Madhyamaheshwar trek
TEAM MEMBERS : SANJAY BHATTACHARYA, NEERAJ PACHORI, PRADIPTA PURKAYASTHA
Day 1 : The team sta
rted from Haridwar at 5.45 a.m. amidst darkness in the early morning hours. Moving through Rishikesh, the bus took the NH and reached Devaprayag , the confluence of Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers, at 9.45 a.m. There we had breakfast of paranthas and chole. Crossing the river Bhagirathi the bus started towards Rudraprayag and reached there at 12.30p.m. After a 1 hours stop at Rudraprayag we again started for Kund at 1.30p.m. At 2 p.m. we alighted at Kund near the bridge over the river Mandakini. There we took a shared jeep which took us to Ukhimath . Luckily we found a bus waiting for passengers for Uniyana village. We loaded the luggage in the bus and finally started for Uniyana at 3.00 p.m. In the bus we found some friendly passengers and enquired about Ransi and the path to Madhyamaheshwar. One Mr Narendra Singh Pawar was happy to guide us to Ransi and the farther journey to Kashni Khal. A glimpse of the mighty Chaukhamba and the Kedarnath peak with the dome could be seen as we were approaching Mansuna. At last we reached Uniyana at 4 p.m. and moved on foot till Ransi . The path was normal with some ups and downs in between. As we were reaching Ransi it started raining reminding us of the fears that the rains could spell on our trek.
We took accommodation in Bhatt lodge . A very hospitable person Mr Ishwari Prasad Bhatt , he gave us a warm welcome and assured us a comfortable stay . At 8.00 p.m. we took dinner and slept anticipating a clear weather.
Day 2 : We got up early , had breakfast and started for the day’s trek at 6.45 p.m. The view of the snowy peaks could be seen in the ridge overlooking the bend. The initial trek was easy and a straight path with ups and downs in between through the thick forest. Then there was a steep descend of about 2 kms leading to Gaundhar moving by the side of the Madhyamaheshwar ganga. Gaundhar, which is 7 kms from Ransi , is a small village of about 50 families with a school and health centre. We stopped by a shop there where we had tea and paranthas. From there we started at 10.30 a.m. with boosted energy levels .
The path wss gaining elevation as we moved towards Bantoli. The Bantoli Ganga meets the Madhyamaheshwar ganga here . There are as many as 10-15 waterfalls in the way from Ransi to Bantoli. The river crushing its way through the rocky bed made us feel the thunder in the waters. From here the steep climb leads through the forest giving us a clear view of the Chaukhamba.
At 11.40 p.m. we rached Khadara at a height of 2100m .There was a forest check post where we got the clearance for moving further.The forest cover was gradually disappearing as we climbed higher. At 1 p.m. we reached a place called nanu Chatti. There owner of the house werved us hot Khichdi and Rice and an assortment of vegetables with dal. Spending about an hour we again started the rest half journey.
Monster lizards could be seen
by the side of the trail . The dark clouds over the mountains gave us a hint of the eminent rainfall . We continued the trek amidst slight drizzle followed by hailstorm .Then we took shelter under a tree and after 15 mins we again sterted. After sometime the hailstorm became fierce trying to torn us apart with its force. We thanked the tree under which we took shelter for about an hour . It was getting dark by then as we reached Kun Chatti at 5.30 p.m. (2730 m). Our guide then started from nowhere and advised us to climb the remaining 3 km trek to the temple. We took out our torches and set off up the steep hill trek. After about a kilometer we entered a deep forest and the path below was fully covered with soft ice. Literally , stumbling through the darkness and through the snow we lurched on praying to God the the ofad end soon. At 8.15 p.m we saw some lights at the end of the ridge where the outline of a cluster of hutments marked the end of the road.
Finally reaching out destination we discovered that the entire area was covered with thick sheet of soft snow , therefore we could not pitch out tents.We found a trekkers hut there and stayed there for the night.
The next morning we started by letting our wet clothes and equipments dry in the sun. We started for Budha Madhyamaheshwar and reached the within 30 mins. Reaching there we could see the Chaukhamba and the Mandani peaks before us as if we could touch them by extending our hands. We clicked some pictures there and could have a view of the Bintoli Ganga from the top of Buda Madhyamaheshwar. Getting down to our huts we relaxed and prepared ourselves for the next days trek to Kashni Tal via Kashni Khal.
Early morining the next day we started with packed lunch after breakfast with our Guides Sundar Singh and Mahender Singh . The initial climb was difficult one as the trek was slippery and one should keep dteady there was a deep gorge beneath.
The weather was still unpredictable and we could sense that it could start raining any time. The surrounding was magnificent with small shrubs and ferns on the way. At about 12.00 noon we reached Kashni Khal. The Weather was taking a dramatic turn and was goingto rain as the clouds had arrived to haunt us by engulfign the high peaks in their veil. We could see the distant village beneath which was almost 10 kms away. So, we started fast and it rained. The thunder used to send shivers down the spine while we fell and slipped on the trek and balancing our luggage and weight we finally reached Madhyamaheshwar. The was a real challenging one and we were very happy that we could reach in time. The next morining we started for Ransi village and reached there by 3.00 pm. There Mr Bhatt welcomed us and told us that we could trek to Kalimath. But we were too exhausted from this adventurous trip. We deided to go there by road the next day. Neeraj and Bhattacharya sir declared the success of our trek and decided to go to Kashni Khal and beyond very soon. This trek showed us that man could do nothing in from of nature's fury and it forces but if man respects the beauties of nature and contributes towards its protection and sustenance one can surely find pleasure and happiness from it.
