Exploring the Gangotri Glacier

The mountains are something that I cannot get enough of. Each sojourn, each trek leaves me asking for more – since there is so much more to be explored, I feel even a lifetime will not be enough for it. Such is the magic of nature – it casts a spell on you.

I have a soft corner in my heart for the Himalayas, having trekked extensively all over Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Nepal and Bhutan. My journeys have taken me through some utterly beautiful trails and picturesque sights. But it is the Garhwal Himalaya that is the most mesmerizing of them all. Two treks across the Kalindi Khal and four treks to Tapovan and Nandanvan in the Gangotri glacier had so far failed to satiate my thirst to explore the unknown. Not satisfied with just birds-eye views, I always yearned to know what lay further into the Gangotri glacier and what hitherto unknown treasures it held – evidently my curiosity had been piqued with each visit.

An acquaintance of mine had suggested that there was a possibility of crossing over to Kedarnath through the Gangotri glacier – a daunting task, but it definitely merited a thought. After extensive study of the region through Google Earth and contour maps, my curiosity to know more about it increased. However much to my dismay, I found that the venture was too steep for a non-technical team to safely and successfully descend towards Kedarnath. In other words, this was an impossible task for a layperson like me to undertake, not to mention it was fraught with danger.

After journeying to Gangotri town from Dehradun via Uttarkashi, the trek commenced. “Finally, another thing ticked off the bucket list!” I thought to myself.

And what a marvelous sight it was! We walked along the banks of the Bhagirathi River, all the while taking in the Himalayan landscape – rolling hills, clean mountain air and thick forests. After camping in the meadows of Chidbasa and Bhojbasa, we reached Gaumukh – the snout of the Gangotri glacier, the 3^rd day into the trek. I don’t even need to describe how the weather was at 13,255 feet above sea level – bone-chilling!

After crossing the glaciers to the true left, we started the final climb for Tapovan. While on the way up to Tapovan, the path was very tricky, with lots of uneven terrain and loose stones and rocks everywhere. At one point, a rock up above came loose and hurtled down, heading straight towards us. Luckily no one was hurt since one of the rocks stopped few meters away and few rocks just passed from the sides. Nature is so unpredictable at times!

The next day was a rest day when we set off on an acclimatization walk to the ridge on the west that divides Tapovan from the Meru Glacier. From the top of the ridge, we could see the Meru glacier and the group of Meru peaks (6602m) from a close distance, and of course the majestic Mt. Shivling (6543m) towered above us. Across the valley, the massif of the Bhagirathi peaks (6454 m – 6856 m) stood in its full grandeur. We could also see the peaks in the Raktvarn and Chaturangi glaciers on the horizon. On our way back, we ran into two Polish climbers, who were planning to summit Mt. Shivling from its northern face. We interacted with them for a little while, and wished them well on their expedition. Here Dr. Rupin Shah wowed us all with his Shirshasana – the traditional yogic headstand pose; and Ms. Susan Hunt presided over a stretching session which helped everyone relax and loosen up a bit.

After a day’s rest the team split. A few of the members had pre-planned to return to Gangotri, so only 5 of us continued further. We continued our trek to upper Tapovan or Kada Pathar for almost 2 hours, with the Shivling on our right and the main glacier on our left. En-route we chanced upon mountain ibex or bharal on the way. Everyone had their eyes peeled for the much feared and rare snow leopard, but all we got were just a few pugmarks! “Next time”, I thought, since I knew in an instant that I was destined to come back to this place. Eventually we had to descend to the main glacier through an undefined trail with a lot of scree and loose stones. Before reaching the camp site near the confluence of Gangotri and Kirti Glacier, we traversed a rock fall area. Numerous rocks of various sizes were tumbling down with small intervals in between. Wearing our helmets one by one, we cleared that section with one person keeping vigil on the other end; and indicating us to move quickly. The day’s walk was short, but we took time as the trail was undefined with the rock fall section. We set up campsite on the edge of the glacier – it was flat ground without boulders, but the water had to be brought from the glacial lake below.

