The source of Ganges

The big rock suddenly slips under his feet and with a loud bang many small and big stones crumble down. I can see a big chunk of so-called path washed away into the glacier bed. Thankfully the guy was safe but it just altered the route. Many such events will be making this trek even more adventurous and a lifetime experience. 

Gaumukh Glacier was an unplanned trip. I was looking for some easier treks where my corporate bones can survive and I can come back in one piece at my work-station to clear off my inbox.

Just a week ago my partner announced he can’t join me due to something or the other and very humbly I said Ok, but decided to make him regret it throughout his life by posting pictures around the year. 

Now being all by myself, I decided upon the trek that I wanted to do since my childhood days which was “The source of Ganges”

Living in Meerut, which falls in the route of Kanvar Yatra, I used to hear many stories of Gaumukh, where few determined devotees go to collect the Holy water of the Ganges. This home of many sages has fascinated me for a long and I was thrilled that finally, I will see how glacier actually looks and the river system it creates, which holds a distinct place in every Indian heart.

An evening journey by bus takes me to Dehradun. A few hours of sleep and I was set for the uphill journey. Picked up a bike, tied the backpack on the back seat, and drove as swiftly as possible. My target was to drive 250 km in the hills and reach Gangotri before sunset and road conditions were favorable.

Soon I left behind those newly possessed Malls of Doon valley. It took longer than earlier in this everyday extending town. The uphill journey started within a few minutes and with cold winds, in my hair, I got up, up and above but soon realized that I had forgotten my face mask specially ordered for this trip. Flipkart's big billion-day full-page ad was laughing at me from the Times cover page. I had to pull over at landour market, Mussoorie, and managed to just get a warm scarf.  Wrapped it in an old-fashioned way and speed up the journey. After driving over an hour, the first glimpse of wonderfully white mountains over the horizon came, which as usual I can’t stop admiring. It happens every time I see Himalayan peaks, doesn't matter, I have been seeing them for ages. The Peaks visible were Gangotri, Kedar and Bandar poonch ranges and the target was to drive towards them and reach as close as possible. 

After a few turns, those ranges vanished behind the hills, but a new setup was waiting to take away the boredom of Microsoft's eyes. The magnificent Ganges was visible from kilometers above like an ocean

This was Chinyalisaur, one of the dam-site over Bhagirathi. Here onwards I just need to follow the river uphill until it reaches its solid state. 

A couple of hours later I reached my 1^st stopover, Uttar Kashi, a small busy town on the bank of Ganga, famous for its Kashi-Vishwanath temple. I decided to have my lunch in a quiet place and reached Gangori a few kilometers ahead where Assi Ganga meets Bhagirathi. I asked the hotel manager, where is this Assi Ganga coming from? and very confidently he replied from the Himalayas. I re-focused on my meal. Soon a gentleman came, who was also heading to Gangotri with his family, and told me that this year Maa Ganga has called him. Growing up in India, you came across such sentences a million times, which is something beyond my understanding. How one gets an invitation to visit religious places? Email, SMS, or personal invite by God?

Having sabzi-roti and buttermilk I started again. The old man wanted to send his son along with me, giving the excuse of the backpack tied at the pillion seat I rushed towards Gangotri.  

It was 3 pm and I should reach there before Sunset if I drive non-stop and everything goes fine. But as per my past experiences, things can’t be just simple. Some 30 kilometres ahead in Bhatwari village, I came across a land-slide.

Though two JVC machines were into it from both ends, it was like Rahul Dravid defending in slog overs, every minute was important in these evening hours, or else It will alter my plans, which means a day's waste. Anyhow this whole mess cleared up in 45 minutes and I rushed without even getting the clearance signal from them.  

Around 4.30pm I crossed Gangnani where devotees take a dip in the hot water spring, but I don’t have that luxury now, so maybe upon my return.

