. Visited the post office (3260 m above the sea level) on the Indian soil in Duktu, which is the last one on Indian soil. Had  my dinner around the camp fire and that was the thing I remember  last, for the  day.

Panchachuli Glacier

Panchachuli Peak One out of Five

On day seven, at 5.30 A.M we  had  hot tea and biscuits and started off  towards Panchachuli Base Camp & Glacier (our final destination point - Nyalphu  located at 4 km - 3500m above the sea level). Since the location experienced heavy showers on  the previous night,  we decided  to trek as near as possible to the snow-line and did  not set  any fixed destination point. Finally when we saw the Panchachuli the five summit, which was believed to be the  five cooking pots on which the Pandavas cooked their last meal on their way to heaven) we were thrilled. The Panchchuli Peaks in the towering glory is truly majestic.

Trek Trial View

Once  again  when we were back at Duktu village,  had a chance to meet local villagers, who showed a place where they had buried potatoes and other provisions in the winter before moving down to Dharchula. Their family (along with the entire village) has the habit of shifting to Dharchula (November to April) to avoid the freezing climate during winter every year. These potatoes and provisions will be sufficient for them to sustain for a few months, by  which  time they will be able to raise crops and generate income from other sources like  cattle breeding. Though living in a remote Himalayan valley‭ ‬and are migratory by nature,‭ ‬these people,‭ ‬are quite literate and far from being primitive.‭ A‬fter‭ ‬6‭ ‬km trek, returned back to Baling for the night stay.

Family of  Sela village 

On day eight, we trekked back to Sela  passing through  Nagling downhill covering  a distance  of 12 km. Downhill trekking was comparatively easy than the climb. On our way  we met an Army General along with  his patrol team ,who are carrying out their usual rounds. We took time to get to know them. Although it lasted only a few minutes.  We were able to see how hard it is to  perform their duties,   to make us feel safe and secure.

On day nine, we were  back at Dar covering 12 km on foot, followed by trip  to Dharchula by Jeep.  We Spent the night at hotel room once again.

Grass roof house  - Bogling village

The village where we stayed

Entire Trek Group

On day ten, we started our journey around 5 A.M and traveled (320 km)  the entire day  in the mini bus with stops for breakfast and lunch. Reached Kathgodam, had our dinner 7.30 P.M at Udipi Hotel (believe me Udipi vegetarian hotel serving all the south Indian food including idili, sambar, poori and all varieties of dosa is there), before starting  our return journey by Ranikhet express to Delhi at 8.40 PM.

This challenging trek went through the remote border villages giving‭ ‬me‭ ‬an opportunity to observe the lifestyle,‭ ‬customs and culture of the natives.‭ ‬The trek area touched the inner zones inhabited by‭ ‬semi-Mongolian people called Bhutias‭ and ‬offered a panoramic and enchanting beauty. A truly unforgettable experience.

Quick Facts:

Trek:	Panchachuli Glacier
Route:	The route to the glacier abounds in exotic scenery, snowcapped mountains, gushing streams, alpine meadows and a rich variety of flora and fauna.
Duration:	10 days (Kathgodam to Kathgodam)
Expected Cost:	Rupees 10,000 per person (including Houses/Tent and food)
Best Period:	May-June & September-October

Trail View: Snow caped Mountains