Day 1 : The team sta
rted from Haridwar at 5.45 a.m. amidst darkness in the early morning hours. Moving through Rishikesh, the bus took the NH and reached Devaprayag , the confluence of Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers, at 9.45 a.m. There we had breakfast of paranthas and chole. Crossing the river Bhagirathi the bus started towards Rudraprayag and reached there at 12.30p.m. After a 1 hours stop at Rudraprayag we again started for Kund at 1.30p.m. At 2 p.m. we alighted at Kund near the bridge over the river Mandakini. There we took a shared jeep which took us to Ukhimath . Luckily we found a bus waiting for passengers for Uniyana village. We loaded the luggage in the bus and finally started for Uniyana at 3.00 p.m. In the bus we found some friendly passengers and enquired about Ransi and the path to Madhyamaheshwar. One Mr Narendra Singh Pawar was happy to guide us to Ransi and the farther journey to Kashni Khal. A glimpse of the mighty Chaukhamba and the Kedarnath peak with the dome could be seen as we were approaching Mansuna. At last we reached Uniyana at 4 p.m. and moved on foot till Ransi . The path was normal with some ups and downs in between. As we were reaching Ransi it started raining reminding us of the fears that the rains could spell on our trek.We took accommodation in Bhatt lodge . A very hospitable person Mr Ishwari Prasad Bhatt , he gave us a warm welcome and assured us a comfortable stay . At 8.00 p.m. we took dinner and slept anticipating a clear weather.
Day 2 : We got up early , had breakfast and started for the day’s trek at 6.45 p.m. The view of the snowy peaks could be seen in the ridge overlooking the bend. The initial trek was easy and a straight path with ups and downs in between through the thick forest. Then there was a steep descend of about 2 kms leading to Gaundhar moving by the side of the Madhyamaheshwar ganga. Gaundhar, which is 7 kms from Ransi , is a small village of about 50 families with a school and health centre. We stopped by a shop there where we had tea and paranthas. From there we started at 10.30 a.m. with boosted energy levels .
The path wss gaining elevation as we moved towards Bantoli. The Bantoli Ganga meets the Madhyamaheshwar ganga here . There are as many as 10-15 waterfalls in the way from Ransi to Bantoli. The river crushing its way through the rocky bed made us feel the thunder in the waters. From here the steep climb leads through the forest giving us a clear view of the Chaukhamba.
At 11.40 p.m. we rached Khadara at a height of 2100m .There was a forest check post where we got the clearance for moving further.The forest cover was gradually disappearing as we climbed higher. At 1 p.m. we reached a place called nanu Chatti. There owner of the house werved us hot Khichdi and Rice and an assortment of vegetables with dal. Spending about an hour we again started the rest half journey.
Monster lizards could be seen
by the side of the trail . The dark clouds over the mountains gave us a hint of the eminent rainfall . We continued the trek amidst slight drizzle followed by hailstorm .Then we took shelter under a tree and after 15 mins we again sterted. After sometime the hailstorm became fierce trying to torn us apart with its force. We thanked the tree under which we took shelter for about an hour . It was getting dark by then as we reached Kun Chatti at 5.30 p.m. (2730 m). Our guide then started from nowhere and advised us to climb the remaining 3 km trek to the temple. We took out our torches and set off up the steep hill trek. After about a kilometer we entered a deep forest and the path below was fully covered with soft ice. Literally , stumbling through the darkness and through the snow we lurched on praying to God the the ofad end soon. At 8.15 p.m we saw some lights at the end of the ridge where the outline of a cluster of hutments marked the end of the road.Finally reaching out destination we discovered that the entire area was covered with thick sheet of soft snow , therefore we could not pitch out tents.We found a trekkers hut there and stayed there for the night.
The next morning we started by letting our wet clothes and equipments dry in the sun. We started for Budha Madhyamaheshwar and reached the within 30 mins. Reaching there we could see the Chaukhamba and the Mandani peaks before us as if we could touch them by extending our hands. We clicked some pictures there and could have a view of the Bintoli Ganga from the top of Buda Madhyamaheshwar. Getting down to our huts we relaxed and prepared ourselves for the next days trek to Kashni Tal via Kashni Khal.
Early morining the next day we started with packed lunch after breakfast with our Guides Sundar Singh and Mahender Singh . The initial climb was difficult one as the trek was slippery and one should keep dteady there was a deep gorge beneath.
The weather was still unpredictable and we could sense that it could start raining any time. The surrounding was magnificent with small shrubs and ferns on the way. At about 12.00 noon we reached Kashni Khal. The Weather was taking a dramatic turn and was goingto rain as the clouds had arrived to haunt us by engulfign the high peaks in their veil. We could see the distant village beneath which was almost 10 kms away. So, we started fast and it rained. The thunder used to send shivers down the spine while we fell and slipped on the trek and balancing our luggage and weight we finally reached Madhyamaheshwar. The was a real challenging one and we were very happy that we could reach in time. The next morining we started for Ransi village and reached there by 3.00 pm. There Mr Bhatt welcomed us and told us that we could trek to Kalimath. But we were too exhausted from this adventurous trip. We deided to go there by road the next day. Neeraj and Bhattacharya sir declared the success of our trek and decided to go to Kashni Khal and beyond very soon. This trek showed us that man could do nothing in from of nature's fury and it forces but if man respects the beauties of nature and contributes towards its protection and sustenance one can surely find pleasure and happiness from it.