One of the highest bridges of India over Jhanvi

With no 4G and Wifi, Apple was in abundance

After this,

Bhagirathi valley simply emerges as a Goddess abode. High steep mountains on both sides, covered with deodar trees and countless waterfalls. 

ohhhh!!! wish I can stop at every corner and capture the exquisiteness…. but the clock was ticking.

Once I reached this pristine town of Harsil, the Sun went behind those high mountains, and being at 7860 ft above sea level the cold-hearted winds started piercing through my body. 

Driving in these hills is not recommended after sunset, that too when winter was just around the corner. The moment, when I thought of taking a halt, one milestone said 23 km which seems doable. I got down over the roadside, took off my clothes (yup no one was there), put on all the woolen layers I was carrying, and re-pack myself. Now going toward higher hills, I felt I was flying to the moon not because of the altitude but due to my Astronaut attire. In return, I felt warmer and can continue. 

It was pitch dark with headlights not that strong, but the good road was still with me. Just when I was cherishing this, came the last stretch after Bhairo Ghati, and man it was horrible. I was riding on loose stones and mud with that constant feeling of falling down. Gosh!! I didn’t know if I was going in the right direction. No one to ask around. From the last hour, I haven’t come across any human being. So no option but to continue with the road. Then I saw a headlight coming towards me, I shouted for direction, my voice must have choked in the layers of scarf and helmet and he simply crossed with a strange face. But the poor chap actually turned back and came to me. I asked if I was going in the right direction towards Gangotri and very enthusiastically he said, just one-kilometer brother.

There I was finally at Gangotri, mini bus stand and small hotels on both sides of the road were lit to welcome their guest. I called upon the guy with whom I booked a room earlier. He was one of the priests at Gangotri temple, but after having a free cup of tea and seeing the condition of the room, I changed my mind and went to explore further options. I guess more than the condition, it was that old underwear lying on the bedside that compelled me to move. Unlike, the summer season, options were in heaps and I easily got a decent room right at the bank of Ganga near Gangotri temple. Thanks to my cheap bargaining skills, honed in Saturday markets over the years, I got it at a throwaway price. Being the off-season, I was the only one in this entire Hotel. Gangotri has its own small dam and produces its own electricity, which was enough to illuminate the town but not enough to power a water geyser. So, no hot running water at this bitter temperature. 😨

I had my dinner at an eatery outside, which to my surprise was offering sizzlers to the Swiss nationals. A Ginger-honey tea to take down the long ride fatigue & beat the cold was ordered followed by a veg thali, which was nice and was served in ample quantity. I wanted to rest after 12 hours of driving, but the charm of the elegant river forced me to get out and explore the banks. 

The town sleeps in the Lullaby of Mother Ganga. 

the SuperB Moon of the hills 

Ganga falling from Bhagirathi Shila

Mount Sudarshan at far right

The next day started at 6 and to kill 2 hours (forest department opened at 8 am) I roam around the town. Finally had my breakfast and took up the application from the forest office to enter Gangotri national park (only 150 people are allowed to enter the gates of this glacial valley in a day)

2 kilometres after walking down past the temple campus, reached the checkpoint, where I show the application and pay the fees. Forest guards took my details, signed the letter, and handover my permission, feels like I was assigned to go ahead on an important mission by the commanding Generals. 

Besides the permission, they also note down the plastics you are carrying and you take a deposit of Rs. 100 which will be refunded when you come back with the waste. Now that is impressive stuff, but only if followed religiously.

The trek was not crowded, unlike other religious places, a handful of Bengali tourists, porters, and mostly foreigners passed by. Surprisingly the blue sheep of the high mountains have come down early and were grazing right in front of me.

Mount Bhrigu came into the picture a few kilometers ahead.
 

It was late October and the valley was busily ornating herself to meet the winters, she was even blushing red in anticipation.  Autumn shades of crimson, hues of yellow, and permanent green have turned the leaves into flowers and me into a poet for that moment. The beauty of the painted valley was in harmony with its music where Ganga gives the bass, complemented by the tweets of hundreds of chirping birds.

