Trek to Har Ki Dun and Back
It is a very long story. It is long because from the time the trek has been planned to actual trekking took us one and half years. The plan was to go in May 2009 and ended up doing it in May 2010. It could not be done last year as I was busy with some urgent office work and my team decided that they will not proceed without me (I am honored). No regrets, the place Har Ki Dun is fantastic and wonderful. If there were to be some regret it could be that we would have been one year younger and made the trek a bit easier.
The itinerary is as described below
Day 0: 7th May 2010
My two friends from Gurgaon came in a taxi at 1015pm to pick me up. On the way I had to drop off some Amex cheques as I will be away for 10 days. My friend was looking for a CitiBank drop box and couldn’t find one on our way (at least not close enough to our route). We reached Nizamuddin Station at about 1120pm and two other friends from Faridabad were already there and settled down in their seats. We did settle down pretty fast, spread our bedsheets and blankets (yes it was an a/c three tier). It was 1155pm and the train started rolling on its way to Dehradun. Who says Indian Railways are not punctual.
Day 1: 8th May 2010
The train reached Dehradun at 5:10 am, earlier than scheduled time of 5:40am. Better start changing your mind about Indian Railways. It was a very smooth ride for us. I had a good sleep. We quickly went to the so called waiting room and found it crowded. Did wash up, brushed our teeth and found to our pleasant surprise that the Qualis Van is already waiting outside. This is from Drona Travels. We started off at 630am after loading all our luggage (partly on the roof and a little at the back). I was carrying the smallest of the bags, and my friends carried big (even suitcases). They must have been carrying their entire wardrobe and makeup kits!!.
The driver, Mr Deepak Rana was very good. He drove nice and steady. I felt safe sitting at the back. He must be really good if any one had to pass my scrutiny and evaluation. I myself am a very disciplined driver and likes similar profiles. Deepak was one of them. One of the team members categorically stated that he will be seated in the front through out the journey, though he is senior most but not too old compared to me. But I obliged.
On the way to Taluka we veered off a little from the route to visit Lakhmandal. There were some caves but nothing to do with that dug by the Pandavas to escape from the burning Lakhmandal. This was done much later. We visited a nice temple which housed 42 deities inside one room temple. On the way we had our lunch at some Dabha.
We went via Mussoorie, Kempty falls, Yamuna Bridge, Nainbagh, Bernigad (Lakhmandal), Navgaon, Purola, Mori, Netwar, Sankri, Taluka.
At Netwar Forest Checkpost, we paid the entry fee for 5 days. The charges are Rs150/- for the first three days and then Rs50/- per day there after (amounts to the same as Rs50/- per day). The charges are per person. We procedded to Sankri.
At Sankri (some maps show this point as Saur – another closeby village to Sankri)
we met Chandan Rana and fixed up a Pony and a porter from Taluka to Taluka for 6 days.
The road from Sankri to Taluka is BAD, good that I didn’t take my car. It would have been battered. Though I had mild spondylytis, I was prepared to sit at the back just because another younger chap said he is road sick and can not sit at the back. I had to literally hold on to my head giving support to my neck to save from the jolts we got on this stretch. The Qualis under the expert driving skills of Deepak we reached Taluka safely in the evening. It has been a 12 hour journey from Dehradun with stops for food and Lakhmandal (1.5hrs).
The GMVN at Taluka was badly maintained. From now on there is no electricity. We went to a hotel called Thakur hotel (one of the two available in the Village). As some one mentioned in the forum, it is infested with flies. Millions of them. It is revolting to have food at this place. But we don’t have a choice. We are ahead of our schedule as we made time by traveling by train. Somehow managed to get accommodation and this gave us an extra day at Har Ki Dun (HKD). As per the maps the altitude of Taluka is 1900mtrs but the board in Forest Rest house says it is 2410mtrs.
