It was with a rucksack and a camera that I set out to explore the not-so-frequented trekking trails in the Kumaon range in Uttarakhand. There, located between the Rishiganga valley on the west and the Goriganga dale on the east, rises the Nanda Devi, India’s second highest mountain.
The Nanda Devi National Park is situated right around this mountain crest, a delight for hikers willing to climb up its perilous slopes. The effort however, is completely worth your while, as I found when I chalked out a 10-day trip with a group of six fellow travellers.
We set off from Delhi by road and reached Joshimath and Lata village the next day. From this idyllic hamlet, we went straight to the Kanook camping ground through the lower forests in the buffer zone. From the campsite itself, atop a cliff overhanging the Dhauli valley at the Nanda Devi sanctuary, we had the benefit of a stunning view. It took us a day to inure ourselves to the climate and altitude but soon we continued on our way, through the tracks in the lower forestland. All around us, we could see elevated meadows, which seemed like green carpets from afar. These flanked the area around the Risi Ganga gorge.
By the time we came upon the Lata Kharak ridge-line and the Saini Kharak ridge, the long march had us alternating between exhilaration and weariness. The laborious, winding path did take a toll on us, but isn’t that what a good hike is all about? After walking for several hours, we noticed a line of porters making their way to Lata Kharak, at the Nanda Devi National Park. One of them collected firewood near the Kanook tent site and we cooked a quick hot meal at Bhelta, roti, aloo sabzi, rice and saag.
On the fifth day, our target was Lata Kharak via the Dharansi Pass. Our intention was to cross through the outer curtain of the National Park and into the core area. But before we went there, we rested at the Jhandidar tri-junction. With the temperature dipping, we took shelter inside a log hut at Lata Kharak and warmed ourselves by a fire. From there, we could witness the breathtaking mountains in the Dhauliganga valley and Saini Kharak. We also spotted some musk deer and I immediately whipped out my camera. Smoky clouds billowed out of the grey mountain cliffs, like white ash.
If this view was spellbinding, then our early morning view of Lata Kharak was even more so. At dawn, the golden rays of the sun trickled onto the mountaintops. Later in the day, as I explored the area, I came across an old woman sifting wheat from chaff in her little hut. We had yet another memorable experience as we watched the celebrations during the Nandashtami festival at Lata village.
Many believe in offering prayers to Nanda Devi before starting their trek to Dharansi Pass. While a group of devotees danced outside the shrine, women in Tibetan-style robes, wearing headscarves and beaded jewellery and carrying their children on their backs, also participated in the festivities. Some of the villagers also prepared a ram for sacrifice outside the temple. At the sunset hour, when the puja got over, children clambered up the walls to collect brahma-kamals.
We next set off for the Dibrugheta-Dharansi area. By the eighth day, we arrived at the picturesque Tolma village via the Kadichaun meadows. Both Lata and Tolma farmsteads are at the heart of local conservation efforts within the National Park district. On the penultimate day, we touched upon the Tolma- Suraithota road connector and then moved back to Joshimath to spend the night. After a spiritual sojourn in Chamoli District which is a gateway to several other pilgrim centres, we reached Rishikesh on the final day to conclude our expedition.
As we rode the ropeways in cable cars at Joshimath, with the snow-capped mountains just behind us, there was a sense that our adventure had come to a fitting and exhilarating end. Exhausted, but happy, we returned to the capital.
The writer is an acclaimed lensman, bitten by the travel bug
