Continued from here . . .
We got up in the morning by 8 am and helper Aravind ji was standing outside the tent with hot cup of tea. He greeted us with his usual smile and told that the summit day is usually a tough task and even impossible if we start late. Previous night we experienced as low as -13° temperature. We enquired about the distance and temperature at the Kuari Pass. Got an answer from guide that, we need to cover 15 km for the day and be ready for the sudden weather changes. We had covered 20+ km in a day back in western ghats. But the situation at the Himalayas was entirely different. You need to battle with the ugliest cold, high altitude and frozen path which will be completely slippery. Guide gave us the time window for summiting the peak from 1 to 2 pm. If we fail to do so, we would be returning back to campsite from the place right away. Without proper clothing , weather at 4000 meters is not negotiable at all. One has to properly cover their bodies with warm clothes and keep themselves in good condition.
We got up in the morning by 8 am and helper Aravind ji was standing outside the tent with hot cup of tea. He greeted us with his usual smile and told that the summit day is usually a tough task and even impossible if we start late. Previous night we experienced as low as -13° temperature. We enquired about the distance and temperature at the Kuari Pass. Got an answer from guide that, we need to cover 15 km for the day and be ready for the sudden weather changes. We had covered 20+ km in a day back in western ghats. But the situation at the Himalayas was entirely different. You need to battle with the ugliest cold, high altitude and frozen path which will be completely slippery. Guide gave us the time window for summiting the peak from 1 to 2 pm. If we fail to do so, we would be returning back to campsite from the place right away. Without proper clothing , weather at 4000 meters is not negotiable at all. One has to properly cover their bodies with warm clothes and keep themselves in good condition.
Had a healthy breakfast, Porridge and packed our lunch for the day. Started from our campsite by 10 am. We were running late by almost an hour. As the initial path was not steep and weather was pleasant, we walked briskly so that we reach the summit within time. Took couple of breaks and reached Khullara top by 11:30 am. We could able to spot the tiny tents at Khullara and a pile of enthusiast trekkers from Khullara to Khullara top. They were none other than TTH participants. From there the real challenge started. During day time itself temperature was nearly 0° at 12 pm. And the same continued till Kuari Pass.
Initial Path
Pangarchulla and Kuari Pass as seen from distance
Panoramic shot of Himalayan Range
Just before Khullara Top
Campsite of TTH(Trek the Himalayas) at Khullara
Path Towards Broken Bridge
Steep task ahead
Soon we encountered broken bridge and the frozen stream. This was the toughest part of the trek. You need to be very careful while crossing the frozen stream. As it was completely slippery and a slight mistake could take you to the down. As the path was crowded with TTH participants, we walked quickly towards frozen stream and crossed it with the help of our guide. Usually you need crampons to cross the frozen areas. But thanks to our wild-craft amphibian shoes for providing perfect grip and not giving a chance to slip.
Just before broken bridge and frozen stream
Broken Bridge and Frozen Stream
After that it was almost a cake walk for any trekker to reach Kuari Pass. We reached our destination , Kuari Pass by 1 pm exactly within the time window given by our guide. It was a delightful moment for all of us for making it to the 4k meters in Himalayan range. We could able to spot all the prominent mountains of Himalyas : Mt Nandadevi, Mt Trishul, Mt Dronagiri , Mt Pangarchulla, Haathi Parvath etc.
Successful Summit : Kuari Pass - 4000 meters 😃😍
Trailblazers @ Kuari Pass 😃😍
Few from our group were not satisfied with the altitude and the zeal in them to reach higher and higher altitude made them to summit Kuari Top (4200 m) by 1:30 pm and they came back by 2pm. Had a photo shoot of our group with Trailblazers banners.
Kuari Pass Top : 4200 meters
We wanted to linger around the place, but we had to return from Kuari Pass as the weather was not looking great. Started back from the summit by 2:30pm. Reached our campsite at Tali top by 4:30 pm and as usual hot soup was served with pakoda by the cook. Campfire was set by 6pm and guide started telling his previous experiences. He told us, sometimes dense rhododendron forest makes trekkers to deviate from the path and reach deep inside the valley. He told that one can summit the Pangarchulla peak(5000 m) on a clear day. But not in winter season, as there will be 5 to 6 ft of snow which makes it difficult and dangerous for the trekkers.
Mt. Dronagiri
Hathi Ghoda Parvath
We had our dinner by 9 pm and packed our self in the tent to battle against the cold. The weather was not different than previous day. It would definitely dip below -10°. By that time we were adjusted to the weather and felt little comfortable on 3rd day. Our next day travel would be very scenic as we pass through Gorson bugyal and Auli.
Click here for final shodown. . .
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