Day 2: 9th May 2010 (Taluka to Osla)
We planned to leave for Osla by 730am but ended up leaving at 755am. The Pony carrying our luggage didn’t start for some strange reasons and so we started off. The guy with the Pony was Raj Mohan and the porter/guide was Bhajan Singh. Initially I had some problem walking but as we got used to the trek it was better. The path had ups and downs and sometimes very rugged surface with uneven rocks. The steady climb was tiring. There was a tea stall at a village called Gangar, where we had some of the paranthas packed from Thakur hotel and had some tea and Maggie noodles. There is one more tea stall a few metres from this one at which point we get to cross a bridge. This village point is about 9kms from Taluka. The terrain became harsher and my right knee started giving problems. Towards the end of the next 4kms I had to drag myself and walked almost on my left leg. Reached Osla/Seema GMVN at about 4pm (8hrs) and collapsed into an inviting chair by the fireside. We had some tea and some people had rice/Dal. It was too late for lunch for me. Went to our dormitory and applied Tiger Balm to relieve the pain my right knee. There was an English couple who had been touring India for last 6 months and had chosen HKD as one place to visit.
We retired at about 10pm after gazing at the multitude of stars, which we don’t get to see in Delhi.
Day 3: 10th May 2010 (Osla to HKD)
Had some paranthas for breakfast and started off to HKD, excited about reaching the beautiful place. I used a crepe bandage to wrap up my right knee. Like every other day we started off at about 8am. There is a bridge we need to cross as we leave the GMVN and after crossing, the path is very, very steep and rocky. It takes your breath away (not by the scenery but the terrain). There is a road to the left going to the OSLA village which has a STD booth. So two of my friends went that way to call up our families to let them know our location/health etc. The slow walkers like me and another 50 year old turned right to go to HKD knowing very well that the other two will catch up. This is a steep climb most of the time. At one place we had to cross a patch of snow (very slippery). Reached HKD at about 4pm. The bandage did help me but not fully, so struggled a lot in reaching HKD. Now the breath is taken away again with the beauty of the place. Surrounded by snow clad mountains. It did snow on the way and after reaching HKD.
There was a lot of greenery and tall trees (looked like Pine). Enroute to HKD from Osla there are some beautiful mountain views and at one place you can see a waterfall. Some of the mountains we can see are Kala Nag, Bunderpoonch, Yamunotri, etc.
We were tired reaching HKD especially the last portion looks like a steep climb to get to the GMVN TRH. It is a simple building, with one dormitory of nine beds, two double rooms. The entry to dorm and one room is through the kitchen. We settled down in the dorm except for one senior person who always insisted on a separate room to himself.
It started snowing a bit and we enjoyed despite the tiredness in our legs, we moved around to get better views of the peaks around us.
Day 4: 11th May 2010 (at HKD)
It was about 540am and some one was trying to wake us up as the view of the mountains is fantastic at this hour. The sun has already risen and the view was spectacular.
We were standing at the base of HKD peak and could see on left the Atta Peak, in front to the right we could see Swargarohini Peaks I and II and others whose names are not known to any at HKD. I wish the staff at GMVN are better educated on these matters.
It was very very cold outside, must be about 2 or 3 degrees. We had our breakfast and I didn’t want to venture on any trek today, I have to look after my legs as I have to get back home too. So me and a friend stayed back enjoying the views, walked a little around the area. The other three friends went to see Jaundhar glaciers, they started about 8am and returned by about 2pm in time for our lunch. We had some Maggie and tea at about 11am, The staple food here is Potatoes, dal chawal.
Day 5: 12th May 2010 (at HKD)
I could recover from the tiredness in my legs. Four of the friends took off to see a lake, talk about teamwork. Left me to be alone for the second day and not insisted on my coming with them. It is true I was slowing them but it would have been nicer to be in a group. So as a lone ranger does his trails, I walked up the mountains towards the Atta Peak. It is a steep climb but managed well with my crepe bandage treatment to the right knee. Luckily Raj Mohan joined me after a while to guide me to this wonderful valley, a big meadow surrounded by towering mountains. On one side we had the HKD. I was actually standing at the foot of this great mountain. A great feeling. On another side we had a clear view of the Atta Peak, standing right in front of me. Added to all this awesome place was the meandering Supin river flowing next to me. Crystal clear, flowing over small rocks, making the sweetest sounds as it rolls on. There is otherwise absolute silence as we two are the only beings there.
