DIY Valley of Flowers

These days there are lots of trekking agencies that take trekkers to different routes in the Himalayas. While you can go with them for any of those treks, you could also do many of these treks on your own and solo quite easily provided you have prior information on what to expect.

Here I will try to describe the do's and don'ts of a Do It Yourself trek to the Valley of Flowers which is supposed to be one of the easiest beginners' treks. But before that let me give you a brief idea about the pros and cons of going with an agency. 

Going to VoF involves a long road trip through the Garhwal Himalaya in monsoon (there are fears of landslides and disruptions). Trek the Himalaya takes care of this part of the trek right from Rishikesh. That's a major advantage. If you do it on your own, you have to board the bus from Rishikesh bus stand very early in the morning. And it's a day long trip in an ordinary state bus. The TTH mini buses are much better. If you are in a small group hiring a taxi from Rishikesh would be a better option, albeit a little expensive. 

Agencies like India Hikes ask you to report straight to their base in Govindghat. Might as well walk on your own also. There is nothing special about walking with India Hikes or any such agency. I will explain why a little later. In fact after the trek I thought the most difficult part of the trip was getting in an out of Govindghat - because of the monsoon triggered landslides.

While TTH puts you up for the night at Pipalkoti, a couple of hours before Govindghat and even before Joshimath, the public bus will take you straight to Govindghat where you can stay for the night and start the trek early morning next day.

The other disadvantages of trekking with an agency is that they typically choose the cheapest possible hotels with very basic food. The rooms have to be shared with complete strangers if you are alone who might happily snore right next to you. I cannot sleep like this at all. 

Also, while walking, you have to keep pace with the team. You can neither walk too fast, nor can you be too slow. You don't have much personal time to take photographs on the way etc. My experience with India Hikes was really poor in this respect. They even make you exercise after reaching the destination :-) Too old for all that bull shit.

An advantage of being with an agency is that you have experienced trek leaders and guides. They know the route extremely well and can be of much help in any medical emergency. On certain risky sections they take care of the safety aspect.

However, Valley of Flower route being a pilgrim trail is full of porters and mules. Believe it or not, there are garden chairs all along the way. So there is no reason why you should not do it solo and without any guidance of anyone.

You don't need to camp anywhere. You walk on day 1 to Ghangaria where there are plenty of hotels. The next two days are day treks without any overnight stay. That is, you go to the destinations - VoF and Hemkund Sahib on two respective days - and come back the same day. No question of spending the night anywhere. So it is basically a hotel trek. Eminently doable for a novice.

Since many costs are shared, trekking with an agency is quite inexpensive. If you are going on your own there are certain costs that might seem expensive to many. 

So now on with the day by day break up of the journey.

Day 1 - Rishikesh to Govindghat

The day starts from Rishikesh early in the morning at 5.30 am or so. Arrive the evening before and check into a hotel near the bus stand so that the next morning you need not worry about getting there so early. The main hotel area of Rishikesh is Tapovan where there are literally hundreds of hotels. But it's not near the bus stand. The main taxi stand of Rishikesh is near Ram Jhula which is not very far from Tapovan.

The bus journey should take about 12 hours or so if there is no road block and disruption en route. Landslides are very frequent in this route so be mentally prepared for that. The road follows the river Alokananda through Devaprayag, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag etc and then climbs down from Joshimath to reach Govindghat - the last town on the bank of Alokananda. 

A hotel in Govindghat

There is a large Gurudwara in Govindghat where they offer Langar (free food) to anyone, regardless of caste, creed or religion. There are several basic hotels in Govindghat where you can check in for the night. There is a small market around the Gurudwara selling mostly Sikh religious items. There are many eating joints too. I had veg momo for Rs 100 a plate. 

Incidentally this entire route is vegetarian. You will not find any restaurant selling anything remotely non-veg. Don't even mention non-veg food anywhere. They are deeply offended. 

Day 2 - Pulna to Ghangariya (Jeep for 4 km and trek for 11 km)

From Govindghat cross the small Army Green bridge over Alokananda and proceed towards a village 4 kms away called Pulna. You can take a shared jeep here for this journey that would otherwise take you less than a couple of hours on foot. It's a black top road in decent state of repair. Beyond Govindghat they don't allow any outside taxi as this route is controlled by vehicle owners from Pulna village only. 

