KRAG

The Kuari Khal expedition was done in October-November 1997. I led a team of 6 people on this 9 day route across the Kuari Khal (Kuari Pass) which is at a height of 4269 Meters. It is located in the Chamoli district of Uttranchal state and is a few kilometers from the Indo-Tibetan border. This route is also called the 'Curzon Road' since Lord Curzon went upto the Kuari Pass in 1905.

"Standing at the Kuari Pass facing north, the vision sweeps from the gorges of Trishul in the east to the peaks of Kedarnath in the west - the Kedarnath, Chaukhamba, Nilkantha, Kamet, Gauri Parbat, Hathi Parbat, Nandadevi, Bethartoli, Dunagiri - all arranged in a stupendous arc Southwards the foothills stretch wave upon wave on to the dim haze of the distant plains"

This expedition was conducted under the aegis of the BMS College of Engineering Mountaineering Club. the BMSCE MC holds the privilege of leading the first all student expedition from South India to Gadhwal Himalayas in November 1983. This is now an annual event undertaken by the 2nd year students.

Phase 3:

DAY 6: 2 / 11 / 97 - Sartoli - Rest Day

    The sun took it's time coming out. The ground was still damp and slushy from the previous day's rain. We got up at 8:00 a.m. At around 10:30 a.m ,after we had finished breakfast, we put our things out to dry and went around the place. We met a few shepherds and their flock of mountain goats. The goats were looking great with their thick layers of white hair and curved horns. The sheep dogs of this area were really gigantic compared to those that we were used to. They were also very friendly. Just two of those dogs were capable of controlling a herd of 200 to 400 goats. Though there were overcast skies all day, it didn't rain.

    Cooking food in this weather presented new problems. Everything took twice as long to become fully done and some items like dal had to be consumed partly uncooked. Nobody complained since we were cooking our own food ! In the evening, at around 4:00 p.m , another group of trekkers reached Sartoli. They were a British group who had trekked over Kuari Pass the previous day and had left for Sartoli today from Dakhwani -our destination for tomorrow. They set up camp near us. We asked them about conditions at Kuari Pass and left after them to rest. We cooked food for the next day and turned in early.

 DAY 7 :     3 / 11 / 97 - Sartoli to Dakhwani (3018 Mts.) - 16 Kms

    We were ready to leave by 6: 30 a.m .The view as we walked up from Sartoli was terrific.  The sky was a clear blue, the likes of which we could never hope to see back home. There  wasn't a cloud in sight which didn't mean much since we had already experienced spontaneous rainstorms. The clear skies meant melting snow which in turn meant streams and rivulets all along the route. This saved us the trouble of carrying water in our cans. The terrain was the toughest we had faced until now and yet, the fact that we were so close to our goal kept us from faltering.The packed lunch had been a good idea as no one would have liked to stop and cook anywhere along this route.

    We arrived at Dakhwani at 3:00 in the afternoon and got a pleasant surprise ; All along the
route we had been contemplating the hardships that we would have to endure at Dakhwani since it was at 3018mts and other than the tent, we had nothing else to protect us from the snow that was sure to fall; The porters who had already gone ahead had a campfire going in a place we least expected to find - A huge cave ! the night we spent in a cave was really an unforgettable experience and worth every single bit of the hardships we had endured to get till here. We went to sleep that night with the imposing Kuari Pass towering over us.
 

Day 8 :     4/11/97 : Dakhwani - Kuari Pass (4268 Mts.) - Reagdi (2896 Mts.) - 19 Kms

    It had snowed heavily that night. Thanks to the cave, we didn't feel a thing. We were up and away by 7:00 a.m . The going was tough from the beginning itself. The scarcity of oxygen was affecting us all. Kuari Pass seemed so near but was at the same distance even after hours of trekking. To add to our disappointment , Kuari Pass appeared to be completely snow less. The porters statement that we would find snow on the other side of the pass did nothing to lift our spirits. The view of the peaks and valleys as we ascended was stupendous,more so because all the surrounding mountains were lower than us. We could even see clusters of clouds forming and breaking up below us. As we approached the top, the first signs of snow appeared. We were ecstatic. One member of our group even left the route and started climbing up the neighboring slope because he could see snow at the top ! We managed to convince him that there was more snow where we were headed.