By noon I reached Chirbasa (home of the Pines), This name is due to the abundance or Chir(pine) tree and is at an altitude of 3580 metres. Had a lunch break here of the packed aalo-parantha and mango pickle, which I took from Gangotri due to limited options here.

After this the tree line was minimal and as I ascend further, the pinching pain in the head started, the first sign of altitude sickness which came to remain for the rest of the trek. Now I can see a little of Bhagirathi 2^nd at the far end and Mt. Shivling peak glancing behind Bhrigu’s shoulder. Crossed a few small rivers like devgaad and many streams by hopping on the stones or through temporary bridges, since nothing remains permanent in such valleys.

 
All three peaks of Bhagirathi are now visible and dominate the skyline for the rest of the trek. By 4’o clock, I managed to reach bhojbasa (home of the bhojpatra). Here one can see a few Bhojpatra trees, whose barks were used as a Vedic era paper, and most of our ancient texts were written over it. Gaumukh glacier was visible from here which was some 4-5 km ahead. It was at 3775 m above sea level

make me a boat and set me afloat

I descended from the ridge to Ram baba ashram and was greeted by a cup of black tea spiced with local herbs which were wonderful. The ashram consists of one kitchen made out of wood and rocks and 5-6 tents where not more than 10-15 people were taking the night halt.

That pinching headache that keeps coming after Bhojwasa was constant now. As soon as the sun goes down the temperature falls like a skydiver.  I put on the cap, gloves, muffler, and whatnot but the cold was irresistible. More signs of altitude sickness now kick in. Breathless, constant headache, gastric, and high pulse rate has taken over the body. Soon the dinner was announced at 5.30 pm. Trekking a full day with roughly 17 km, I was expected to eat double but was only able to take half of the appetite. All thanks to this high altitude sickness which came along with loss of appetite. By 6 I was in Bed in a big army tent shared by 5 Russians and one panditji, who was also their guide.  I slipped under my sleeping bag and pull over the ashram quilt and waited for the body to get warmer and prayed to be able to acclimatize by morning. Due to exhaustion, I slept within minutes only to wake up after ½ an hour on account of breathlessness and it continued throughout the night. It was the longest night I can remember in recent times. With no electricity, it was pitch dark inside the tent and I kept on gasping for breath at regular intervals with constant headache, nausea, and cold to keep me awake for most of the night. Nightmares kept coming and I did not have a choice, but to wait under layers for this dark night to end.

Finally, the day broke out and I woke up with a little fever
(Another sign of AMS) picked up the water bottle under my folding bed….ahh!!!! the water has turned into ice. Got a warm cup of black tea later and by 7’0 clock, managed to eat a few spoons of suji ka halwa for breakfast and continued towards Gaumukh. I wanted to reach at least Gaumukh if not beyond.  This 4-5 kilometers were tough to cover in fever and little energy left in the body. 

Gila Pahad, a landslide-prone area

Also, the strenuous walk has tested the desk-bound body to its limits. Legs were quite stiff now and I was moving at tortoise pace. It was the sight of the majestic Shivling peak which now emerges from the right of the glacier to give some energy boost. Finally, I managed to reach the snout of the Glacier. A sight to be seen to believe. I have never imagined it that way. Till now, only seen in pictures taken from a distance, I imagined it to be some 10-15 feet chunk of ice. But there it was overlooking me from a height of a 10-story building and the mighty Ganges emerging silently under it. With the peaks of 

Bhagirathi and Shiving on its both sides, it was a God’s grand painting.

Panoramic view of Gaumukh with 13 frames stitched to cover the length

Massive Gaumukh, check out the people at the lower right corner for size comparison.

