Deoriya Tal and Tungnath

March 2009

After a couple of driving sojourns deep into the Himalayas, we decided it was about time that we took one step further and tried trekking, the experience of which many people swear is incomparable! We had little trekking or camping experience, with the only one being Harsh’s single trek to Dodital with a couple of friends, two years ago. Trekking is not a adventure sport per say, neither is it too difficult, all that one needs is the desire to be one with nature, and the rest is taken care of automatically. The experience of visiting places not easily accessible and the tranquility of those places cannot be described in words.

Since it was going to be our first trek as a couple, we decided to pick a route which is relatively easier and would involve a night or two of camping in the open. With this constraint, we started researching on possible treks either in Himachal or Uttarakhand. The first trekking possibility identified was the one to Beas Kund near Manali. However, since we had been to Manali just 5 months back, we chucked that and finally froze on a trek to Tungnath & Chandrashila Peak located near Ukhimath in Uttarakhand. We also decided not to drive this time around for a change, a decision which we regretted a lot later. The trip just did not feel the same, and would have been much more fun had we taken our mountain queen along with us.

The trip got off to a horrendous start, once we boarded the train to Haridwar from Delhi. It was supposed to be a four and a half hour travel, in the middle of night, and we were hoping to catch a wink to be rested for the bus/taxi ride the next day. However, as luck would have it, we were stuck with a bunch of howling kids, making it impossible to relax. Soon after reaching Haridwar, we caught a taxi to Ukhimath and reached by mid-afternoon. A decent room, a nice meal at GMVN followed by a brief afternoon nap was all it took to rejuvenate us. The evening was spent making plans and arranging for a guide cum porter for the trek. As it turned out, snow at Tungnath had not yet melted to provide sufficient camping ground and to add to that water was scarce at the place. So the plan had to be changed to a camping night at Deoriya Tal, a small but beautiful lake located nearby followed by a day hike to Tungnath. We had kept the Chandrashila peak as open, depending on weather conditions and time.

We hit the sack early to be properly rested for the next day. Early next morning, we took a taxi to our drop-off point at the base of the trek to the lake. It was a short but a steep hike to Deoriya, and it took us only an hour or so to reach the top. The track was nothing spectacular being quite close to a village, however the lake at the top was amazing. The lake was surrounded by a small forest, with crystal clear views of the massive Chaukhamba peak. Also visible were the peaks of Kedarnath, including Sumeru and Kedar dome. Far away in the distance, Bandarpooch was visible at times, but the haze played the role of a spoil sport. Afternoon was quite comfortable and did not require any woolens. A sumptuous meal, cooked by an obliging dhaba owner, and we were all set for our afternoon siesta.

There’s little one can do at camp sites, but gaze at the scenery and have never-ending conversations. It can be so relaxing to be away from the buzz of the crowd with the ever interrupting mobiles out of coverage area. It is on such occasions that one really gets philosophical and tries to think clearly what life is all about. Life’s priorities somehow appear to be quite clear and small problems which one faces in one’s daily life simply vanish. These experiences are the ones which really make a trip memorable. The evening was spent reminiscing and reflecting.

The next day, after a lazy breakfast, we decided to climb down and head to Tungnath. The climb from Chopta to Tungnath was quite a steep one though just short of 4km. Being one of the panch kedars, the place witnesses hordes of pilgrims during the peak season. Luckily for us, we found only a couple of them on the way up. After huffing and puffing for a good 2 hours we managed to reach the top. The sight of the ancient temple, minus the rushing pilgrims, was stunning. The tranquility of the place made us extend our halt by an hour, and we cooked lunch on our “little master”, had a nice cup of coffee by the temple and enjoyed the view till we were content. The walk down was strenuous as well primarily because of the steep gradient. One has to realize that while descending, it is the knees which get all the stress and one has to be careful not to over-strain. By evening, we were exhausted and raring to go back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep. Early next morning we caught a bus till Rishikesh, and had a gratifying continental meal at “our hangout” there, Café Delmar by the Laxman Jhula. A taxi till Haridwar and a train ride later, we were back in Delhi by late evening.

Thus, a 4 day, 3 night short trip came to an end. The biggest mistake of the trip was not to take our mountain queen with us. The frequent stops at scenic places, the joy of driving in the hills was taken away from us. However, there were wonderful positives of the trip as well. It opened up the Pandora’s Box of trekking for us, making us realize that it is quite doable and loads of fun. The trek eventually led to our 50km trek to Gaumukh & Tapovan three months later.