THIS IS A DIARY OF EVENT OF THE TREK ORGANISED BY BHRAMANTI FOR CELEBRATING 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST ASCENT OF NANDADEVI. IT'S 3RD SUCH HIMALAYAN TREK OF BHRAMANTI. THE ENTIRE TEAM WAS APURVA VARMA(TREK COORDINATOR), PUNEET KUMAR, V. M KULKARNI, P. SOLANKI, P. KAREKAR, BHASKAR GANGAL(PRESIDENT OF "BHRAMANTI MOUNTAINEERS").

16TH SEPT: AS SCHEDULED ALL THE 7 TREKKERS OF BHRAMANTI MET ON PLATFORM NO 3 OF DELHI STATION AT 2200HRS TO BOARD THE DELHI-KATHGODAM TRAIN.TRAIN DEPARTED OLD DELHI STATION AT 2245 HRS.

17TH SEPT: DUE TO OUR TRAIN ENGINE PROBLEM AT VALLABHGARH,WE BOARDED ANOTHER TRAIN(DEHRADUN-KATHGODAM) AND ARRIVED KATHGODAM AT 0830HRS.WE BOARDED SUMO AND LEFT FOR ALMORA.NEAR KAINCHI TEMPLE WE HAD OUR BREAKFAST AND THEN WE REACHED ALMORA AT 1230HRS.MR MOHIT GUPTA,OUR GROUP LEADER/GUIDE GAVE US A SMALL SPEECH IN THE EVENING ABOUT THE TREK.ALL PREPARATIONS FOR THE TREK COMPLETED IN THE NIGHT AND DEPOSITED EXCESS LUGGAGE.

18TH SEPT: WE WOKE UP AT 0330HRS AND CAME TO ALMORA BUS STAND AND WE CAME TO KNOW THAT THE BUS FROM DELHI TO MUNSIYARI GOT CANCELLED.AT 0630HRS WE BOARDED A BUS FOR THAL,WHERE WE REACHED AT 1230HRS.WE HAD LUNCH HERE AND BOARDED ANOTHER BUS FOR MUNSIYARI AND ARRIVED THERE AT 1830HRS. A SMALL VILLAGE WHERE TREK BEGINS.

19TH SEPT. WE GOT PERMIT FROM SDM AND ITBP AND STARTED OUR TREK AT 0925HRS.THE TREK WAS A TOTAL DESCEND AND AFTER TWO HRS WE ARRIVED AT SELAPANI.THERE WAS AROUTE MAP OF OUR TREK.WE SPENT SOME TIME HERE AND STARTED TREKKING ALONGSIDE GORI GANGA RIVER.WE CAME ACROSS TWO BEAUTIFUL WATER FALLS.WE REACHED JIMIGHAT AT 1330 HRS.OUR CAMPSITE WAS LOCATED ON THE BANK OF RIVER.THE WEATHER WAS EXCELLENT.TENTS WERE SET UP QUICKLY.LUNCH WAS PREPARED BY THE COOK AND WE HAD LATE LUNCH AT 1500HRS. WE ALL ENJOYED THE EVENING. THE WEATHER CHANGED SUDDENLY IN THE NIGHT AND STARTED RAINING HEAVILY WITH THUNDER AND LIGHTENING.

20TH SEPT: THE WEATHER IN THE MORNING WAS EXCELLENT.THE CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER TURNED MUDDYWATER RIVER DUE TO HEAVY RAIN LAST NIGHT..WE STARTED TREK AND AFTER ONE HOUR WE CROSSED LILAM VILLAGE.WE SAW TWO WATER FALLS. WE CAME TO A HUGE WATER FALLS,WHICH WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO CROSS. DUE TO LAST NIGHT RAIN THE WATER WAS POURING HEAVILY.AT NOON WE ARRIVED AT RUPSYBAGAR,A SMALL TEA STALL. WE HAD LUNCH HERE AND STARTED TREKKING AGAIN ALONG GORIGANGA RIVER. THE TREK WAS LITTLE DIFFICULT. VIA RAILGADI,SHIVANI WE ARRIVED BUGDIYAR IN THE EVENING.IT STARTED RAINING. TWO TREKKERS UNABLE TO PROCEED FURTHER DUE TO HEALTH PROBLEMS. THEY DECIDED TO GO BACK TO MUSIYARI NEXT DAY.

21ST SEPT. WE LEFT BUGDIYAR AT 0825 HRS.AFTER AN HOUR TREK WE LOST OUR WAY FOR A WHILE IN CONFUSION. WE CROSSED A DANGEROUS ROUE AND ARRIVED AT MAPANG.WE HAD TEA AND STARTED TREKKING AND REACHED RAILCOT AT 1500HRS. AFTER HAVING TEA WE STARTED AGAIN.WE SAW TOLA VILLAGE ENROUTE AND ARRIVED AT BEAUTIFULLY LOCATED MARTOLI VILLAGE,A DESERTED VILLAGE ABANDONED HOUSES.MOST OF THE VILLAGERS HAVE MIGRATED ALREADY TO THE PLAINS OR MUNSIYARI. FROM THIS VILLAGE MANY PEAKS CAN BE SEEN. THE WEATHER WAS GOOD. WE TOOK LOTS OF PHOTOGRAPHS.WE DECIDED TO SPEND NIGHT IN STONE HOUSE INSTEAD OF TENT.

22ND SEPT: AS NEXT CAMP WAS VERY NEAR,WE LEFT MARTOLI AT 1140HRS AFTER HAVING RAJMA AND RICE.WE HAD TEA ENROTE AND WE REACHED GANGHAR VILLAGE AT 1430 HRS.THE OTHER SIDE OF PANCHU NALLAH IS THE PANCHU VILLAGE. WE CAN SEE THE TIP OF NANDADEVI EAST MOUNTAIN.FROM HERE WE CAN SEE BURFU/MILAM VILLAGES.

23RD SEPT: AT 0630HRS WE LEFT GANGHAR VILLAGE FOR NANDADEVI EAST BASE CAMP.IT WAS CONTINUOUS ASCENT,AT 1000HRS ALL TREKKERS REACHED NANDADEVI EAST BASE CAMP TIRED,BUT AFTER SEEING NANDADEVI MOUNTAIN ALL TREKKERS JUMPED WITH JOY AND THERE WAS NO END TO IT. WE TOOK MANY PHOTOGRAPTHS AND RETURNED GANGHAR AND TOOK REST WHOLE DAY. OUR RETURN JOURNEY:

24TH SEPT WE STAYED AT RAILKOT 25TH SEPT WE STAYED AT BUGDIYAR 26TH WE ARRIVED AT MUNSIYARI WITH GREAT JOY OF SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF NANDADEVI EAST BASE CAMP. TWO PERSONS FROM OUR GROUP HAD KNEE PAIN AND ANKLE PAIN BUT THEY SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE TREK. GREAT. THE GREENERY,WATER FALLS,CRYSTAL CLEAR WATER SEVERAL NALLAHS AND RIVERS, SNOW CLAD MOUNTAIN PEAKS AND PERFECT SIZED GROUP MADE THIS WONDERFUL TREK WORTH REMEMBERING THROUGHOUT OUR LIFE.

Photo link: Click Here by Puneet Kumar

Written By: Venkatesh Kulkarni