Huge crevasse over Gaumukh

From here the glacier goes up the hill towards Bhagirathi and takes a turn into an unending valley. The total length of this glacier is roughly 30 km long and 2-4 km wide and the total area covered is approximately 200 sq. km and is 2^nd largest after Sia-chin. This is at a height of 4225m and not only Gaumukh but a glacial system like Rakthvan, Chaturangi, Kirti, and many others contribute to this glaciered area. Legends say that earlier the glacier snout was in Gangotri and has the face of a cow, thus the name Gau-mukh.  I am seeing this massive glacier in its last geological stage. It has already receded by 3 km in last 2 centuries and with the pace, its melting, it would be gone soon.
Global Warming: 1 Nature:0, we humans rock.

To reach Tapovan I have to cross the glacier breadth and climb a steep ridge under the feet of Shivling. Though my body was in pretty bad shape due to AMS and fatigue from the uphill journey, I simply do not want to return from here. I have waited for this check on my bucket list for eternity. I rested for a while and pushed down the holy energy bars from Patanjali and Gatorade down my throat, they tasted all bitter due to fever.

Guide helping the passenger to get down

I was still having breathlessness and a heavy pulse rate even at rest.  Took one DIAMOX and decided to continue. Now Crossing the glacier was the trickiest part of the entire journey. The glacier was huge and full of surprises. At a simple look over it, doesn’t seem like I was standing over a platform of ice. It was all rocks and sand with big boulders of ice peeping in between. With crevasses huge enough to take down a mini truck, slowly and steadily, from rock to rock I moved South following my guide, Rana. A guide is a must to cross this glacier and with no permanent path, they also use the sense of direction to reach Tapovan. I have told Rana, a young chap in his early 20s that come what may just make me reach Tapovan and he was up for the challenge and assure me that we will.

trekker waiting for his turn to cross

 The route was narrow and when one shows up from another side, we have to wait till he crosses the patch. I was wondering how the porters were managing with around 40kg on their backs on such a route. It was scary but an amusing walk with virtually no route. The terrain was full of huge crevasses, big boulders, dust, loose gravels, and moraines that flow down from high hills and deposit over it.  Finally, we crossed the glacier. But then, comes this 1000 ft wall. If the glacier was tough it was the daddy of the entire trek. A straight climb to the meadows of Tapovan and I can see the people struggle to walk down. Their guides were holding their hands and taking them to safe locations one by one.

The Wall

Going up this wall, the already exhausted body was struggling against gravity and thin air while working beyond his corporate capacity. The lack of oxygen in my blood was making me dizzy. after every 10 steps, I have to wait to restore my breadth and energy and let the pain in the legs regulate. I have discovered many new muscles in the calves and thighs now, which were secreting the painful juices and making them swell. 

Getting down is an art here

After an hour's struggle, I came over The Wall and now was walking on the meadow of Tapovan. I was not expecting such a vast plain at this height. Towering over this meadow in southwest lies the Magnanimous Shivling, blessing the creatures beneath. Akash Ganga was coming like a huge serpent from the right feet of Shivling and going down to Gaumukh intersecting the meadow. This river is the main source of water here and as the winter comes it starts getting dry. More than half was already gone and when around noon the ice melts, the river gets water for a few hours. The municipal corporation of nature was active there. Behind Shivling, further west, Mount Meru was declaring his presence. The Eastern side was regimented by the Bhagirathi group of mountains and in between these mountains lies the mammoth 1000 lanes glacier expressway of Gaumukh.       

Walking on this meadow was a cakewalk after conquering The Wall. Soon I was at Moni baba ashram consisting of 5 small stone huts, had a cup of some black tea, and tried soaking the enormous beauty at an altitude of around 15000 ft.

A Japanese lady admiring the Bhagirathi peaks from Ashram

Soon the food was served, khichdi with vegetables floating into it was the only option, but it tasted wonderful and people were consuming it in enormous quantities. Unfortunately, AMS did not let me eat much.