Pulna is the last village on this route. While Ghangariya is almost like a town, all the buildings there are basically hotels. It doesn't have any residents living there. In fact these places are under deep snow for about six months a year and no one stays here round the year.

If you are ready to rough it out, you could perhaps walk the previous evening from Govindghat and spend the night at one of the small homestays in Pulna. These are not hotels but homestays in the true sense of the word. 

Important thing to know here is that, no one is allowed to proceed from Govindghat after 2 pm. This rule is very strictly enforced. We were not allowed to move as we reached Govindghat at 3 pm. But if you explained to them that you would go only as far as Pulna they might relent. Don't bank on it though. I didn't personally do this.

The Hindi notice at Govindghat about movement restriction after 2

At Pulna one has to register oneself at the small registration counter on the left hand side of the road. For Indians one has to show some official identity. Foreigners have to show their passport. You can have breakfast here also. There are plenty small dhabas on the roadside. 

There are many porters and mule drivers who will solicit for your business here. They charge Rs 1000 for the 11 km uphill journey. 

The walk is up the very well defined and broad trail with a railing. Nothing could be easier than that in the Himalayas. To top it all, it is a very pleasant walk through a forest with innumerable glacial streams flowing all around. There are water taps along the route and of course plenty of eateries. Tea is Rs 30 for a cup. 

The trail is a continuous and rasonably steep climb. If you are not used to panting, you will find it difficult. Take rest. Start walking again. There is no other challenge involved. It took me about 6 hours to complete this hike with couple of tea breaks. It might rain. Take adequate protection against it. 

In Ghangria 

Ghangariya from the Hemkund trail

First comes the helipad of Ghangaria. It's a wide spread out valley with plenty of tented accomodation. We didn't stay here but proceeded towards the small town of Ghangaria which is about a kilometer or so away. There is a GMVN accomodation with dormitories and rooms etc and plenty of small hotels on either side of the road. Each hotel has an eatery in the ground floor. There is a Gurudwara also where they have rooms available at reasonable rates. I stayed in a room for Rs 800. This was Holiday Inn opposite to the Gurudwara. There was another hotel that offered its room for Rs 2000. I have no clue if their room had jacuzzi or what but I thought it was an exorbitant rate. 

Two things are offered at every hotel it seemed. Foot massage and hot water. I took neither. 

Near the GMVN rest house, there is a place where they sell books on the VoF and a documentary film on the uniqe valley is shown there too. This is an NGO that employs the sweepers along the way who pick plastic trash and clear the poop of the mules (it could be disgusting for many).

Day 3 - Ghangaria to VoF and Back

VoF is not only a National Park it is also a UN declared World Heritage site. It has a formal gate that opens at 7 am. You have to pay an entry fee here of Rs 150 per head (I am not sure what it is for foreigners). Every entry and exit to the valley is noted in a register. Being a highly protected biosphere, they don't allow mules on this route but porters are available. They even lug humans on their backs in a basket.

If the weather is bad on a particular day the gate may not be opened at all. In that case you have to go to Hemkund Sahib and hope for better weather the next day.

After Ghangaria the road forks into two towards these two destinations just before the check point. The left one goes to VoF and  the right goes to Hemkund. The Hemkund trail, being a pilgrimage, is never closed rain or shine. 

The VoF trail is a relatively narrow stone paved one. It's perhaps steeper than the first day's trek. After about four kilometers from the town, up the steep trail, you enter the valley that is wide, flat and well spread out. The flowers start right from the gate and here the variety and numbers are a lot more. 

However, don't believe the exaggerated and photoshopped photographs that you see on the net. The valley is all green. Not purple or red or yellow etc as shown in those pictures. The flowers, being wild, are very small. The overwhelming colour is green and the bright flowers dot this greenery very beautifully. 

Contrary to popular perception this valley doesn't have Brahma Kamals. For that you have to go to Hemkund and that too in late August.  

 

 

Trekking for the Beginners

Recently while hiking to the Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand I got a chance to meet and walk with several completely novice trekkers. For many of them this was not only their first trek anywhere, they were even seeing Himalayas for the first time in their life. This is quite understandable. Valley of Flowers is promoted as a beginners' trek by the trekking agencies, which it indeed is, and it is natural that many new comers to this pursuit choose it as their first Himalayan experience. 