Next day, we continued on to the main glacier, through boulders, ice and steep moraines. Trudging slowly towards our goal, we finally had to camp in the middle of the glacier full of rocks and boulders. The staff set up campsite after clearing the ground of rocks and debris and levelling it, so we could sleep in comfort. Camping in the shadow of the mighty Kedar Dome at 6831 metres and Bhagirathi I, I pondered about whether we would be able to reach our goal – since the unforgiving terrain had slowed down our pace considerably. Safety was paramount; but then so was our desire to see what lay ahead.

Under the clear blue skies, we continued our walk further into the glacier, with some of the Gangotri’s most magnificent peaks for company –the Bhagirathi and Kedar domes at 6831m on either sides, the Kharchand Kund at 6632m a little ahead on the right, the Kirti Stambh at 6270m on the side inside the Kirti glacier, the Shivling and Meru peaks at the back and the Mandani Parbat at 6193m located straight further up in valley.

As we continued walking we heard a loud blast-like sound at a distance in the mountains….it had to be a avalanche! We could see it descending from the Bhagirathi side across the other glacier with full force. We thanked our stars that we were quite far away from it. By 10:00 am we spotted dark clouds ahead in the sky – a real cause for concern! I had a small talk with the guides expressing my concern, and we decided that if necessary we would camp early. Around 12:30pm when we took a lunch break, the clouds really started closing in on us. Barely had we finished lunch, than it started snowing. We managed to wear our traction cleats as we were getting on to the hard ice from the moraine. It was getting quite difficult as the wind and snow was hitting us squarely in the face, but it eventually eased. After an hour’s walk, we reached our final camp near Swachand Glacier. This camp was set up after clearing rocks and leveling ice. After a small tea break we went to the tents to change. By late afternoon it started snowing heavily again, but fortunately it stopped later on as the evening progressed. After a early hot meal and soup we retired for the day.

….and miraculously, we awoke to brilliantly clear skies the next morning, with postcard-perfect views of the Mandani, Yeombuk and Kharchand Kund peaks and Kedarnath town across the glacier. With a renewed sense of determination, we decided to venture further into the glacier. At the end, the gigantic Chaukhamba massif greeted us, along with some other unnamed peaks. It had been a long and arduous journey to get where we were now. Standing there in the bright winter sun, with only the snow and mountains for company made it all worth it.

I have gone to relatively unexplored parts of the high mountainous regions numerous times and every time, the desire to stay there is much more than the one to return. But the truth is that such moments lose their charm if one’s limits are overstepped. As much as I would have liked to stay on, it was with a heavy heart that we bid goodbye to the mountains and retraced our steps back to Gangotri where a hot bath and a sumptuous meal awaited us. Finally our Himalayan adventure had come to an end.

I would recommend some basic trekking experience before undertaking this trek into the glacier. One must be sure-footed since there is no defined trail due to the extreme landscape and weather conditions. Like it happened here, the weather does get bad and it is essential that one keeps calm and does not panic and more important is to plan in advance for such scenarios. Trekking in such a remote region and at such a high altitude has certainly made me more aware of the transience of human life – one wrong move can cost you your life. Adventure is certainly not more valuable than human life; as one needs to be alive and well for the adventure to happen!

I’m waiting eagerly for my next Himalayan pilgrimage. Or as I say, go I must, since the mountains call me – to the Om Parbat, Adi Kailash and Panchachuli over the Shin La, in the Kumaon Himalaya in September 2017.

Until next time!

Milind Bhide

P.S. Upon returning, we came to know that the Polish team we had met, had failed to scale the mountain and they had met with a fatal accident. My heart went out to them. They walked a tightrope between life and death while in the mountains – but ultimately met their destiny. They died doing what they loved – climbing mountains and challenging their limits. As the great mountaineer Ed Viesturs rightfully says, “The mountain decides whether you climb or not. The art of mountaineering is knowing when to go, when to stay, and when to retreat”, we are all mere underlings in front of Nature.