The morning proved difficult. The legs were giving up. The calves were tired and the soles were bruised. But two more days and that would be it, we wondered in fascination. Also today was the last uphill trek and the destination was not less than dreamland. The place where the largest river of India originates. The epic cave which is the Genesis of the lifeline of India and in a way the genesis of lives of hundreds of millions of Indians. The thought itself got us going. Once again into the breech dear friends...
As we roamed around the narrow streets of Gangotri looking out for something to eat, we were coned by this vendor who enticed us into buying this stuff which turned out to be archaic jalebis and pretentious samosas. And we thought nothing could be worse than the "mess" food at LBS. In this food pursuit, the group got divided and it became difficult to coordinate with all as we were required to assemble at the starting point of the trek. That brings us to the question of maintaining that initial level of synergy throughout the trek. Certainly the whole trip was a great learning experience in terms of understanding the dynamics of a group.
The way uphill to Gomukh was gradual and along the river Bhagirathi with gorgeous views in front of us. The trek apparently is a popular one among the foreigners as just near Gomukh we have a camping base in Bhojbhasa which offers a serene place to stay for a day or two. The plan was to have lunch at Bhojbhasa and continue the trek to Gomukh and to return back to Bhojbhasa for the night stay. The front team reached around noon and post some light lunch in the GMVN camp, we proceeded to Gomukh. The initial part seemed pretty easy and was in contrast with what was to come later. As we got a glimpse of the cave from where emerges the Bhagirathi, we got goosebumps. The cave was surrounded by ice caps from either sides and the nearby region was formed by landslides. There was a warning stating not to go near 500m of Gomukh.
But of course warnings are for the fainthearted. We approached Gomukh along the river where the size of the rocks had significantly increased. From some distance I saw a big chunk of the ice breaking from the top and scattering all over the place. Something didn't seem right. I had this premonition, a vision of sorts, that I should not go any further. My friends continued their run. I stopped there and kept looking at them as they played with the ice cubes near Gomukh. The winds were blowing at eye-watering speeds and the weather was getting dark and rain was on the verge. The scariest moment till date. And the most beautiful too.
As we started our return to Bhojbhasa, we advised others to rush as the rain was catching up. Few of them could not make the Gomukh trip as the weather really took them by surprise. That night finally we all had ample time and sat down together talking and singing. Something which was missing in the rest of the trek as everyday we would reach our destination pretty late in the night all tired and drained. The dark side of taking a hard trek i guess. But why ponder over the dark side, when the better half is such a delight. The journey was almost over. Just another day and we would leave the wilderness. And resume our pretentious journeys in the man-made wilderness. Nothing changes it seems.
Click here to read about Day 9/10
As we roamed around the narrow streets of Gangotri looking out for something to eat, we were coned by this vendor who enticed us into buying this stuff which turned out to be archaic jalebis and pretentious samosas. And we thought nothing could be worse than the "mess" food at LBS. In this food pursuit, the group got divided and it became difficult to coordinate with all as we were required to assemble at the starting point of the trek. That brings us to the question of maintaining that initial level of synergy throughout the trek. Certainly the whole trip was a great learning experience in terms of understanding the dynamics of a group.
The way uphill to Gomukh was gradual and along the river Bhagirathi with gorgeous views in front of us. The trek apparently is a popular one among the foreigners as just near Gomukh we have a camping base in Bhojbhasa which offers a serene place to stay for a day or two. The plan was to have lunch at Bhojbhasa and continue the trek to Gomukh and to return back to Bhojbhasa for the night stay. The front team reached around noon and post some light lunch in the GMVN camp, we proceeded to Gomukh. The initial part seemed pretty easy and was in contrast with what was to come later. As we got a glimpse of the cave from where emerges the Bhagirathi, we got goosebumps. The cave was surrounded by ice caps from either sides and the nearby region was formed by landslides. There was a warning stating not to go near 500m of Gomukh.
But of course warnings are for the fainthearted. We approached Gomukh along the river where the size of the rocks had significantly increased. From some distance I saw a big chunk of the ice breaking from the top and scattering all over the place. Something didn't seem right. I had this premonition, a vision of sorts, that I should not go any further. My friends continued their run. I stopped there and kept looking at them as they played with the ice cubes near Gomukh. The winds were blowing at eye-watering speeds and the weather was getting dark and rain was on the verge. The scariest moment till date. And the most beautiful too.
As we started our return to Bhojbhasa, we advised others to rush as the rain was catching up. Few of them could not make the Gomukh trip as the weather really took them by surprise. That night finally we all had ample time and sat down together talking and singing. Something which was missing in the rest of the trek as everyday we would reach our destination pretty late in the night all tired and drained. The dark side of taking a hard trek i guess. But why ponder over the dark side, when the better half is such a delight. The journey was almost over. Just another day and we would leave the wilderness. And resume our pretentious journeys in the man-made wilderness. Nothing changes it seems.
Click here to read about Day 9/10
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