I sat on a rock next to the river, hearing the sounds, enjoying the views of the surrounding. One can keep gazing at these mountains for ever without getting bored. I wanted the time to stop so that I can enjoy it for ever. I don’t know how many times I stood in the middle of the bugyal and looked around and felt like dancing. It is about 1230pm and dark clouds started to appear here and there. They seem to be jealous of me enjoying the scenery all by myself and wanted to disrupt me from there. Reluctantly I started to pack up to leave this heaven like place, not out of my will to leave but that of the Gods. I reached the GMVN TRH safely, just as the other team also reached it. It seems they had wonderful time (That’s what they said, looking at the photos later didn’t seem so). Had the staple food of Kichdi and relaxed for a while. Some of the group played cricket with the local guys. The cricket ball is made of socks and rags tightly wound and held together. Very creative.
The best part of eating was having dinner next to the fireplace (where Janak cooks the food). As there is little place around it the best place is on a first come first served basis and after it is musical chairs. Some times we sat on the ground or on a small stool.
Day 6: 13th May 2010 (HKD to Osla)
Got up early at about 0515am hoping to see the rising sun rays on the Swargarohini mountains, the sun didn’t come out till about 0525am when we could see the shining edges of the mountain and again we took a few shots with our cameras. Planned to leave early to trek down to OSLA but finally left at about 8am after eating breakfast. I wanted to eat light (a mistake) and ate just one parantha. Later during the trek I was so hungry that I could have eaten a horse at that time.
The terrain was ups and downs, at one place I suddenly spotted a 2 feet snake, had bands on it but moving very slowly, I called out to my friends to come cautiously. I told my friend to take some photos which he did. The other friend said he saw a green snake which slithered away into some hole quickly.
When we came to the place where we had to cross a patch of sold snow we found that in the middle of the path (which we came by) had two gaping holes so treaded carefully around these holes and reached the other side without any untoward incidents. On closer look the snow at these holes looked thin about an inch thickness.
On return journey we took time off to enjoy the scenery much more as we had successfully completed our mission to HKD. There was a waterfall coming from a very high point, it was a nice view. As we reached OSLA(at about 2pm) instead of going down the steep rocky steps down to the Seema GMVN we went straight towards the OSLA village. The structures are mostly of wood and looked beautiful. We walked to the end of the village to make calls home to update our families. I wish the STD booth is closer on this side so that we don’t have to walk this additional distance. We took a few pictures
We were invited for tea at the Ex-Pradhan’s house. One person came to ask us for a medicine for a headache and when we gave him some medicine we found to our surprise a big queue of people with their ailments and we had to become quacks for a while. We were very careful in giving out medicines as we were worried about any after effects etc. The medical support seems non existent here so we were in a way to help some needy people. Most of them seem to be suffering from Stomach ailments could be due to bad hygiene. We were planning to do some social work with our extra hours on our hand so this came as a welcome work. We wanted to visit the school to see if we can help, but school was closed. We understand that about 4 schools in the neighboring villages are also closed.
After about an hour and a half we took a short cut down to Seema GMVN and reached about 4pm. We all had Maggie noodles.
Same ritual as usual, have tea in the evening and dinner (same roti/chawal/dal and subji) at about 830pm.
Day 7: 14th May 2010 (Osla to Taluka)
Started off at 8am, seems to be getting into perfecting the start time. The journey to Gangar was bad with rocky path, in fact the whole path to Taluka was very rocky. Knees get affected while coming down a slope, luckily my crepe bandage helped me a lot. On the way we had crossed some small rivulates and found a very interesting 'Chakki' (wheat grinding machine) totally run by the flowing water. The grinding stones were moving very fast. Who needs electricity. Reusable water resource at its best. The journey was uneventful and reached Taluka at about 3pm, had Maggie lunch. The flies never seem to leave Taluka. This is one place where we can get ‘Makki’ ka roti any time of the year (pun intended). Some of my friends joined a local gang to play cricket.
Visited the local Govt Ayurvedic Dispensary, discussed with the Doctor Naresh about the medical facilities etc. This is opposite to the GMVN TRH. It seems he charges Rs2/- from each patient when he gives medicines and some don’t even pay it seems.
Day 8: 15th May 2010 (Taluka to Dehradun)
The Qualis van came on time and we started off at about 8am. The road was bad between Taluka and Sankri, it seems the van had a punctured tyre while reaching Taluka and the nearest place it can get repaired is Mori. We somehow reached Mori to find out that he can not repair the tyre, so proceeded to Purola. Unfortunately another tyre got punctured and now we are without a spare. After a while we saw another Qualis and requested him to loan a spare tyre. He was like God sent and he obliged as he was also going to Purola.