Having interacted and observed them closely during the four days of the trek, I noticed that several of them were very ill informed about the do's and don'ts of a Himalayan trek. Therefore it makes sense to write a blog addressed to such people that will surely help any novice - regardless of his or her age.

What I am writing here is entirely taken from my own experience. No knowledge here is Googled for you. It is knowledge acquired through years of experience in various physical activities.

The trekking agencies do give a lot of advice on their websites but it's either inadequate or on the extreme side of caution. For example, a standard thing that is mentioned on India Hikes or Trek The Himalaya site is "you should be able to comfortably run 5 kms in 30 minutes." This is a load of bull shit really. I have never run 5 kms in my life except on a couple of occasions. And they were never done in less than 30 minutes. 

Such a blanket advice for all without taking into account the person's age is completely meaningless. What a 20 year can do can surely not be done by a 60 year old. But it doesn't really matter. Both can hike a mountain trail with reasonable fitness. Frankly I don't read such literature beyond a few lines.

We must remember - the trekking agencies don't like taking chances. They don't want to be faced with a charge like - you never told us so. Also they never paint the complete picture that might discourage some of their potential clients. After all they are a business. No matter how friendly they sound in their websites, they are there to run a business. 

The kind of things they advice you to take with you in a trek is another piece of total crap. Short of the kitchen sink, they ask you to carry virtually everything. We will come to that in my article shortly. 

So what does it take to trek successfully in the basic Himalayan trails? 

Research The Trail 

Trekking agencies rate their treks in 3/4 categories in terms of difficulty. First is easy to moderate. Next is moderate to difficult and third is difficult to perhaps very difficult. New comers generally choose the easy ones which is the right thing to do. But they are not given any idea about what they mean by easy. If you are a new comer who has never climbed even one flight of stairs at home or office, even Valley of Flowers will seem like a the most difficult trek in the world. Because it involves a walk up a reasonably steep mountain road for about five to six hours on the very first day.

So what is easy or moderate or difficult when it comes to trekking? Please understand that there is no such trek that is like a walk in the park. So when they say "easy" it doesn't mean you will never huff and puff. Most Himalayan treks start with a steep ascent. And for a first timer it is not easy to deal with such a climb. You will most definitely huff and puff and right from the word go almost.

So why is VoF or other such treks termed easy? Well, easy is a trek where the trail is extremely well defined. The VoF trail is wide like a motorable road. It has rocks laid by humans to make it walkable. It even has railings on the sides and tap water every now and then. There are tin shades made over the trail here and there where you can take shelter in heavy rain. There are even garden chairs all along the way, damn it. 

Even if these pilgrim friendly features were not there it would still be called easy because on this trail you need not worry about where your next step will be.

Moderate trek is where every now and then there are sections where you have to measure your steps and step carefully. You have to chalk out your next few steps before hand, These are moderate treks. What is difficult? Well, generally there is no well defined trails. It is where you often fear for your life. You worry that you might fall and either break your limbs or just die. 

Very difficult would be trails where you need to do technical climbing with special skills and expertise. 

Steepness is a given in all treks. Just steepness does not determine how easy or difficult a trek is. Altitude beyond a point is certainly an issue that should determine whether a trek is easy or difficult. At very high altitude even a level path can be dangerous because the altitude itself can kill you. 

Does the trek involve crossing avalanche prone areas? Are their glaciers to be crossed? These make it difficult. Not just steepness.

So my advice is - read up on the trail that you will be following and stay mentally prepared. Many just look at the kilometers. That is a wrong approach. Ten kilometers of continuous uphill climb and 10 Km over a flat valley are two different walks altogether. I never look at the distance per se. I ask how long does it take to cover it. That is a more relevant piece of information and gives you a better picture. 

Pulna to Ghangria in VoF Day 1 is 11 km. Should take less than 3 hours if it was flat. It actually takes six hours for an average trekker because it is reasonably steep. Ghangria to Hemkund is just 6 kms. It took some of our trekmates a good 5/6 hours to cover. 