The sun was shining bright and somehow this plateau was not windy like the valley below I took a quick nap for a while in the sun.  There was this small hill right across the Akash Ganga adjoining the Shiviling’s base and my cat's feet wants to explore the world beneath. I asked my guide what was there? and he said “Neel-Taal”. to phir chale, I was excited to see the lake. His jaw dropped, as he has seen me struggling to reach here throughout the day and I was asking to cover a few more kilometers and gain some 300 more meters on this small yet erect mountain. Soon we were at the site of a high-altitude lake called Neel-taal due to its rich blue color, but the only thing I saw was dust. It has dried up just like the Akash Ganga below.

Disappointed we move upwards over a 1-meter-wide ridge with sharp falls on both sides. Unlike the warmth of the Tapovan plains and the absence of any natural shelter, cold winds were needling the body. But after climbing the required distance, I have the view to die for and worth more the effort of reaching here. Even its description giving me goosebumps. 
I can see the Meru mountain from its tip to toe, its glacier coming right towards me and fading in the Gamukh below. On its opposite side were Rakthvan glacier (named after its red stone) and its river. To its right lies the Chaturangi Glacier (named after the 4 colored moraines on this glacier) Nandanvan meadow just across it with Bhagirathi 2^nd emerging from its edges along with Bhagirathi 3^rd and 1st. Below It lies the vast Gaumukh and Kirti glaciers running parallel and finally merging into one taking along with Chaturangi and Rakthvan to form a vast glacier system of about 258.56 sq. km.

far Northeastern side, at the end of the valley I can see the part of Chaukhamba peak from whose foothills the glacier originates and stretches its legs till Gaumukh.

Towards North was Kharchkund peak smiling in the evening rays and on East was sharp vertical Shivling. From here the Ashram was looking like a small blue dot and Akash Ganga was posing with her vibrant curves The silver reflection on her sand and water was completing the makeup. This 360’o view of Himalayan peaks, 5 glaciers, 3 rivers, 4 valleys, a few waterfalls, and glacier lakes was a lifetime opportunity and I have seen much more then I expected. Now I don’t fear if I fall from this ridge or die of AMS, I have already seen the heaven.

We descended straight away to Ashram without taking the ridge and by the time we reach, Babaji was ready with dinner at 5 PM. It became a regular routine for me to calm my breath for ½ an hour before I managed to eat a little. My Body has not recovered from the altitude effect. 

Cloud came over to cover the peaks and the last evening's fiery light has turned this place into a magical fairyland. All wide open eyes were up on the Bhagirathi and Shivling peaks admiring the glory of the wild, rugged mountains

While I was admiring the Shivling, it held the dead body of a Polish climber from the last 5 days. 2 climbers died there after falling from the cliff. One dead body was recovered by the rescue team while another still remains hidden somewhere in the sheets of ice and is now a part of the mountain.

While I kept thinking of the robustness of the Himalayas a fellow Canadian hiker handed over the oximeter to check my condition and declared that the oxygen level in my blood is critical which was 69% and my pulse rate was 110 bpm, again alarming. He also told the story that how her fellow traveler died in her sleep due to AMS. My pulse rate went even higher after hearing this. Altitude has taken over the attitude and without any question, I took the i-brufene which he offered, to stop the brain inflation. I retired in that cozy hut with 4-5 layers of blanket. It was better sleep considering the previous sleepless night.

Moni baba checking out his territory

I woke up at 5, but was not able to dare the cold outside. Soon people started coming out of their huts. They waited for the Sun and then waited for Babaji to get up and have their tea and breakfast, but he won't get up before 7 😎

Porridge breakfast was served at 8 and people started moving towards their destination. The Canadians were going further towards khadapatthar, a big rock formation, and others were going down. The retired Japanese has already come back from his morning hike. He seemed in love with the Blue sheep grazing in the meadow and told us with childish excitement that he counted 40 of them. I knew that rather in the Tapovan plains he wanted to see them on his plate with his favorite beer, but his desires remained to be unfulfilled at the ashram.