At Netwar forest barricade we paid an additional amount for two days as we initially paid only for 5 days.
At Purola we got both tyres repaired and proceeded to Dakpathar. We encountered two landslides (both man made – in the process of widening the roads) as the Chardham Yatra was getting opened from 16th May there was too much traffic coming up (100 cars up three or four going down). We grabbed something to eat at a restaurant near Purola and Tea with Fane at a place called Jeddo.
The Barrage near Dakpathar was having a fair amount of water, we got down to take a few pictures and then took the road via Herbertpur to Dehradun.
We went to Hotel Drona (Of GMVN) at Dehradun to have dinner and then proceeded to the Railway station. Reached about 11pm just in time to settle down in the already waiting A/C express to Nizamuddin.
Day 9: 16th May 2010
At last the A/C express rolled into Nizamuddin station at about 515am and ordered a Meru Taxi. Came in at about 30 minutes. Reached home at about 640am. A total of 8 days and 8 hours from start to Finish.
Crazy you might think but went to Gym in the evening. How is Gym difficult after completing a Trek to Har ki Dun
It was a very memorable trip. Never seen Mountains that close.
Happy to be there and back. Absolutely no casualities, not even a headache. What else you can ask God for.
I know t is a very long report, it was worth writing to benefit others.
Route followed:
Train from Delhi to Dehradun
Qualis from Dehradun station to Taluka via Mussoorie, Kempty falls, Yamuna Bridge, Nainbagh, Bernigad, Nowgaon, Purola, Mori, Netwar, Sankri and then Taluka.
General Costs: in INR
Taxi from Home to Station (for 3 people) 650
Train ticket to Dehradun (Approx) pp 550
Qualis (5 seater) One way 5500
Govind Pashu National Park entry per person per day 50 (min 3 days)
Stay in Dorms average per day 190
Breakfast per parantha 25
Tea 12
Maggie noodles 35 (best meal)
Lunch/Dinner fixed meal per plate 70
Pony + one porter for 6 days 4200
Porter: Charges see above)
Bhajan Singh Guide cum porter
Raj Mohan – Charge of Pony
It is a very long story. It is long because from the time the trek has been planned to actual trekking took us one and half years. The plan was to go in May 2009 and ended up doing it in May 2010. It could not be done last year as I was busy with some urgent office work and my team decided that they will not proceed without me (I am honored). No regrets, the place Har Ki Dun is fantastic and wonderful. If there were to be some regret it could be that we would have been one year younger and made the trek a bit easier.
The itinerary is as described below
Day 0: 7th May 2010
My two friends from Gurgaon came in a taxi at 1015pm to pick me up. On the way I had to drop off some Amex cheques as I will be away for 10 days. My friend was looking for a CitiBank drop box and couldn’t find one on our way (at least not close enough to our route). We reached Nizamuddin Station at about 1120pm and two other friends from Faridabad were already there and settled down in their seats. We did settle down pretty fast, spread our bedsheets and blankets (yes it was an a/c three tier). It was 1155pm and the train started rolling on its way to Dehradun. Who says Indian Railways are not punctual.
Day 1: 8th May 2010
The train reached Dehradun at 5:10 am, earlier than scheduled time of 5:40am. Better start changing your mind about Indian Railways. It was a very smooth ride for us. I had a good sleep. We quickly went to the so called waiting room and found it crowded. Did wash up, brushed our teeth and found to our pleasant surprise that the Qualis Van is already waiting outside. This is from Drona Travels. We started off at 630am after loading all our luggage (partly on the roof and a little at the back). I was carrying the smallest of the bags, and my friends carried big (even suitcases). They must have been carrying their entire wardrobe and makeup kits!!.
The driver, Mr Deepak Rana was very good. He drove nice and steady. I felt safe sitting at the back. He must be really good if any one had to pass my scrutiny and evaluation. I myself am a very disciplined driver and likes similar profiles. Deepak was one of them. One of the team members categorically stated that he will be seated in the front through out the journey, though he is senior most but not too old compared to me. But I obliged.
On the way to Taluka we veered off a little from the route to visit Lakhmandal. There were some caves but nothing to do with that dug by the Pandavas to escape from the burning Lakhmandal. This was done much later. We visited a nice temple which housed 42 deities inside one room temple. On the way we had our lunch at some Dabha.