Weight Management 

In the mountains how much weight you are carrying is crucially important for enjoying a trek. There is a famous saying that "in the land of the Lama, don't try to be a Gama". Here Gama is the legendary wrestler. It means, in the Himalayas don't try to show off your strength. Manage the weight you are carrying by not taking unnecessary items. 

These days, the agencies allow you to give your main load to their mules and you can walk with a small bag of essentials. This bag should have the following items - a raincoat even if the weather looks sunny, a hollowfill or down jacket, a spare pair of socks, drinking water, some snacks to munch on the way and a small emergency medical kit like a crepe bandage (you might sprain your ankle), some cotton wool, Dettol etc. If packed lunch or breakfast is given at the start that you have to carry too.

When you walk you will feel warm pretty soon unless you are in sub zero conditions and the weather is gloomy with no sun. I usually walk with a base layer, a thick or thin T-shirt over that (depending on how warm or cold it is) and a rain coat with the front zip open. If it gets really warm I take the rain coat off and put it in the bag. If it gets chilly I can pull up the zip. If walking in really cold weather take a pair of gloves too.

If you stop on the way and it is cold you will get the chills pretty soon. This is when you should pull out the warmer jacket and use it. Keep the head covered all the time. You might want the gloves also. 

I keep the spare socks to deal with any accidental dipping of the feet in water. Walking with a wet pair of socks is a sure fire way of catching a cold.

Another important point to note - if it is winter, put a layer of Vaseline or moisturizer on your face, particularly on the nose tip and cheeks. Keep the ears closed.

I also carry two bottles of water. One has Electral in it. Manage your thirst and electrolyte level carefully. Drink a little every now and then. If you feel thirsty it's already too late. Many people prefer the bladder on their back with a sipper near their mouth. I have somehow avoided it so far. Mainly because of the cost. Also I don't like sipping like that.  

Dehydration can be dangerous in the mountains. You can get cramps. You can feel pain in the joints. All sorts of disasters can happen. If you are young you might get away with a bit of dehydration. For the older people it is of critical importance. 

 

The Mind over Body - A Mental Attitude

Most youngsters who think of going to the Himalayas for a trek, I have noticed, bank on their gyms to see them through in the mountains. This is a big mistake to make. I have seen well built North Indian boys in their mid-twenties with gym sculpted biceps and lats going back from a trek to Roopkund on the second day. They all had excellent muscles and I am sure they spend hours in their gyms to build them but they lacked something more crucial. A strong mind. 

Walking up or down a steep trail for the whole day, often in bad weather, is what you should expect in a trek. Just lifting weights doesn't prepare you for this. You could stop once in a while to rest or to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings but rest of the time you just have to walk like a mule. Look down at the trail and keep walking. Some do it with a load on their back. Some without. But just keep walking. That's all. This is for the easy treks. On difficult treks you have to constantly look for where to place your next foot and sometimes about losing your life.

Now to walk the whole day like a mule, you don't really need muscles sculpted in the gym. What you need is a certain mindset. A mind that accepts physical suffering for a long time throughout the day. A mind that doesn't give up easily. A mind that is not looking to prove anything to anyone. A mind that is not trying to "defeat" the Himalayas but seeks her permission to go to her interiors to see the beauty that is lying there and unseen by most. 

You don't need to be able to lift X kilos to do this. But you certainly need to have experienced suffering and physical exhaustion at whatever level. While walking up a steep trail over a long time I often play a scene in my mind. It's a hot and sultry evening in May in Calcutta and I am running in the Lakes. I am sweating profusely, But I am going on. I have to finish the distance of X. It doesn't matter what X is to you but have you suffered like this ever? If not, go out and experience such suffering. It could be a long walk. It could be a short run. Whatever it is but you need some memories of suffering. 

You are lifting weights. Have you lifted a bucket of water for the family ever? If you are just lifting weight then it becomes your comfort zone. Come out of that comfort zone. Get the habit of panting like a dog. Whether from walking or running or skipping - do pant over a long time. It is not only good for your heart, you will be able to negotiate the Himalayan trails well.

By the way, I am by no means discouraging going to the gym. By all means please go and sculpt your body if you are a yongster or strengthen your bones and muscles if you are a senior. But don't think that only going to the gym is enough preparation.

If you are walking as a prep, carry some weights in a rucksack. Just putting two 2 litre water bottles means you are adding 4 kilos.