I asked my guide, “aaj kidhar Rana” and he pointed in the upward direction of the valley towards the Kirti glacier base camp. We started walking South on this luxurious ground of Tapovan. From here the confluence of Gaumukh, Kirti and Chaturangi glaciers was clearly visible where Kirti was red, Gamukh has an ashy color and Chaturangi was looking black from this distance, which was right across the valley. One can cross the valley and climb up to the right of the Chaturangi glacier to reach Nandanvan, which is also the base camp for Bhagirathi 2^nd and 3^rd peak summit. There is an interesting story of one failed attempt to summit Bhagirathi 3^rd  by the mountaineers and a shepard. Contact me sometime for that (drinks on you).

The path below

After reaching Nandanvan one can camp there to trek further upto Vasuki-tal, which lies at the foot of Mount Vasuki (the peak resembles a snake hood). Satopanth peak can also be seen from there and makes the base camp for its summit. You can go further in this valley to reach Badrinath.

Rana trying Moonwalk

We crossed khadapatthar (hanging cliffs) and were walking in almost a straight path. I can see many dried small pools in the meadow with lots of footprints of animals, mostly Bharal. I kept on keep going ahead but soon came a dead end. The trek has been washed away in a landslide and while I was just resting over the edge of that cliff, Rana came and asked me to get down from there. I only believe him, when he actually went down and started toward the glacier. It was a scary straight wall and I have to glide down almost 500 feet to reach the edge of the glacier and take the up route. Rolling, falling, and sliding I managed to reach the base and was rather worried about getting back and climbing this damn wall.  The remaining distance needs to be covered at the edge of the kirti glacier. The terrain was quiet uneven, with the grumble of the glacier to be regularly heard due to shift in the ice and rocks caused by the thermal energy of the sun. 

We came across many glacier lakes which have turned into skating rings and rocks were loosely floating with joy before they will submerge in the lake bed next summer. 
We drink from one such lake after breaking the above crust. 
Soon we reached an interestingly dangerous place. In the last monsoon, a landslide opened up a gallery in this hill above and now the loose stone keeps falling just by the force of the wind. The continuous sound of falling stones was thrilling and fortunately, they were losing inertia just before hitting us. Then comes a big stone of size a little bigger than a cricket ball and passed like a Mitchell Johnson bouncer just 5 feet away and I wasted no time to cross this patch of shooting stones. A couple of seconds later there was a big bang on the rock, behind which I was taking shelter. Check out the Video here:  Shooting stones

Soon I reached Kirti glacier base camp which is a halt for climbers trying Nilkanth Summit from the East side or trying flagging the Kedar dome, which was in front of my eyes with enormous sheets of snow. Its big dome shape unlike the other mountains in this region has turned it into a huge snowball, shining so white that the eyes hurt.

The enormous Kirti Glacier comes from the Eastern valley to the right of Kedar Dome and I can have a fair idea of the Gaumukh glacier's origin at the end of Gangotri valley from the feet of the massive Chaukhamba (four-pillared peak) which was visible at the extreme end.

An interesting fact is that these peaks like the Kedar Dome, Chaukhamba etc are even visible from my home in Nanital, which is at a road distance of around 500km from here with some different view.

Panaromic view from the Kirti Glacier- peaks starting from left are Bhagirathi 2nd, 3rd and 1st. Chaukhamba at extreme end at centre, Mount Kharchkund and Mount Kedar dome. On the extreme right are Bharti Kuntha and Kirti Stambh 

The heart wants to explore further, but the time strain told the mind to move back. So this was the highest point I reached (approx. 4700m) and turned back towards Tapovan. Though this distance from Tapovan was not more than 6kms, still it took the whole day and we reach it by the time sun went down.