We went via Mussoorie, Kempty falls, Yamuna Bridge, Nainbagh, Bernigad (Lakhmandal), Navgaon, Purola, Mori, Netwar, Sankri, Taluka.
At Netwar Forest Checkpost, we paid the entry fee for 5 days. The charges are Rs150/- for the first three days and then Rs50/- per day there after (amounts to the same as Rs50/- per day). The charges are per person. We procedded to Sankri.
At Sankri (some maps show this point as Saur – another closeby village to Sankri)
we met Chandan Rana and fixed up a Pony and a porter from Taluka to Taluka for 6 days.
The road from Sankri to Taluka is BAD, good that I didn’t take my car. It would have been battered. Though I had mild spondylytis, I was prepared to sit at the back just because another younger chap said he is road sick and can not sit at the back. I had to literally hold on to my head giving support to my neck to save from the jolts we got on this stretch. The Qualis under the expert driving skills of Deepak we reached Taluka safely in the evening. It has been a 12 hour journey from Dehradun with stops for food and Lakhmandal (1.5hrs).
The GMVN at Taluka was badly maintained. From now on there is no electricity. We went to a hotel called Thakur hotel (one of the two available in the Village). As some one mentioned in the forum, it is infested with flies. Millions of them. It is revolting to have food at this place. But we don’t have a choice. We are ahead of our schedule as we made time by traveling by train. Somehow managed to get accommodation and this gave us an extra day at Har Ki Dun (HKD). As per the maps the altitude of Taluka is 1900mtrs but the board in Forest Rest house says it is 2410mtrs.
Day 2: 9th May 2010 (Taluka to Osla)
We planned to leave for Osla by 730am but ended up leaving at 755am. The Pony carrying our luggage didn’t start for some strange reasons and so we started off. The guy with the Pony was Raj Mohan and the porter/guide was Bhajan Singh. Initially I had some problem walking but as we got used to the trek it was better. The path had ups and downs and sometimes very rugged surface with uneven rocks. The steady climb was tiring. There was a tea stall at a village called Gangar, where we had some of the paranthas packed from Thakur hotel and had some tea and Maggie noodles. There is one more tea stall a few metres from this one at which point we get to cross a bridge. This village point is about 9kms from Taluka. The terrain became harsher and my right knee started giving problems. Towards the end of the next 4kms I had to drag myself and walked almost on my left leg. Reached Osla/Seema GMVN at about 4pm (8hrs) and collapsed into an inviting chair by the fireside. We had some tea and some people had rice/Dal. It was too late for lunch for me. Went to our dormitory and applied Tiger Balm to relieve the pain my right knee. There was an English couple who had been touring India for last 6 months and had chosen HKD as one place to visit.
We retired at about 10pm after gazing at the multitude of stars, which we don’t get to see in Delhi.
Day 3: 10th May 2010 (Osla to HKD)
Had some paranthas for breakfast and started off to HKD, excited about reaching the beautiful place. I used a crepe bandage to wrap up my right knee. Like every other day we started off at about 8am. There is a bridge we need to cross as we leave the GMVN and after crossing, the path is very, very steep and rocky. It takes your breath away (not by the scenery but the terrain). There is a road to the left going to the OSLA village which has a STD booth. So two of my friends went that way to call up our families to let them know our location/health etc. The slow walkers like me and another 50 year old turned right to go to HKD knowing very well that the other two will catch up. This is a steep climb most of the time. At one place we had to cross a patch of snow (very slippery). Reached HKD at about 4pm. The bandage did help me but not fully, so struggled a lot in reaching HKD. Now the breath is taken away again with the beauty of the place. Surrounded by snow clad mountains. It did snow on the way and after reaching HKD.
There was a lot of greenery and tall trees (looked like Pine). Enroute to HKD from Osla there are some beautiful mountain views and at one place you can see a waterfall. Some of the mountains we can see are Kala Nag, Bunderpoonch, Yamunotri, etc.
We were tired reaching HKD especially the last portion looks like a steep climb to get to the GMVN TRH. It is a simple building, with one dormitory of nine beds, two double rooms. The entry to dorm and one room is through the kitchen. We settled down in the dorm except for one senior person who always insisted on a separate room to himself.