    The distance between Dakhwani and the Pass was just Seven (7) kilometers but we took three (3) hours to cover it and reached the top at 10:00 a.m. the view from the top exceed our wildest expectations. It was simply spectacular. We could see Nanda Devi , Sath Kund Parbat, HemKund, RupKund and many other well known peaks all around ; But the most pleasing view of all was the vast expanse of snow before us that seemed to go on and on; one
couldn't tell where the snowline ended and the sky began, both being the same color.Everyone went wild in the snow for sometime and it was every man for himself. All of us wanted photographs of all possible places in all possible angles.We certainly didn't forget our sponsors who had made all this possible. The porters advised us not to stop for lunch here since it sure to start snowing in sometime. So, after enjoying ourselves to the maximum possible extent and after putting off leaving till the last, possible minute, we decided that we better make a move if we wanted to reach Reagdi the same day.

    By the time we left the pass, it was 12:00 noon and it had also started snowing. There was still about twelve (12) kilometers to go before we reached the day's destination. Initially, it was very easy going since it was downhill all the way. As we proceeded downward, the snow turned into rain and the there was lots of slush underfoot.We were filled with the exhilaration of having successfully achieved our objective. We stopped for lunch at 1:30 p.m and then started again. It was still raining and hardly an hour went past without all of us falling at least once because of the slush. We finally reached Reagdi at 6:30 p.m looking like we had spent all our lives wallowing in mud ! Just thinking of putting up the tents again and cooking was a forbidding prospect for all of us after the day's ordeal. Luckily for us, a gentleman we met at Reagdi invited us to spend the night at his place - for a price of course. Considering the state we were in, this was a real life saver ! There was to be a marriage in a week's time at the place where we were staying. the whole place had a festive atmosphere with music playing and lots of people busying themselves with preparations. They made us feel really welcome. Somehow, it just wasn't the same that night, sleeping within four walls without the wind and the snow!
 

Day 9 :     5 / 11 / 97 - Reagdi to Tapoban - 10 Kms

    We woke up late in the morning with the realization that this was going to be the last day of our trek. We paid off the porters and thanked them for everything. A lot of rations was left over and we distributed this among the porters and the villagers. By the time we left, it was 12:30 p.m .The route to Tapoban was more of a thoroughfare than a trekking route. we arrived at Tapoban at 2: 00 p.m. From here we had to hire a jeep to take us to Joshimath, which was a fairly small town but seemed like a metropolis to us after days in the mountains. We stayed at the Gadhwal Mandal Vika Nigam Guest house which offered us all the modern amenities we needed , namely a hot bath ,a cot to sleep on and last but certainly not the least - Food, good wholesome food not cooked by any of us !

    Though a few of us did possess certain culinary skills, cooking in extreme cold and with a stove that seemed at times to be extremely moody did not lend itself to creating gourmet delights. None of us had complained about the food at any point during the trek, but our sentiments were made clear with the gusto with which we attacked the first plate at the restaurant , never mind that it was probably cooked by someone who didn't believe in washing hands and that using yesterday's seasoning was the way to a long life. Jokes aside, we had always made sure that however handled the cooking materials cleaned his hands.
Even the porters had follow this strictly. We went to sleep that night with, for a change, heavy stomachs and light heads - unburdened by thoughts of what tomorrow might bring.

    The next day we made the 'pilgrimage' to Badrinath, albeit on the top of a bus and not by foot. We stayed at the Karnataka government's 'Ananth Ashram' that night. On the 8th of November, we left for Rishikesh since Both valley of flowers and Kedarnath were snowbound and off limits.We reached Rishikesh at 6:00 p.m. after a tiring twelve (12) hour journey. Delhi was our destination the next day. At New Delhi, we spent a few days shopping, sightseeing and partaking of all that our Capital had to offer during Dusherra time. We finally arrived back in Bangalore on the 15th of November 1997.

E-mail: ravi.giri@gmail.com

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