Dinner was already served and as usual, after much wait, I ate a little. After dinner, I finally got time for some conversation with Moni baba. Gathering my courage, I told him, that the image I have in mind for him, was of a white-bearded man. He waited for a second to respond and Oh my God! will he now kick me out of the ashram with some curse? Baba doing dhyan & tap are already powerful and he is living in this frozen land for 9 years without uttering a word. But then he smiled and I relaxed my posture with a big sigh. He told in sign language that people get shocked when they see him. They actually expect the same as I do. Some even think that baba take jadi-buti to look young. He was only 28 and started his journey to be a yogi, at the age of 15. We discussed some more things like Delhi’s pollution and traffic, people’s behavior, languages, culture, and temperament of North and South Indians, and cracked a few jokes, Baba laughed wholeheartedly and I did the same with some precautions. 

Since our hut was taken by a gang of Russian tourists and we were shifted to another smaller place. We requested baba to provide us the upper ground hut and he agreed after some persuasion. It was a poor man's suite. A platform with a mattress and this gonna be the best sleep after 2 days as the body has also adjusted by a fair amount.

I decided to come out and try some night photography and Rana helped in setting things up very enthusiastically. Unfortunately, the cloud cover which comes every evening after the sun-set was not giving the opportunities, on the other hand, it has maintained the temperature and we were not dying of cold.

Soon the clouds over the Shivling moved and so did my camera. It was so cold that there was not much time to experiment and adjust the setting, also at this time of year, the star shifts, and the milky way is not as deep over the horizon as in summers. I manage a couple of shots worth keeping and the temperature started falling sharply. We moved inside the hut assisted by solar panel given by Moni baba.

Milky way over Meru, towards left is the Shivling

The next morning had the same porridge breakfast and moved back after exchanging a final greeting with Baba.

In less than an hour, we were at Gaumukh. On the way, we met this

Greek guy, who was with us at the ashram and left early, but here he was lost in the glacier. Thankfully he was just circling around the way and had not gotten far. This would be the last place one can think of getting lost.
Came Gaumukh and this was the time for a holy dip and feel the snout of the glacier and the river from close. 

It was late October but still, the rocks and chunks of Ice keep falling from time to time. In summer the snout is a perilous place to be at. Falling ice blocks and debris can be up to the size of an elephant or even more. Just this summer the glacier ice floated down to Gangotri covering some 18 km. After capturing all angles of Gaumukh and getting refreshed with the icy water I moved towards Gangotri. Rana has already covered some kilometres ahead and I can see him like a dot in the valley.

I would have gone past some 2 km and with no one in the miles of radius I was all by myself in the splendid valley. I look back at the Gaumukh and the mountains above for the one last time before I can bid adieu to the valley and mountains, the whole journey flash-backed in front of my eyes. Till now I was covering distance with all the strength I have but at this divine moment, I realizes the robustness of that mighty mountain, the grandeur of the grumbling glacier, the piousness of the mysterious Akash Ganga, and above all the holy dip in the sacred Bhagirathi whose cold current was still revitalizing my spirits. My feet feel heavy with that godly gravitation and damn…I was stoned. The call of the Ganga started making sense. Have heard about this ecstatic experience but the real feeling was blissful. The body was communicating directly with this ecosystem, at a bandwidth way beyond the realm of satellites and technology. I WAS IN A TRANCE. Exuberated in the cosmic connection the moment of truth awakens my inner self, throws me on my knees, snatched away the masculinity, and makes me cry like a baby.  

I came like a tourist here and going back as a pilgrim. With a heavy heart I turned back, I hate this part of the journey which is even tougher than climbing. When you leave the mountains, a part of yours remains there and in return, the Himalayas give you treasured memories, and they both force you to come back again and again and again…. I consoled myself that the journey was not over and another destination was waiting. I felt happy about my Dyara bugyal trek to be taken the next day and increased my pace. Soon I caught up with Rana and rushed to collect my 100 bucks from the check post.