It started snowing a bit and we enjoyed despite the tiredness in our legs, we moved around to get better views of the peaks around us.
Day 4: 11th May 2010 (at HKD)
It was about 540am and some one was trying to wake us up as the view of the mountains is fantastic at this hour. The sun has already risen and the view was spectacular.
We were standing at the base of HKD peak and could see on left the Atta Peak, in front to the right we could see Swargarohini Peaks I and II and others whose names are not known to any at HKD. I wish the staff at GMVN are better educated on these matters.
It was very very cold outside, must be about 2 or 3 degrees. We had our breakfast and I didn’t want to venture on any trek today, I have to look after my legs as I have to get back home too. So me and a friend stayed back enjoying the views, walked a little around the area. The other three friends went to see Jaundhar glaciers, they started about 8am and returned by about 2pm in time for our lunch. We had some Maggie and tea at about 11am, The staple food here is Potatoes, dal chawal.
Day 5: 12th May 2010 (at HKD)
I could recover from the tiredness in my legs. Four of the friends took off to see a lake, talk about teamwork. Left me to be alone for the second day and not insisted on my coming with them. It is true I was slowing them but it would have been nicer to be in a group. So as a lone ranger does his trails, I walked up the mountains towards the Atta Peak. It is a steep climb but managed well with my crepe bandage treatment to the right knee. Luckily Raj Mohan joined me after a while to guide me to this wonderful valley, a big meadow surrounded by towering mountains. On one side we had the HKD. I was actually standing at the foot of this great mountain. A great feeling. On another side we had a clear view of the Atta Peak, standing right in front of me. Added to all this awesome place was the meandering Supin river flowing next to me. Crystal clear, flowing over small rocks, making the sweetest sounds as it rolls on. There is otherwise absolute silence as we two are the only beings there.
I sat on a rock next to the river, hearing the sounds, enjoying the views of the surrounding. One can keep gazing at these mountains for ever without getting bored. I wanted the time to stop so that I can enjoy it for ever. I don’t know how many times I stood in the middle of the bugyal and looked around and felt like dancing. It is about 1230pm and dark clouds started to appear here and there. They seem to be jealous of me enjoying the scenery all by myself and wanted to disrupt me from there. Reluctantly I started to pack up to leave this heaven like place, not out of my will to leave but that of the Gods. I reached the GMVN TRH safely, just as the other team also reached it. It seems they had wonderful time (That’s what they said, looking at the photos later didn’t seem so). Had the staple food of Kichdi and relaxed for a while. Some of the group played cricket with the local guys. The cricket ball is made of socks and rags tightly wound and held together. Very creative.
The best part of eating was having dinner next to the fireplace (where Janak cooks the food). As there is little place around it the best place is on a first come first served basis and after it is musical chairs. Some times we sat on the ground or on a small stool.
Day 6: 13th May 2010 (HKD to Osla)
Got up early at about 0515am hoping to see the rising sun rays on the Swargarohini mountains, the sun didn’t come out till about 0525am when we could see the shining edges of the mountain and again we took a few shots with our cameras. Planned to leave early to trek down to OSLA but finally left at about 8am after eating breakfast. I wanted to eat light (a mistake) and ate just one parantha. Later during the trek I was so hungry that I could have eaten a horse at that time.
The terrain was ups and downs, at one place I suddenly spotted a 2 feet snake, had bands on it but moving very slowly, I called out to my friends to come cautiously. I told my friend to take some photos which he did. The other friend said he saw a green snake which slithered away into some hole quickly.
When we came to the place where we had to cross a patch of sold snow we found that in the middle of the path (which we came by) had two gaping holes so treaded carefully around these holes and reached the other side without any untoward incidents. On closer look the snow at these holes looked thin about an inch thickness.
On return journey we took time off to enjoy the scenery much more as we had successfully completed our mission to HKD. There was a waterfall coming from a very high point, it was a nice view. As we reached OSLA(at about 2pm) instead of going down the steep rocky steps down to the Seema GMVN we went straight towards the OSLA village. The structures are mostly of wood and looked beautiful. We walked to the end of the village to make calls home to update our families. I wish the STD booth is closer on this side so that we don’t have to walk this additional distance. We took a few pictures
We were invited for tea at the Ex-Pradhan’s house. One person came to ask us for a medicine for a headache and when we gave him some medicine we found to our surprise a big queue of people with their ailments and we had to become quacks for a while. We were very careful in giving out medicines as we were worried about any after effects etc. The medical support seems non existent here so we were in a way to help some needy people. Most of them seem to be suffering from Stomach ailments could be due to bad hygiene. We were planning to do some social work with our extra hours on our hand so this came as a welcome work. We wanted to visit the school to see if we can help, but school was closed. We understand that about 4 schools in the neighboring villages are also closed.
After about an hour and a half we took a short cut down to Seema GMVN and reached about 4pm. We all had Maggie noodles.
Same ritual as usual, have tea in the evening and dinner (same roti/chawal/dal and subji) at about 830pm.
Day 7: 14th May 2010 (Osla to Taluka)
Started off at 8am, seems to be getting into perfecting the start time. The journey to Gangar was bad with rocky path, in fact the whole path to Taluka was very rocky. Knees get affected while coming down a slope, luckily my crepe bandage helped me a lot. On the way we had crossed some small rivulates and found a very interesting 'Chakki' (wheat grinding machine) totally run by the flowing water. The grinding stones were moving very fast. Who needs electricity. Reusable water resource at its best. The journey was uneventful and reached Taluka at about 3pm, had Maggie lunch. The flies never seem to leave Taluka. This is one place where we can get ‘Makki’ ka roti any time of the year (pun intended). Some of my friends joined a local gang to play cricket.
Visited the local Govt Ayurvedic Dispensary, discussed with the Doctor Naresh about the medical facilities etc. This is opposite to the GMVN TRH. It seems he charges Rs2/- from each patient when he gives medicines and some don’t even pay it seems.
Day 8: 15th May 2010 (Taluka to Dehradun)
The Qualis van came on time and we started off at about 8am. The road was bad between Taluka and Sankri, it seems the van had a punctured tyre while reaching Taluka and the nearest place it can get repaired is Mori. We somehow reached Mori to find out that he can not repair the tyre, so proceeded to Purola. Unfortunately another tyre got punctured and now we are without a spare. After a while we saw another Qualis and requested him to loan a spare tyre. He was like God sent and he obliged as he was also going to Purola.
At Netwar forest barricade we paid an additional amount for two days as we initially paid only for 5 days.
At Purola we got both tyres repaired and proceeded to Dakpathar. We encountered two landslides (both man made – in the process of widening the roads) as the Chardham Yatra was getting opened from 16th May there was too much traffic coming up (100 cars up three or four going down). We grabbed something to eat at a restaurant near Purola and Tea with Fane at a place called Jeddo.
The Barrage near Dakpathar was having a fair amount of water, we got down to take a few pictures and then took the road via Herbertpur to Dehradun.
We went to Hotel Drona (Of GMVN) at Dehradun to have dinner and then proceeded to the Railway station. Reached about 11pm just in time to settle down in the already waiting A/C express to Nizamuddin.
Day 9: 16th May 2010
At last the A/C express rolled into Nizamuddin station at about 515am and ordered a Meru Taxi. Came in at about 30 minutes. Reached home at about 640am. A total of 8 days and 8 hours from start to Finish.
Crazy you might think but went to Gym in the evening. How is Gym difficult after completing a Trek to Har ki Dun
It was a very memorable trip. Never seen Mountains that close.
Happy to be there and back. Absolutely no casualities, not even a headache. What else you can ask God for.
I know t is a very long report, it was worth writing to benefit others.
Route followed:
Train from Delhi to Dehradun
Qualis from Dehradun station to Taluka via Mussoorie, Kempty falls, Yamuna Bridge, Nainbagh, Bernigad, Nowgaon, Purola, Mori, Netwar, Sankri and then Taluka.
General Costs: in INR
Taxi from Home to Station (for 3 people) 650
Train ticket to Dehradun (Approx) pp 550
Qualis (5 seater) One way 5500
Govind Pashu National Park entry per person per day 50 (min 3 days)
Stay in Dorms average per day 190
Breakfast per parantha 25
Tea 12
Maggie noodles 35 (best meal)
Lunch/Dinner fixed meal per plate 70
Pony + one porter for 6 days 4200
Porter: Charges see above)
Bhajan Singh Guide cum porter
Raj Mohan – Charge of Pony
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